Happy Friday, Everyone, AT LAST…
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (to stop now)
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Black Girls Rock!
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Potus Takes Oath of Office
Flotus & Daughters at Great Wall of China
My Brothers Keeper
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AFRO PUFFS
Most Adorable Shoe Stealer
Six Little Babies
Fatherhood
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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.
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Presidential hug
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it has become more obvious..
Harry Reid is out of phucks to give..
He has hit a nerve, calling that moocher rancher a ‘ domestic terrorist’.
GO HARRY!
I have my 2 grandbabies and my brother’s 2 yr old grandbaby today. Little DJ has the biggest dimples. I love them. He was sitting in my lap and patting me on the hand & said… watch the cartoons! :)
Oh, so precious.
Ya better listen and watch those cartoons Auntie/Granny :)
Auntie/Granny reminds me the cartoon show they watch. Uncle Grandpa! LOL!
https://twitter.com/BlackHistoryUS/status/457157747620868097/photo/1/large
She was really pretty back in the day, a perfect face.
“Ohio Teacher Fired Over Comment on Black President”
CINCINNATI April 18, 2014 (AP)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ohio-teacher-fired-comment-black-president-23378210
Maddow Blog ✔ @MaddowBlog
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Jailed for eight years without a trial.
5 other inmates > 4 years
16 > 3 years
75 > 2 years
#IntheUS
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/04/17/raymond-facilitys-two-longest-tenants-known-mental-histories/7833927/ …
2:29 PM – 18 Apr 2014
Raymond facility’s two longest tenants both had known mental histories
Two men who have been in the Hinds County Detention Center at Raymond for eight years and seven years respectively without ever seeing trials were both known to have mental issues when they were…
from Luvvie:
LUVVIE’S SCANDAL RECAP IS UP
The Price of Free and Fair Election: Scandal Season 3 Finale Recap
[ 3 ] April 18, 2014 | Luvvie
Let’s just get into the finale of Scandal season 3.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2014/04/price-free-fair-election-scandal-season-3-finale.html
Georgia’s Perdue may have an outsourcing problem
04/18/14 12:51 PM
By Steve Benen
There are a variety of interesting primary races this year, but no contest is quite as competitive as Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate primary. The top five candidates are separated by just eight points, and just over the last few months, three different polls have shown three different candidates in the lead.
Recently, however, businessman David Perdue has begun to separate himself, at least a little, from the GOP pack. Perdue, a cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue (R), has spent heavily on a television ad campaign, talking up his private-sector experience, background in creating jobs, and familiarity in international affairs thanks to his international business dealings.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/georgias-perdue-may-have-outsourcing
But Benjy Sarlin reports on a potential wrinkle in Perdue’s resume
My Body Is Wildly Undisciplined And I Deny Myself Nearly Everything I Desire
“The Biggest Loser” is just one of the constant commercial reminders of what our bodies are and what they’re expected to be.
Roxane Gay
Apr 9, 2014 at 3:00pm | 214 comments
I watched the first few seasons of The Biggest Loser avidly. The show offered the ultimate fat girl fantasy—go to a “ranch” for a few months, and under the pressure of intense personal trainers, low caloric intake, the manipulations of reality show producers and the constant surveillance of television cameras, lose the weight you’ve never been able to lose on your own.
During those first few seasons, I often toyed with auditioning to appear on the show though, realistically, that could never happen. I’m too shy. I would go through Internet withdrawals. I can’t work out without music. If trainer Jillian Michaels screamed at me I would shut down. As a vegetarian, I don’t eat Jenny-O turkey. Appearing on the show is simply not workable for me.
The longer The Biggest Loser has been on the air, however, the more the show has disturbed me. There is the constant shaming of fat people and the medical professionals taking every opportunity to crow about how near death these obese contestants are. There are the trainers, with their perfect bodies, demanding perfection from people who have, for whatever reason, not had a previously healthy relationship with their bodies. There is the spectacle of the contestants pushing themselves in inhuman ways—crying and sweating and vomiting—visibly purging their bodies of weakness.
This is not a show about people becoming empowered through fitness, though on the surface, the show’s slick marketing would have you believe that. The Biggest Loser is a show about fat as an enemy that must be destroyed, a contagion that must be eradicated. This is a show about unruly bodies that must be disciplined by any means necessary, and through that discipline, the obese might become more acceptable members of society. They might find happiness.
When we watch shows like The Biggest Loser and its many imitators, we are practically begging some power beyond ourselves: “Take these all too human bodies, and make what you will of them.”
http://www.xojane.com/issues/my-body-is-wildly-undisciplined-and-i-deny-myself-nearly-everything-i-desire
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/457229219710251008/photo/1
Only 28% of Americans Agree With Republicans That the Poor Are To Blame For Their Poverty
By: Jason Easley
Friday, April, 18th, 2014, 10:11 am
Chalk this one up as another GOP fail. A HuffPost/YouGov poll has found that only 28% of Americans agree with the Republican people that poor people lack work ethic.
Republicans have been just trying to justify massive cuts to food stamps, unemployment benefits, and any other program designed to assist the non-rich on the basis that people who are struggling only have themselves to blame. They also justify tax cuts fo the rich based on the myth that rich people work harder, and are more deserving of their success.
People who live in the real world know how it really works. Most people who are wealthy got more and/or better opportunities than others. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t work hard for their success, but it does mean that they didn’t work harder, and are somehow better human beings than everyone else.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/04/18/28-americans-agree-republicans-poor-blame-poverty.html
Kentucky Democrats Kill Rand Paul’s Plan To Run For President And Senate Simultaneously
By: Justin Baragona
Friday, April, 18th, 2014, 8:39 am
As you may know, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has ambitions to run for President in 2016. While he hasn’t formally declared his intentions, it is virtually a lock that he will seek the GOP’s nomination. However, with a crowded Republican field and the likely formidable general election challenge of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Paul knows it is quite possible that he won’t be elected President in November 2016. With that thought in mind, and his Senate seat also coming up for reelection in 2016, Paul would very much like to be able to stay a Senator if his Presidential dreams don’t come true.
However, there is just one little problem–his home state of Kentucky does not allow a candidate to appear on two separate ballots in the same election. While this used to be a common law across the country, many states since 1960 have revised their state laws to allow politicians to run for reelection for a US Senate or House seat while also running for President or Vice-President. This is informally known as the ‘LBJ Law’, as Lyndon B. Johnson convinced the Texas legislature to amend the state law to allow him to run for his Senate seat at the same time he was the running mate to John F. Kennedy
………………….
Well, a funny thing happened along the way. The House, which is held by Democrats, decided not to play along. Now, they haven’t voted against it, per se. Instead, they just let the time run out in this legislative session. They may pass it when they return. Or, they might just allow it to sit there, forcing Paul to be more vocal about it, making his intentions more clear. At the very least, Kentucky Democrats, and especially Speaker Greg Stumbo, are delighting in their ability to make Paul squirm.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/04/18/kentucky-democrats-kill-rand-pauls-plan-run-president-senate-simultaneously.html
http://youtu.be/xwh6L_qGTR0
Go kick a pitch fork, PETA!
PETA calls out Michelle Obama on use of real eggs
http://thegrio.com/2014/04/18/peta-calls-out-michelle-obama-on-use-of-real-eggs-in-cute-ad/
April 18, 2014 08:16 AM PDT
Ratings: Scandal Finale Draws Record Crowd
Scandal closed out its third season Thursday with its most-watched finale yet — 10.5 million viewers. In the 18-49 demo, the episode drew a 3.4 demo rating, another finale high and the show’s second-best young adult number to date.
Per ABC, Scandal finished Season 3 up 39 percent in viewers and 43 percent in adults 18-49 to post its highest-rated season so far.
http://tvline.com/2014/04/18/scandal-ratings-season-3-finale/
Me: Haley, would you like some M&Ms?
Haley: Granny, we’re not allowed to eat candy. Mama says we can only have some on Easter. :)
They’re not going to go against anything their Mama says. Not even for candy.
Haley is a good child. So sweet…being raised right.
It’s Time To Go On Offense on Health Care
by BooMan
Fri Apr 18th, 2014 at 10:57:44 AM EST
At yesterday’s press conference, after answering a question from NPR’s Tamara Keith, the president paused and then added:
Of course, we have Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts to thank for those five million uninsured. Some of them have already died as a result, but I doubt that Justice Roberts lost any sleep over those needless deaths.
Like Brian Beutler, I was less than happy with how the president chose to frame the debate about ObamaCare. I understood his overall point that Democrats shouldn’t spend all their time re-litigating the past, but I want to go over to a complete offensive on health care.
We shouldn’t wait for the polls to shift over in our favor. We should go on offense now.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2014/4/18/105744/099#19
https://twitter.com/Lib_Librarian/status/457210299305578496/photo/1
Rand Paul fails to clear election-day hurdle
Rachel Maddow discusses how the Kentucky legislature killed a bill that would have allowed Rand Paul to run for reelection in the Senate while possibly pursuing a White House bid at the same time.
http://on.msnbc.com/1r3FkBM
Something positive for this Good Friday!
X FACTOR AUSTRALIA 2012 Shiane Hawke. They didn’t think she could do it.
HA! That’s what they get! Sing Shiane!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z145Kc2B7E
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What Eight Million Means
April 17, 2014, 5:17 pm
Sorry about blog silence — real life intruded, plus I did have to write a column. But I shouldn’t let the day pass without mentioning the latest big Obamacare news. Final enrollment for 2014, we now know, will be more than 8 million. The age mix has also improved, with more young people signing up at the end; as Jonathan Cohn points out in the linked article, the age mix in Obamacare’s first year is now just about identical to the age mix in Romneycare’s first year. Goodbye, death spiral.
How did enrollment manage to surge so impressively despite the initial debacle of healthcare.gov? Obviously they fixed the website; but the broader issue, as Sarah Kliff rightly points out, is that being uninsured is truly terrible. Uninsured Americans really, really wanted coverage, and they weren’t ready to give up.
Kliff doesn’t make this point too explicitly, but this diagnosis has another crucial implication: the benefits of Obamacare, for all its imperfections, are immense. Millions of people who lived extremely anxious lives now have far more security than before. Compared with those benefits, the complaints of some already insured people that they have less choice of doctors than before, or that they’re no longer allowed to retain minimalist plans, look like whining. (And of course not one of the more serious-sounding stories about soaring premiums and all that has held up under scrutiny.)
And speaking of whining, the GOP response seems to be to make every possible insinuation to the effect that the numbers are somehow fraudulent. I actually don’t think there’s a game plan here; their whole position was premised on the inevitable collapse of health reform, and they have no plan B.
All around, as Cohn says, a very good day for reform.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/what-eight-million-means/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Friday, April 18, 2014
When obstruction meets pragmatism
Those posters highlight just a few facts about the success of Obamacare. You can find a lot more here.
All of that creates a pretty big dilemma for Republicans who – from day one of the debate about health care reform – have chosen to simply obstruct anything President Obama and the Democrats tried to do. As David Frum told them 4 years ago, by refusing to even participate in the discussion, they were buying into creating their own Waterloo.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/04/when-obstruction-meets-pragmatism.html
TriniPrincess @TriniPrincess now
Prince Gains His Catalog in Landmark Deal With Warner Bros., New Album Coming http://blbrd.co/1hTzBz8 via @billboard
Obamacare succeeded for one simple reason: it’s horrible to be uninsured
Updated by Sarah Kliff on April 17, 2014, 4:26 p.m. ET
There’s a very simple reason that Obamacare hit 8 million sign-ups: Being uninsured is horrible.
But the political conversation over Obamacare was driven almost entirely by people who had, and knew they would be able to keep, their health insurance. It was filled with a lot of assumptions, theories, and speculations about what people who didn’t have good insurance, or any insurance, would do. And after Obamacare’s disastrous launch, the theory took hold that these people wouldn’t find this untested program worth the trouble. It was the permanently insured speculating about the uninsured and the barely insured – and, unsurprisingly, they got it wrong
Back in December, when the web site’s woes were fresh in everyone’s mind, I made a prediction that sounded strange even to me: Obamacare might still hit its 7 million enrollees. The reason I made that prediction was I’d been talking to the uninsured who’d been spending hours or days or weeks trying to get through the web site. They were frustrated and they were angry. But not one of them had given up.
I asked pollsters Mike Perry and Tresa Undem, who specialized in surveying the uninsured, whether they had found anyone who’d been deterred by the unusable web site and overloaded call centers. Not even one person, they said. The persistence was amazing.
It was hard to sign up for Obamacare. But what too many insured pundits forgot is it’s much worse to be uninsured, or underinsured. And that’s true, too, for the people who saw their plans canceled by Obamacare and then needed to decide whether to sign up for a new one.
http://www.vox.com/2014/4/1/5570780/the-two-reasons-obamacare-hit-7-million-enrollees
Obamacare Signups Hit 8 Million
And both young and old are on board
BY JONATHAN COHN
President Obama on Thursday announced the final numbers for the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period.
Eight million people have signed up for private insurance plans through the new federal and state marketplaces. And within the federal marketplaces, 28 percent of enrollees are ages 18 to 34.
This is good news—very, very good news.
Remember, the Congressional Budget Office originally predicted that 7 million people would get insurance through the marketplaces in 2014, with more joining in future years. After the early problems with the federal and some state websites, CBO revised its projection and said just 6 million would get coverage this way. The estimates were not precise and enrollment anywhere in that range would signal that the new system is working. Clearly it is.
And while not everybody who signs up for a plan pays the premiums, anecdotal reports suggest that 80 to 85 percent have so far. At worst, then, enrollment would be around 6.4 million. It will likely end up higher than that, particularly as insurers track down the people who are late on their initial payments.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117410/obamacare-enrollment-hits-8-million-age-mix-looks-massachusetts
You May Be Surprised By The States That Support Pre-K
Interactive: Obama’s universal pre-K plan is meeting resistance in Congress–but in the states, both parties support early childhood programs.
When President Obama called for universal access to pre-K programs in his 2014 State of the Union address, viewers could have been forgiven for thinking this was just another big government initiative that only a liberal could love. But in fact, a look at investments in pre-K education at the state level shows that funding is up around the country–and that some crimson red states like South Carolina and Mississippi are leading the way.
The Education Commission of the States analyzed state data on pre-K funding for the 2013-2014 fiscal year and found that of the 40 states that provide state-supported programs for 4-year-olds, 30 of them (plus the District of Columbia) increased their funding for these programs. And contrary to what you might expect, those increases don’t follow a particular partisan pattern. (Scroll over the interactive map to see an individual state’s pre-K funding level and how much it has increased or decreased.)
http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/early-childhood/you-may-be-surprised-by-the-states-that-support-pre-k-20140417
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Tara Culp-Ressler: Obamacare Enrollment Crushes Goal
President Obama announced on Thursday that 8 million people have signed up for plans through Obamacare’s new insurance exchanges. Although March 31 was originally the final deadline to enroll in Obamacare, administration officials extended the open enrollment period until April 15 to accommodate the people who may have struggled to complete their applications due to technological issues. Just over two weeks ago, the administration announced that Obamacare enrollment had reached 7.1 million — surpassing expectations after HealthCare.gov’s rocky rollout in October. Polling from Gallup released this week found that Obamacare may be having an even bigger impact on the uninsurance rate than initially expected, suggesting that about 12 million previously uninsured Americans have gained coverage since the fall.
That places the uninsurance rate at its lowest point since 2008. According to Gallup’s estimations, about half of the Americans who have gained insurance for the first time this year say they got their coverage through Obamacare’s marketplaces. Other people gaining coverage could have gotten it through the expansion of the Medicaid program, or by signing up directly with an insurer. And despite concerns that Obamacare wouldn’t be able to recover from HealthCare.gov’s disastrous rollout, several major insurers say they’re optimistic about the law, and eager to continue offering plans on the new marketplaces during the next open enrollment period. Insurance companies like UnitedHealth Group, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare, and Wellmark are interested in maintaining their presences on the state-level exchanges, and some are considering expanding
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/04/17/3428219/obamacare-enrollment/
Hiphopandpolitics: A Tale Of Two Mothers In America In A Post Racial Society
Catalina Clouser decided to get high and drove for 12 miles with her 2 month old baby on the roof of her car..By the time she realized her baby wasn’t in the car, it was too late.. The baby fell off and was found still in his car seat in the middle of busy freeway.. fortunately unharmed…Clouser was just sentenced and got probation.
Shanesha Taylor was homeless and trying to get her life on better footing. She had a job interview and could not get anyone to watch her kids ages 2 yrs and 6 months , so she left them in the car, with window open and went inside to do her job interview.. This mom was arrested and charged w/ a felony, her kids were taken away.. Both women live in Arizona.
http://hiphopandpolitics.com/2014/04/16/tale-two-mothers-america-post-racial-society/
The #AskEmmert Q&A Is Going Poorly
Mark Emmert is on Mike & Mike this morning, and the show asked listeners to submit questions for the NCAA president on Twitter, tagged #AskEmmert. It has, predictably, turned into a mini-revolt against the NCAA.
Eitan Cramer @eitancramer
@MikeAndMike how do you justifying exploiting 19 & 20 year olds for the sake of “amateurism”? #AskEmmert
Eitan Cramer @eitancramer
Follow
@MikeAndMike Why are coaches allowed to leave whenever they want, but athletes are held back by transfer rules? #AskEmmert
5:57 AM – 18 Apr 2014
Eitan Cramer @eitancramer
Follow
@MikeAndMike why are all students except student-athletes allowed to earn a living? #AskEmmert
6:04 AM – 18 Apr 2014
Josh Williams @willijjCLE
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@MikeAndMike Can you explain amateurism and not paying players without using circular logic? #askemmert
6:05 AM – 18 Apr 2014
http://deadspin.com/the-askemmert-q-a-is-going-poorly-1564610605
Jay Bilas ✔ @JayBilas
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NCAA President says athletes are “taking seats from a paying student.” Wow.
7:10 AM – 18 Apr 2014
Dentures stolen from woman’s mouth in South Richmond
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH | Updated 21 hours ago
RICHMOND — Police were searching Wednesday for a man who robbed a woman of her dentures in South Richmond.
Police said the woman was not injured in the robbery, which occurred at 7:12 p.m. Tuesday in an apartment in the 1400 block of Bainbridge Street.
The dentures were in the woman’s mouth when they were forcibly removed by the man, who fled on foot, police said.
Police identified the suspect Wednesday as Linwood Harris, 63, and said he does not live with the victim but knows her.
http://m.timesdispatch.com/news/local/crime/dentures-stolen-from-woman-s-mouth-in-south-richmond/article_a791e40a-c587-11e3-8a22-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm
Uh huh…
https://twitter.com/BlackHistoryUS/status/456190768651046913/photo/1/large
The Associated Press @AP 34m
“Hawaii lawmakers agree legal permission for police to have sex with prostitutes should end”
http://t.co/1ezcNIuRBw
Ya think?!!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Loved this week with Ms. James.
Good Morning, Rikyrah. I missed Grey’s & Scandal last night. and I don’t record shows.
Ametia, can you watch them online?
Good morning rikyrah, Ametia, and Everyone :)
My dream is to do my part toward making a better world. One way is by my standing up against hate and racism.
Happy Good Friday, everyone!