Saturday Open Thread

Posted on February 14, 2015 by rikyrah

I hope you are enjoying this weekend with family and friends.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and beyond. This week, the President spent time with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hoosiers, BuzzFeeders, veterans, and public health warriors — while the Vice President traveled to Belgium and Germany. That’s February 6th to February 12th or, “Just Say the Word.”

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59 Responses to Saturday Open Thread

  1. Ametia says:
    February 14, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    I had a glorious Valentine’s evening out with my man.

    We had a 3 course dinner to LIVE for, and we went to a live concert featuring a group called “The Girls.”
    They sang romantic songs from the 1940-2015. Rachel, one of the ladies from the group sang John Legends “All of Me.” Honestly, she sang it better than Legend.

    Then Deborah, ended the night with “His Eye on the Sparrow” & “Precious Lord Take My Hand,” with group backup.

    They took everybody to CHURCH!!!! LOL

    Reply
  2. Ametia says:
    February 14, 2015 at 11:28 pm

    Here you go Liza! Remember this one from “The Fabulous Baker Boys”?

    Reply
  3. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    WHAT DA PHUQ?

    ………………..

    Muslim-hating man rams Missouri teen with SUV, severing his legs and killing him
    David Ferguson DAVID FERGUSON
    05 DEC 2014 AT 10:55 ET

    A 15-year-old boy died on Thursday night in spite of doctors’ efforts to save his life after he was deliberately struck by a car in a collision that severed both of his legs.

    According to Kansas City, Missouri’s WDAF-TV, the boy was exiting the Somali Center of Kansas City with a friend when a driver in his 30s rammed his car into them both. The driver reportedly targeted the boys because of their Muslim faith.

    The attack took place on Thursday at around 5:30 p.m. as the boys were getting into a parked car.

    “It became pretty clear that this was not an accidental crash, there is a considerable amount of evidence that leads us to believe it was intentional,” said Sergeant Bill Mahoney of the Kansas City Police Department.

    The second boy was not seriously hurt in the impact, but the deceased 15-year-old’s legs were severed at the scene and he reportedly lost a tremendous amount of blood. Paramedics rushed him to Children’s Mercy Hospital where a surgical team labored in vain to save him.

    The suspect reportedly rammed the boys and the second car, then tried to flee the scene, but his vehicle was too badly damaged. Police said that he then tried to run away, but was apprehended.

    The boy’s family and other people involved with the Somali Center told WADF that the suspect has been threatening them for months, even waving a gun at some attendees and telling them he was going to kill them for being Muslim.

    “A month or two ago he came to the Somali mall, two blocks from here. Things got bad, they started arguing and he pulled a gun,” said Abdul Mohamed, a man who knows the victim, to WDAF.

    The victim’s name has not been revealed, but he was reportedly the son of the current head of the Somali Center.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/muslim-hating-man-rams-missouri-teen-with-suv-severing-his-legs-and-killing-him/#.VN_WEHfTPuq.twitter

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      February 15, 2015 at 12:23 pm

      Another hate crime.

      There are a lot of marginal folks out there who cannot process the daily onslaught of hate filled messages they get from TV, talk radio, etc…Apparently, their murderous rage is triggered by the very sight of the “other” even if the “other” is a child.

      Where are we going with this?

      Reply
    • Liza says:
      February 15, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      I saw LeBron James’ boys on “Rehab Addict” on HGTV. Nicole Curtis rehabbed an old house for his foundation. It was an award for the deserving family that owned the house but could not afford to fix it up. The boys are really adorable. I really admire LeBron James for returning to his community and becoming so engaged in making it better for those folks.

      Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    Debbie Almontaser @DebbiAlmontaser
    Follow
    You’re going to tell me he’s not a terrorist? 14 firearms seized from #ChapelHillShooting suspect’s home http://fw.to/2TMiz0Q via @WRAL:
    10:09 PM – 13 Feb 2015

    Reply
  9. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    Aamer Rahman ✔ @aamer_rahman
    Follow
    Angry white racists with guns like Craig Hicks are not a random fringe minority. A lot of them just become cops.
    8:46 PM – 13 Feb 2015

    Reply
  12. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    HERE IS ANOTHER REASON WHY BLACK FOLKS CAN’T CLOSE THE WEALTH GAP

    February 12, 2015 ‐ By Kara Stevens

    The State of the African-American Consumer Report says black folks’ buying power in America is expected to reach $1.1 trillion this year. $1.1 trillion. If Black America were its own nation, it would be the 16th largest economy worldwide.

    Despite our current and projected economic prowess and potential, we still continue to lag far behind our white counterparts when it comes to building generational wealth, which by definition is an aspect of financial planning that is geared toward passing down stable, significant financial resources to future generations.

    The February 2013 Research and Policy Brief by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy titled “The Roots of The Widening Racial Wealth Gap: Explaining the Black-White Economic Divide” points the finger at systemic, white supremacist institutional policies as the key culprits in blacks inability to close the wealth gap on the one hand, and implicitly, Black people’s struggle to pass on generational wealth.

    Looking at the same set of families over a 25-year period (1984 to 2009), the total wealth gap between white and African-American families nearly triples, increasing from $85,000 in 1984 to $236,500 in 2009. This study’s evidence found that policies and laws governing homeownership, work and increased earnings, employment stability, college education, and family financial support and inheritance created more wealth for whites than it did Blacks. Together, these fundamental factors account for nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of the proportional increase in the wealth gap.

    But the discussion around the prevalence of the wealth gap and our collective inability to pass down generational wealth cannot be fully explained away by the realities of racist policies and systemic inequalities. We also have to examine how our collective spending habits contribute to it.

    Reports like “Resilient, Receptive, and Relevant: The African-American Consumer” published by Nielsen in collaboration with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) in 2013 expand the “wealth gap” discussion by highlighting the widespread spending habits and choices of blacks in America, alluding to the point that personal and collective money decisions definitely contribute to current Black-white wealth gap. The Nielsen report found the following statistics with respect to African American spending choices, habits, and trends:

    …………….

    According to the Harvest Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, income circulates with the Black community a zero to one time. On the other hand, income circulates unlimited times in the White community, at least 12 times amongst Jews, at least nine times with Asians, and at least six times in the Latino community. The implications of being big-time spenders, small-time investors ensures that our money does not stay in our community long enough to build and sustain structures to establish generational wealth.

    http://madamenoire.com/511020/here-is-another-reason-why-black-folks-cant-close-the-wealth-gap/

    Reply
  17. SouthernGirl2 says:
    February 14, 2015 at 3:48 pm

    Josh surprised his mother with these beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day. He called me and said he was on his way to Houston. Next thing I knew he was at my door with flowers. He’s such a loving boy!

    Josh Valentine flowers today2

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    Back from seeing The Kingsmen. Loved it.

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      February 14, 2015 at 10:37 am

      ANOTHER HATE CRIME

      Reply
      • Ametia says:
        February 14, 2015 at 10:42 am

        Craig Stephen Hicks This is his name, for the media always starts their lede with “man shoots/murders,/guns down”

        And while these 3 people he executed in cold blood were Muslims, the media is not going to let anyone reading their trash that they are “MUSLIMS” first and foremost.

        Adding the element that they are the ones to be feared, suspected of eraning the right to be shot down like dogs.

        And the media is setting the stage for yet another white-washing, he was a caring man, saga to humanize this EVIL man, he’s lower than an animal.

        Reply
      • Liza says:
        February 14, 2015 at 1:10 pm

        Oh, for crying out loud, I put this in the WRONG place. Sorry, please help. It was for Ametia.

        Reply
  23. Ametia says:
    February 14, 2015 at 9:56 am

    According to Steve Kornacki, Scott Walker having no college degree is not a big deal.

    FUCK YOU, STEVIE!

    For PBO it was sWHERE’S YOUR FUCKING BIRTH CERTIFICATE? since he was a HARVARD GRAD, they had to ask for proof of his AMERICANISM.

    Ain’t this the epitome of WHITE PRIVILEGE.

    Reply
  24. Ametia says:
    February 14, 2015 at 9:51 am

    I’m going to be dropping vids of my favorite versions of this song

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCqZE6oBSsQ

    Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 8:00 am

    Robyn C. Spencer @ProfRobyn
    Thousands of African-American Graves Found Beneath Philadelphia Playground http://po.st/jlVS4l via @po_st
    Retwee

    Reply
  27. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 7:43 am

    What White People Need to Learn
    Let’s take a look at what “white” actually means — it might surprise you.
    By Mary-Alice Daniel / Salon February 7, 2014

    Invariably, around February of each year, coinciding with Black History Month, you’ll hear people asking, “Why isn’t there a white history month?”

    Do these people mean we should condense all the American history centering around white people to just one month and devote the other 11 to people of color? Of course not.

    It’s readily accepted that white history is taught, year-round, to the exclusion of minority histories. But the literal history of whiteness — how and when and why what it means to be white was formulated — is always neglected. The construction of the white identity is a brilliant piece of social engineering. Its origins and heritage should be examined in order to add a critical layer of complexity to a national conversation sorely lacking in nuance.

    http://www.alternet.org/what-white-people-need-learn#.VNzhQQI9H_Q.facebook

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      February 14, 2015 at 9:29 am

      “Whiteness was never about skin color or a natural inclination to stand with one’s own; it was designed to racialize power and conveniently dehumanize outsiders and the enslaved. It has always been a calculated game with very real economic motivations and benefits.”

      ” If students are taught that whiteness is based on a history of exclusion, they might easily see that there is nothing in the designation as “white” to be proud of. Being proud of being white doesn’t mean finding your pale skin pretty or your Swedish history fascinating. It means being proud of the violent disenfranchisement of those barred from this category. Being proud of being black means being proud of surviving this ostracism. Be proud to be Scottish, Norwegian or French, but not white.”

      “The current divide is a white construction, and it is up to white people to do the necessary work to dismantle the system borne from the slave trade, instead of ignoring it or telling people of color to “get over” its extant legacy.

      Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 7:37 am

    The Art of Empire
    Empire is a new hour-long drama that follows the story of a wealthy family, whose complex intrigues illustrate a struggle for money, love, fame and power. It’s as character-driven and full of moral ambiguity as any overblown historical period drama set in Tudor England or Ancient Rome, and I must imagine spends at least as much on their set and costume design budget.

    What I personally look forward to each week is the breathtakingly beautiful art that graces the walls of almost every indoor scene.

    http://medievalpoc.tumblr.com/post/110917782163/the-art-of-empire

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 7:36 am

    NYT Magazine ✔ @NYTmag
    Obama wondered if “Yes we can” was too corny. Michelle slowly shook her head and said “Not corny.” http://nyti.ms/1KUwORB

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    February 14, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply

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