We continue our look at Black Oscar Nominees.
Today’s categories are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Documentary Feature, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song, Best Original Score.
Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
Year Name Film Status
1985 Quincy Jones The Color Purple Nominated
2009 Lee Daniels Precious Nominated
Broderick Johnson The Blind Side Nominated
2012 Reginald Hudlin Django Unchained Nominated
Best Director
Academy Award for Best Director
Year Name Film Status
1991 John Singleton Boyz n the Hood Nominated
2009 Lee Daniels Precious Nominated
Best Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Year Name Film Status
1990 Yvonne Smith (producer) Adam Clayton Powell Nominated
1997 Spike Lee (director)
Samuel D. Pollard (producer) 4 Little Girls Nominated
2004 Karolyn Ali (producer) Tupac: Resurrection Nominated
2012 T. J. Martin (director) Undefeated Won
Best Costume Design
Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1992 Ruth E. Carter Malcolm X Nominated
1997 Ruth E. Carter Amistad Nominated
2004 Sharen Davis Ray Nominated
2006 Sharen Davis Dreamgirls Nominated
Best Original Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
Year Name Film Status
1961 Duke Ellington Paris Blues Nominated
1967 Quincy Jones In Cold Blood Nominated
1971 Isaac Hayes Shaft Nominated
1978 Quincy Jones The Wiz Nominated
1984 Prince Purple Rain Won
1985 Quincy Jones The Color Purple
Andrae Crouch The Color Purple
Caiphus Semenya The Color Purple Nominated Shared nomination with 9 other composers.
1986 Herbie Hancock Round Midnight Won
1987 Jonas Gwangwa Cry Freedom Nominated
Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
Year Name Film Song Status
1967 Quincy Jones Banning “The Eyes of Love” Nominated
Bob Russell Banning “The Eyes of Love” Nominated
1968 Quincy Jones For Love of Ivy “For Love of Ivy” Nominated
Bob Russell For Love of Ivy “For Love of Ivy” Nominated
1971 Isaac Hayes Shaft “Theme from Shaft” Won
1981 Lionel Richie Endless Love “Endless Love” Nominated
1983 Irene Cara Flashdance “Flashdance… What a Feeling” Won
1984 Stevie Wonder The Woman in Red “I Just Called to Say I Love You” Won
1984 Ray Parker, Jr. Ghostbusters “Ghostbusters” Nominated
1985 Lionel Richie White Nights “Say You, Say Me” Won
1985 Quincy Jones The Color Purple “Miss Celie’s Blues” Nominated
Lionel Richie The Color Purple “Miss Celie’s Blues” Nominated
Rod Temperton The Color Purple “Miss Celie’s Blues” Nominated
1987 Jonas Gwangwa Cry Freedom “Cry Freedom” Nominated
1988 Lamont Dozier Buster “Two Hearts” Nominated
1993 Jimmy Jam Poetic Justice “Again” Nominated
Terry Lewis Poetic Justice “Again” Nominated
Janet Jackson Poetic Justice “Again” Nominated
1994 James Ingram Beethoven’s 2nd “The Day I Fall In Love” Nominated
1995 James Ingram Junior “Look What Love Has Done” Nominated
2005 Juicy J Hustle & Flow “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” Won
Frayser Boy Hustle & Flow “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” Won
DJ Paul Hustle & Flow “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” Won
2006 Siedah Garrett Dreamgirls “Love You I Do” Nominated
2007 Jamal Joseph August Rush “Raise It Up” Nominated
Charles Mack August Rush “Raise It Up” Nominated
Tevin Thomas August Rush “Raise It Up” Nominated
2011 Siedah Garrett Rio “Real in Rio” Nominated
Carlinhos Brown Rio “Real in Rio” Nominated
4 Shot At NC Church Playground: Boy Critically Wounded
http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/314446/1/4-Shot-At-NC-Church-Playground-Boy-Critically-Wounded
“Remains of 55 people unearthed at former Fla. school that had history of abuse”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/human-remains-found-fla-school-history-abuse-article-1.1594629#ixzz2rkKF6cJH
Photo by Herbert Randall:
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/images/Roger%20Johnson%20and%20Pete%20Seeger%20We%20Shall%20Overcome.jpg
https://twitter.com/Stcrow/status/428243247454904320/photo/1
https://twitter.com/petesouza/status/428240325950603264/photo/1
When one response becomes five
01/28/14 02:03 PM—Updated 01/28/14 02:13 PM
By Steve Benen
Every modern White House has invested an enormous amount of time and effort into crafting the strongest possible State of the Union address. But let’s not forget that the president’s opposing party has taken great pains to write carefully scripted SOTU responses, too.
Putting aside how many people are watching and/or open to persuasion, these official responses give the opposition party a rare opportunity: a national platform, carried by all the major networks, to say whatever it wishes to say. What’s the key message a party wants to share with millions of Americans? This is their chance to let us know.
At least it was.
Four years ago, for the first time, Americans got to hear three speeches instead of two. President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, which was followed by two opposition responses: one official message from the Republican Party, one from the Tea Party.
Tonight, meanwhile, will be a veritable free for all. There will be one Democrat, the president, enjoying a high-profile stage. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) will deliver the official Republican response.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/when-one-response-becomes-five
Louisiana backs off abortion waiting period
01/28/14 10:20 AM
By Steve Benen
As 2013 came to an end, the Guttmacher Institute reported on a striking trend: policymakers at the state level had approved more restrictions on reproductive rights in the last three years than during the previous decade.
We’re only a month in 2014, but social conservatives apparently don’t intend to change course.
In Louisiana, for example, the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals recently moved forward on a policy that would require a 30-day waiting period before a woman could terminate a pregnancy. As Katie McDonough reported, the policy would require women seeking an abortion to have certain blood tests done 30 days before their procedures.
South Dakota and Utah have three-day waiting periods already on the books, but this new regulation would create a delay 10 times as long.
Laura Bassett reports this morning, however, that the state is pulling back in the face of public scrutiny of the policy.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/louisiana-backs-abortion-waiting-period
When an apology isn’t an apology
01/28/14 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Venture capitalist Tom Perkins caused quite a stir over the weekend when he argued, in a Wall Street Journal letter to the editor, that the “progressive war on the American one percent” is comparable to Nazi genocide. “Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930,” he wrote, “is its descendent ‘progressive’ radicalism unthinkable now?”
Apparently hoping to quell the controversy, Perkins sat down with Bloomberg News’ Emily Chang yesterday to make his case. After the host asked if he regrets the comparison, Perkins’ response started off relatively well.
“Yes. I – I talked to the head of the Anti-Defamation League, Abe Foxman, this morning following up on a letter I’d sent over the weekend apologizing for the use of the world Kristallnacht. It was a terrible word to have chosen. I, like many, have tried to understand the 20th century and the incomprehensible evil of the Holocaust. It can’t be explained. Even to try to explain it is questionable. It’s wrong. It’s evil.”
He then read from a letter he wrote to the ADL in which he “deeply” apologized, before pointing to some liberals he considers “friends.”
As a rule, when someone reaches the “some of my best friends are _____” phase, it’s a bad sign.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/when-apology-isnt-apology
Compromise reverses some GOP food-stamp cuts
01/28/14 09:38 AM—Updated 01/28/14 09:55 AM
By Steve Benen
Congress’ farm bill has traditionally been one of the easier pieces of legislation to pass. Democrats tend to like the provisions that help feed low-income Americans; Republicans tend to like the elements that extend subsidies to agribusinesses; and the result is a package that sails through the House and Senate without much fuss.
But as congressional Republicans moved further to the right, the farm bill stopped being easy. In this Congress, for example, House GOP lawmakers voted to slash public investment in food aid to the poor, cutting $39 billion over the next decade, resulting in lost benefits for about 3.8 million people.
The cuts were so severe that the entire legislation stalled – there was simply no way a Democratic Senate would accept it. This led to months of negotiations on a compromise, which was finally reached last night.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/compromise-reverses-some-gop-food-stamp-cuts
The Five Worst Things About The New Republican Proposal To Replace Obamacare
By Sy Mukherjee on January 27, 2014 at 4:00 pm
On Monday, a trio Republican senators unveiled an alternative to Obamacare eerily similar to the one that former presidential candidate Mitt Romney proposed in 2012. The plan boils down to a rehash of boilerplate conservative ideas for “market-oriented” and “consumer-driven” health care reform — code words that really mean deregulating the insurance industry and forcing consumers to shoulder a larger burden of their health care costs.
Here are the five most troubling aspects about the new proposal from Sens. Tom Coburn (OK), Orrin Hatch (UT), and Richard Burr (NC), dubbed the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act:
1. It would kick millions of Americans off of their health plans.
Right off the bat, the Patient CARE Act would repeal Obamacare in its entirety, meaning that the three million Americans who have already enrolled in new plans through the law’s state and federal marketplaces and the millions more deemed newly eligible for Medicaid coverage in states that expanded the program would lose their health coverage.
But that’s not the only part of the bill that would take away Americans’ health plans. The CARE Act would also make big changes to the way that Medicaid is funded by imposing a so-called “per capita cap” on it. This cap resembles a block grant and it would push states to cover a highly selective group of people through Medicaid, namely pregnant women, women with children, and the disabled, forcing most of the working poor to pursue more expensive private insurance plans.
2. It dismantles many of Obamacare’s core consumer protections.
Chances are, you’ve benefited from at least one of Obamacare’s consumer protections, like a free checkup, preventive screening for HIV, a mammogram, or no-cost birth control. Millions more will benefit in the coming years, thanks to the law’s requirement that individual policies sold through the marketplaces cover a broad range of “essential health benefits” like maternity care, mental health care, and prescription drug coverage.
Say goodbye to all that under the Patient CARE Act. The bill places no such requirements on insurance companies; in fact, it dismantles Obamacare’s prohibition on gender rating, meaning that women will go back to an era where they are charged $1 billion more for their health care on a national level than men.
3. It does almost nothing for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
Some estimates have shown that as many as half of all Americans have some sort of pre-existing condition. If you’re one of them, good luck getting insurance under the Patient CARE Act.
Under the bill, insurers can still turn away people with pre-existing conditions. The only exception is if you have “continuous coverage,” meaning you’re either already insured or have been able to maintain some form of insurance despite losing the coverage you had through your employer. The thinking behind this idea — which was also proposed by Romney in 2012 — is that insurers will be able to offer cheaper policies at the expense of denying health care to sick people. And while the plan does preserve Obamacare’s ban on lifetime limits on medical benefits, it allows insurers to set annual caps on care.
Coburn et. al. also allude to federal funding for so-called “high-risk pools” for the sickest consumers. But these are plagued with inefficiencies, long waiting periods, and are often prohibitively expensive for both consumers and the government. There’s recent real-world evidence to support those notions — Obamacare’s own temporary high-risk pool program ran out of money despite enrolling far fewer people than originally expected
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/27/3210091/worst-gop-obamacare-alternative/
Here’s today’s dose of Maddow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5ripJPozpPQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y9-q2G8y4Ow
New GOP Plan Makes Everything They Hate About Obamacare Even Worse
Dylan Scott – January 28, 2014, 6:00 AM EST6771
For the last couple months, the Republican critique of Obamacare has been founded on President Barack Obama’s broken promise: “If you like your health plan, you can keep it.” It was a pledge that the health care reform law wouldn’t disrupt the existing insurance system, that those satisfied with the status quo would be protected from any unwanted intrusion.
It’s been an effective line of attack, given the sinking approval ratings for both Obama and his eponymous insurance expansion. Which makes the new GOP alternative to Obamacare, proposed Monday by three Republican senators, a bit baffling. Because the bill seems to based on another fundamental disruption of the individual insurance market — and on top of that, it could upend the employer insurance universe, through which most Americans receive health coverage, forcing many to either pay more or lose their coverage.
That was the conclusion of several health policy wonks who spoke with TPM about the new proposal, put forward by Sens. Richard Burr (NC), Tom Coburn (OK) and Orrin Hatch (UT). One way or another, millions of people would likely lose the plan they already have.
The GOP’s plan starts with repealing the Affordable Care Act, and it seems explicit that everything must go: “The first step toward achieving sustainable, affordable, patient-centered health care is to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (HCERA).” The only items untouched would be changes to Medicare, which weren’t related to covering the uninsured anyway, according to a footnote.
That would appear to immediately toss out Obamacare’s coverage expansion, which has already covered several million Americans (three million have signed up for private coverage, and hundreds of thousands if not a couple million have been covered through expanded Medicaid — the exact numbers aren’t available yet).
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-obamacare-alternative-disruption
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2014
Statement by the President on the Passing of Pete Seeger
Once called “America’s tuning fork,” Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song. But more importantly, he believed in the power of community – to stand up for what’s right, speak out against what’s wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be. Over the years, Pete used his voice – and his hammer – to strike blows for worker’s rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Pete’s family and all those who loved him.
Pete Seeger was a genuinely good man. Well done, sir. Rest in peace.
Denzel Washington was ROBBED of Best Actor Oscar for Malcolm X!
Agreed!
Concert Celebrating Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday
:)
Tee hee hee . I love this.
DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS
*daps*
It’s so COLD the rock rattling around in your shoe is your toe!!!!
THANK YOU, Pete Seeger!
With my deep, heartfelt appreciation!
http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/140128_wnn_pete_seeger_obit_16x9_992.jpg
Real Housewives of Atlanta – Apollo shadiness:
Obama Promises To Veto Republican Bill That Forces The IRS To Investigate Rape Victims
By: Sarah Jones
Monday, January, 27th, 2014, 6:21 pm
The Obama administration just cut House Republicans off at the knee in order to protect American women from the egregious bill they were trying to pass that would force the IRS to investigate rape victims. No, that’s not a joke.
The Obama administration strongly opposes the Republican bill that forces the IRS to investigate rape victims. “If the President were presented with H.R. 7, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”
The White House issued a statement today on H.R. 7 – the Orwellian “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (Rep. Smith, R-New Jersey, and 164 cosponsors) – that included, “The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 7.”
The Obama administration doesn’t like the infringement upon women’s freedom or the theft of home rule inherent in the GOP bill, “The legislation would intrude on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care; increase the financial burden on many Americans; unnecessarily restrict the private insurance choices that consumers have today; and restrict the District of Columbia’s use of local funds, which undermines home rule.”
This bill officially makes the Republican Party the party of big government.
The Obama administration explained that it is already law that we do not use tax money for abortions (it’s called the Hyde Amendment), “Longstanding Federal policy prohibits the use of Federal funds for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered. This prohibition is maintained in the Affordable Care Act and reinforced through the President’s Executive Order 13535.”
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/27/white-house-republicans-treat-women-slaves.html
A portrait of African immigrants in Israel:
http://haaretz.tumblr.com/post/74832285437/a-portrait-of-african-migrants-in-israel-photos
Molly Gum @MollyGumAz
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Republicans are asking the Supreme Court to declare that they have a 1st Amendment right to lie during campaigns. http://bit.ly/1fbUAb3
9:45 AM – 22 Jan 2014
Those who will be sitting with FLOTUS tonight.
Aliana Arzola-Piñero (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
2013 Kids State Dinner Attendee
Cristian Avila (Phoenix, AZ)
DREAMer, “Core Faster” and Voter Engagement Coordinator, Mi Familia Vota
Mary Barra (Detroit, MI)
Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company
Governor Steve Beshear (D-KY)
Tyrone Davis (Winston-Salem, NC)
Fellow with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps
Vice Admiral Michelle Howard (Washington, DC)
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans & Strategy
Sabrina Simone Jenkins (Charleston, SC)
highlighted in the Shriver Report
Mayor Ed Lee (San Francisco, CA)
My mayor!!
Andra Rush (Detroit, MI)
Founder and Chairperson, The Rush Group, Detroit Manufacturing Systems
Amanda Shelley (Gilbert, AZ)
Physician Assistant who benefitted from Obamacare
Antoinette Tuff (Atlanta, GA)
DeKalb County Bookkeeper
Read their stories!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/27/first-ladys-box-seats-2014-state-union
The Republican Obamacare Alternative Raises Taxes on 150 Million Americans
By: Jason Easley
Monday, January, 27th, 2014, 5:47 pm
Senate Republicans unveiled their big Obamacare alternative plan today, and besides taking healthcare away from 10 million Americans, it also raises taxes on the 150 million people who get health insurance from their employer.
In order to force employees to pick cheaper healthcare insurance plans, because the Republican plan doesn’t lower healthcare costs any other way, the proposal would cap the amount employers get to deduct from the cost of an employees health insurance at 65% of the average cost.
This means that everyone who gets their health insurance from their employer would have to pay a 35% tax on their plan. Currently, employers are able to deduct 100% of the cost of the plan, so the tax is zero. If a worker chooses a plan that is more expensive than the average, they would pay an even higher tax rate.
The party of no tax increases has just proposed a healthcare plan that is a defacto tax increase on 150 million Americans. The tax increase comes on top the fact that at least 9.3 million people would lose their health insurance. Even worse, the Republican plan repeals the ACA’s ban on denying coverage due to preexisting conditions. If the Hatch/Burr/Coburn were to become law millions more Americans who have preexisting conditions would either be thrown off of their insurance, or see their rates skyrocket.
The Republican plan isn’t an alternative to the ACA. It’s let’s repeal Obamacare, and go back to the way things used to be. Republicans are going to try to dress this disaster up as liberty and freedom, but the truth is that this is Mitt Romney’s healthcare plan, which was John McCain’s 2008 healthcare plan.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/27/republican-obamacare-alternative-raises-taxes-150-million-americans.html
Hayes Brown @HayesBrown
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! RT @igorvolsky: RT @vplus: CNN: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ACCEPTS RESIGNATION OF PM AND CABINET
8:18 AM – 28 Jan 2014
Josh Marshall ✔ @joshtpm
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Going to try to do piece later today explaining why Christie is absolutely, positively done for 2016. #nothappening
8:09 AM – 28 Jan 2014
Romney knocks CNN’s Crowley over debate flap
BY AARON BLAKE
January 27 at 10:18 pm
Mitt Romney said Monday that CNN’s Candy Crowley overstepped her bounds by playing fact-checker during a debate between Romney and President Obama in 2012.
Appearing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Romney said Crowley shouldn’t have interjected to confirm President Obama’s claim about the evolution of the administration’s talking points about the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
“Well, I don’t think it’s the role of the moderator in a debate to insert themselves into the debate and to declare a winner or a loser on a particular point,” Romney said. “And I must admit that, at that stage, I was getting a little upset at Candy, because in a prior setting where I was to have had the last word, she decided that Barack Obama was to get the last word despite the rules that we had.”
Republicans were highly critical of Crowley for her decision to confirm Obama’s claim that he had described the attack in Benghazi as a terrorist attack the day after it occurred. While Obama referred broadly to “acts of terror” during a Rose Garden address, the administration didn’t include terrorism in its talking points in the days afterward.
Romney added: “So, she obviously thought it was her job to play a more active role in the debate than was agreed upon by the two candidates, and I thought her jumping into the interaction I was having with the president was also a mistake on her part and one I would have preferred to carry out between the two of us, because I was prepared to go after him for misrepresenting to the American people that — the nature of the attack.”
Romney declined to say whether he thought the administration was deliberately covering up the true origins of the attack.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/01/27/romney-knocks-cnns-crowley-over-debate-flap/
http://youtu.be/ACBfEOA6Ul8
Hee hee hee. Classic PBO SMACKDOWN, without breaking a sweat.
Poll: Christie numbers tank as scandals continue
By Domenico Montanaro, Deputy Political Editor, NBC News
Chris Christie’s political future looks to be in serious danger with more Americans believing the embattled New Jersey governor is lying about the bridge closure scandal than telling the truth, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Christie’s overall standing has taken a major hit in the survey, with just 22 percent of Americans viewing the Republican New Jersey governor favorably — down from 33 percent in October.
Twenty-nine percent now view Christie unfavorably, versus 17 percent a few months ago.
http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/27/22471140-poll-christie-numbers-tank-as-scandals-continue?lite?ocid=twitter
Yesterday at 11:56 AM
Obama’s Plan to End Discrimination Against the Long-term Unemployed
By Jonathan Chait
In his State of the Union address tomorrow night, President Obama will announce that some of the largest firms in the United States have signed a pledge not to discriminate in hiring against the long-term unemployed, reports The Wall Street Journal. This is an interesting and creative response to the most vexing repercussion of the economic crisis: millions of workers who have lost their jobs and cannot find work precisely because they have don’t have it.
The crisis of mass unemployment can be thought of as two problems, one of which is normal, and the other of which is not. The normal problem is simply a standard, albeit very large, recession. The basic policy response is for the government to stimulate demand through low interest rates and fiscal stimulus to create more jobs. Since congressional Republicans (and deficit scolds) are imposing contractionary fiscal policy, Obama has no viable fiscal solution.
There is, however, a second and more unusual aspect to the economic crisis. Even the jobs that are appearing are unavailable to the long-term unemployed. A series of studies have found that employers simply won’t consider candidates who have been out of work for six months or more. One widely circulated experiment found that being out of work for a long time is more harmful to one’s job prospects than even a lack of relevant experience.
The chart showing this is a little hard to figure out, so let me explain. It depicts the results of fake résumés sent out, carefully designed to control for everything but two factors: relevant job experience, and length of unemployment. The red line represents workers with relevant job experience in the field for which they’re applying for a job. The blue line represents workers without relevant experience. The résumés are clumped into short-, medium-, and long-term unemployed. As you can see, for any given duration of unemployment, a candidate is better off with job experience than without. But after six months of unemployment, the value of relevant job experience, represented by the gap between the red and blue lines, has dwindling to almost nothing. And a candidate with relevant experience who has been out of work a long time is far less likely to be called back for a posting than a candidate out of work a short time and no relevant experience.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/01/obama-hire-the-long-term-unemployed.html
Dad with cancer writes daughter 826 notes to last after he’s gone
Eun Kyung Kim TODAY
Garth Callaghan started slipping notes into his daughter Emma’s lunchbox when she was in kindergarten. She could barely read at the time, so he kept the napkin notes simple with easy words, sometimes using drawings or symbols.
Today, Callaghan’s eighth-grade daughter has come to depend on those brief missives as a daily source of inspiration — and a reminder to never take her dad for granted.
Callaghan, 44, has battled kidney cancer twice over the last several years and currently lives with prostate cancer, a slow-growing disease. Recent blood work shows “no evidence” of kidney cancer these days, but Callaghan said his oncologist has bluntly told him that people with his medical history only have an eight percent change of surviving the next five years.
“This isn’t a story about cancer, because any parent at any time could be hit by a car or have a heart attack,” he said, explaining to TODAY.com about why he continues to write “napkin notes” to his daughter. “This is really about leaving a legacy so that she can understand some of my life philosophies and how much I love her.
Callaghan is now striving to reach a goal of writing 826 napkin notes, one for each school day his daughter has left until her high school graduation. He came up with the goal after reading an article about “because I said I would,” a non-profit group that stresses the importance of keeping promises.
“That’s when I thought, I can write out napkin notes ahead of time, and have them ready if I can’t fulfill my own promise if something bad happens,” he said.
Callaghan has only about 40 notes left to write — the finished ones are sitting in a cabinet in his home office in Glen Allen, just outside the Virginia capital of Richmond. But he hasn’t slipped any of the notes he’s banked into Emma’s lunchbox yet — he’s leaving those for his “just in case” pile. Every morning, he writes a brand-new note for his daughter.
http://www.today.com/news/dad-writes-daughter-826-notes-2D11999985
The Central Park 5
By Post Editorial Board
January 26, 2014 | 5:53am
During his campaign for mayor, Bill de Blasio called for the city to settle a $250 million lawsuit brought by five men who had their convictions for raping a Central Park jogger in 1989 overturned. It now appears this settlement will happen. And that itself would be a miscarriage of justice, as The Post has maintained all along.
more of this racist diatribe here
http://nypost.com/2014/01/26/central-park-5s-250m-lawsuit-about-to-be-settled/
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW – ‘
Elaborate network obscures Koch influence
————————
Rachel Maddow traces part of the vast network of Koch-funded groups and initiatives to show their influence on conservative politics.
———————————-
http://on.msnbc.com/1b3fN4z
Here is your DEATH PANEL, you evil ass muthafuckas of the GOP that won’t expand Medicaid.
………………………………………
Lewisville woman pleads for help removing massive cyst
LEWISVILLE — Despite appearances, 38-year-old Sherilyn Hurdle is not nine months’ pregnant.
“I’ve had 30,000 pregnancy tests, because they thought at first I was when I come in because of the nausea and vomiting,” Hurdle said, patting her rounded belly.
What is expanding her waistline is a massive cyst on her left ovary. According to medical documents, it measures 6 x 7 inches.
Since October, it has swelled from the size of golf ball to the size of a basketball.
Every day, the condition causes Hurdle pain, nausea, and shortness of breath. She’s been advised to get surgery, but says she can’t.
“No insurance… no money,” she said. “I don’t qualify [for an Affordable Care Act insurance subsidy]; they said I’d still have to make a premium of $258 a month, which — if I could work — I would do that.”
Hurdle said the pain and discomfort is so great, she currently cannot work. Since her condition is reversible, she says she has been told she doesn’t qualify for disability.
She also does not qualify for Medicaid, though she says she has filled out applications.
Medicaid in Texas is not solely limited to those who qualify due to low income. Medicaid in Texas is generally limited to children, pregnant women, seniors over 65 and people with disabilities.
Hurdle isn’t in any of those groups.
She also had a tubal ligation to prevent pregnancies, which further limits her options in Texas.
And because she lives in Denton County, Hurdle does not have access to a public hospital, like Parkland in Dallas.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/North-Texas-Woman-Pleads-for-Help-Removing-Massive-Cyst-242293171.html
Black Students Shine At Greene Scholar Programs Science Fair In Californ
Jan 27, 2014
By D.L. Chandler
The Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program dedicates its focus on preparing and challenging students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, also know as the STEM fields. Now in its 12th year, the Greene Scholar Programs (GSP) Science Fair, held this past weekend in San Jose, Calif., has been one of the most-dynamic events focusing on the excellence of African-American students in the Bay Area.
The San Jose Mercury News reported on the event, and spoke with several of the young participants, ranging from grades from third to 12th. One sixth-grader’s science presentation was rather impressive given his young age, and the 11-year-old raised a fine question with his experiment regarding the Tesla Motors electric car.
“As a car guy, I wondered if this small change would alter the aerodynamics of the car,” said Ayinde Olukotun, who attends Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto.
Olukotun’s experiment studied the effect of the electric car manufacturers’ decision to raise the body of the Model S version of the vehicle after some reported battery fires. Olukotun compared the energy efficiency of model cars of different shapes and sizes, although he notes Tesla did the right thing in addressing the issue while possibly raising another. He says he “might e-mail” Tesla concerning his finds.
Program Director Gloria Whitaker-Daniels, who began at Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program as a parent volunteer in 2001, has been heading the GSP for the last five years. With the South Bay area’s lower number of African-American residents, Ms. Whitaker-Daniels boasts that 100 percent of its students enter college and that 90 percent of them graduate.
More than 40 percent of GSP participants major in STEM fields, which reportedly is five times the national average for Black students.
http://newsone.com/2852467/frank-green-scholars/
Former Cop Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Jonathan Ferrell
Jan 27, 2014
By NewsOne Staff
A North Carolina grand jury indicted Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall Kerrick on voluntary manslaughter charges in the shooting death of unarmed Jonathan Ferrell, just days after a partial grand jury refused to do so, reports WXII12.
The indictment came down Monday afternoon, just hours after a judge ruled that Attorney General Roy Cooper could resubmit the case.
Kerrick’s lawyers filed a motion to stop prosecutors, reports WXII12, but Judge Robert Bell refused.
As previously reported by NewsOne, a partial grand jury in North Carolina decided not to indict Kerrick, 27, for the September 14, 2013 shooting death of Ferrell, 24.
Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player who had recently moved to North Carolina to be with his fiancee, was in a serious car crash and after kicking out his back window, walked to a nearby cluster of homes and knocked on the first door for help.
A woman answered the door thinking it was her husband and immediately slammed it in Ferrell’s face before calling 911.
On the 911 tape released by the city, the woman can be heard sobbing to the dispatcher, begging them to hurry and telling them that her baby was in the house with her.
“He’s in his bed. I don’t know what to do. I can’t believe I opened the door…Please don’t let him get my baby,” she cried.
Kerrick was one of the responding officers and as they approached, Ferrell ran towards them for help. One of the officers allegedly tried to stop him with a Taser, but Ferrell continued to approach. That is when Kerrick shot him 12 times, 10 of the bullets piercing his body.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said that even if Ferrell didn’t stop running toward Kerrick, deadly force wasn’t justified.
http://newsone.com/2853047/former-cop-randall-kerrick-indicted-in-fatal-shooting-of-unarmed-jonathan-ferrell/
Lee Daniels to Make TV Directorial Debut with Hip Hop Drama ‘Empire’ for Fox
January 26, 2014
Hip hop has always had its share of pure unadulterated drama and now Fox is set to bring it to TV.
To do that, the network has given the green light … a pilot order … to “Empire” from director Lee Daniels and writer Danny Strong. The collaboration also includes Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer.
“Empire,” written by Strong and directed by Daniels, is described as a unique family drama set in the world of a hip-hop empire. 20th Century Fox TV and studio-based Imagine TV are producing, with Strong, Daniels, Grazer and Francie Calfo executive producing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
For Daniels’ the project marks his TV debut. Strong started his writing career in TV with the HBO telefilms “Recount” and “Game Change.”
At Fox, Imagine has upcoming drama series “Gang Related and event series “24: Live Another Day.”
http://www.eurweb.com/2014/01/lee-daniels-to-make-tv-directorial-debut-with-hip-hop-drama-empire-for-fox/
Washington Post ✔ @washingtonpost
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Obama to raise minimum wage for government contract workers http://wapo.st/MoRqJ2
5:11 AM – 28 Jan 2014
http://youtu.be/HE4H0k8TDgw
He did so much to fill hearts with love and brotherhood!
God bless his soul!!!
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Rhoda @RhodaJA
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More drip | Questions on Port Authority Chairman David Samson’s PATH station vote http://www.northjersey.com/news/Questions_on_Port_Authority_Chairman_David_Samsons_PATH_station_vote.html?c=y&page=1#sthash.ai2LFP8f.dpuf …
4:34 AM – 28 Jan 2014
Port Authority Chairman David Samson voted for a $256 million reconstruction of the rundown PATH station in Harrison three months after a builder represented by his law firm proposed converting a nearby warehouse into hundreds of luxury apartments, according to records and interviews.
Samson, now embroiled in the George Washington Bridge lane-closure controversy, wasn’t the only commissioner with ties to land around the train station. Commissioner David Steiner also voted for the massive overhaul of the station, four months after he secured rights to build a 20-story apartment complex on another key parcel of land along the Passaic River, a half-mile from the commuter train stop.
…
The votes raise questions about whether the commissioners overstepped ethics rules meant to prevent entanglements between their private interests and their control over billions of dollars that flow through the public agency. The revelation marks the third time this month that the role of Samson, a close adviser to Governor Christie, who named him chairman of the bi-state agency, has come into question.
We have lost a wonderful contributor to our society. Pete Seeger has died at the age of 94.
I send my heartfelt sympathy and prayers to his family and loved ones.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/showbiz/pete-seeger-death/
RIP, Mr. Seeger.
Blessing to Mr. Seeger and his family. He was and always will be TRULY an AMERICAN TREASURE.
“affect”
Pete Seeger “Which Side Are You On?”
Good Morning Everyone!
Your “Black Artist Nominees” articles are outstanding, Rikyrah!!!
Good Morning, Rikyrah & Everyone! Rikyrah, your post this week are:
Good morning! It’s cold down here. Got dangit!
Here you go, Lady! :-)
A lifesaver!