Tuesday Open Thread | Lauryn Hill

Posted on May 19, 2015 by SouthernGirl2

Lauryn HillLauryn Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer–songwriter, rapper, producer, and actress. She is best known for being a member of the Fugees and for her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Raised in South Orange, New Jersey, Hill began singing with her music-oriented family during her childhood. She enjoyed success as an actress at an early age, appearing in a recurring role on the television soap opera As the World Turns and starring in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel to start a band, which his cousin, Wyclef Jean, soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released two studio albums, Blunted on Reality (1994) and the Grammy Award-winning The Score (1996), which sold six million copies in the United States. In the latter record, Hill rose to prominence with her African-American and Caribbean music influences, her rapping and singing, and a rendition of the hit “Killing Me Softly“. Hill’s tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began to focus on solo projects.

About SouthernGirl2

A Native Texan who adores baby kittens, loves horses, rodeos, pomegranates, & collect Eagles. Enjoys politics, games shows, & dancing to all types of music. Loves discussing and learning about different cultures. A Phi Theta Kappa lifetime member with a passion for Social & Civil Justice.
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129 Responses to Tuesday Open Thread | Lauryn Hill

  3. SouthernGirl2 says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:42 pm

    Ametia, check this Nigerian wedding entrance dance

    Reply
  4. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    SG2, keep an eye out for CNN Anderson Cooper video tonite with that foolish white dude who referenced “Peter Fonda and Easy Rider” to white splain those WACO MURDERING THUGS.

    Reply
  7. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    WACO TEXAS= SHOOT OUT, RIVALRY

    NO MOTHERFUCKERS, IT’S A MASACRE.

    Reply
  8. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    CNN has this guy onj with Anderson Cooper WHITE-SPLAININ’ the ‘Banditos’ THUGS who mascred 9 people and injured 18 they’re like “Peter Fonda’s EASY RIDERS.”

    GOD HELP US, ONE & ALL.

    Reply
  9. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    tell the truth

    …………………..

    Biker Clubs Instead of Thugs? This Is How Racism Works

    Language used to describe African Americans vs. nonblacks is important, and it shapes the way we perceive things, oftentimes as

    much as, if not more than, visuals.

    BY: CHARLES F. COLEMAN JR.

    Posted: May 19 2015 7:05 AM

    On Sunday, in Waco, Texas, violence erupted when an altercation between members of two rival motorcycle gangs spilled out from a bathroom at the Twin Peaks restaurant, into the main area of the eatery, and eventually into the parking lot.

    When it was over, the bloody encounter left nine dead and over a dozen people hospitalized. The arrest count reached approximately 170 after members of both gangs—most of them white or nonblack—reportedly turned their weapons on members of law enforcement upon police officers’ arrival at the scene.

    As incredible a picture as this all seems, now that the dust has settled from Sunday’s massacre (or not), there still seems to be something missing: Where is the wall-to-wall media coverage that has blanketed our televisions of late every time there is a group of black folk who even appear to bethinking about acting unruly? Where’s Don Lemon and Geraldo Rivera?

    Nine people were killed as part of this incident, and yet television, print and Web outlets alike for this story displayed a fraction of the interest they did for every aspect of looting and unruliness in Baltimore just a few weeks ago; a time when the best clip of real, on-camera violence the media could muster up quickly turned into a debate on who should be mother of the year.

    Even as details about the bloody incident between the two biker gangs continue to trickle out, and as the coverage has slowly widened, there has been a calculated and deliberate difference in how many mainstream media outlets have reported this story as compared with the numbers reporting others of late.

    In addition, reports have referred to both violent groups in the North Texas melee as “biker clubs” or “groups” and placed emphasis on them being involved in “organized crime.” This differs starkly from coverage of the “riots” in Baltimore.

    http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/05/biker_clubs_instead_of_thugs_this_is_how_racism_works.html

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      May 19, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      Yes; ‘Banditios like Peter Fonda’s ‘Easy Riders.

      We need the Black Panthers to roll up into town on bikes .Wonder what would happen.

      Reply
      • Ametia says:
        May 19, 2015 at 7:20 pm

        BANDITO: a Mexican bandit, especially as represented in movies and popular culture.

        RACIST AS HELL. Did ya’ll see any Mexicans in that sea of white faces on those THUGS on motor bikes?

        Reply
  13. SouthernGirl2 says:
    May 19, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    *Twirls*

    Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    Asian-American Groups Clash Over Harvard Affirmative Action Complaint

    While one set of advocacy groups is demanding a federal investigation into Harvard’s admissions practices, another has rebuked the complaint and defended affirmative action.

    posted on May. 19, 2015, at 2:31 p.m.

    The latest high-profile challenge to affirmative action in college admissions has exposed fault lines in the Asian-American community, underscoring differences of opinion between foreign-born immigrants and American-born Asian community leaders.

    More than 60 Asian-American groups — mostly led by recent Chinese immigrants — filed a federal complaint accusing Harvard University of discrimination on Friday afternoon. That same day, a separate coalition named Asian American Civil Rights posted an open letter rebuking the complaint and declaring its support for affirmative action in higher education.

    “Our universities should reflect our diverse democracy and expand opportunities for those students who have overcome significant barriers,” the letter says. “Rather than letting ourselves be divided, we must come together to ensure increased opportunities and success for all students.”

    Most of the groups who filed the federal complaint are newer organizations comprising foreign-born immigrants, largely from China. The groups who led the opposition to the complaint tend to be older civil rights groups with American-born leaders and long-standing relationships with black and Latino activist groups. “From a sociological standpoint, that makes sense,” C.N. Le, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, told BuzzFeed News. More recent immigrants, he said, “are coming from an idealized image of American society as a meritocracy where everybody should have an equal chance … So, from that point of view, they see affirmative action as this mechanism that discriminates against Asian-Americans.”

    By contrast, Le said, civil rights groups with deeper roots have views of racial politics much more in line with those of other traditional civil rights advocacy groups, who have long advocated for affirmative action as a necessary corrective to structural inequalities.

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidnoriega/asian-american-groups-clash-over-harvard-affirmative-action#.ow703oYBW

    David Noriega
    David Noriega
    BuzzFeed News Reporter

    Reply
  15. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    May 19, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    http://www.essaysbyekowa.com/buddha4.jpg

    “ANCIENT BLACK BUDDHA”

    http://www.nairaland.com/68677/ancient-black-buddha

    Excerpt:

    The statues of ancient Buddahs of the East depected him as having wolly hair is always shown in corn rows, or in a pepper corn style with small tight curls.

    Original statues of Buddha clearly show him to be Africoid, with the wide nose, thick lips and frizzy, nappy, hair which are distinctive Negro characteristics. In most ancient temples throughout Asia where he is still worshipped, he is shown as jet Black.

    In fact, in most of the ancient temples of Asia and India, statues of the gods and goddesses have Africoid features with woolly hair in the pepper corn style, while some even have dreadlocks. These pictures of Buddha portray him in no uncertain terms as a Negro with kinky, coiled hair, a flat nose and full lips.

    http://www.stewartsynopsis.com/captureD45budda.jpg

    Reply
  16. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    Lupita Nyong’o Gets CGI’d

    Posted on May 13, 2015 | 5 Comments

    Many of us have waited with baited breath for more details to emerge about Lupita Nyong’o’s impending role in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. According to Variety’s article that reveals new publicity photos of the set, characters, actors, and crew; we have come to learn a few new things about who and what kind of role will be expected of our Academy Award-winning favorite. Nyong’o will play the role of Maz Kanata, a rogue pirate (quite possibly a queen) that leads a band of intergalactic voyagers, thieves, and other disreputable individuals as seen in the Variety photos. It is uncertain at this point which side of the resistance she is indeed fighting for or against, but one thing is for certain is that many of our concerns as to why Lupita Nyong’o has been MIA from teaser trailers, promos, publicity photos and the like is because she’s not playing a live action character.

    Maz Kanata will 100% be a CGI motion capture character.

    This is disconcerting.

    My knee-jerk reaction to finding out this news was shock and denial. I thought that perhaps she’s only CGI throughout part of the movie and the remainder is live-action. My second thought was that this was a rumor and that my undying hope for Lupita to play a Sith Lord—the way I had it planned in my head was in fact the real news story of the day and not this CGI bull. As it turns out this is not a rumor, and audiences will see the incredibly gorgeous and stunning actress concealed in computer graphics and animation.

    On social media, there were some strong reactions from fans who articulated their disdain on both sides of the issue. Many fans believed that this was just another way that Hollywood is once again marginalizing Black women in science fiction. Other fans believed that this was a great opportunity to see Lupita stretch her range as an actress and have the opportunity for more animated roles. Others were just happy she was in the movie period and were grateful that we even have a Black woman in a Star Wars film.

    Here is my issue with this, and yes I know it’s a bit premature right now to scrutinize the CGI problem with respect to Nyong’o but I can’t help but wonder why there is such a large disparity when it comes to imagery of Black women in science fiction? Most importantly, why cast an Oscar-winning actress with an extraordinary amount of notoriety, who is the face of Lancôme–a massive international cosmetics company–in a role where we never see her in physical form? I will say again it’s too soon to know what Maz Kanata brings to the Star Wars universe and how substantial this pirate will be to the cast of characters, but in the one film where we as Black women and women of color finally get to see someone who looks like us it is hidden underneath the veil of a computerized processor image which is left to the interpretation of someone else.

    http://blackgirlnerds.com/lupita-nyongo-gets-cgid/

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    Tom and Lorenzo’s last Mad Men recap post:

    MAD MEN: PERSON TO PERSON

    Posted on May 18, 2015

    http://tomandlorenzo.com/2015/05/mad-men-person-to-person/

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    we had 43 White Presidents, and there was no problem with him getting a Pension.

    1 Black President, and suddenly, they care about a Presidential pension?

    ………………………………..

    Amid Clinton cash controversy, House votes to cut ex-presidents’ pensions
    By Kenneth P. Vogel
    5/19/15 2:41 PM EDT

    The bill would put separate $200,000 annual caps on each ex-president’s pension and administrative expense allocation, and would also reduce from their overall benefit payments amounts equal to any private sector earnings beyond a $400,000-a-year threshold.

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/ex-presidents-pension-house-vote-bill-clinton-118100.html#ixzz3acA994JW

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    I would still be screaming, running all over my house
    ……………………………………..

    Pouring Down Arachnids: Australia’s Nasty ‘Spider Rain’ Explained

    by Elizabeth Palermo, Live Science

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai3gTAwssxQ

    Millions of tiny spiders recently fell from the sky in Australia, alarming residents whose properties were suddenly covered with not only the creepy critters, but also mounds of their silky threads. But that’s not where the frightful news ends: Experts say that such arachnid rains aren’t as uncommon as you might think.

    This month’s spider downpour in the country’s Southern Tablelands region is just the most recent example of a phenomenon commonly known as “spider rain” or, in some circles, “angel hair,” because of the silky, hairlike threads the spiders leave behind. Ian Watson, who lives in the region affected by the spooky shower, took to Facebook to describe what this strange “weather” looks like, according to the Goulburn Post.

    “Anyone else experiencing this “Angel Hair” or maybe aka millions of spiders falling from the sky right now? I’m 10 minutes out of town, and you can clearly see hundreds of little spiders floating along with their webs and my home is covered in them. Someone call a scientist!” Watson wrote on the Goulburn Community Forum Facebook page. [Fishy Rain to Fire Whirlwinds: The World’s Weirdest

    http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/pouring-down-arachnids-australias-spider-rain-explained-n361006

    Reply
  21. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    May 19, 2015 at 11:53 am

    I am looking forward to getting all of the volumes of Unesco’s “General History of Africa”. There was a pause in its production (someone told me that the U.S. pulled out its funding support for it after about vol. 3) but then funding was found and the rest of the volumes were produced. (All is written by Africans)

    Excerpt from page 681 of Vol. 1 of “General History of Africa –Prehistory” (UNESCO published):

    “Prehistoric art offers many pointers to aspects of the life of early African man, from his physical environment to his loftiest feelings, and the image is sometimes a sign as eloquent as writing….But, even if it only shows us the tip of an iceberg, we should be justified in regarding prehistoric art as the continent’s first history book, or as the projection on to the stone walls of rock shelters of a scenario for living which as long disappeared. It constitutes a monument where African man proclaims his desperate struggle to dominate nature and to attain to the boundless joy of creation and the ecstasy of God-knowing Man.”

    I found these examples by searching internet:

    http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs/site_0179_0001-594-0-20090910111123.jpg
    Cave painting from Tassili (between Algeria and Niger)

    Nambia:
    https://youtu.be/mwwisnXvTDg&rel=0

    South Africa:
    https://youtu.be/mjrEXv62ULo&rel=0

    Reply
    • yahtzeebutterfly says:
      May 19, 2015 at 12:58 pm

      Here is the list of volumes of “The General History of Africa”

      Volume I – Methodology and African Prehistory
      Volume II – Ancient Civilizations of Africa
      Volume III – Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century
      Volume IV – Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century
      Volume V – Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century
      Volume VI – Africa in the Nineteenth Century until the 1880s
      Volume VII – Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935
      Volume VIII – Africa since 1935
      Volume IX

      http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/general-history-of-africa/volumes/

      Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:44 am

    Our American Stories

    Lonnie Bunch, museum director, historian, lecturer, and author, is proud to present A Page From Our American Story, a regular on-line series for Museum supporters. It will showcase individuals and events in the African American experience, placing these stories in the context of a larger story — our American story.

    Education Steeped in African American Culture: Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    Booker T WashingtonBooker T. Washington, ca 1908. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (2009.37.2), © Tuskegee Archives
    Before the Civil War, when the majority of African Americans in the United States were enslaved, educational opportunities for African Americans in the South were virtually non-existent, particularly for higher education. Those like Frederick Douglass who did pursue an education in spite of it being illegal for him to do so –were forced to study informally and often on their own. In 1837, a group of Philadelphia Quakers concerned that African Americans in the North were having a difficult time competing for jobs against the influx of immigrants, created the Institute for Colored Youth. It was the first institution of higher learning for African Americans. We know it today as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

    The next crucial moment for African American higher education came in the years between the Civil War and World War I when the nation made a commitment to university studies across the country, predominately due to the government’s “land-grants” to help states form colleges and universities. Unprecedented funds poured into the creation of public colleges and universities, but few of these emerging institutions were open or inviting to African American students.

    http://go.si.edu/site/PageNavigator/mm_stories

    Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Mr. NFTG @Kennymack1971

    “Warren is actively questioning Obama’s intellectual honesty.”

    She really wants to die on this hill.

    Please proceed @SenWarren.

    Reply
  27. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:27 am

    Mr. NFTG @Kennymack1971

    “Progressives” won’t support PBOs free community college plan but watch em swoon over Bernie’s free 4 year college plan.

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      May 19, 2015 at 10:27 am

      Gus @Gus_802

      We can’t even get free community college yet somehow Bernie Sanders the socialist from Vermont will give us free 4-year college. OK.

      Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:16 am

    House GOP congressman faces resignation pressure
    05/19/15 10:40 AM
    By Steve Benen
    It’s safe to say Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) did not have a good day yesterday. Rocked by a campaign-finance scandal, the Republican congressman faced calls for his resignation from U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, state Senate President Chuck Morse, state House Speaker Shawn Jasper, and Executive Councilor Chris Sununu. All four of these officials are Republicans.

    New Hampshire’s WMUR reported overnight, however, that Guinta’s state party, as a whole, is not yet ready to call for his ouster.
    The state Republican Party’s Executive Committee on Monday night declined to call for U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta’s resignation over his well-publicized campaign finance issues, saying that he is ultimately accountable to his constituents.

    Guinta telephoned into the meeting of the party’s top officials while his chief of staff, Jay Ruais, was in the room for the closed door session…. The specific question of calling on Guinta to resign was not presented for a vote, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
    The party committee, by majority vote, endorsed a statement that concluded Guinta is “accountable to his constituents … and has assured us he will continue to be available to answer their questions.”

    Answering any questions would be a step forward for the GOP congressman. Roll Call reported last night that it pressed Guinta yesterday for a defense, but he had very little to say:
    CQ Roll Call caught up with Guinta Monday evening as he walked to House votes. And despite a number of lingering issues associated with his alleged violation of Federal Election Commission rules in 2009 and 2010 – Was the money he loaned to his campaign, as he still contends, actually his? If so, what is Guinta apologizing for? – the New Hampshire Republican would not go off-script when asked about his agreement to pay a $15,000 penalty to the FEC and repay $355,000 to his parents, who gave him $381,000 in 10 checks between June 2009 and September 2010.
    To recap for those who missed yesterday’s report, in 2010, looking to boost his campaign, Guinta loaned himself $355,000, which wouldn’t have been particularly controversial, except for the fact that his disclosure forms suggested he didn’t have $355,000. He said at the time it was from a previously unreported bank account and amended his financial disclosure forms.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/house-gop-congressman-faces-resignation-pressure

    Reply
  29. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 10:15 am

    Natalie Portman’s Zionist Manifesto
    Dana Kennedy 
    05.19.155:15 AM ET

    The Oscar-winning Israeli-born actress premiered her directorial debut about the birth of the State of Israel, A Tale of Love and Darkness, at Cannes.

    “You have to be Jewish to understand it,” said my seatmate, in tears, at the end of the premiere of Natalie Portman’s quietly devastating new film, A Tale of Love and Darkness.

    A Tale of Love and Darkness is not the first Israel-themed movie made by an avowed Zionist to show sympathy for the plight of Palestinian Arabs and the complexity of the Arab-Israeli conflict. But because of Portman’s star power, it’s the perfect film for the postmodern American Jew (see also: Jon Stewart and Tony Kushner, among others) who, in part due to the controversial policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has spoken out against the Israeli government in recent years in ways that would have been unthinkable before.

    “I’m very much against Netanyahu,” Portman, who moved to the U.S. when she was three, told The Hollywood Reporter last week. “I am very, very upset and disappointed that he was elected. I find his racist comments horrific.”

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/19/natalie-portman-s-zionist-manifesto.html?via=newsletter&source=DDMorning

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:48 am

    May 19, 2015 10:20 AM

    Harnessing the Obama Coalition and the Future of the Democratic Party
    By Nancy LeTourneau

    I’m going to attempt to synthesize the message I’m taking from three different articles written recently about Hillary Clinton and the 2016 election. I’ll post the links right up front:

    Large GOP Field Has Party Leaders Anxious About Their Chances in ‘16 by Philip Rucker and Jenna Johnson

    What Young Feminists Think of Hillary Clinton by Molly Mirhashem

    Clinton is Banking on the Obama Coalition to Win by Anne Gearan

    From the first article, I’m not so interested in what Rucker and Johnson have to say about the huge Republican field of candidates. Eventually they’ll pick a nominee and the truth is, there’s not that much daylight between the various candidates on the issues. The primary campaign might or might not get ugly and hurt the Republican candidate in the long run. But for all his failings, Reince Priebus nailed the reality they’re facing – no matter how much the media wants to ignore it because it dispels the narrative they favor about a competitive election.

    At last week’s Republican National Committee meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., party leaders plotted their path back to power and confronted the demographic changes that have made the Electoral College more challenging for Republicans, with their heavily male, overwhelmingly white base.

    “To win in a presidential election year, the Democrats have to be good,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said. “As Republicans, we need to be about perfect in order to win.”

    One of the reasons the field of candidates on the Republican side is so big is that none of them embody the kind of “perfection” that is required to clear the field.

    But when Rucker and Johnson veer into a discussion of what’s happening on the Democratic side of the race, they point out something important.

    Looming above the GOP show is Hillary Rodham Clinton, the dominant Democratic candidate whom Republican officials brashly dismiss as a scandal-plagued, out-of-touch relic of the past but whose early strength and political durability is nevertheless giving them a serious scare.

    Republican officials are dismayed that months of relentless, negative press coverage of her use of private e-mail servers, foreign donations to her family’s charitable foundation and her six-figure paid speeches have done minimal damage to her favorability ratings.

    Others have noted that one of the reasons the attacks on Clinton haven’t worked is because most of the electorate says, “been there…done that” when it comes to these issues. Epistemic closure can fool Republicans into thinking they are hitting their mark when conservatives – who already hate Clinton – react. But in terms of the larger electorate, it’s pretty ho-hum stuff.

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_05/harnessing_the_obama_coalition055627.php

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Indiana’s Pence to seek re-election, skipping White House race
    05/19/15 10:00 AM—UPDATED 05/19/15 10:15 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) clearly thought about running for president this year. Indeed, it was just last month that the far-right Hoosier traveled to Las Vegas in the hopes of impressing GOP mega-donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. There was ample chatter about Pence’s national ambitions, and the Republican governor did nothing to downplay the scuttlebutt.

    All the while, however, Pence seemed all too aware that he’d have to make a choice soon: the Indiana Republican would have to choose between a White House campaign and a gubernatorial re-election bid. As of last night, the governor appears to have settled on the latter. The Indianapolis Star reported:
    Any speculation that Gov. Mike Pence would pass on a re-election bid following a highly contentious start to 2015 was extinguished Monday.

    Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell issued a statement on the party’s website saying the 55-year-old governor would formally announce that he’d be seeking re-election in 2016 during the INDGOP’s Spring Dinner in June.
    Local scuttlebutt suggests Pence has his eyes on the 2020 presidential race, which would likely only be an option if his party loses next year. (As the Star recently put it, “Even Pence’s mother has suggested he should wait until 2020 to seek the White House.”)

    Make no mistake, however, about the circumstances surrounding the governor’s ambitions: for much of the spring, Pence seemed likely to run for president, right up until the fiasco surrounding his “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” touched off a national debate over right-to-discriminate proposals. Had the debacle not occurred, today’s news might well have been quite different.

    As for Pence’s re-election chances, Indiana is arguably the Midwest’s most reliable red state, but the governor did real damage to his political standing with the discrimination controversy; his approval rating took a sharp turn for the worse; and a variety of Democrats now see him as a vulnerable incumbent – a posture Democrats did not have until fairly recently.

    And what about the state of the Republican presidential field? Just two weeks ago, I put together a fairly comprehensive list of credible GOP contenders and I came up with 22 names. Since then, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton both withdrew from consideration, and now Pence has done the same, shrinking the field to 19.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/indianas-pence-seek-re-election-skipping-white-house-race

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Bernie Sanders makes the pitch for free college tuition
    05/19/15 09:20 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Even Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) most ardent supporters would probably concede, albeit grudgingly, that he faces very long odds in the 2016 presidential race. So why run? Because there’s value in having a national platform for bold, progressive ideas that might otherwise be ignored.

    Bloomberg Politics reported yesterday, for example, on Sanders’ new plan to make public college tuition-free in the United States.
    The plan will provide tuition-free higher education to students at four-year colleges, the statement said, and is modeled after the way many European nations handle the costs of college.

    “Countries like Germany, Denmark, Sweden and many more are providing free or inexpensive higher education for their young people,” Sanders said in the statement. “They understand how important it is to be investing in their youth. We should be doing the same.”
    That point about overseas examples is no small detail. The more the United States invests in an educated workforce, the greater our competitiveness on the international stage. There’s no better way to guarantee America’s role as a 21st-century superpower than lowering the barriers to higher education.

    And if major economies like Germany can make tuition at public colleges free, there’s no reason the United States can’t, too. So what’s the next step?

    Obviously, in a Republican-led Congress, the discussion is over before it starts, and there’s simply no way a proposal like Sanders’ will even get a vote. If GOP lawmakers instinctively balked at President Obama’s plan for free community-college tuition, it stands to reason that Congress will completely ignore the measure from the Vermont Independent.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/bernie-sanders-makes-the-pitch-free-college-tuition

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      May 19, 2015 at 9:54 am

      *SIGH*

      Dear Bernie,

      President Obama ALREADY has an INITIATIVE for free community college tuition.

      Did you ever get on board and support it? If not, GO HAVE A SEAT.

      Sincerely,
      Ametia

      Reply
    • Ametia says:
      May 19, 2015 at 10:30 am

      PROGRESSIVES =

      WHATEVER PBO HAS ACCOMPLISHED, WE WANT WHITEY TO CO-OPT IT & GET CREDIT.

      BYE NOW

      Reply
  33. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:42 am

    WACO MASCRE NOT A ‘SHOWDOWN OR BRAWL’

    9 KILLED 18 INJURED.

    Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      May 19, 2015 at 4:35 pm

      No, Ametia – white people don’t “riot” – they just celebrate their second amendment rights.

      ///SNARK

      Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:36 am

    yes, these evil azz mofos are mad that people are getting healthcare

    …………………

    One of the more bizarre spectacles of U.S. government in the modern age is the sight of political leaders complaining that a public program is actually working.

    http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-state-governments-lament-20150518-column.html?fb_action_ids=10153942775339569&fb_action_types=og.shares

    On Monday, Politico delivered a striking case in point. The subject was Obamacare, or more specifically the expansion of Medicaid through which millions of low-income families receive health coverage. According to author Rachana Pradhan, in many states that expanded Medicaid and even some that rejected expansion under the Affordable Care Act, enrollment has significantly exceeded projections.

    To some political leaders, for some reason, this is supposed to be a bad thing. Some Republican governors are in effect calling it “an ‘I told you so’ moment,” Pradhan reports.

    Well, yes, but not in the way they mean. What they were told was that the pent-up demand for health coverage was immense, especially among low-income Americans trapped in the utterly dysfunctional and unresponsive individual insurance market. That’s turned out to be true. That the demand exceeded projections tells us only that far more people were unserved or underserved than we thought.

    In Michigan, for instance, first-year enrollment was projected at 323,000, but enrollment topped out at 605,000. Illinois expected 199,000, and has ended up (so far) with 634,000. Ohio expected 366,000 and so far has signed up 485,000.

    The indispensable Charles Gaba observes that there are four reasons why enrollments might exceed projections. These are underestimates of: how many people were already eligible under pre-ACA rules; how many of them would enroll even without expansion (this is known as people coming out of the woodwork, or the “woodworker effect”); how many people would be eligible for the expansion; and how many of them would enroll. It looks like many, if not most, state governments miscounted all or most of these categories.

    Typically, Republican office holders and conservative pundits depict the trend as a government program out of control, rather than one that turned out to be more desperately needed than anticipated. “The expansion of Obamacare will cost our state taxpayers $5 billion,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott told Politico.

    A couple of points about this. First of all, Florida hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Second, Scott’s figure is a 10-year total. Third, the federal government is picking up 100% of the tab for Medicaid expansion through 2016, sliding down to 90% by 2020 and beyond; Florida is paying a higher percentage of the cost of residents who have signed up under the pre-ACA rules.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      May 19, 2015 at 9:45 pm

      I hope Alabama works out. I’ve got concerns seeing as that is Joe Scarborough’s alma mater. The school that formed that gawdawful guy.

      Reply
  37. TyrenM says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:12 am

    Good Morning 3Chics,

    L Boogie! Since I’m a father to a daugher, Doo Wop (That Thing) is recorded on CD, computer, Ipod…everywhere lol.

    Reply
  38. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    May 19, 2015 at 9:04 am

    Chris Perry and Lorna Cordeiro in India

    https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/main2.jpg?w=1600

    A story of love, longing and jazz in 1960s Bombay”

    http://qz.com/407489/a-story-of-love-longing-and-jazz-in-1960s-bombay/

    Reply
  39. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:58 am

    When women can’t get one-on-one time with their bosses

    Can men and women ever just be colleagues?

    This is no When-Harry-Met-Sally-inspired, retrograde hypothetical. Apparently it’s a live debate on Capitol Hill, where some legislators have declared the answer to be no.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/shut-off-from-the-boss/2015/05/18/4e91d43e-fd8d-11e4-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions&wpmm=1

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:52 am

    May 18, 2015 12:47 PM

    Would HRC Run Left Without Pressure?

    By Ed Kilgore

    Today’s big WaPo article is Anne Gearan’s report on the strategic thinking inside Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The implicit question Gearan asks is why HRC seems to be positioning herself more to “the left” than she did in 2008. And the more explicit answer from Team Hillary is that it’s all about the general electorate, and only incidentally about potential or actual primary opposition.

    Hillary and her brain trust appear to have become convinced that her path to the White House is via a relatively close approximation of the Obama Coalition, with some bonus votes from women perhaps giving her a cushion and/or the ability to lose some Obama Coalition votes. And there’s simply no reason to move in a “centrist” direction, especially on cultural issues, in appealing to that kind of a coalition. Something of a “populist” economic message, moreover, albeit perhaps not as fiery or pointed as the kind favored by a Bernie Sanders or an Elizabeth Warren, seems a relatively safe and even positive proposition when it comes to the small group of swing voters who will be up for grabs this cycle.

    [A]ides and advisers hope Clinton will not only inoculate herself against a serious challenge from the left in the primaries, but that she also will be able to push on through the general election. Her campaign believes American public opinion has moved left not only since Bill Clinton won election in 1992 on a centrist platform, but also since Barack Obama won on a more liberal one

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_05/would_hrc_run_left_without_pre055615.php

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:49 am

    A semi-good read.
    ………………………………………..

    You Can’t Reform the Criminal Justice System by Cutting Costs

    By Stephen Lurie

    http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121802/freedom-wont-come-free

    The current bipartisan consensus on the need to pursue criminal justice reform has been heralded—again, and again, and again—as the long-awaited agreement that ends mass incarceration and its many ills: the incredible size and the exorbitant cost of the police and prison system; the qualities of discrimination and poverty that lead to arrests; and the preeminence of incarceration as social policy. Republicans and Democrats are finally uniting conservative and liberal values to cure a diseased system, a rot in the nation at large.

    That’s the news, at least. The consensus may be bipartisan, but it’s not ideologically balanced. The language advocates use to describe the problems at hand and the nature of their proposed policy solutions demonstrate that this moment is far more concerned with mass than incarceration. Despite reports of meeting in the middle, we’re witnessing a liberal acquiescence: Nearly everything is phrased in conservative terms—cutting costs, saving funds, and minimizing the size of the system.

    Consider the eerily compatible messaging of the leading conservative, liberal, and centrist advocacy groups. Right on Crime—the conservative organization credited with kick starting and leading the current reform movement and efforts in many states—centers their drive for reform in fiscal responsibility. The organization’s short statement of principles is replete with concern for “cost”, “taxpayers” and “spending” (but not “fairness,” “equality,” or “rights”).

    Meanwhile, the ACLU’s new Campaign to End Mass Incarceration (Smart Justice, Fair Justice) starts by putting “needlessly throwing away too many lives” on par with “wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars.” The Campaign’s listed priorities all deal with the size of the justice system and cost cutting in some form. Even the call to “Invest in Better Systems” emphasizes that “services like drug treatment and affordable housing cost less and can have a better record of success” than the criminal justice system. Likewise, the Coalition for Public Safety, a new bipartisan umbrella campaign sponsored by the likes of Koch Industries and the MacArthur Foundation and led by groups from the Center for American Progress to Americans for Tax Reform, emphasizes their “comprehensive” approach but also tends to be minimalist in practice. Presenting the Coalition’s case on PBS recently, Mark Holden (senior vice president of Koch Industries) and Neera Tanden (president of the Center for American Progress) laid out the vision. “What we’re talking about are [sic] more non-violent offenders, first-time offenders, low-level offenders not getting really long sentences.” Tanden expressed concern with how the “criminal justice system is actually increasing poverty.” That poverty itself also contributes to a cycle of poverty, crime, and incarceration—or that only focusing on specific offenders will hardly address the size of the problem—remained unsaid. ADVERTISEMENT

    It’s not an acquiescence that’s caused by organizational bargaining, either. Consider the remarkable primary document published last week by the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and public policy institute, which reveals just how far this frame of thinking persists in our nation’s main political and policy leaders. The volume of essays, titled “Solutions: American Leaders Speak Out on Criminal Justice,” has opinions from both sides of the aisle on how to fix criminal justice; it includes writing from a former president, our current vice-president, and almost a dozen more politicians with presidential candidacy either in their past or their future. As an incredible compendium of voices, and proof of criminal justice reform’s sudden bipartisan relevance, it merited coverage on the front page of The New York Times.

    Reply
  42. Ametia says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:34 am

    This study is suspect.

    Rise in Suicide by Black Children Surprises Researchers
    By SABRINA TAVERNISEMAY 18, 2015

    The suicide rate among black children has nearly doubled since the early 1990s, while the rate for white children has declined, a new study has found, an unusual pattern that seemed to suggest something troubling was happening among some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

    Suicide among children ages 5 to 11, the age range the study measured, is rare, and researchers had to blend several years of data to get reliable results. The findings, which measured the period from 1993 to 2012, were so surprising that researchers waited for an additional year of data to check them. The trend did not change.

    Study:
    http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2293169

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/health/suicide-rate-for-black-children-surged-in-2-decades-study-says.html?via=newsletter&source=CSAMedition&_r=0

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:12 am

    Christie-brand leadership: The buck stops over there
    05/19/15 08:00 AM
    By Steve Benen
    About a week ago, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) sat down with CNN’s Jake Tapper, who asked about the governor’s “Bridgegate” scandal. The Republican presidential hopeful made it seem as if the entire fiasco had nothing to do with him.

    “I’m the governor; it happens on my watch,” Christie said. “But you can’t be responsible for the bad acts of some people who wind up in your employ.”

    A day later, the Garden State governor told the editors of the New Hampshire Union Leader, “I’ve learned to be less trusting and ask more questions, first off. The fact is my general nature is to be a trusting person.”

    All of which led to yesterday’s Christie interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, who asked about the scandal that’s helped drag down the governor. From the transcript, by way of Nexis:
    KELLY: So far there’s nothing tying you to giving the order in the bridge gate scandal.

    CHRISTIE: Nor will there be.

    KELLY: But the case is not yet closed and so some say, what if you get indicted? Are you a risky bet?

    CHRISTIE: No, the U.S. Attorney said in his press conference a weeks ago, that there will be no further charges in the bridge matter. He said that affirmatively three or four times. This has been 15 months of investigation and there’s been no connection to me because there is no connection to me. I had nothing to do with it, knew nothing about it and nor will there be evidence come to the contrary because it just didn’t happen.
    The more the governor says the scandal has “nothing to do with” him, the harder it is to take his defense seriously.

    Indeed, looking back at Christie’s comments to Jake Tapper, note that he refers to his former aides – now under criminal indictment – as people who “wound up” working for him, as if the governor showed up at his office one day and discovered some random people who just happened to somehow end up in his administration.

    The truth is far more straightforward. Some of Christie’s top aides conspired to punish some of Christie’s constituents because a local mayor failed to endorse Christie’s re-election. These Christie administration officials abused their powers – allegedly to a criminal degree – in Christie’s name.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/christie-brand-leadership-the-buck-stops-over-there

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:09 am

    18, 2015 4:18 PM
    Two American Takes on the UK Elections
    By Ed Kilgore

    Within the Big Tent that is Politico, there are two very different takes today on the UK elections from people associated in this country with the Democratic Party.

    Even if you agree with Jim Messina’s analysis (or that of his new buddy Mick Jagger) in every particular, you have to marvel a bit at how it fits his business needs here back home. He paints his British client David Cameron as the compleat centrist, and spends a good part of his time assailing the Republican Party for failing to follow the Tories’ example:

    If the message the GOP takes away from Cameron’s win is mainly about the renewed power of [the] right, they will fail in 2016, I believe. The truth is that British politics is skewed much further left than ours. Cameron personally led the fight to legalize gay marriage, made addressing climate change a top priority, and defended generous British humanitarian aid worldwide even as he was attacked for it. During the campaign, his manifesto called for a dramatic expansion of child care for working families, new apprenticeships for young people and eliminating taxes on workers at the minimum wage. Much of his agenda aligns very well with the modern Democratic Party platform.

    Plus Cameron had Messina’s advice, which he does not go to much trouble to contextualize, much less minimize, as I am sure his firm’s marketing director was relieved to find.

    Meanwhile, at Politico Magazine, Stan Greenberg, who worked for Labour as he always does, win or lose, had a less self-serving take that also represented a warning for center-left parties everywhere: nationalist appeals may be bad for actual nations, but they are good for late-election politics:

    Just two months earlier in Israel, the world watched Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu savor his surprisingly large victory over his enemies in their national elections this past March. “Against all odds, we have scored a major victory for the nationalist camp headed by Likud,” he declared. In the final weekend, the last polls that could be legally reported showed Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni’s Zionist Camp held a 4-seat lead—and with Netanyahu’s Likud Party falling short of a majority. How could the Israeli pollsters have gotten it so wrong?

    What changed those elections at the very end—and, in turn, embarrassed the pollsters—was the willingness of right-wing parties to play the nationalist card, with all the attendant risks.

    Stan’s take on Israel is familiar by now, because it’s become the CW. That could ultimately be true with his parallel analysis of how Cameron used a cynical, Bibi-like nationalist appeal to mess up Labour’s coalition while minimizing the UKIP vote:

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_05/two_american_takes_on_the_uk_e055619.php

    Reply
  45. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:08 am

    May 18, 2015 5:20 PM

    The Big Blue Line Formally Cracks

    By Ed Kilgore

    Given what’s happened in places ranging from New York to Ferguson to Baltimore lately, this presidential action (as the New York Times’ Julie Hirschfeld Davis reported) wasn’t surprising:

    President Obama on Monday banned the federal provision of some types of military-style equipment to local police departments and sharply restricted the availability of others.

    The ban is part of Mr. Obama’s push to ease tensions between law enforcement and minority communities in reaction to the crises in Baltimore; Ferguson, Mo.; and other cities.

    He took the action after a task force he created in January decided that police departments should be barred from using federal funds to acquire items that include tracked armored vehicles, the highest-caliber firearms and ammunition, and camouflage uniforms. The ban is part of a series of steps the president has made to try to build trust between law enforcement organizations and the citizens they are charged with protecting.

    Mr. Obama promoted the effort on Monday during a visit to Camden, N.J. The city, racked by poverty and crime, has become a national model for better relations between the police and citizens after replacing its beleaguered police force with a county-run system that prioritizes community ties.

    What’s really going on here under the surface is that the whole Democratic counter-offensive on the Republican racially-drenched law-and-order campaign that began in 1970 and reached critical mass in 1988 depended on a Big Blue Line of solidarity with police. Beginning in 1992, Democrats led by Bill Clinton argued for less of the lock-em-all-up mentality of the 1980s, but for more police officers deployed more intelligently.

    The “deployed more intelligently” part got partially lost, just as the impure alliance between “community policing” and “broken windows policing” often meant the latter snuffing out the former.
    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_05/the_big_blue_line_formally_cra055620.php

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      May 19, 2015 at 9:01 am

      de-militarizing the PO PO dept. it’s about time. Too bad these cops didn’t roll up on Twin Peaks like they did Ferguson!

      Reply
  46. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 8:04 am

    Obama follows through on police militarization
    05/18/15 02:48 PM
    By Steve Benen
    When violence erupted in Ferguson, Missouri, last year, it was a multi-faceted crisis, but one of the details many Americans found surprising was the militarization of local law enforcement. As the unrest grew more serious, we saw images of police officers relying on weapons of war when confronting civilians.

    And for a brief while, it seemed like action on the issue was at least possible. As we talked about at the time, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) chaired a Senate hearing in September on police militarization, and even some Republicans endorsed reforms to the Pentagon’s “1033” program. In the House, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) drafted legislation.

    But as is often the case, Congress’ attention span was limited; the Ebola virus began to dominate the political world’s attention; and police groups lobbied lawmakers to back off. The debate effectively vanished.

    The White House, however, did not forget about the issue, and as msnbc’s Trymaine Lee reports, President Obama will unveil today “a ban on the transfer of some types of military weapons to local police departments.”
    The ban is part of a broader effort by the Obama administration to ease tensions between police and communities of color across the country, including Ferguson and Baltimore, theaters of unrest following the deaths of unarmed black men killed by police. […]

    The new restrictions are being rolled out as a policing task force. A 116-page report will urge the country’s police agencies to “embrace a guardian – rather than a warrior– mindset to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public.”
    According to White House materials released this morning, the banned items include armored vehicles, grenade launchers, and .50-caliber ammunition. As NBC News’ report added that if local police departments “want other, less-imposing military equipment, local law enforcement agencies will have to submit to stringent federal oversight and restrictions.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obama-follows-through-police-militarization

    Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      May 19, 2015 at 11:23 am

      Dear God. I was mesmerized by this story. Such evil. I’m glad these women are helping each other heal. Just one reason why I stopped being a practicing Catholic back in the 70’s. Thank you for sharing this tweet, rikyrah.

      Reply
  51. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Lawd Y’all…..

    White Privilege.
    I’m going past the television, and here the go

    ‘ Explaining Bike Culture’.

    EXPLAINING BIKE CULTURE.

    They have a shootout, in broad daylight, with families around…

    and, they do segments to ‘ explain bike culture.’

    W-H-I-T-E-P-R-I-V-I-L-E-G-E

    Just like they have to try and ‘explain’ and understand the background of a White Shooter, because, of course, there has to be an EXPLANATION.

    Uh huh

    Uh huh

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      May 19, 2015 at 8:50 am

      This is how white privilege rolls. They focus on the event and not the behaviors. ‘bike culture is code for this is how white folks are nothing to see here folks! move along.

      Reply
  61. rikyrah says:
    May 19, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  62. Invisible Mikey says:
    May 19, 2015 at 1:21 am

    Tragic loss for us listeners. She has six kids and got derailed by massive money/legal problems. Maybe one of the kids will be an artist.

    Reply

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