In 2006, the Gordon brothers released Soothing Sanctuary, ambient music with nature sounds, a re-version of the earlier release “Sanctuary” (so stated in the liner notes) with new arrangements and remastering. Also in 2006 came Shaman’s Vision Journey, featuring shamanic drum beats and mantras in the languages of cultures from around the world, including Mayan, Sanskrit, Lakota and Tibetan chants. In 2007 and 2008, they released a pair of 25th anniversary retrospectives, Sound Peace, focusing on meditative selections, and Earth Drum, a collection of drum and native flute tracks packaged with a DVD of wilderness scenery from national parks around the USA set to the music of the compilation album. Earth Drum was awarded the 2009 Coalition of Visionary Retailers awards for Album of the Year and Best World Album.
https://twitter.com/CriticsChoice/status/555912418820235265/photo/1
Mikki Kendall @Karnythia
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White Hollywood is really saying “Sure you can make movies, but we won’t recognize them unless they center us.” #WeNeedDiverseMedia
8:04 AM – 15 Jan 2015
https://twitter.com/chescaleigh/status/555781538542260226/photo/1
https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/555745537576955904/photo/1
https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/555736554090823680/photo/1
https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/555728411248062464/photo/1
Let’s face it, Hollywood like Donald Trump, likes its “blacks” beholding, cloying, entertaining, clownish, suck-uppy, ass-kissy, not too smart or ever intellectually, physically or in any way threatening – or superior. And if you’re a woman, you’ve got to play demure, that’s a must – but the ante is upped if you can transform yourself into something of a sex object based on their exacting standards – thin, pouty, helpless damsel-ish, propped up boobs big or small, just prop it up and put it out there, affected manner of speech and beahvior, cloying and more cloying and sexy enough for them to want to sleep with to meet their dirty sexual interracial fantasies, (but only when no ones looking), but never really good enough to seriously date or marry of course – or to be taken too seriously as an “every niche” actress with superior acting chops, try as you may. Sure, they’ll patronize you, and even trot you out to fill their “black person I know and like” quota, but you’ll never really ever make the cut in their minds.
They’ll sometimes make a token gesture: An “exotic” looking, non-American, Yale-trained, well-pedigreed, non-threatening innocent like Lupita, or a fun, non-threatening, will never be threatening black like Mo’nique or Cuba Gooding – who pretty much fall off the radar once they get the kiss of death that is the random surprise Oscar. And then there’s the pretty one. Acceptable to every race for their mixed good looks. The Halle Berrys who’re also Hollywood-blessed to have a lustful godfather in Warren Beatty who’ll invest his time and energy campaigning to see to it that his good ole boys at the Academy see what he sees in ya. And then there’s Denzel. Good looking and talented, and fortunate to have the lustful support and stamp of approval of white A list actresses like Julia Roberts whose voice for some impossible to understand reason, carries more weight than his in Hollywood.
TRUTH-TELLING! Ooh Child, I need a fan for this. LOL
You beat me to it.
And that should read *beholden* and *behavior* sorry. I should proof-read before and not after I post. Apologies.
We gotcha back, lady. Your comment has been front-paged!
Thank you Ametia!!
Awesomely Luvvie @Luvvie
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Racism exists for a reason, and it’s not just because white people enjoy the view from front of the bus. The power is a security blanket.
9:57 AM – 15 Jan 2015
https://twitter.com/nypost/status/555836605060362240/photo/1
April @ReignOfApril
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#OscarsSoWhite they can count the number of people of color nominated in major categories every year on one hand.
Oh wait.
Baratunde ✔ @baratunde
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Maybe Selma didn’t get more #OscarNoms because the film doesn’t depict white people as saviors. Hollywood LOVES white saviors.
8:42 AM – 15 Jan 2015Brooklyn, NY, United States
THIS! ALL.DAY.EVERY.DAY.
But also too Ava DuVernay sinned mightily. She prematurely let slip her “aggrieved black woman” mindset as far as the Hollywood crowd is concerned. And you know they don’t like to be reminded and quickly shut down anything that even remotely reminds them of you know what – and causes them any sort of discomfort.
Also too braids. That darn in your face show of unapologetic blackness. Hollywood isn’t quite as liberal or open-minded as they’ll have you believe. It’s still very much racist except of course when they’re trying their darndest to prove they’re not.
There’s a reason Clint Eastwood and Jon Voight are very much embraced and reign supreme and sit pretty in Hollywood and at their proms and exclusive events even after they’ve spewed bile and acted so vile. They’re at least honest about their racial and political preferences as is Robert Duvall. The younger racists amongst them – including those who hide their racism behind their declarations as “Clinton” Democrats and those who adopt black kids and Haiti and Malawi as causes to provide cover, are still very much in the majority and still very much the rule and not the exception.
Obama Devastates Republicans With Eight Facts About His Own Economic Record
By: Jason Easley more
Wednesday, January, 14th, 2015, 6:07 pm
Early in his speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, President Obama unleashed a barrage of facts about his economic record that was devastating body blow to his Republican critics
Last year was the strongest year for job growth since the 1990s. Unemployment fell in 2014 faster than any year since 1984. Our businesses have created more than 11 million jobs in the last 58 straight months — that’s the longest stretch of private-sector job growth in American history. Since 2010, America has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and every other advanced economy combined. A lot of folks talk about some of the jobs are being created in the service sector, they’re not paying as much — the truth is, American manufacturing is in its best stretch of job growth since the 1990s. Manufacturing is actually growing faster than the rest of the economy. Meanwhile, America is now the number-one producer of oil and gas in the world. And by the way, you’re saving about a buck-twenty a gallon at the pump over this time last year.
President Obama rattled off eight facts that all devastated the Republican argument against his economic record. In fact, it is becoming increasing more difficult for Republicans to come up with reality based criticisms of the economy’s performance. For example, Speaker of the House John Boehner began his latest statement on the decreasing unemployment rate by admitting that it was good news, “It’s always welcome news when more Americans find work. Yet while the economy is showing some signs of improvement, far too many middle-class families are struggling to bridge the gap between rising costs and stubbornly flat paychecks.”
The bad news for Republicans is that the American people are noticing President Obama’s economic success. President Obama’s job approval ratings are surging. According to the latest CBS News poll, more Americans say President Obama’s economic policies have helped the economy (43%) than say have hurt the economy (34%).
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/14/obama-devastates-republicans-facts-economic-record.html
PBO’s been devastating the GOP, since the day he was sworn into office January 20, 2009!
Spot on!
EMPIRE comes through for Fox
FOX was number one in adults 18-49 and with total viewers.
On FOX, American Idol earned a 2.9, down three tenths from last week’s 3.2 adults 18-49 premiere rating. Empire scored a 4.0, up two tenths from the 3.8 last week’s premiere earned.
On ABC, The Middle earned a 2.2, down a tenth from last week’s season high 2.3 adults 18-49 rating. The Goldbergs scored a 2.3, down two tenths from last week’s season high 2.5 adults 18-49 rating . Modern Family garnered a 3.0, down two tenths from last week’s 3.2 adults 18-49 rating . black-ish earned a 2.0, down a tenth from last weeks 2.1 adults 18-49 rating.
On CBS, The Mentalist matched last week’s 1.3 adults 18-49 rating. Criminal Minds earned a 2.2, up a tenth from its last original’s 2.1 adults 18-49 rating. Stalker returned a 1.5, up a tenth from its most recent episode’s 1.4 adults 18-49 rating.
On NBC, The Mysteries of Laura scored a 1.1, down two tenths from last week’s 1.3 adults 18-49 rating. Law & Order: SVU earned a 1.4, down three tenths from last week’s 1.7 adults 18-49 rating. Chicago P.D. garnered a 1.5, down a tenth from last week’s 1.6 adults 18-49 rating.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/15/tv-ratings-wednesday-empire-rises-as-american-idol-slides-stalker-ticks-up-as-the-mentalist-stays-flat/350602/
‘Obamacare’ reduces medical financial stress for U.S. families
01/15/15 12:30 PM
By Steve Benen
The successes or failures of the Affordable Care Act seem to have no real bearing on the political debate surrounding the law. We know this to be true, of course, because if the efficacy of the law made a real-world difference, the debate would already be over.
The number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills fell last year for the first time in nearly a decade – the latest sign that Obamacare is making health care more affordable.
Sixty-four million people, or approximately 35 percent of the U.S. population, said they had trouble paying bills or were stuck paying off medical debt in the past year, according to a new survey by the Commonwealth Fund released on Thursday. That was down from 75 million people, or 41 percent of the population, in 2012.
Since Commonwealth started conducting this research a decade ago, the percentage of Americans in financial distress due to medical bills was steadily increasing every year. Then the Affordable Care Act became law and conditions improved.
The lead author of the research, Sara Collins, the lead author, said in a press release, “These declines are remarkable and unprecedented in the survey’s more than decade-long history. They indicate that the Affordable Care Act is beginning to help people afford the health care they need.”
Making matters slightly worse for ACA opponents, the same research found “for the first time since 2003, there has been a decline in the number of people putting off health care because of the cost.”
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obamacare-reduces-medical-financial-stress-us-families
A candidacy in search of a rationale
01/15/15 11:08 AM—UPDATED 01/15/15 12:21 PM
By Steve Benen
I continue to watch Mitt Romney move closer to a third presidential campaign with a degree of disbelief. Obviously, I can see the reports as clearly as anyone else, but I keep stumbling on the same questions. Is this really happening? Is Romney pulling some kind of prank? Will I really have to re-start the “Mitt’s Mendacity” franchise?
But more important than my own incredulity, of course, is the rationales Team Mitt has shared recently to justify his burgeoning candidacy. Here’s one of my favorites:
“They have not done a lot to flush out the details of his candidacy,” said Tom Rath, a senior adviser to Romney in both his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, speaking of Bush. “His time as governor was quite a while ago.”
Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney both left public office in 2002. If Bush’s “time as governor was quite a while ago,” and that’s a bad thing, Romney has the exact same problem. The only difference between them on this score is that Bush was a fairly popular governor who won two terms and Romney was an unpopular governor who quit after one term, fearing a re-election defeat.
Here’s another:
“You saw what they did to me with Bain [Capital],” [Romney] has said, referring to the devastating attacks that his Republican rivals and President Barack Obama’s team launched against him for his time in private equity, according to three sources familiar with the line. “What do you think they’ll do to [Jeb Bush] over Barclays?”
This is amazing, even for Romney. Jeb Bush has a controversial record in the private sector, which Romney believes will be devastating. As proof, Romney reportedly points to the brutal criticisms from Democrats of Romney’s private sector background.
Of course, by this reasoning, doesn’t it suggest Republicans need a candidate who is neither Bush nor Romney?
Here’s another:
His argument to his former supporters, says one who spoke with him, is that he came very close in the last election against an incumbent president with a good economy.
Except, as we discussed yesterday, Romney really didn’t come “very close” at all.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/candidacy-search-rationale
Obama readies push for faster U.S. internet access
01/15/15 09:53 AM—UPDATED 01/15/15 10:24 AM
By Steve Benen
In advance of next week’s State of the Union address, no one can accuse President Obama of pushing a stale agenda lacking new ideas.
In a YouTube video released by the White House on Tuesday, President Obama speaks to the importance of fast broadband Internet service, and announces his intention to make it accessible to more Americans as a means by which to strengthen the U.S. economy. “One of the things that I’m going to make an early announcement about this week,” Obama says in the video, “is the issue of getting faster broadband.”
For many Americans, I imagine the idea that the White House, or even the federal government in general, can improve your Internet access may seem a little fanciful.
But it’s not. There are meaningful steps the Obama administration can take in this area that could make a real difference.
Timothy B. Lee had a helpful report on the bigger picture yesterday, noting that the typical American household has a download speed of 10 to 20 megabits per second (Mbps), but some communities have speeds that are up to 100 times faster than that.
[S]ome of these networks were built not by big telecom providers but by municipal governments or publicly-owned electrical utility companies. For example, the city of Chattanooga, TN, has a publicly utility that decided to get into the municipal broadband business in 2007. As a result, households there can now get 1 gigabit (1,000 Mbps) service for just $70 per month.
Municipal broadband supporters view Cedar Falls, where Obama is visiting [Wednesday], as another success story. There too, the local public utility company built a municipal broadband network that provides speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. Gigabit service is expensive – $135 per month – but you can also get download speeds of 100 Mbps for $70 per month.
Most U.S. consumers don’t know this, because we have no points of comparison, but in many of the world’s largest cities, these higher download speeds are already the norm. Americans may have invented the Internet, but Americans also have some of the slowest online access.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obama-readies-push-faster-us-internet-access
Fired After Challenging Radio Host’s Racial Comments
Kelli Walker”Traffic reporter Kelli Walker, whose contentious relationship with WLS AM 890 morning host Bruce Wolf exploded in an on-air confrontation about race eight weeks ago, has been forced out from the Cumulus Media news/talk station,” Chicago media writer Robert Feder reported Tuesday on his blog.
“No reason was cited for dismissing Walker, whose last day on the air was Monday. Her most recent contract with the station expired last October.
“Walker said Tuesday she believes she was terminated because she lashed out at Wolf on the air November 18, accusing him of ‘racist connotations’ and challenging him for citing a ‘culture of victimhood’ in the black community. A transcript was posted here later that day.
” ‘Honestly, I’ve never worked in a more hostile environment in my life,’ Walker said in an interview. ‘I knew going in that WLS was a conservative formatted station, but I understand differences of opinion and political talk. I can accept that. I may not agree with everything that’s said, but I knew I had a job to do.’
What Walker called the ‘big brouhaha’ wasn’t her first fight with Wolf. ‘Bruce and I had many on-air “differences,” if you will,’ she said, ‘everything from slave jokes to fried chicken jokes, to saying black women were a protected class and that’s the only reason Felicia Middlebrooks has her job over at CBS. These were all things he said on the air. When the conversation that erupted a few weeks back happened, it was merely a culmination of everything I had been dealing with.’ When Walker complained to her bosses, she said: ‘They told me you can’t argue like that on the air anymore.’
“Nevertheless, Walker said, her firing came as a shock. ‘Right now it just looks like they got rid of the African American who was giving Bruce Wolf a hard time,’ she said.
“Wolf declined to comment Tuesday. WLS executives did not respond to inquiries. . . .”
http://mije.org/richardprince/black-greeks-winning-war-against-reality-show#fired
work for FREE?
isn’t that VOLUNTEER SLAVERY?
…………
NBC News Launches NBCBLK, New Black Site
NBCNews.com Thursday launched its new black-oriented website, NBCBLK, after selling TheGrio.com, its former site targeting African Americans, to its original owners.
NBC also introduced the first installment of “Living Color” (video) , “an original, digital video series that explores how we talk about race in America today. In the premiere episode, NBC News sat down with fathers and sons from New York City for an honest discussion about racial profiling and fear of the police. The site pairs the discussion with a photo gallery of white fathers and their biracial sons, talking about the complexities of having “the talk.”
The announcement said, “The launch of ‘Living Color’ marks the debut of NBCBLK, a new vertical on NBCNews.com that covers politics, culture and social issues and aims to inspire greater conversation around black identity and culture in America today.” The “Living Color” installment is on the new site.
Amber Payne, managing editor of NBCBLK, told Journal-isms, “I am looking for freelance contributors at this time, no full time hires at this time.” She may be reached at amber.payne (at) nbc.com
http://mije.org/richardprince/black-greeks-winning-war-against-reality-show#NBCBLK
She must think that the Arianna Huffington business model for an online publication using slave labor is going to be successful for her too. People work for free so they can be “published.” Do they really need monetary compensation? After all, they can work from home.
PBA’s Patrick Lynch spurs yelling, shoving among cops over NYPD-City Hall feud
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association was not so much on Tuesday as some cops shouted down Lynch regarding his demand that Mayor de Blasio apologize over comments related to race and police relations.
BY Rocco Parascandola , Tina Moore /
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 3:53 PM
/
Updated: Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 11:11 AM
Not exactly the blueprint for a more perfect union.
Members of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association nearly came to blows on Tuesday during a meeting of delegates in Queens. There was pushing, shoving and lots of screaming at Patrick Lynch, president of the 23,000-member union.
The in-house battle erupted over the issue of what patrol officers really need — an apology from Mayor de Blasio or better equipment and more officers to back them up on the streets.
“This is what my members want!” a cop yelled near the end of the raucous meeting. “They want more cars, better vests, more manpower!”
And then the cop — one of about 350 in attendance — took a verbal jab at Lynch, who has called on de Blasio to offer a mea culpa for his continued lack of support for police.
“They don’t want an apology,” he said
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/pba-lynch-spurs-yelling-cops-city-hall-feud-article-1.2076394
Patrick Lynch needs to go. He’s been president of the union for so long that he thinks it’s all about him. It’s his fiefdom.
Why Ava DuVernay’s ‘Selma’ Oscar Snub Matters
Selma is not the first “based on a true story” picture that
has come under fire for historical inaccuracies. But it is the rare
black-centric historical drama told explicitly from the point of view of
its black protagonists. So it is both ironic and infuriating that it
has now been defamed because of the (I would argue false) notion that it isn’t nice enough to a really powerful white guy who plays a key supporting role.
More importantly, it is a rare big movie, even if it
was merely a $20 million independently-financed production, which comes from the lens of a female African-American filmmaker. We are just now getting to a point where Warner Bros./Time Warner TWX -0.11% Inc. felt properly pressured (or logically inclined) to hire a female director to direct a Wonder Woman movie.We are just at the point where we have (male) black filmmakers like Lee Daniels and Steve McQueen are crafting “very important movies” about black characters and/or black-centric historical events. We’ve even got Tim Story crafting franchises for Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. It’s a very tiny piece of progress, but it is thus-far male-centric in nature.
I have no idea what offers (if any) have been afforded to Ms. DuVernay in the aftermath of Selma’s initial rave reviews and Oscar-happy media tour. But she is, to put it bluntly, by virtue of her race and her gender, at a greater disadvantage in terms of what opportunities are afforded to her in a still explicitly white/male-centric Hollywood. Mortem Tydlum will face no penalty for the borderline libelous (but unquestionably entertaining and engaging) The Imitation Game when it comes time for him to pick his next project. Clint Eastwood may have sanded off the rough edges off of American Sniper’s protagonist, but he will still get to do what he wants to do next time out. Bennett Miller will face no qualms getting a directing job despite the various “we’re pretending our protagonists are secretly gay for drama” fabrications in Sony’s Foxcatcher. James Marsh will face no career hurdles on account of the not-100% accurate The Theory of Everything. And they arguably shouldn’t face any real penalties, since historical movies are at best an approximation of history, a kind of “Elseworlds” variation on known events. The films will earn their critical plaudits, make their money, and win their awards, but the respective directors have already won.
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/555764266607718401
LMAO when I saw this. It’s high time the credentials of the so called experts were called into question.
Jeremy Scahill to CNN: Network “Terrorism Experts” are “Largely Frauds”
In a follow-up to coverage on Democracy Now! over the past few days, the news network CNN has been given some direct, on-air criticism of its use of so-called terrorism “experts” for discussion of violent attacks like the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Speaking to CNN, The Intercept’s Jeremy Scahill was asked about his comments during a Democracy Now! interview on Monday in which he criticized corporate media coverage of the attack’s aftermath. Scahill called out CNN and other networks for using pundits he said have no right to call themselves “terrorism experts.”
Jeremy Scahill: “CNN and MSNBC and Fox are engaging in the terrorism expert-industrial complex, where you have people on as paid analysts that are largely frauds who have made a lot of money off of portraying themselves as terror experts and have no actual on-the-ground experience. … Some of your paid analysts, that you have on this network or other networks, basically are just making money off of the claim that they’re experts on terrorism and really don’t have the scholarly background or on-the-ground experience to justify being on your network or any other network.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/1/14/headlines#11416
Here he is on CNN. Too funny. But it’s not just terror experts. These networks bring on clowns everyday who don’t know what they’re talking about. Most of it is dismissed as nonsense that isn’t worthy of follow-up. But sometimes it’s dangerous, when people believe them.
https://twitter.com/akoulanda/status/440194948516687872/photo/1
https://twitter.com/webjournalist/status/555745959922401281/photo/1
Americans Reject Absurd Republican Attempt to Claim Credit for Obama Recovery
Spandan Chakrabarti | January 14, 2015
Mitch McConnell started off the Republican propaganda campaign the other day to claim credit for the improving economy under President Obama. But in poll after poll, Americans are crediting the president. Though it’s often true that the sitting president bears more than his share of blame or credit for contemporary economic condition, every single positive economic indicator today can be tied to specific Obama policies.
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2015/1/14/republican-attempts-to-claim-credit-for-improving-economy-falls-flat
Ha. Is there really a limit to how much the American people can be propagandized? Is there actually hope for us?
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is putting a large dent in the U.S. embargo against Cuba as of Friday, significantly loosening restrictions on American trade and investment.
The new rules also open up the communist island to greater American travel and allow U.S. citizens to start bringing home small amounts of Cuban cigars after more than a half-century ban.
Thursday’s announcement of new Treasury and Commerce Department regulations are the next step in President Barack Obama’s ambitious goal of re-establishing diplomatic relations with the government of Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother. They come three days after U.S. officials confirmed the release of 53 political prisoners Cuba had promised to free.
As Barbara Streisand once quipped after the movie she directed was nominated as best picture, but she was snubbed,
“…Did the movie direct itself..?”
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is putting a large dent in the U.S. embargo against Cuba as of Friday, significantly loosening restrictions on American trade and investment.
The new rules also open up the communist island to greater American travel and allow U.S. citizens to start bringing home small amounts of Cuban cigars after more than a half-century ban.
Thursday’s announcement of new Treasury and Commerce Department regulations are the next step in President Barack Obama’s ambitious goal of re-establishing diplomatic relations with the government of Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother. They come three days after U.S. officials confirmed the release of 53 political prisoners Cuba had promised to free.
I LOVE BLACK TWITTER
……………
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
I love you, #BlackTwitter #OscarsSoWhite
April @ReignOfApril
#OscarsSoWhite they won’t be mistaken for the help at the afterparties.
Nerdy Wonka @NerdyWonka
Apparently to @TheAcademy, in 2015, only the stories (some made up) of white people are relevant. #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/ZQFfV1hQSt
April @ReignOfApril
#OscarsSoWhite it wears shorts during the winter.
Rita A @ritaag
#OscarsSoWhite Iggy Azaela will win Best Rapper of the century in a movie
Jawjuh Peach @NrdLovnNetta
#OscarsSoWhite it thinks Macklemore actually DESERVED that Grammy.
Robert Young @robertcyoung
#OscarsSoWhite you need to use 500 SPF sunscreen.
Patrick @QuadCityPat
#OscarsSoWhite Steve Scalise denied speaking to them
based kortney ✊ @fakerapper
#OscarsSoWhite that #theycanbreathe
Nataleah Turner @YoNoMePeino
IM CRYINGGGG “@jayydodd: #OscarsSoWhite the statue is:
30% German
20% English
20% Irish
10% Swedish
18% French
2% Milk”
Erica @_TheNegress
#OscarsSoWhite it has head lice.
#OscarsSoWhite he’s GOLDEN.
Justice4MikeBrown @_LuckiiCharm21
#OscarsSoWhite If they could have a “Negro” category they would
Every Shut Eye @DJohnII
#OscarsSoWhite they lock their car doors when the BET Movie Awards walk by.
David Monroe @David0Monroe
#OscarsSoWhite it open carries at Target.
Det. Joseph Crystal witnessed a handcuffed drug suspect beaten and his ankle broken by a fellow Baltimore police officer. When he was compelled to report it to his superiors, the nightmare started. Crystal, now a police officer in Florida, is suing the department over the backlash.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 2:39 PM
Before he became public enemy No. 1 inside the Baltimore Police Department, Det. Joseph Crystal was considered one of its rising stars.
The son of two NYPD cops, Crystal was put in charge of his police academy cadet class on day one.
He was promoted to detective before he reached his second year on the force.
And he went on to lead his violent crime unit in gun arrests, racking up high-profile collars that made the evening news.
For Crystal, rooting out crime in one of the most violent cities in the nation didn’t even feel like work.
“Being a cop was all I ever wanted to do,” he says. “A dream come true.”
But that dream turned into a nightmare four years ago when his brothers in blue turned on him – bombarding him with taunts and threats, refusing to come to his aid during drug busts and even leaving a dead rat on his windshield.
His crime? He reported a case of police brutality.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ex-baltimore-labeled-rat-police-brutality-claim-article-1.2077632
So once again colored folk are shut out of the Oscars, but a sprinkling of them will be invited to the ceremony ..brought in as tokens to add just the slightest bit of color to the exclusive setting. Maybe if the Hollywood gods are feeling generous, allow the blacks provide some of the entertainment, and even get a few to present a couple of the awards that night. And some will be falling all over themselves to be included on that token decorative list ..
Yes, they even had one of the COLOREDS to announce the LILY WHITE nominees.
https://twitter.com/Dudette9t9/status/555729536214925313/photo/1
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/555728579464413184/photo/1
and the white lies and white washing of HOLLYWOOD continues. Fuck’em!
Nerdy Wonka @NerdyWonka
Follow
White-washed Oscars. #Gross MT @CNNLADavid: #OscarNoms No female directors, screenwriters or cinematographers. No actors of color #diversity
7:57 AM – 15 Jan 2015
#OscarsSoWhite= REASONS FOR:
SOUL TRAIN AWARDS
NAACP IMAGE AWARDS
BET HONORS AWARDS
BLACK GIRLS ROCK
Need I go on?
Watch Trailer for TV One’s Segregation-Era Original Film ‘White Water’ (Sharon Leal, Larenz Tate Star)
Over the weekend, at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour, TV One announced the expansion of its programming with the introduction of monthly original films throughout the year, beginning in February.
Included in its new original movie lineup is “White Water,” a drama set to air Saturday, February 7th at 8PM/ET, which is described as a riveting and culturally relevant film exploring the complex experience of a child’s first encounter with racial tension during the civil rights era.
Directed by Rusty Cundieff, the story the film tells is said to be based on true events, set in Opelika, Alabama, during the summer of 1963. “White Water” follows Michael (played separately by twins Amir and Amari O’Neil), a seven-year-old black boy who becomes obsessed with the desire to taste water from the “whites only” drinking fountain. His loving and protective mother, Annie (played by Sharon Leal), and free-spirited father, Terrance (Larenz Tate), learn of Michael’s obsession with tasting the “white water” and make several attempts to steer him away from this risky adventure. All of Michael’s friends, the local police and the KKK are also against Michael’s mission. His unwavering determination to ignore racial limitations leads him to finally understand the true dangers of his quest.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-trailer-for-tv-ones-segregation-era-original-film-white-water-sharon-leal-larenz-tate-star-20150114
Republicans Fooled Americans Again To Eliminate Women’s Reproductive Rights
By: Rmuse
Wednesday, January, 14th, 2015, 8:44 pm
Most Americans are familiar with the adage, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” Unfortunately, even though Americans are aware they were fooled in the 2010 midterm elections, particularly American women, they were fooled again and gave Republicans control of Congress. It is the epitome of Einstein’s famous quote that “insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.” It is also the epitome of stupid and if nothing else, the results of the 2014 midterms revealed that for the most part Americans are inherently stupid people.
In the lead up to the 2014 midterms, exactly like the 2010 midterms, Republicans pledged that if they won control of Congress, they would focus on jobs and growing the economy. In fact, the day Mitch McConnell was sworn in as Senate Majority Leader, he had the temerity to say that now “Serious adults are in charge here, and we intend to make progress.”
The House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), openly stated that “We’re focused on job creation and running a more efficient, effective, accountable government.” That stated focus was a lie, but that is what Republicans are known for and yet Americans elected them anyway.
Both McCarthy and McConnell’s assertions sounded precisely like Republicans in 2011 when they took control of the House, and yet the first items on their agenda besides taking steps to slash Social Security, give the Kochs and John Boehner a pipeline gift, were attacks on women’s reproductive rights.
Not only are Republicans not ‘adults or focused on job creation’ or the least bit concerned about running a more ‘efficient government,’ they are dirty liars. Maybe they adhere to Willard Romney’s Mormon principle that ‘lying for the lord’ is not a violation of the Ninth Commandment, just a necessary evil to impose religion on the people.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/14/republicans-fooled-americans-again-to-eliminate-womens-reproductive-rights.html#comments
Sorry but many Americans, including those who decided to sit it out again to cut their noses to spite their faces, went into this last midterm election with their eyes wide open. They’d rather suffer at the hands of white Republicans than enjoy the progress and peace of mind provided by the black President.
We can no longer excuse the racist stupidity of a large swath of white Americans. On election night last November, as the results rolled in, I was stunned and beyond horrified as my t.v screen turned completely red. It was that shocking realization of what many of our fellow citizens really were as manifested by their votes in the privacy of the voting booth. The voting might have been secret, but the results told us everything we needed to know.
white man’s ice water is way OLDER. Let them all FREEZE in HELL.
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/555380176419577858/photo/1
Wall Street still has its champions on Capitol Hill
01/15/15 09:02 AM—UPDATED 01/15/15 09:03 AM
By Steve Benen
Congressional Republicans are many things. Subtle isn’t one of them.
Late last year, when putting together a compromise spending package, GOP lawmakers prioritized a provision that undermined Wall Street safeguards included in the Dodd/Frank law. Last week, on the second day of the new Congress, Republicans again went after financial industry safeguards.
Earlier this week, when Congress reauthorized the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), it included a measure that also chipped away at Dodd/Frank. All of which led to yesterday, which once again featured Republicans targeting rules for the finance industry.
The House on Wednesday easily passed legislation to ease some of the banking regulations adopted after the financial crisis, with 29 Democrats shrugging off President Obama’s veto threat to join united House Republicans. […]
It would delay by two years a Dodd-Frank mandate that financial firms sell off bundled debt, known as collateralized loan obligations; exempt some private equity firms from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission; loosen regulations on derivatives; and allow some small, publicly traded companies to omit historical financial data from their financial filings.
The final roll call is online here. Note, because congressional Republicans have an extraordinary sense of humor, the legislation is called the “Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act.”
No, seriously.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/wall-street-still-has-its-champions-capitol-hill
PHOTOS: See Candid Pics from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1965 Selma March
A Look Back
Two mothers and their young daughters gaze at the passing marchers.
http://photos.essence.com/galleries/photos-see-candid-pics-martin-luther-king-jrs-1965-selma-march
Review: Spike Lee’s Sometimes Engaging, But Ultimately Frustrating ‘Da Sweet Blood of Jesus’ (Now Available on VOD)
In 2013, Spike Lee launched a successful $1.45 million Kickstarter campaign for a mysterious, untitled new joint. He offered only the vaguest of hints at its synopsis: “It’s about people addicted to blood,” he said. “But they’re not vampires.” Over the months, some casting news, film stills, and an intriguing title trickled out, sparking speculation that the movie might be a remake of Spencer Williams’ 1941 race film “The Sweet Blood of Jesus,” or possibly Bill Gunn’s underrated horror classic “Ganja & Hess.”
We now know of course that “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,” which made its world premiere at ABFF last summer, is indeed a reinterpretation of Gunn’s 1973 movie that used vampirism as a metaphor for addiction. A genre-defying answer to blaxploitation films like “Blacula,” “Ganja & Hess” premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation and critical acclaim. But upon arrival in the States it did dismally at the box office, and was eventually recut (without Gunn’s approval) into several watered down versions of itself with titles like “Blood Couple,” “Black Evil,” and “Double Possession.”
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/review-spike-lees-sometimes-engaging-but-ultimately-frustrating-da-sweet-blood-of-jesus-now-available-on-vod-20150114
https://twitter.com/Bipartisanism/status/555221581530533889/photo/1
If you want more from Ava DuVernay
…………………..
Before ‘Middle of Nowhere’ & ‘Selma,’ There Was ‘I Will Follow’ – Now Streaming on Netflix
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
January 14, 2015 at 11:46AM
As “Middle of Nowhere” is released on DVD this week, the film she made before that, “I Will Follow,” is now streaming on Netflix. So a double punch of Ava DuVernay, coming to you in the same week. Although we could make that a triple, since her latest, “Selma,” is now in wide theatrical release.
All major platforms covered: a new film in theaters; the film she made before that one, new on DVD and digital download (to buy or rent); and the film she made before that one, available to stream, via Netflix.
But regarding “I Will Follow,” as I said in my review of it 4 years ago, it’s an ambitious little film, given its really thin budget (much less than the $200,000 “Middle of Nowhere is said to have cost; and even much less than “Selma’s” $20 million budget). And while not flawless, I thought it to be a smart, sincere effort, and an auspicious start from Ms DuVernay.
“I Will Follow” takes place roughly in a single 24-hour period, entirely in one location, with a smattering of characters. In short, it chronicles a day in the life of a grieving woman, and the visitors who help her move forward.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/ava-duvernays-i-will-follow-is-now-streaming-on-netflix-20150114
another hilarious Luvvie post
……….
Whose Aunty is This With the Struggle Feet in White Kitten Heels?
Luvvie — January 14, 2015 0 8
Chile, sometimes we step out the house looking like whodunnit and why. This is why we need friends who can set us straight sometimes. The friends who will say “Where are you going looking like you look? I will not allow it because you will not embarrass me.”
Well, someone’s aunty left the house in some stockings and white kitten heels, looking Usher Board un-chic. Lay your eyes upon them and weep.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2015/01/whose-aunty-struggle-feets-kitten-heels.html
A Socialist Sets the Budget
by BooMan
Thu Jan 15th, 2015 at 07:46:38 AM EST
I’m one of those geeks who actually enjoys looking at (and even trying to predict) who serves on which committees in Congress, so I am actually always abreast of who is on the verge of taking over as the chairman or ranking member of a new committee due to the retirements or electoral defeats of other members. I knew, for example, that Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was well-positioned to take over for Sen. Tom Harkin as the top “Democrat” on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee. So, I was surprised to see that he hadn’t gotten the job. Instead, that position was taken by Senator Patty Murray of Washington.
Now, I knew that Sen. Murray had the seniority to claim HELP if she wanted it, but I presumed that she’d prefer to stay as the ranking member on the Budget Committee. You may remember that Sen. Murray has been a central player (along with Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin) in negotiating through all the government shutdowns and fiscal cliffs and CRomnibuses and so forth. Murray is fourth in the Senate Democratic leadership behind Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Chuck Schumer, and she has twice run the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She’s also a high-ranking member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, sitting below only Ranking Member Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and president pro tempore emeritus Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
Maybe she is tired of dealing with fiscal crises, but she opted not to stay as the Democratic point-woman on budget negotiations now that she and her party are in the minority.
However, her decision opened the door for Bernie Sanders, especially because she was denying Sanders a leadership chair on HELP. So, now, all of a sudden, we have a committed socialist in position to argue budget priorities with the Republican House and Senate for the last two years of Obama’s presidency. Not only that, but Sanders is in pretty good position to be the chairman of the Budget Committee if the Democrats have a good election night in 2016 and elect a Democratic president and win back control of the Senate.
Over at Vox, Dylan Matthews explains plenty about why this matters. We can start with the person Sen. Sanders hired to serve as his chief economist on the committee:
His big move: naming University of Missouri – Kansas City professor Stephanie Kelton as his chief economist. Kelton is not exactly a household name, but to those who follow economic policy debates closely, tapping her is a dramatic sign.
For years, the main disagreement between Democratic and Republican budget negotiators was about how to balance the budget — what to cut, what to tax, how fast to implement it — but not whether to balance it. Even most liberal economists agree that, in the medium-run, it’s better to have less government debt rather than more. Kelton denies that premise. She thinks that, in many cases, government surpluses are actively destructive and balancing the budget is very dangerous. For example, Kelton thinks the Clinton surpluses are nothing to brag about and they actually inflicted economic damage lasting over a decade.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2015/1/15/74638/7878
President Obama to propose paid sick leave for American workers
Gregory Korte, USA TODAY 7:05 p.m. EST January 14, 2015
WASHINGTON — President Obama will call on Congress to require companies to give workers up to seven days of paid sick leave a year, a senior adviser said Wednesday.
Obama will also take executive action to give at least six weeks of paid leave to federal employees after the birth or adoption of a child, Senior White House Adviser Valerie Jarrett said.
And Obama wants Congress to spend $2.2 billion to help states and cities develop paid family leave programs.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/01/14/obama-child-care-paid-leave/21768969/
this is HUGE!!
HUGE1 Because despite having to work, LIFE HAPPENS to PEOPLE.
House GOP intensifies immigration standoff
01/15/15 08:01 AM—UPDATED 01/15/15 08:13 AM
By Steve Benen
In theory, the task before Congress is quite simple: fund the Department of Homeland Security. Everyone involved in the process – Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers and the White House – already agree on how much money is going to be allocated. Easy peasy, right?
Wrong. Thanks to a gambit House Republicans threw together in December, Republican lawmakers are using the DHS funding bill as the basis for an ugly showdown: either President Obama accepts GOP demands to effectively dismantle his entire approach to immigration policy or Congress will gut Homeland Security funding when it expires at the end of February.
Despite broad concerns that this plan is doomed to fail, the House majority just kept pushing yesterday.
In a final 236-191 vote, lawmakers agreed to keep the department running through September in legislation that includes a set of amendments designed to unravel and block funding to the president’s executive measures.
Far-right elements of the party tacked the toxic amendments to dismantle not just the latest immigration actions brought by President Obama, but also a similar initiative from 2012. In sum, the amendments work to prevent millions of undocumented immigrants the right to apply for work permits and seek temporary relief from deportation.
Republicans at least claimed to be outraged by the White House’s executive actions in December, but when crafting their approach to Homeland Security funding, GOP leaders effectively said, “Well, as long we’re here, let’s go ahead and push for mass deportations.” Yesterday’s package even sought to roll back Obama’s 2012 actions protecting Dream Act kids.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/house-gop-intensifies-immigration-standoff
evil, EVIL MOFOS…
Ditto.
Pope: ‘One Cannot Make Fun of Faith’
BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Alluding to an attack on a French magazine that left 12 people dead in reprisal for satirical depictions of Muhammad, Pope Francis today condemned the violence, but also said there are limits to free speech — especially when it involves religion.
In particular, the pope said, one shouldn’t abuse freedom of expression to “provoke” or “offend” others deliberately, and also shouldn’t be surprised when they react to such taunts.
Even in the case of a dear friend, Francis said, “If he says a swear word against my mother, he’s going to get a punch in the nose. That’s normal.”
“People who make fun of, who toy with other people’s religions, he said, risk running into “what would happen to [that friend] if he said something against my mother.”
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/01/15/after-charlie-hebdo-pope-says-free-speech-has-its-limits/
Pope Frankie…is NOT Charlie!
BAM!
LOL Don’t mess with da POPE!
The Best Hotel In Every State
From an eco-friendly treehouse resort in California to the historic Carlyle Hotel in New York, here are the best hotels in every US state. We found these hotels by looking at expert reviews, local recommendations, and our own list of the Best Hotels In America.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/the-best-hotel-in-every-state/ss-AA811Bh?ocid=HPCDHP
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good morning Rikyrah!
Morning all!
Good Morning, Everyone. :-))
Good morning Ametia!
Howdy eliihass! :-)