We finish up the top 10 singles with those from 1979.
1979
1. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 – Pink Floyd
2. London Calling – The Clash
3. Rapper’s Delight – The Sugarhill Gang
4. Good Times – Chic
5. Dont Stop ‘Til You Get Enough – Michael Jackson
6. We Are Family – Sister Sledge
7. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
8. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
9. Brass in Pocket – The Pretenders
10. Message in a Bottle – The Police
Even though 3Chics Politico is written and curated by three women: Ametia, Rikyrah, and SouthernGirl2, I must nominate this as one of the most engaging blogs I've found. Devoted to politics and culture, these three shine a light on contemporary life with humor and spirit.
 | rikyrah on Weekend Open Thread |
| rikyrah on Weekend Open Thread |
| rikyrah on Weekend Open Thread |
| rikyrah on Weekend Open Thread |
 | rikyrah on Open Thread | What Is Going On… |
| rikyrah on Open Thread | What Is Going On… |
A Little Boy Lost His Stuffed Tiger At An Airport, But Then Something Super Cute Happened
I’m not crying, there’s just something in my eye, OK?
posted on Jun. 18, 2015, at 7:53 a.m.
Ryan Broderick
BuzzFeed News Reporter
On a recent trip to Houston, 6-year-old Owen Lake lost his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. Owen panicked and his mom, Amanda, called the Tampa International Airport, hoping someone had spotted Hobbes.
Airport staff found Hobbes, but they decided to make sure Owen knew Hobbes was having his own adventure while he was left behind at the airport.
Airport staff found Hobbes, but they decided to make sure Owen knew Hobbes was having his own adventure while he was left behind at the airport.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/hobbes-big-day-out#.khq4JWzym9
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/611587144889561088/photo/1
Pope Francis makes a powerful case on climate
06/18/15 09:56 AM—UPDATED 06/18/15 10:21 AM
By Steve Benen
Though much of Pope Francis’ encyclical on global warming leaked to the media before its release, the official unveiling of the document adds weight and depth to a powerful case from the Roman Catholic leader. From the Associated Press report:
In a sweeping manifesto aimed at spurring action in U.N. climate negotiations, domestic politics and everyday life, Francis explains the science of global warming, which he blames on an unfair, fossil fuel-based industrial model that he says harms the poor most. Citing Scripture and past popes’ and bishops’ appeals, he urges people of all faiths and no faith to undergo an awakening to save God’s creation for future generations.
It’s an indictment of big business and climate doubters alike.
“It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress,” he writes. “Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress.”
The religious leader added that there is no doubt “most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases released mainly as a result of human activity.”
Francis went on to say the climate crisis “represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.”
As for the argument, embraced by some Christian conservatives, that the planet was created for us to use as we please, the pope said some Christians have misinterpreted Scripture and “must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.”
The political pushback from American conservatives is growing more intense.
Earlier this week, it was Rush Limbaugh condemning the pope for his activism on climate change, and yesterday, a Fox News host suggested Francis is becoming “dangerous.”
Among Republican presidential candidates, meanwhile, the responses have also been quite hostile, most notably from Roman Catholic candidates. Rick Santorum got the ball rolling two weeks ago, and Jeb Bush echoed the criticisms this week.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/pope-francis-makes-powerful-case-climate
https://twitter.com/freep/status/611574172062470144/photo/1
Kevin Grüssing @KevDGrussing
And @LesterHoltNBC is officially the first solo African-American anchor of a major News broadcast in Television history.
Nice work Lester!
I’m missing something. I was only a child but wasn’t Max Robinson a solo anchor at ABC?
yes, he was.
Why David King’s indifference matters
06/18/15 09:11 AM
By Steve Benen
Sometime before the end of the month – and quite possibly as early as this morning – the Supreme Court will issue a ruling in King v. Burwell. It’s an extremely important case, and the health security of millions of American families hangs in the balance.
Those of us who follow health care closely have explored the litigation in great detail, weighing the case on the merits, examining the potential consequences, even recognizing the degree to which the court’s legitimacy is arguably on the line. But what about the plaintiffs? Who’s the King in King v. Burwell?
There are actually four plaintiffs in the case – a Virginia man named David King is listed first, so the case bears his name – and one of the four suggested earlier this year that she hopes her side loses so Americans don’t have to suffer. It’s quite a case.
But the New York Times today takes a closer look at David King himself, who’s confident of a court victory, and seems completely indifferent to the consequences of success.
…Mr. King said that he was not really worried about the outcome of the case, King v. Burwell, because as a Vietnam veteran, he has access to medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
If he wins, Mr. King said, “the left will blow it out of proportion and claim that eight million people will lose their health insurance.” But he said lawyers had assured him that “things are in play to take care of the problem.”
There’s something oddly perfect about this.
The man who hates “Obamacare” so much that he put his name on a genuinely ridiculous federal lawsuit is eager to take a sledgehammer to the American health care system. But he’s unconcerned about whether gutting the Affordable Care Act will hurt him personally – because King can take advantage of taxpayer-financed, government-run health care.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better example of the “I’ve got mine” phenomenon. How perfect is this? How can anything be more emblematic of the madness behind the right’s anti-healthcare crusade?
As for the “assurances” King has received, the plaintiff may be surprised by the outcome. The effects of his litigation may very well be devastating to millions of people who’ve done nothing to deserve being treated like collateral damage in a political war. If the justices side with King, some Americans even die as a direct result of the ruling.
But he’s not worried – some Republican lawyers have told him some Republican policymakers will someday find some solution to “take care of the problem.” And apparently, that’s good enough for him.
Postscript: King is 64. Soon, he’ll be eligible for Medicare, a taxpayer-financed, socialized system of insurance. If he’s anything like most Americans, he’ll like Medicare very much, his lawsuit to deny basic health security to millions of families notwithstanding.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-david-kings-indifference-matters
The state of Texas is allowed to reject a license plate design that featured a Confederate battle flag, the Supreme Court ruled today.
The majority held that license plate designs are government — and not private — speech, and that the government is allowed to discriminate based upon content when it speaks.
Pope Frankie in the paper he issued (sorry, I don’t know the formal term for the paper)
He’s right.
Encyclical.
Walker learns an obvious lesson after UK dustup
06/17/15 04:52 PM
By Steve Benen
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) last week claimed he had proof that foreign leaders aren’t satisfied with President Obama’s leadership. One our closest allies, the Republican candidate said, told him so.
“I heard that from David Cameron back in February earlier when we were over at 10 Downing,” Walker told a group of GOP donors.
Soon after, the British leader made clear that Walker was wrong. “The Prime Minister did not say that and does not think that,” a Cameron spokesperson told Time magazine.
For a governor with national aspirations, it was the latest in a series of foreign-policy missteps. Not only was Walker blabbing about a private conversation he had with a close U.S. ally, but he was also apparently misquoting the British prime minister in the hopes of attacking the American president.
Today, Walker was asked to explain himself. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he won’t be talking anymore about private meetings with world leaders after British Prime Minister David Cameron disputed how Walker had characterized his comments.
“I’m just not going to comment on individual meetings I had with leaders like that, be it there or anywhere else,” the White House hopeful told reporters when asked about Cameron’s comments…. Walker said he had learned from that incident and wouldn’t do it anymore.
Speaking from Canada – one of Walker’s many recent foreign trips – the Wisconsin Republican added, “What I learned best from that is I should leave discussions like that that aren’t done in front of the media to be treated privately, whether it was there or anyone else. You’re right; I haven’t. That’s something I’m not going to do going forward for precisely that reason.”
And I suppose that’s a start. The unannounced presidential candidate apparently didn’t realize until very recently that when you have a private conversation with a foreign head of state, it’s unwise to share the details of that conversation at a fundraiser.
But that doesn’t quite resolve the underlying problem.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/walker-learns-obvious-lesson-after-uk-dustup
Review: Rick Famuyiwa’s ‘Dope’ Is Like a John Hughes Film Flipped on Its Head
Shadow and Act
By Aramide A Tinubu | Shadow and Act
June 17, 2015 at 4:48PM
If you aren’t careful, the world will try to tell you who you are, and you might be dumb enough to believe it.
Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope” follows high school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore), and his two best friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), as they struggle to fit into their Inglewood, California neighborhood that’s affectionately coined The Bottoms. Obsessed with 90’s hip-hop culture, the trio hide behind the stylish and musical nuisances of a past time, instead of facing their 21st century environment. A film that initially felt like it could be another “Boyz N the Hood” or “Menace II Society,” I thought I had seen some version if this story before. It turns out, I was dead wrong.
Instead of a typical coming-of-age tale, “Dope” is like a modern day Black “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), or almost any other John Hughes film. Average American teen nerd who, in an ambitious act of self-exoneration, becomes cool, and/or has a sexual encounter with a girl seemingly out of his league. “Dope” is somewhat like that. Also, Malcolm breaks the fourth wall, speaking to the audience, and his constant self-analysis is much like Ferris’.
Though he’s known for his “grown up” films like “The Wood” (1999) and “Brown Sugar” (2002), director Famuyiwa really captures the essence of coming-of-age in Obama’s America. He encapsulates John Hughes nostalgia, and flips it on its head to incorporate the vitality of John Singleton’s films. In doing so, Famuyiwa gives a voice to today’s young black male, while removing the “hood-homeboy” element that we’ve often seen in the past.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/review-rick-famuyiwas-dope-is-like-a-john-hughes-film-flipped-on-its-head-20150617
Michael Ealy Heads Over to ABC to Take Over as Lead in Anthology Crime Series ‘Secrets & Lies’
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
June 17, 2015 at 6:37PM
Well, he didn’t have much luck with the Fox TV network, after starring in 2 failed drama series in “Almost Human” and the last season of the “The Following” (2 shows I actually enjoyed; both are now canceled). So let’s see if the luck of ABC rubs off on him.
Michael Ealy has booked the leading man role in the upcoming second season of ABC’s anthology series “Secrets & Lies” in which he’ll star opposite Juliette Lewis.
Season 1 of “Secrets and Lies” premiered on March 1, 2015, airing on Sunday nights at 9pm, and starred Ryan Phillippe as a family man who discovers the body of a young boy and quickly becomes the prime suspect in his death, and has to clear his name.
Based on the Australian TV series of the same name, the 10-episode first season averaged roughly 6 million viewers per episode, and was renewed for a second season on May 7, 2015.
Juliette Lewis also co-starred in season one, playing a Detective Andrea Cornell; she’ll reprise the role in season 2, opposite Michael Ealy, in a new case that will see Ealy as a man whose wife’s murder is under investigation. I’ll guess that he’ll likely be the prime suspect, who, like Phillippe in season 1, will have to go on the run to prove his innocence (or is he?).
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/michael-ealy-heads-over-to-abc-to-take-over-as-lead-in-anthology-crime-series-secrets-lies-20150617
Middle-Eastern Culture Collides w/ American ideology in Trailer for ‘The Algerian’ (In Theaters June 26)
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
June 17, 2015 at 12:46PM
Hannover House has set a June 26 theatrical release date in the USA for the award-winning political thriller, “The Algerian,” which follows Ali (Algerian actor Ben Youcef) across the world from Algeria to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as it’s revealed that he’s a sleeper cell part of an international plot.
The multi-layered plot revolves around the history and politics of a post 9-11 world, as well as the current turmoil in the Middle East, delivering a message of coexistence and tolerance.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/middle-eastern-culture-collide-w-american-ideology-in-trailer-for-the-algerian-in-theaters-june-26-20150617
Nothing good about it, but Morning, Everyone :(
Exactly what I woke up thinking.
Goooood morning!!!!