We will end Gone But Not Forgotten with the woman who put gospel music on the international stage: Mahalia Jackson.
We will end Gone But Not Forgotten with the woman who put gospel music on the international stage: Mahalia Jackson.
Even though 3Chics Politico is written and curated by three women: Ametia, Rikyrah, and SouthernGirl2, I must nominate this as one of the most engaging blogs I've found. Devoted to politics and culture, these three shine a light on contemporary life with humor and spirit.
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
Idris Elba ✔ @idriselba
Follow
Wowsers! Crazy how many new followers you get when you mention the D*** If I owned a Bow tie company I’d be laughing. Dickie Bows by Driis
4:41 PM – 5 Jan 2014
NewsBreaker @NewsBreaker
Follow
JUST IN: Chicago, Illinois Public Schools cancelled for Monday due to extreme cold -@WGNNews
5:26 PM – 5 Jan 2014
Rikyrah, I went shopping tonight and that wind is CHILLING to the bone. I know it’s 10x’s colder up there. Stay warm and stay safe!
This storm is unbelievable. It looks like northeastern Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota are getting the worst of it. Temperatures right now are lower than -20 and even -30 in northern Minnesota. This is a really dangerous storm, I worry about all those folks living there. The wind chill makes it even worse.
20 to 30 below freezing is unfreakingbelievable. No way I could survive.
https://twitter.com/CarolMaeWY/status/419971306436575232/photo/1
Oh! Oh! How sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love their foreheads! Makes it looks as if they have parted bangs :)
I love them. Too much cuteness!
https://twitter.com/arapaho415/status/419962950586073089/photo/1
Ya’ll deserve a treat this Sunday evening.
Love the graphic!
TY! Sooky! Sooky!
How cute!
Love it, that’s a really good one.
Coldest Air in 20 Years to Aim at Nation’s Heartland
By Brian Lada, Meteorologist
January 05, 2014; 2:20 PM
A fresh blast of arctic air will deliver some of the coldest weather in 20 years to the country’s midsection during the second half of the weekend and into the start of this week.
This brutal cold will bring danger to millions from the northern Plains to the Midwest and down into the Tennessee Valley. Overnight lows are forecast to dip well below the zero-degree mark in these areas, even dropping to 30 below zero in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
With temperatures more than 30 degrees below normal, residents of these regions will have to take extra precautions to stay protected from the harsh winter cold.
One of most dangerous aspects of this Arctic outbreak will be the gusty winds accompanying the subzero temperatures.
These winds will make it feel significantly colder and can pose danger for those spending prolonged periods of time in the outdoors.
This bone-chilling breeze helps to carry heat away from your body, heightening the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.
Although it is most commonly associated with extreme heat, dehydration is also a danger that people must be aware of when spending time in the cold.
The worst of the brutal cold will focus on the northern Plains and areas just west of the Great Lakes where temperatures are forecast to stay below zero degrees for more than 24 hours.
If the temperature in Chicago only gets to 6 below zero on Monday like currently forecast, it will be 5 degrees lower than it reached each of the last two winters.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/coldest-air-in-20-years-to-aim/21701179
https://twitter.com/BilldeBlasio/status/419912792632983552/photo/1
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
https://twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice/status/419928022826094592/photo/1
Nice!
This just cracked me up….but, what if someone had actually answered the phone? Would YOU have believed it if they said, ‘it’s the Pope’..even if they are nuns.
…………………..
Pope To Nuns: Why Aren’t You Answering The Phone? ASSOCIATED PRESS – JANUARY 4, 2014, 9:41 AM EST
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has made another one of his cold calls to wish a group of nuns in a Spanish convent Happy New Year. Only he got their answering machine, instead.
“What are the nuns doing that they can’t answer the phone?” Francis asked in the message he left, the recording of which was obtained by Spain’s El Mundo newspaper and broadcast on Italian media Saturday.
“This is Pope Francis. I wanted to offer you greetings for the end of the year. Maybe I’ll try to call again later. May God bless you,” he said.
Francis has made a habit out of calling people out of the blue, often checking in with ordinary folk who have written him about their hardships. He places the calls himself, as evidenced by the message.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/pope-francis-nuns-phone-call
LMBAO Had I received that call, I’d be like GTFOH!
https://twitter.com/AmazingSprtsPic/status/419900216662568961/photo/1
No way!
Sweet Jesus!
FAKE
REAL DEAL
http://youtu.be/Gq173DLb1CI
Thanks for this, Rikyrah. I love watching our First Family on Air Force One!
I do, too!
Me three!
FOUR!
The scourge of the ‘wingnut hole’
01/03/14 12:59 PM
By Steve Benen
We have a reasonably good sense of how many Americans have enrolled in the health care system in recent months, signing up for coverage made available through the Affordable Care Act. For a more ambitious tally, Josh Marshall includes exchanges, Medicaid, young adults staying on their family plans, and those who were able to bypass exchanges to buy ACA-compliant policies directly from insurance carriers, for a grand total of about 10 million.
But every time these numbers are culled, it’s worth remembering that the coverage totals would be far greater were it not for “red” states refusing to accept Medicaid expansion.
The original plan, you’ll recall, was to simply mandate the greater access. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, said states must have a choice as to whether or not to accept the good deal. Most Republican-led states, naturally, rejected the policy, leaving millions behind for no particular reason.
But how many million? The Associated Press published a report this week with a striking figure.
This coverage gap clearly needs a name. Ed Kilgore started calling it the “wingnut hole” months ago, and it’s certainly a descriptive phrase. Ryan Cooper added the other day:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-scourge-the-wingnut-hole
Adding insult to the jobless’ injury
01/03/14 03:11 PM—Updated 01/03/14 03:28 PM
By Steve Benen
Senate Democratic leaders are excited about tackling extended unemployment benefits as soon as the chamber returns to work on Monday. President Obama and the rest of the White House are lobbying aggressively on the issue. Even Hillary Clinton is urging Congress to act.
But the odds are clearly against it. In the Senate, a majority of the chamber appears to support a temporary extension, but that’s not enough to overcome a Republican filibuster. Consider what the lead Democratic Senate sponsor told Greg Sargent:
To overcome obstructionism, the bill will need at least five Republican supporters. As of this afternoon, it has one (Nevada’s Dean Heller).
And even if the votes come together in the upper chamber, there’s little evidence the Republican-led House would even consider the idea.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/adding-insult-the-jobless-injury
Anatomy of an Obamacare ‘horror story’
Texas daily went digging for victims of the ACA and Surprise! Reporter unearthed three Tea Partiers who hate the new law.
For months, health reform’s opponents have been feasting on tales of Obamacare’s innocent victims – Americans who lost their insurance because it doesn’t comply with the ACA’s regulations, and now have to shell out more than they can afford – or go without coverage.
Trouble is, many of those stories just aren’t true.
Yesterday I posted about a Fort Worth Star Telegram article that leads with the tale of Whitney Johnson, a 26-year-old new mother who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS). Her insurer just cancelled her policy, and according to Johnson, new insurance would cost her over $1,000 a month
That claim stopped me in my tracks. Under the ACA, no 26-year-old could be charged $1,000 monthly – even if she has MS.
Obamacare prohibits insurers from charging more because a customer suffers from a pre-existing condition. This rule applies to all new policies, whether they are sold inside or outside the exchanges.
At that point, I knew that something was wrong.
When I checked the exchange – plugging in Johnson’s county and her age – I soon found a Blue Choice Gold PPO plan priced at $332 monthly (just $7 more than she had been paying for the plan that was cancelled). Co-pays to see a primary care doctor would run just $10 ($50 to visit a specialist) and she would not have to pay down the $1,500 deductible before the insurance kicked in.
My radar went up. Recently, I have been reading more and more reports regarding “fake Obamacare victims.”
Now I couldn’t help but wonder: Who are these folks in the Star-Telegram story? The paper profiled four people who supposedly had been hurt by Obamacare. When I Googled their names, I soon discovered that three (including Johnson) were Tea Party members.
The paper describes them as among Obamacare’s “losers,” but the truth is that they didn’t want to be winners. Two hadn’t even attempted to check prices in the exchanges.
Meanwhile, it appeared that no one at the Star-Telegram even attempted to run a background check on the sources, or fact check their stories. I couldn’t help but wonder: “Why?”
The answer will surprise you.
http://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2014/01/03/anatomy-of-an-obamacare-horror-story/
The Unprecedented Attack On Reproductive Rights
Lauren Rankin – January 3, 2014, 10:08 AM EST
As if we needed any more proof that a war is being waged on reproductive freedom in the United States, a new report from the Guttmacher Institute definitely answers yes. According to the report, more abortion restrictions were enacted from 2011-2013 than in the entire preceding decade. From 2000-2010, 189 abortion restrictions were enacted. From 2011-2013, that number jumps to 205. Two hundred five abortion restrictions in three years isn’t just a trend; it’s a crisis.
According to the report, 22 states enacted 70 abortion restrictions in 2013 alone, making it second only to 2011 in the number of new abortion restrictions passed in a single year. 2013 saw unconstitutional 20-week, 12-week, and even 6-week abortion bans, from Texas to Arkansas to North Dakota, and this report makes clear that anti-choice activists aren’t slowing down — they’re actually growing more brazen in their attacks.
The terrain continues to shift from under our feet. The Guttmacher Institute reports that in 2000, 31 percent of women of reproductive age lived in one of the 13 states hostile to abortion rights. By 2013, 56 percent of women or reproductive age live in one of the 27 states hostile to abortion rights. There is no middle ground anymore, as even purple states like Ohio and Virginia, or even more traditionally blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin, have embraced fanatic anti-abortion restrictions.
In the last three years, bans on abortions at or even before 20 weeks postfertilization have become one of the more common types of abortion restrictions passed. In these cases, lawmakers are openly and knowingly breaking federal law, flagrantly violating the fetal viability norm in Roe v. Wade (which prohibits states from restricting abortion before the fetus can survive outside of the womb) in order to force a case to the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, federal judges have declared many of these bans unconstitutional, as is the case with North Dakota’s 6 week ban, Arkansas’ 12 week ban and Arizona’s 20 week ban. While it is motivating and heart-warming to see these bans ruled unconstitutional, other restrictions pervade and render access to safe and legal abortion care elusive for many. Limitations on insurance coverage of abortion, like Michigan’s “Rape Insurance” bill have proven popular with anti-choice activists, as have restrictions on medical abortion. On top of this, there are parental involvement laws, unnecessary and paternalistic waiting periods, forced ultrasounds, bans on public funding of abortion and continual efforts to defund women’s healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood. The bench of anti-abortion legislative tactics runs deep.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-unprecedented-attack-on-reproductive-rights
How a minimum wage hike could lift nearly 5 million from poverty
01/03/14 03:30 PM—Updated 01/03/14 05:22 PM
By Morgan Whitaker
Raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour could help to lift nearly 5 million Americans out of poverty, according to a new study released this week.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube found that proposals to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would reduce the number of non-elderly living in poverty by around 4.6 million in the short term, and that nearly 7 million would be lifted from poverty over the long term.
“Overall, there is robust evidence that minimum wage increases lead to moderate increases in incomes at the lower tail of the family income distribution,” Dube said in his report.
The study further finds that the poverty rate – which rose by 3.4% during the Great Recession, and has not significantly dropped – could be cut in half if Congress passed a $10.10 minimum wage law. He estimates that an average family in the bottom 10% of earners in the United States would see an extra of $1,700 of income a year.
Dube also notes in his findings that the proposal goes beyond helping to decrease poverty in America, by addressing fairness and shrinking wage inequality in general.
Shortly after winning re-election, President Obama first proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 during his State of the Union address in February. Shortly thereafter Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. George Miller introduced an even more ambitious plan to raise the wage to $10.10 (the proposal reviewed in the study.) The White House indicated in November that Obama would support that increase to $10.10, and Obama’s newly selected Labor Secretary, Tom Perez, said shortly thereafter that he would make a minimum wage hike a number one priority.
http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/one-way-lift-5-million-out-poverty
from 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arise-magazine/harlem-studio-african-american-artists_b_1827728.html
A painting of hers:
http://njidekaakunyili.com/work/the-beautyful-ones-are-not-yet-born-might-not-hold-true-for-much-longer
http://njidekaakunyili.com/work/the-beautyful-ones-are-not-yet-born-might-not-hold-true-for-much-longer
http://njidekaakunyili.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Njideka-Predecessors-Left-Panel-800×790.jpg
I love all these paintings of Njideka Akunyili. Thanks for the links, Yahtc.
You are welcome, Ametia! :)
One more:
http://www.frameweb.com/media/files/akunyili-njideka-something-split-and-new-800×587-160034_slide.jpg
The Devil Made Them Do It
by BooMan
Sun Jan 5th, 2014 at 06:39:32 AM EST
Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting separately today with the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He’ll be discussing the status of talks he’s had with the Israelis and Palestinians over the last couple of days.
Kerry is asking both parties to help him build a framework for peace negotiations, and the process has reached a difficult stage where intransigence on each side threatens to derail the effort. It is therefore somewhat amazing that Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and John Barrasso (R-WY) traveled to Israel in order to criticize Kerry and undermine his position.
John McCain, in particular, seems to make it his personal mission to try to prevent peace from breaking out anywhere on Earth. The pattern has become so consistent at this point that I’m tempted to posit some kind of demonic influence.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2014/1/5/63932/58508
Here’s another gif for 3CHICS
http://cdn.madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/12-Kandi-Eye-Roll.gif
and this is an eye roll classic:
http://i.dlisted.com/files/images/tumblr_m40ore1A9k1qaesd9.gif
PERFECT. I’ve used it already. Thanks!
First lady gets a few extra days of Hawaiian sun
Posted: Jan 05, 2014 2:09 AM EST
HONOLULU (AP) – First lady Michelle Obama is getting a few extra days of Hawaiian sun.
While President Barack Obama is departing Hawaii late Saturday, Mrs. Obama is staying behind to spend time with friends ahead of her upcoming 50th birthday party. The White House says the extra time in the islands is part of Mrs. Obama’s birthday gift from the president.
The first lady turns 50 on Jan. 17. The White House did not say when she planned to return to Washington.
The Obamas’ daughters, Malia and Sasha, are returning to the White House with their father. They’re scheduled to arrive in Washington Sunday morning after a two week vacation.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24366211/first-lady-gets-a-few-extra-days-of-hawaiian-sun
POTUS to FLOTUS: No, Boo. You stay here and do you for a few days…Mama Robinson and I have got the girls….Happy Birthday!!!
Hey Now!
you udeserve it FLOTUS.
It’s so nice to have a good man around the house! She is truly blessed. He loves her so!
Moving On’: Mitt Romney Accepts Melissa Harris-Perry’s ‘Heartfelt’ Apology
SNIP
At the end of a wider-ranging interview Sunday, Chris Wallace played a clip of the controversial segment, and asked Gov. Romney “Governor, this must be hurtful, and I know you are a classy guy and you don’t want to get into it, I got to ask you, honestly, from the heart, how did you, and quite frankly, how did Mrs. Romney feel when you heard your baby grandson Kieran was the target of political ridicule?”
“Let me first note, Chris, we love this little guy a great deal,” Gov. Romney began. “He was an answer to prayer, and we love that he is a part of our family. He is a part of our family.”
“That being said, I recognize that people make mistakes,” he continued, “and the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake. They’ve apologized for it. That’s all can you ask for. I am going to mover on from that. I am sure they want to move on from it. Look, I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself. They’ve apologized for this. You know, I think we can go on from there.”
SNIP
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/moving-on-mitt-romney-accepts-melissa-harris-perrys-heartfelt-apology-on-fox-news-sunday/
Good Morning, Everyone. Happy Sunday. i’ve really enjoyed Gone but not forgotten week.
Oh, Good Morning, Ametia!
RIP, Phil Everly, and thanks for the music.
Phil Everly Dies; Transformed Rock ‘N’ Roll With Brother Don
by Mark Memmott
January 04, 2014 8:00 AM One half of one of the most influential duos in rock ‘n’ roll history has died.
Phil Everly, 74, died Friday in a Burbank, Calif., hospital. His son Jason tells The Associated Press, NPR and other news outlets that the legendary singer suffered from chronic pulmonary disease.
Everly’s brother Don, now 76, is among the other survivors.
Their webpage on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame catalog of inductees rightly notes that the brothers “transformed the Appalachian folk, bluegrass and country sounds of their Kentucky boyhood into a richly harmonized form of rock and roll. … With Don taking the melody and Phil harmonizing above him, the Everlys released a steady string of hit records between 1957 and 1962 that crossed over from country to pop and even R&B charts.”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/04/259642153/phil-everly-dies-transformed-rock-n-roll-with-brother-don
Wake up Little Susie, wake up! RIP Phil.
Thanks, Liza, for this.
May he rest in peace.
Hey, ya’ll. Wake up. It’s almost 9:00 AM in Tucson.
Yawn…..okay.
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Just finished the first shoveling of the day.
LOOKIE HERE:
Notice how Romney’s face is darker. What’s he trying to do? MATCH THE COLOR OF HIS GRANDSON, KIERAN. SMGDH
I think we need to have a discussion post that speaks to the needs of a black child being raised by White adoptive parents.
I question whether the majority of Whites understand the Black experience in America.
Heck, I question if very many Whites understand their own White privilege and the benefits and advantages that they have that Blacks do not have.
How can these Whites prepare their adopted Black children for what they might face in life? How much do these White parents know about Black history, literature, etc. to teach their Black children so as to enrich their lives and make them proud of being Black?
As I wrote yesterday:
Note this Trayvon Team member was commenting with us on NBC Newsvine.
Hi Liza. We’re in a deep freeze in the Minn-apple. Hunkering down and keeping warm, because starting tonight temps are dipping to 40-50 below tomorrow.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
40–50 below what? I know you’re not talking about freezing? Lord Have Mercy!
It’s hot stew & chilli weather! Send me a bowl of chilli, SG2. I know you’re making some. LOL
LOL!!!
OMG, Ametia, those temperatures are brutal. What is going on up there? I presume that this is extreme weather, that this isn’t normal?