Happy Monday, Everyone. This week’s featured artist is George Michael.
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (born 25 June 1963), better known by his stage name George Michael, is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to superstardom during the 1980s and 1990s with his style of post-disco dance-pop. He has also been characterised as a blue-eyed soul singer, although his material draws more from middle-of-the-road pop than soul music.
As one of the world’s best-selling music artists, Michael has sold more than 100 million records worldwide as of 2010. His 1987 debut solo album, Faith, has on its own sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.Michael has garnered seven number one singles in the UK and eight number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Michael the 40th most successful artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists list.
Michael has won numerous music awards throughout his 30-year career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male twice, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations.
In 2004, the Radio Academy named Michael as the most played artist on British radio between the period of 1984–2004. The documentary A Different Story was released in 2005; it covered his personal life and professional career. In 2006, George Michael announced his first tour in 15 years, the worldwide 25 Live tour, spanning three individual tours over the course of three years (2006, 2007 and 2008).
Michael first found success after forming the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The band’s first album Fantastic reached No. 1 in the UK in 1983 and produced a series of top 10 singles including “Young Guns”, “Wham Rap!” and “Club Tropicana”. Their second album, Make It Big reached No. 1 on the charts in the US. Singles from that album included “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (No. 1 in the UK and US), “Freedom”, “Everything She Wants”, and “Careless Whisper” which reached No. 1 in nearly 25 countries, including the UK and US, and was Michael’s first solo effort as a single.
Michael sang on the original Band Aid recording of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (which became the UK Christmas number one) and donated the profits from “Last Christmas/Everything She Wants” to charity. In addition, he contributed background vocals to David Cassidy’s 1985 hit “The Last Kiss”, as well as Elton John’s 1985 successes “Nikita” and “Wrap Her Up”. Michael cited Cassidy as a major career influence and interviewed Cassidy for David Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper.
Wham!’s tour of China in April 1985, the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, generated worldwide media coverage, much of it centred on Michael. Before Wham!’s appearance in China, many kinds of music in the country were forbidden.The audience included members of the Chinese government, and Chinese television presenter, Kan Lijun, who was the on stage host, spoke of Wham!’s historic performance; “No-one had ever seen anything like that before. All the young people were amazed and everybody was tapping their feet. Of course the police weren’t happy and they were scared there would be riots. The tour was documented by film director Lindsay Anderson and producer Martin Lewis in their film Foreign Skies: Wham! In China.
With the success of Michael’s solo singles, “Careless Whisper” (1984) and “A Different Corner” (1986), rumours of an impending break up of Wham! intensified. The duo officially separated during the summer of 1986, after releasing a farewell single, “The Edge of Heaven” and a singles compilation, The Final, plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included the world premiere of the China film. The Wham! partnership ended officially with the commercially successful single “The Edge of Heaven”, which reached No. 1 on the UK chart in June 1986.[28]
Wake Me Up-WHAM
![george-michael-by-GritWheatley[159459]](https://i0.wp.com/3chicspolitico.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/george-michael-by-gritwheatley159459.jpg?ssl=1)
Careless Whisper
The Associated Press @AP 2h2 hours ago
“Did N.C.’s GOP state lawmakers and governor illegally weaken minorities’ voting rights? Federal trial begins:”
http://apne.ws/1Dde9Lw
Follow
The New York TimesVerified account
@nytimes
Eric Garner Case Is Settled by New York City for $5.9 Million
http://nyti.ms/1CCMrwO
https://twitter.com/mydaughtersarmy/status/618892770107768833/photo/1
uh huh
uh huh
what did people who
a) voted for Rahm
b) did not vote
think was gonna happen?
…………………………
Spending at neighborhood schools to drop by about $60 million
Chicago’s neighborhood public schools will see cuts of about $60 million while charters and contract schools can expect to gain $30 million overall under school budgets released Monday.
And even more cuts may come, since those budgets are based on a big assumption that Springfield lawmakers will enact pension reform that will save Chicago Public Schools $500 million.
CPS will hold schools to their enrollment in doling out per-pupil money this year, Chief Financial Officer Ginger Ostro said Monday in releasing individual school budgets. If more kids turn up than planned, the school stands to gain, but if fewer show up, the school will lose money, she said. This departs from CPS’ practice the last two years, in which schools were not penalized financially if fewer students showed up than expected. CPS, in short, will no longer provide the financial safety for schools short on enrollment.
CPS expects overall enrollment at neighborhood schools to drop by about 4,000. but enrollment charter and contract school enrollment to incease by about 3,000, so per-pupil spending at neighborhood schools is expected to drop by about $60 million overall and charter and contract school spending to rise by about $30 million.
The reductions are part of the $200 million in cuts recently announced by CPS…
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/767017/chicago-public-schools-feel-pain-fewer-students-show
I must have burned him real good. He blocked me.
HA! He wouldn’t know truth if it smacked him in the head Delusional SOB.
July 13, 2015 1:07 PM
Walker’s Where His Targeted Voters Are
By Ed Kilgore
Earlier today (and this is sort of Scott Walker Day since he formally announced his presidential candidacy this morning) we talked about Scott Walker’s reported plans to start pretty hard right and then move to the “center” as the primary season unfolds. He might as well start hard right, since he just finished a state legislative session where his budget policies (especially an effort to reduce funding for and end tenure in higher education) were too conservative for some of his fellow Wisconsin Republicans.
As Harry Enten at FiveThirtyEight seeks to demonstrate today, Walker’s exactly where his targeted voters are.
Although our three-pronged ideological ratings — which look at congressional voting records (not applicable to Walker), donors and public statements — place Walker’s ideology near the middle of the pack, voters describe him as more conservative than most of the other Republicans. In an average of four YouGov surveys during June, in which 0 was the most liberal and 100 the most conservative, Walker was rated on average as a 70. Bush scored a 60, Rubio a 64.
In fact, Walker’s score is 7 points more conservative than the average Republican candidate (63). To give you an idea of how big a difference that is, the difference between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders was only 2 points (25 vs. 23) during the same period. Walker’s score places him among candidates that most would generally regard as too bombastic or far-right to win the nomination, such as Ted Cruz, 2008 runner-up Mike Huckabee and 2012 runner-up Rick Santorum. Pat Buchanan, the last standing conservative alternative in 1996, scored a 73 in primary polls.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_07/walkers_where_his_targeted_vot056552.php
July 13, 2015 10:18 AM
Scott Walker and the Masters of Deceit
By Ed Kilgore
As Scott Walker finally makes his presidential bid official today, National Journal’s Tim Alberta wonders if the candidate can perpetually get away with tailoring his views to the particular audience he is addressing. That certainly seems to be the calculation in Walker-land:
[A]ccording to Walker allies, he’s going to pursue exactly the opposite strategy Romney used in 2012. Whereas Romney started in the middle and moved rightward throughout primary season, Walker is starting on the right and will shift toward the middle.
“You start in Iowa and lock up conservatives, because if you don’t do that, none of the rest matters,” said one longtime Walker adviser, who requested anonymity to discuss campaign strategy. “It’s much easier to move from being a conservative to being a middle-of-the-road moderate later on.”
The adviser added: “In Iowa, you see the beginnings of that. He’s capturing that conservative wing first and foremost, and then moving from Iowa to the other states and bringing other voters into the fold.”
Pretty candid, I’d say, particularly when you remember the brouhaha that erupted in 2012 when Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom talked about the “pivot” his candidate was about the execute after locking up the GOP nomination:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_07/scott_walker_and_the_masters_o056544.php
Indiana schools see shortage of teacher applications
Associated Press, @ap 4:59 p.m. EDT July 12, 2015
GREENSBURG, Ind. – School districts across Indiana are having trouble finding people to fill open teaching positions as the number of first-time teacher licenses issued by the state has dropped by 63 percent in recent years.
The Indiana Department of Education reports the state issued 16,578 licenses to first-time teachers, including teachers with licenses in multiple subject areas, in the 2009-2010 school year. That number dropped to 6,174 for the 2013-14 school year, the most recent for which data were available, the Greensburg Daily News reported.
The dwindling pool of educators is raising alarm in some school districts as they struggle to fill open positions, especially in math, science and foreign languages
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2015/07/12/indiana-schools-see-shortage-teacher-applications/30051447/
Son of Boston Police Captain Arrested as Possible Terrorist
Adams, Mass. — Jul 13, 2015, 1:53 PM ET
By MICHELE McPHEE, BRIAN EPSTEIN and BRIAN ROSS
The estranged son of a respected Boston police captain was arrested July 4 by FBI agents as part of a counter-terrorism operation against alleged ISIS-inspired domestic terrorists, federal officials told ABC News today.
Alexander Ciccolo, 23, of Adams, Mass., was taken into custody on gun charges after buying two pistols and two rifles from an undercover FBI confidential informant, federal officials said. In a search of his apartment, officials reported they found it loaded with possible bomb-making equipment including a pressure cooker, a variety of chemicals, an alarm clock, along with “attack planning papers” and “jihad” paperwork. FBI agents said he used the name Abu Ali al-Amriki and neighbors said he was a recent convert to Islam.
“This is a very bad person arrested before he could do very bad things,” one senior federal official briefed on the arrest told ABC News.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-son-boston-police-captain-arrested-terrorist/story?id=32414150
From Paul Krugman
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07…®ion=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article
*Where does Jeb Bush fit into this story? Well before his “longer hours” gaffe, he had professed himself a great admirer of the work of Charles Murray,a conservative social analyst most famous for his 1994 book “The Bell Curve,” which claimed that blacks are genetically inferior to whites. What Mr. Bush seems to admire most, however, is a more recent book, “Coming Apart,” which notes that over the past few decades working-class white families have been changing in much the same way that African-American families changed in the 1950s and 1960s, with declining rates of marriage and labor force participation.
Some of us look at these changes and see them as consequences of an economy that no longer offers good jobs to ordinary workers. This happened to African-Americans first, as blue-collar jobs disappeared from inner cities, but has now become a much wider phenomenon thanks to soaring income inequality. Mr. Murray, however, sees the changes as the consequence of a mysterious decline in traditional values, enabled by government programs which mean that men no longer “need to work to survive.” And Mr. Bush presumably shares that view.*
comment from TOWN:
http://pragmaticobotsunite.com/monday-open-thread-african-american-nurses-who-changed-the-course-of-history/#comment-2133900740
JB20005
The GOP brass has grown so fearful of Trump’s candidacy, no less than Rupert Murdoch has taken to the Twitters to dispute him on Mexican-Americans.
http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-wrong-rupert-murdoch-fact-checks-the-donald-on-mexico/
Obama Commutes Sentences for 46 Drug Offenders
WASHINGTON — President Obama announced on Monday that he was commuting the sentences of 46 federal drug offenders, more than doubling the number of nonviolent criminals to whom he has granted clemency since taking office.
“These men and women were not violent criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years; 14 of them had been sentenced to life for nonviolent drug offenses, so their punishments didn’t fit the crime,” Mr. Obama said in a video released on the White House Facebook page, in which he is shown signing the commutation letters. “I believe that America, at its heart, is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance.”
Mr. Obama’s action on Monday brought the total number of commutations he has issued to 89, exceeding that of any president since Lyndon B. Johnson, who commuted 80 sentences during his tenure. It also meant that he has commuted more sentences than the last four presidents combined.
In a letter written to each of the inmates in which he personally notifies them that their sentences have been commuted, Mr. Obama says he has chosen them out of the thousands who apply for clemency because “you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around.”
“I believe in your ability to prove the doubters wrong, and change your life for the better,” Mr. Obama wrote. “So good luck, and Godspeed.”
The commutations are part of a second-term push by Mr. Obama to use clemency to correct what he sees as the excesses of the past, when politicians eager to be tough on crime threw away the key even for minor criminals. As a result, African-American and Hispanic men were disproportionately affected.
Mr. Obama had already commuted the sentences of 43 prisoners, as part of an initiative begun last year by James M. Cole, the deputy attorney general at the time, who set criteria for who might qualify: generally nonviolent inmates who have served more than 10 years in prison; have behaved well while incarcerated; and who would not have received as lengthy a sentence under today’s revised sentencing rules.
Mr. Obama plans to spend much of the week talking about a criminal justice overhaul that would include changes to sentencing guidelines, lessening penalties for drug offenders. The president plans to introduce his proposals on Tuesday in Philadelphia before the N.A.A.C.P.’s annual convention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/us/obama-commutes-sentences-for-46-drug-offenders.html?smid=pl-share
Rapper 50 Cent Files for Bankruptcy
By Katy Stech
Curtis James Jackson III, the rapper better known as 50 Cent, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday.
In court papers filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Hartford, Conn., Mr. Jackson reported assets and debts each in the range of $10 million to $50 million.
The attorney listed on the bankruptcy petition couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Monday.
The filing comes days after a jury directed Mr. Jackson to pay $5 million to a woman who sued over a sex tape, the Associated Press reported.
http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2015/07/13/rapper-50-cent-files-for-bankruptcy/?mod=e2tw
Over the weekend, I had it on CNN showing Donald Trump’s press conference. I was at the computer and Jay was on the couch. I remember Trump saying he was a nice guy. Jay says…’No you’re not’. LOL
get your grift on
………………
Conservative PACs raise millions, spend little on politics
Several staffers once affiliated with conservative activist and candidate Alan Keyes have found a lucrative new job: operating an array of political action committees, super PACs and dark money groups that have raised millions of dollars from small donors — little of which ever made its way to campaign committees or independent expenditures. Instead, almost all of the money was spent as operating expenses to companies affiliated with its staffers.
Despite different websites and phone numbers, all the groups feature appeals to different right-wing causes like fighting abortion, supporting religious liberty and gun rights. Some things remain the same, however: Alan Keyes’ interviews and speeches are featured prominently in their websites; they are set up by a network of old associates at shared addresses; and nearly all expenses go to the same collection of vendors: American Caging, Politechs, ELA Data Services, Freedom Donations and Constantine Financial.
“It’s the political equivalent of a get-rich-quick scheme,” said Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator who has been a vocal critic of conservative PACs that he sees as scams. “It’s unfortunate. These organizations are purporting to be doing good work, but deprive legitimate groups of resources and burn out the good will of donors.”
Though previous reports have flagged individual groups for their questionable spending decisions, the links between the network of spending groups and the people behind them have not been disclosed before. A Sunlight Foundation analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows that groups organized by these staffers with similar spending patterns have raised $22.8 million since 2010. But less than 1 percent of that money ever went to conservative candidates or committees. More than 99 percent goes to operating expenses, mainly for more fundraising, that is disbursed to organizer-run businesses…
naming names and orgs:
http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2015/07/13/conservative-pacs-raise-millions-spend-little-on-politics/
Walker touts far-right accomplishments in campaign launch
By Steve Benen
Last October, shortly before voters went to the polls, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) talked with msnbc’s Kasie Hunt about his future. It was already obvious the Republican governor was eyeing the 2016 presidential race, but he still had to win a challenging re-election bid.
Hunt asked him, “Are you committed to serving a full second term?” Walker replied, “That’s my plan.”
No, it wasn’t. In fact, Walker’s actual plan was far different: win a second term; hit the presidential campaign trail; wrap up the state budget process; and launch a national candidacy. As msnbc’s Eric Levitz reported, that last item on the to-do list receives a big check mark today.
The Wisconsin governor simultaneously released an announcement video that echoed that theme, using the candidate’s history of legislative and electoral successes in a blue state to distinguish himself from Rubio, and the rest of the primary field.
“In Wisconsin, we didn’t nibble around the edges. We enacted big, bold reforms that took power out of the hands of the big government special interests and gave it to the hard-working taxpayers – and people’s lives are better because of it,” Walker said in the video. “We fought and won. In the Republican field, there are some who are good fighters, but they haven’t won those battles. And there are others who’ve won elections, but haven’t consistently taken on the big fights. We showed you can do both.”
Whatever one thinks of Walker’s approach to governance, his boast is rooted in fact. There are now a whopping 15 GOP candidates in the field – soon to reach 17 – and not one has done more to advance a far-right policy agenda than the Wisconsin governor. Indeed, none of his White House primary rivals come close.
And it’s that record that will likely carry him very far in his party’s nominating contest. There is, however, a catch.
For most of the GOP’s constituencies, Walker is practically out of central casting, scripted to be the ideal presidential candidate. Vox’s Jonathan Allen today described him today as “the perfect Republican,” embodying the party’s modern electorate exactly.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/walker-touts-far-right-accomplishments-campaign-launch
https://twitter.com/AddInfoOrg/status/620632757698326528
Photo Of Homeless Boy Studying Outside Of McDonald’s Has Life-Changing Impact (IMAGE)
AUTHOR: VERA JULY 13, 2015 12:35 PM
A young boy’s commitment to his education has touched hearts around the world, and made all the difference for him and his family.
Late last month, Joyce Gilos Torrefranca spotted a 9-year-old boy doing his homework on a street in the Philippines, using a McDonald’s restaurant for light. As a student herself, Torrefranca was moved by the boy’s perseverance, and took two photos of him. She said:
……………
Inspired, Torrefranca posted the photos to Facebook, writing: “I got inspired by a kid.” It turned out her image of the child kneeling over a stool to do his homework had inspired many more, because it wasn’t long before Torrefranca’s photos were shared over 9,000 times.
The hard-working child was identified as Cebu City third-grader Daniel Cabrera, whose family had lost their home in a fire and remained homeless since. Daniel’s widowed mother, Christina Espinosa, had been trying to support herself and three children by working at a nearby restaurant. Despite her efforts, she was only making approximately $1.77 per day. As a result, Daniel often starved at school.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/07/13/photo-of-homeless-boy-studying-outside-of-mcdonalds-has-life-changing-impact-image/
I guess this is just a normal day’s work for these cops. A$$holes.
Republicans learn the wrong lessons from 2012
07/13/15 11:28 AM—UPDATED 07/13/15 12:32 PM
By Steve Benen
A few months ago, Politico published a piece about the Republican message machine settling on its preferred 2016 narrative. The headline said the GOP plan is to “turn Hillary into Mitt Romney.”
“A consensus is forming within the Republican Party that the plan of attack against Hillary Clinton should be of a more recent vintage, rooted in her accumulation of wealth and designed to frame her as removed from the concerns of average Americans,” the article explained.
Three months later, the New York Times reports that Republicans are spending “heavily” on focus groups, testing this message.
Inside an office park [in Orlando], about a dozen women gathered to watch a 30-second television spot that opened with Hillary Rodham Clinton looking well-coiffed and aristocratic, toasting champagne with her tuxedoed husband, the former president, against a golden-hued backdrop.
The ad then cut to Mrs. Clinton describing being “dead broke” when she and her husband left the White House, before a narrator intoned that Mrs. Clinton makes more money in a single speech, about $300,000, than an average family earns in five years.
The message hit a nerve. “She’s out of touch,” said one of the women, who works as a laundry attendant.
This gathering was organized by American Crossroads, a Republican super PAC created by Karl Rove, but the party broadly seems to have embraced this message.
And if Clinton is really lucky, they won’t change their minds.
As we talked about in April, there is a certain irony to the entire line of attack. In 2012, when Democrats rolled out the “out-of-touch plutocrat” message against Romney, Republicans spent months in fainting-couch apoplexy. Democrats are engaging in “class warfare,” they said. The divisive rhetoric was “un-American,” voters were told. How dare Democrats “condemn success”?
In 2015, those same Republicans have suddenly discovered they’re not so offended after all. Imagine that.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republicans-learn-the-wrong-lessons-2012
Webb makes appeals to the wrong party’s base
07/13/15 10:40 AM—UPDATED 07/13/15 10:47 AM
By Steve Benen
When former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) launched his longshot presidential campaign 11 days ago, some skepticism was in order. Anytime a national candidate kicks off a campaign with a lengthy, poorly formatted blog post, published on the eve of a holiday weekend, it’s bound to raise questions about the seriousness of the enterprise.
As msnbc’s Alex Seitz-Wald reported, those questions got a little louder yesterday.
Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb said his party has “moved way far to the left” and is “not my Democratic Party in and of itself” in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.” […]
“I believe we can bring a different tone to the Democratic Party,” Webb told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “You’re right, the party has moved way far to the left. That’s not my Democratic Party in and of itself. We need to bring working people back into the formula.”
Here’s a tip for Democratic presidential candidates: try to avoid going on Fox News and criticizing your party’s ideology. It might help in the primaries.
Part of the problem is that Webb’s critique is just factually wrong. For one thing, Democrats continue to champion a policy agenda focused on the interests of working people. For another, when the former senator says the party has “moved way far to the left,” he should probably be more specific about his concerns. Because on nearly every major issue, the Democratic position is largely in line with the American mainstream’s position – which is generally a good thing for political parties, not a problem to be avoided.
If Webb wants to argue that the country has moved to the left in the Obama era, he’d be on firmer ground, but again, the Virginian needs to explain why this disappoints him.
In the same interview, Webb added, “Next Saturday, in the far southwest of Virginia, there’s going to be a medical clinic, a remote area medical clinic to take care of people who don’t have medical insurance. It’s out at the wise county fairgrounds. I hope Fox will go down there and take a look at it. They’re going to take care of about 6,000, at least, if historical records hold, people with no medical care. They’ll pull 3,000 teeth. And these are people forgotten by both parties. And I think they need a voice.”
But again, these people haven’t been forgotten by both parties. Democrats have championed the Affordable Care Act that’s intended to provide coverage to the exact people Webb is concerned about.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/webb-makes-appeals-the-wrong-partys-base
A Republican crying on Fox. Next.
The ‘Lochner’ litmus test
07/13/15 09:20 AM—UPDATED 07/13/15 10:46 AM
By Steve Benen
When the Washington Post’s George Will writes a conservative column promoting conservative ideas, it’s ordinarily about as common as the sunrise. But Will’s latest piece, identifying what he described as “today’s most interesting debate about governance,” is actually pretty important.
Indeed, the columnist concludes with a sort of litmus test for the 2016 presidential campaign.
The next Republican president should ask this of potential court nominees: Do you agree that Lochner correctly reflected the U.S. natural rights tradition and the Ninth and 14th amendments’ affirmation of unenumerated rights?
At issue is an old Supreme Court case called Lochner v. New York, decided in a 5-4 ruling in 1905, which has been a popular topic of conversation in fringe, far-right circles for a long while. But Will’s column suggests that as Republican politics becomes even more radical, obscure ideas that had been relegated to the margins are suddenly front and center.
And that may very well make Lochner a national, front-burner issue for the first time in about a century.
So, what in the world is Lochner? I’m glad you asked.
The case dealt with a New York law, approved in 1895, that sought to protect bakery workers by establishing a maximum number of hours (10) they could work on a given day. The court’s majority ruled that the law was unconstitutional – the relationship between businesses and workers, the court said, was effectively outside the reach of government regulators.
The “Lochner era,” spanning roughly the first third of the 20th century, was born. In the process, the Supreme Court struck down practically every public policy, including minimum-wage laws, intended to protect workers from private-sector excesses. There was a “liberty of contract,” the justices said, and labor laws were an unconstitutional interference.
Fortunately, the court’s radicalism didn’t last. FDR began filling the court with more progressive justices in the 1930s; the “New Deal” eventually survived court challenges; and the Lochner era became known as an unfortunate fluke of history.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-lochner-litmus-test
Jeb Bush balks at Obama’s ‘big-syllable words’
07/13/15 08:40 AM—UPDATED 07/13/15 12:22 PM
By Steve Benen
In a variety of public events during his two terms as president, George W. Bush seemed to enjoy repeating a joke about his unimposing intellect. “I remind people that, like, when I’m with [Condoleezza Rice], I say, ‘She’s the Ph.D. and I’m the C student and just look at who’s the president and who’s the adviser,’” he’d say.
The line always worked – Republican audiences invariably laughed and applauded – though the rhetoric struck me as a mistake. As we’ve discussed before, it’s not exactly a positive message to young people: study, get good grades, and work hard in school, and someday you too can take orders from a guy who struggled to graduate.
But Bush’s rhetoric was repeated for a reason. The Republican president recognized the value of anti-intellectualism in some conservative circles, and he exploited it to make himself look better in partisan settings.
We tend to expect a different tone from Jeb Bush, but Gawker flagged some comments the former governor made in New Hampshire late last week that struck a familiar tone.
“You don’t have to be the world’s policeman, but we have to be the world’s leader – and there’s a huge difference. This guy, this president and Secretary Clinton and Secretary Kerry, when someone disagrees with their nuanced approach – where it’s all kind of so sophisticated it makes no sense, you know what I’m saying? Big-syllable words and lots of fancy conferences and meetings – but we’re not leading, that creates chaos, it creates a more dangerous world.”
There’s plenty to chew on here. For example, if Bush can explain the “huge difference” between leading the world and being the world’s policeman, I’d love to hear him explore this in detail. For that matter, listening to any Bush lament international “chaos” in the wake of the Bush/Cheney era is pretty hard to swallow.
And yes, U.S. officials attend plenty of “fancy conferences and meetings,” but while Jeb sees this as proof that “we’re not leading,” sometimes, at “fancy conferences and meetings,” the United States is both leading and advancing our interests.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/jeb-bush-balks-obamas-big-syllable-words
Trump claims to champion ‘silent majority’
07/13/15 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Most presidential candidates in both parties are focusing their attention on early nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire. It’s common sense – how would-be presidents perform early on will have a meaningful impact on the rest of the race.
Donald Trump, enjoying an unexpected surge in popularity among far-right Republicans, nevertheless headlined an interesting event over the weekend in, of all places, Arizona – a state that holds its primary nearly two months after the Iowa caucuses. In fact, a total of 24 states – nearly half the country – will host a presidential primary or caucus before the Grand Canyon State.
So what was Trump doing there? As msnbc’s Amanda Sakuma reported, the candidate basing much of his campaign on racially charged rhetoric received a warm welcome from GOP audiences in a state with a troubled history on immigration.
WEEKENDS WITH ALEX WITT, 7/12/15, 12:34 PM ET
15,000 people claimed to attend Trump rally
In his first major campaign swing since announcing his candidacy last month, Trump completed a two-day tour Saturday that featured a series of at times rambling speeches, jumping from topic to topic while nonetheless energizing rancorous crowds as large as any of his rivals have attracted. Lines of people wrapped around the block as Trump began to deliver his remarks here Saturday afternoon, his campaign estimating that as many as 10,000 people had registered to see him speak.
“The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take the country back,” Trump bellowed after the crowd erupted into chants, “USA! USA! USA!”
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-claims-champion-silent-majority
https://twitter.com/samsteinhp/status/620607716088639490/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/620582632183701504
https://youtu.be/xa2lwgvOIFE
deray mckesson @deray 2h2 hours ago
Trump Tower.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJzEmaYWsAEV1RX.jpg
deray mckesson retweeted
Keegan Stephan @KeeganNYC 4m4 minutes ago
Powerful new mural for #KaliefBrowder & update on the movement to reform Rikers:
http://m.animalnewyork.com/2015/street-artists-paint-touching-tribute-to-kalief-browder/ …
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJziBeKUwAAoncN.jpg
reading the Twitter feed. thanks for keeping us up to date on that scumbag Frum, SG2
July 12, 2015 4:30 PM
When Does It Become Too Much for People?
By D.R. Tucker
Are there any embarrassed Republicans in your social circle?
You know, people who became Republicans because they liked Ronald Reagan. Or they disagreed with Roe v. Wade. Or they’re really into the Second Amendment. Or their parents were Republicans.
They know the GOP has become unhinged over the years. They know that the Tea tasted bitter. They know that Donald Trump isn’t even fit to run his mouth, let alone the country. They know that the Koch Brothers only care about themselves, not others. They know how far to the right the Republican Party has moved over the years.
Yet they can’t seem to break away. What do you say to them? How do you get them to wake up? Or will they just have to wake themselves up?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_07/when_does_it_become_too_much_f056530.php
MELISSA HARRIS-PERRY 7/12/15
NYT slammed for Serena ‘body image’ story
Kavitha Davidson, Jason Page and Donna de Varona discuss the New York Times profile on Serena Williams which focuses on her body rather than professional career.
Duration: 10:10
http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry
HBO’s Low-Income Housing Debate Drama Gets a First Trailer, Premiere Date (LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Natalie Paul, Clarke Peters)
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
July 13, 2015 at 10:14AM
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Natalie Paul, and Clarke Peters are all part of the cast of HBO’s miniseries “Show Me A Hero,” which hails from “The Wire” creator David Simon, and is based on the nonfiction book by Lisa Belkin of the same name.
The 6-hour miniseries will tackle the prejudices, myths, and heated emotions stirred by the public housing debate, with a landmark case at its core.
The short story goes, in 1988, when a federal judge ordered the city of Yonkers, New York, to integrate more thoroughly its low-income housing throughout the city, it set off a bitter dispute that would consume the town for the next five years. Among those caught in the controversy was the city’s 28-year-old mayor, Nicholas Wasicsko, who had used the issue to his advantage during his campaign and found that he would never be able to escape it, either during or after his administration.
Oscar Isaac will star in the miniseries as Wasicsko, which also counts Catherine Keener, James Belushi, Terry Kinney, Michael Stahl-David, Winona Ryder, Alfred Molina, and Jon Bernthal amongst its key cast.
http://youtu.be/uj5Nt-HoBhw
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/hbos-low-income-housing-debate-drama-gets-a-first-trailer-premiere-date-latanya-richardson-jackson-natalie-paul-clarke-peters-20150713
Meet Michael B. Jordan’s Johnny Storm/The Human Torch + the Rest of the Fantastic Four in New Video Profiles
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
July 10, 2015 at 1:23PM
Of all the upcoming superhero movies that have already been packaged, this is one that I’m most interesting it seeing, if only because I’m curious to see what director Josh Trank has done with the material, given his work on “Chronicle” 3 years ago – a film I appreciated; a different, more grounded take on the superhero origin story.
As I’ve said previously, it seems as if the same 5 or 6 directors (all white and male) are/have been directing the majority of the superhero franchise movies – Zack Snyder, the Russo brothers, Bryan Singer, Christopher Nolan (who’s now done with the Batman franchise) and a few others. And while Josh Trank is also white and male, he’s a fresh voice, at least, and, from all that’s been said about the upcoming “Fantastic Four” movie he directed, that comes out next month, fans should expect a “different” kind of superhero movie – one that, like his last film, is much more grounded, and character driven than the others we’ve seen in recent years.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/meet-michael-b-jordans-johnny-storm-the-human-torch-the-rest-of-the-fantastic-four-in-new-video-profiles-20150710
I got nothing, because I definitely side eye these women waiting all this time. I’ve been Black in America longer than 3 days, and I have never, ever, seen 2520 women hesitant about accusing a Black man of anything. I’m not saying I think Cosby is innocent….
………………………………………………….
Bill Cosby’s wife says accusers ‘consented’ to drugs and sex
By Stacy Brown
July 12, 2015 | 6:00am
Bill Cosby’s wife knows her husband is a serial philanderer, but
believes his scores of accusers consented to drugs and sex, two
confidants of the couple say.
Last week’s revelation that Cosby admitted during a deposition that
he intended to ply women with Quaaludes before bedding them barely fazed Camille Cosby, the insiders told The Post.
“Camille still doesn’t believe that Bill provided drugs and had sex with women without their consent,” said a source employed by the Cosby
family. “She’s well aware of his cheating, but she doesn’t believe that
her husband is a rapist.”
Mrs. Cosby is “a proud, dignified but stubborn woman. You can say
that she’s standing by her husband, but really, the more people stand
against him, the more she perceives it as an affront to her and all that
she’s done to make him a star,” said another source who’s done business with the Cosbys and remains close to them.
Camille Cosby, 71, who is also her 78-year-old husband’s business
manager, demanded last week at a crisis meeting with advisers that their lawyers and p.r. specialists “get back out in front of this,” the
business source said.
“I created him, I knew what I was getting and we’ll fix this,” she
told the gathering at a meeting at the couple’s Shelburne Falls, Mass.,
home Tuesday night.
http://nypost.com/2015/07/12/bill-cosbys-wife-says-accusers-consented-to-drugs-and-sex/
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Steph and Ayesha Curry welcome baby girl, Ryan Carson Curry
The first family of the NBA got a little bit bigger on Friday night, as Steph and Ayesha Curry welcomed a baby girl.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/steph-and-ayesha-curry-welcome-baby-girl-ryan-carson-curry/ar-AAcSvXx?ocid=ansUSAsports11
https://twitter.com/ayeshacurry/status/620310810879877120
This little girl will have an interesting childhood with Riley for a big sister, and it’s probably going to be a lot of fun.
Great news!
She has incredible fortitude knowing now that there will be a civil (lawsuit) trial where Officer Daniel Pantaleo will have to appear. The Grand Jury kept it from going to a criminal court and, many may have thought that was the end of the matter.
Now the spotlight will again be on Pantaleo and his use of a chokehold on Eric. Chokeholds by LE have been banned for 20 years if I remember correctly.
It’s so good to hear that Mrs. Garner is rejecting that offer. They think $5 million dollars will shut her up and she will just move on and live a life of luxury. That’s because $$ is the only thing they respond to.
Bring that civil suit in to being and DRAIN THEIR POCKETS!
That’s a lot of hush money and it’s good that the Garner family has the will and the fortitude to pursue justice with the only avenue left, a civil trial. Amy Goodman frequently shows the video of the murder of Eric Garner and every time I see this I feel more outrage. This man, unarmed, peaceful, and not a threat was taken down by cops and choked to death. How this goes unpunished is just beyond comprehension, and where is the Department of Justice? Daniel Pantaleo is a murderer. Period. And the other cops were complicit. Let a jury watch that video over and over.
Civil lawsuit depositions can be a treasure trove of truth.
Good Lord. What is a confederate monument doing way out there?
Very nice. Keep on, Ms. Serena! You OWN this!
for those of you who watch the show
………..
HBO Renews ‘Ballers’ for a Second Season (Have You Been Watching?)
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
July 10, 2015 at 1:39PM
HBO has announced its renewal of its freshman series “Ballers” for a second season.
“The charismatic and hugely talented Dwayne Johnson, along with the rest of the ‘Ballers’ cast, has truly struck a chord with the HBO audience,” said Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. “We are thrilled with the overwhelming response the series has received and look forward to another exciting season.”
The first episode has drawn 8.9 million viewers, although that’s cumulative, across all of HBO’s branded platforms, making it HBO’s most watched first episode of a half-hour series since 2009.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/hbo-renews-ballers-for-a-second-season-have-you-been-watching-20150710
This map shows what $100 is actually worth in your state
eholodny@businessinsider.com (Elena Holodny)
FILE – In this Friday, July 10, 2015, file photo, an honor guard from the South Carolina Highway patrol lowers the Confederate battle flag as it is removed from the Capitol grounds in Columbia, S.C. Legions of people clapped, cheered and cried as South Carolina lowered the Confederate battle flag. But as the euphoria of the moment faded, questions over what exactly that accomplished for race relations in the United States, other than the elimination of a painful symbol of the past, began to arise.
The Tax Foundation released a map showing the relative value of $100 in every state compared with the national average using the data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
In expensive states like New York, you can afford comparatively less than average; in less expensive states like Mississippi, you can buy relatively more.
“Regional price differences are strikingly large; real purchasing power is 36 percent greater in Mississippi than it is in the District of Columbia,” writes the Tax Foundation. “In other words: by this measure, if you have $50,000 in after tax income in Mississippi, you would have to have after-tax earnings of $68,000 in the District of Columbia just to afford the same overall standard of living.”
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-map-shows-what-dollar100-is-actually-worth-in-your-state/ar-AAcSvfA?ocid=HPCDHP
warning…this is one of those posts that will make you LOL to the point that your boss will walk by and give you the side eye.
This is one of those Luvvie posts where the comments to the post are even more hilarious than Luvvie’s writings.
…………………………..
Whose Demon Canta Melon Baby Is This?
Awesomely Luvvie — July 9, 2015 1 11
Sometimes, people get really creative at baby showers. Apparently, the toilet tissue game isn’t innovative enough anymore and the food needs to make a statement. I came upon the picture below, of one of the snacks from someone’s shower and I jumped back and almost threw holy water on my laptop.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2015/07/whose-demon-canta-melon-baby-is-this.html
I swear, this was my first thought too:
“Rosemary is on line 1 and she needs her baby back!” – DJ
yes, someone actually sat down and thought up this story.
…………….
These are the 5 richest superheroes
The wealthiest superhero is worth more than $90 trillion
It’s pretty good to be a superhero. As if it weren’t enough to have the awesome fighting powers themselves, the men and women who grace our comic book covers and headline blockbuster action movies also get spiffy outfits, cool names, dashing good looks, and, in many cases, a huge fortune to help fund their crime-fighting adventures. As Comic-Con kicks off in San Diego, we at Money decided to research how much the wealthiest caped crusaders are worth and see which champion is the most (economically) powerful.
Click ahead for the five richest superheroes (villains need not apply).
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/these-are-the-5-richest-superheroes/ar-AAcL0vT?ocid=HPCDHP#page=1
The Scariest Airports to Fly Into
http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/the-scariest-airports-to-fly-into/ss-AAcIRLe?ocid=HPCDHP
https://twitter.com/NayantharaLive/status/620412451683565568/photo/1
http://33.media.tumblr.com/542fc84fa7a3bea79fb24342afea8472/tumblr_nrecu0Pc9Y1s5lshxo2_400.gif
thanks can you cross post in Serena thread too? THANKS!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning, Everyone. Finally, SUMMER has arrived!
It took forever didn’t it. Enjoy our 7 weeks. It goes by sooo fast.
Hi Tyren. It can get up to fifty-eleven degrees and I won’t complain…. Winter was brutal, and I certainly am going to enjoy any semblance of summer, for now.