Thursday Open Thread | Music of the 1980’s

Posted on July 30, 2015 by rikyrah

Continue to rock with the Top 10 Billboard Singles from the 1980’s.

Today – 1988

Position Artist Song Title
1 George Michael —- Faith
2 INXS —- Need You Tonight
3 George Harrison —- Got My Mind Set On You
4 Rick Astley —- Never Gonna Give You Up
5 Guns N’ Roses —- Sweet Child O’ Mine
6 Whitney Houston —- So Emotional
7 Belinda Carlisle —- Heaven Is A Place On Earth
8 Tiffany —- Could’ve Been
9 Breathe —- Hands To Heaven
10 Steve Winwood —- Roll With It

 

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58 Responses to Thursday Open Thread | Music of the 1980’s

  2. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:54 pm
    Reply
  3. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    Who are these hateful people that bonded RaTensing out of jail? OMG! You God forsaken monsters from the pit of hell.

    Reply
  5. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    How Rich People Raise Rich Kids
    Even when they’re adopted, the children of the wealthy grow up to be just as well-off as their parents.

    JOE PINSKER JUL 29, 2015

    Lately, it seems that every new study about social mobility further corrodes the story Americans tell themselves about meritocracy; each one provides more evidence that comfortable lives are reserved for the winners of what sociologists call the birth lottery. But, recently, there have been suggestions that the birth lottery’s outcomes can be manipulated even after the fluttering ping-pong balls of inequality have been drawn.

    What appears to matter—a lot—is environment, and that’s something that can be controlled. For example, one study out of Harvard found that moving poor families into better neighborhoods greatly increased the chances that children would escape poverty when they grew up.

    While it’s well documented that the children of the wealthy tend to grow up to be wealthy, researchers are still at work on how and why that happens. Perhaps they grow up to be rich because they genetically inherit certain skills and preferences, such as a tendency to tuck away money into savings. Or perhaps it’s mostly because wealthier parents invest more in their children’s education and help them get well-paid jobs. Is it more nature, or more nurture?

    A new paper from economists at the University of Texas at Austin, University College Dublin, and Lund University (in Sweden) offers an answer. They looked at the adult net worth of adopted Swedes born in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, and then compared those figures to the net worths of both their biological and adoptive parents. (In mid-century Sweden, all adoptions were arranged through the state, so the country has data on everyone involved, which is not out of character for a nation with a Förmögenhetsregistret, or wealth register, which tracks the assets of all its citizens.)

    http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/rich-people-raise-kids-family-wealth/399809/

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Here’s How They Should Do the Debates?
    by BooMan
    Thu Jul 30th, 2015 at 01:44:50 PM EST

    A lot of people seem really disturbed that polls are going to be used to determine who will and will not be on the stage for the first couple of Republican debates. I’ll admit that there are a number of problems with this approach, but the only other viable solution I can think of would be to have several debates and randomize which candidates will appear in each one.

    Let’s start with a basic premise. It’s not worth having a debate at all if no one has more than a few minutes to talk. I think ten people is already too big, and I actually think five participants is pushing the edge of pointlessness. So, it’s completely justifiable to create some arbitrary cutoff.

    Then you need some criteria that you can use to justify excluding folks. And once you’ve vetted the candidates to make sure that they’ve filed the paperwork to run and submitted financial statements that prove that they’re taking steps in that direction, there isn’t any better objective measure than an average of polls.

    Honestly, what else could you use? How much money they’ve raised? How many elected officials have endorsed their campaigns?

    No matter what you do, it will be somewhat unfair and it will create some kind of perverse incentive.

    Now, if I had to devise a fair system, I’d count up how many people have met the basic requirements and divide by four. If there are twelve candidates, I’ll throw their names in a hat and create three separate debates with four candidates each. If they are 16 candidates, then I’ll have four debates. If they are nineteen, then I’ll have five and the last one only have three participants.

    If you want, you can do the same thing but instead of dividing by four, you could divide by five, six, or seven.

    Anything more than seven strikes me as clearly a waste of everyone’s time. At eight candidates, a two-hour debate would leave each candidate less than 15 minutes of total time, owing to the time wasted on introductions, questions, cross-talk, and a commercial break or two. At ten candidates, they’re fighting to get close to twelve minutes of total time. And that’s if the debate is a full two hours. I think historically a lot of debates have been only 90 minutes long.

    With my solution of limiting each debate to four participants, they’d have close to a half-hour each in a two-hour debate and still more than 20 minutes each in a ninety-minute debate.

    http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2015/7/30/134450/998

    Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Outcome of trial on N.C. election law changes will have national effect

    By Robert Barnes July 30 at 12:11 PM
    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — “Our country has changed,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in 2013, when the Supreme Court freed Southern states from the requirement that federal authorities approve any proposed election law change in order to ensure minority voters were not harmed.

    Republican lawmakers in North Carolina appeared to take that as a go signal; they immediately unveiled a previously private plan to overhaul the state’s voting procedures.

    A 14-page bill that would require voters to show specific kinds of identification was replaced with a 57-page omnibus package. It rolled back or repealed a number of voting procedures that civil rights leaders claim had made the state a leader in increasing African American voter turnout. It was approved along party lines.

    What is known as House Bill 589 has been the subject of court battles ever since. A federal trial nearing completion here on the state’s changes is being watched nationwide for signals about what the Voting Rights Act of 1965 still means after the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 decision two years ago in Shelby County v. Holder.

    Lawyers and civil rights officials suing North Carolina speak in historic and apocalyptic terms about the case, to the annoyance of state officials. The striking slogan they have adopted: “Our Selma.”

    It is an indication that the legal battle represents more than simply plumbing the limits of the Voting Rights Act and the importance of minority turnout in the 2016 presidential campaign.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/outcome-of-trial-on-nc-election-law-changes-will-have-national-effect/2015/07/30/00645094-35f4-11e5-b673-1df005a0fb28_story.html?wpisrc=nl_evening&wpmm=1

    Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:23 pm

    From TOD:

    EricFiveJuly 30, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    As I have said before, the All Lives Matter nonsense comes from the same place of hatred that the “I Can Breathe” t-shirts cops wore in response to the “I Can’t Breathe” rallying cry. It was designed to shut the discussion down. “All Lives Matter” is a way to maintain the status quo of police murders of unarmed Black folks by blame shifting. “All Lives Matter” implies an equal treatment of AA’s and white folks by the police that is patently untrue (and has NEVER been true in this country’s history). “All Lives Matters” is basically saying that the playing field is level and police murders of unarmed Black people are the fault of Black folks, not the police. Like the racists on Fox, the “All Lives Matter” proponents are pointing to behavior, not race, as the cause of the police murders of Black citizens.

    The underlying premise is that if Black folks acted like white folks there would be no police murders of unarmed Blacks. Let’s not forget that Bernie Sanders said that racism is over in America. Implicit, but unstated, in that statement is the belief that any problems of discrimination faced by Black people is the fault of Black people. The left blaming the victim of racisms for their plight, same as the right. Sanders knew of the statistics that show disparate experiences and opportunities Black and white Americans experience when he made that ridiculous statement, but he blames the oppressed not the oppressor for the situation. This is the safe and comfortable position of a white supremacist who refuses to see himself as such.

    http://theobamadiary.com/2015/07/30/alllivesmatter-is-the-epitome-of-privilege/#comment-1375292

    Reply
  16. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    Bree Newsome ‏@BreeNewsome 2h2 hours ago
    Bree Newsome retweeted Peace Economy
    #Ferguson anniversary events

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLA7aXHUkAEp3Dv.jpg

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 30, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      At some point I’m hoping some of these people expressing outrage over the privilege they’ve been afforded by the color of their skin, will do much more than tweet their awakening…

      Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 30, 2015 at 7:14 pm

      It’s so much worse than being rejected for having black-sounding names on resumes…

      It’s also about choosing not to sound affected – or to peddle in phony but universally accepted affectations which make one that more palatable and acceptable to those who see anything else as ‘uncomfortably and stereotypically black’…and unacceptable and ’embarrassing’ – and so are shunned and overlooked…as replacements are quickly sought out ..

      Black women don’t matter period. Not even to the many non-blacks who join in to sing #BLACKLIVESMATTER…if we are to be honest…

      It all sometimes rings so hollow…all these gratuitous refrains from the very same people who don’t even see how their everyday interactions and responses to black women in general – except of course their random overtures to, and their exaggerated praise of one or two ‘cute’ or wealthy black entertainer/celebrity…

      This is evidenced in the mostly off-hand manner in which black women are generally treated that is of course when we aren’t categorically being seen and declared as ‘a problem’…

      Back women are ignored, overlooked, unprotected, disrespected, mistreated and dismissed as if they aren’t worthy, deserving, up to par – or even human…our humanity is often denied if it isn’t completely white-washed and clothed in pretty and wealthy…and sometimes even when it is…

      We are disrespected and discounted as women – as if our experiences and daily encounters with deeply racist misogyny don’t count or matter… we are disrespected and discounted and resented as wives and partners and deserving of our place right next to our accomplished husband who we helped make, even in our long-term marriage, and even when we’ve worked harder and sacrificed more in for forever …and more than earned that right even more so than than any of our non-black wife peers – somehow we still manage to count even far less than some cheap floozy who leaches onto a ready-made wealthy man…

      We are discounted as smart and having important stuff to offer, even as our styles, ideas, and words are stolen and repurposed and presented anew and as suddenly profound, groundbreaking and important — and only because they are now been presented courtesy of those deemed more acceptable and worthy…

      It’s even worse when some of our very own are so brain-washed and so desperate to be accepted or seen as better than the rest, they aid the discounting – and join in with the constant disregard and disrespect and belittling and demeaning and hurting and dismissing of us…

      Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    PAID LEAVE?

    They should be under arrest for filing false police reports.

    ………………………………..

    Two UC officers placed on paid leave after indictment
    Posted: Jul 30, 2015 5:36 PM EDT

    CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) – Two University of Cincinnati police officers have been placed on administrative leave after the shooting death of unarmed motorist Sam DuBose, the University has confirmed.

    Phillip Kidd and David Lindenschmidt are on paid leave, according to Michelle Ralston, the University’s Public Information Officer.

    Both Kidd and Lindenschmidt were wearing body cameras at the time of the July 19 incident where UC police officer Ray Tensing fatally shot DuBose.

    Officer Kidd’s body cam video was released by the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office Thursday, one day after a grand jury indicted Tensing for murder.

    In the incident report, officer Eric Weibel said officer Kidd and Lindenschmidt were on scene. Kidd told Weibel that he witnessed Tensing being dragged by the Honda Accord, according to the report. Weibel also said it was unclear how much Lindenschmidt witnessed the incident.

    http://www.fox19.com/story/29673938/two-uc-officers-placed-on-paid-leave-after-indictment

    Reply
  24. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    This song was posted on Youtube in December 2014:

    https://youtu.be/GhKVtP3hqOA&rel=0

    Reply
  25. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    goldenstar at POU reports about the OFA call today:

    goldenstar

    It was deep. Profound. PBO said that he always regretted that the effort against those who got us into war in Iraq didn’t come until after we were in it. He wants us, the citizens, to organize and rally now. To make our representatives accountable.

    ETA: He spared no descriptors of the ones who got us into the war are going all out with all kinds of $$ and effort to get these congress critters to vote against. He’s been talking to Congressional folk. They’re getting squishy (his word).

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      July 30, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Trita Parsi ‏@tparsi 2h2 hours ago
      1/3 This will blow your mind. AIPAC’s swarming congress with 700 members to kill #IranDeal. Admin invites them to White House. They decline.

      Trita Parsi ‏@tparsi 2h2 hours ago
      2/3 White House offers to go to AIPAC. They say okay, be here at 8am. Three senior officials go. AIPAC let’s them speak, but vetoes a Q&A.

      Trita Parsi ‏@tparsi 2h2 hours ago
      3/3 Apparently, AIPAC did not have the confidence to let their members engage in a real dialogue with the White House officials #IranDeal

      Reply
  27. Ametia says:
    July 30, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Courts & Law
    Outcome of trial on N.C. election law changes will have national effect
    By Robert Barnes July 30 at 12:11 PM

    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — “Our country has changed,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in 2013, when the Supreme Court freed Southern states from the requirement that federal authorities approve any proposed election law change in order to ensure minority voters were not harmed.

    Republican lawmakers in North Carolina appeared to take that as a go-signal; they immediately unveiled a previously private plan to overhaul the state’s voting procedures.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/outcome-of-trial-on-nc-election-law-changes-will-have-national-effect/2015/07/30/00645094-35f4-11e5-b673-1df005a0fb28_story.html?wpisrc=nl_evening&wpmm=1

    Reply
  28. Liza says:
    July 30, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    This 12 y/o boy was paying for his grandmother's gas when a racist monster cornered him, punched him, called a nigger pic.twitter.com/JgEHMXdQ7m— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) July 30, 2015

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    this is ridiculous.

    …………………

    Former NBA star blew $100 million, now working at Starbucks

    by Dr Boyce Watkins

    If there is any story on this blog that you’re going to grow tired of reading, it’s the one about the former NBA or NFL athlete who is now broke and living with his mama. These stories are everywhere, and it has people wondering if the Harvard-educated financial managers being employed by professional sports leagues are actually helping these guys protect their wealth or if the players are being chewed up and spit out by people who could care less about them.

    But we’re all responsible for our outcomes, and when we read stories like this one, we have to look in the mirror to find the answers.

    Meet Vin Baker.

    Vin was once one of the greatest players in the NBA, earning over $100 million dollars throughout his career. But things have changed for poor Vin, as he now finds himself at the bottom of the economic barrel, struggling along like the rest of us.

    How bad have things gotten for Vin? Well, he’s now working at Starbucks. He’s not an owner, or even a manager. He’s the insanely tall brother asking you if you want whipped cream on your Caramel Latte.

    According to The Providence Journal, the four-time NBA All-star’s next big goal is to become a manager at the local Starbucks in North Kingston, Rhode Island. While there is nothing wrong with being a Starbucks manager, this is a problem when you once earned nearly a million dollars a month. During his career, Vin earned enough money in two weeks for a single mother to make last for a lifetime.

    Here’s what Vin had to say, as the 43-year old former superstar reflected on his life.

    http://financialjuneteenth.com/former-nba-star-blew-100-million-now-working-at-starbucks/

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    Can African Americans Use Buying Power To Fight Racism?

    By Robert Stitt

    Black Americans comprise 13.7 percent of the United States’ population, making us the second largest racial minority group behind the Hispanic/Latino population. Of that percentage, nearly half are under 35 years old. So, many black people are in their peak earning years, contributing a great deal to the American economy.

    In addition to African-American population growth, consumer growth in black America surpassed the rest of the country’s population by 30 percent. While the median income for an African-American is $47,290, according to the Nielsen Company, the number of black households earning upwards of $75,000 or more increased by over 60 percent, faster than any other group in the nation.

    In June, the National Association of Black Accountants held a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Statistics shared during the conference estimated that the spending power of black America would be in excess of $1.1 trillion by the end of 2015.

    What does this mean? It means that more than ever, African Americans now have the opportunity to levy change with buying power. Significant economic shifts can be made by African Americans who refuse to patronize businesses that persistently discriminate against them.

    With money comes options, and with options, comes power.

    The number of African-Americans in television commercials has grown tremendously in the last few years. Expect the numbers to grow even more as advertisers and marketing execs start to realize the market size and spending power of black Americans.
    http://financialjuneteenth.com/can-african-americans-use-buying-power-to-fight-racism/

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 30, 2015 at 5:09 pm

      But we don’t always know how to stand with and for each other…

      There will always sadly be those who won’t rally to close the circle.. Those who won’t ever sacrifice for our greater good – those who’ll always weaken the link…

      Greed, opportunism, explained away as ‘survivalism’ – and for the disingenuous, a lame demand that we not ‘segregate’ again, but unite – but only because they don’t want to be inconvenienced or to offend, or be forced to give up their spoils courtesy of you know who…

      They won’t want to choose between the white people who momentarily provide for and support their financial interests; those they conveniently assume in the most mercenary of mindsets as ‘rainmakers and protectors’ — to protect them from those threats of ‘lacking’, ‘denial’ – of financial and social acceptance typically – that they think will immediately disappear if they don’t fully acquiesce, assimilate, or if they fail to maintain those strong mercenary ties with, and remain beholden to their white benefactors…(they better ask Cosby!)

      There are those who’ll always be easily lured away…and who’ll find as many ways to justify their self-serving…they’ll poo-poo and tsk, tsk away any accusations of cowardice and selling out…

      There’s a reason we have black minstrels on FOX singing louder than others for their supper..

      There’s a reason the entire Hispanic community – including those of non-Mexican descent – rose up in arms together and fought back hard against Donald Trump’s ‘illegals’ are rapists sent by the Mexican government comment…while we had Oprah dedicating an entire show to lauding and promoting Donald Trump, his family and his business, at the very same time and even as Trump denigrated and disrespected the first black President and ‘blacks’ …

      Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    WATCH: Donald Trump’s biggest backers really are as ignorant and hateful as you assumed

    Travis Gettys
    30 Jul 2015 at 08:34 ET

    The qualities that many reasonable people find repellant about Donald Trump are exactly what his staunchest supporters like about him.

    A dozen Republican and self-described independents from New Hampshire, which will hold the nation’s first presidential primary, discussed the real estate tycoon and reality TV star’s appeal as part of a Bloomberg Politics focus group.

    “Donald Trump is strong,” said Nick, a home inspector. “He carries a sentiment and frustrations that I think a lot of Americans are going through and feeling right now. He’s the one that’s able to articulate that, and bring those frustrations to light. I believe him when he talks.”

    The voters — five of whom identified themselves as Tea Party members — weren’t troubled by Trump describing Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals as he announced his GOP presidential campaign.

    “He speaks the truth,” said Jessica, a data analyst. “When he talks about, especially immigration control and the border, he really — he doesn’t care what people think.”

    Another voter said he liked Trump’s plan to build a wall along the border that would be paid for by Mexico.

    “Specifically, he said he’ll put a wall on the southern border,” said Roger, who works with the elderly. “When you talk about common sense, that’s a common-sense thing to do.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/watch-donald-trumps-biggest-backers-really-are-as-ignorant-and-hateful-as-you-assumed/

    Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    Four Confederate flags left at Ebenezer Baptist Church
    9:50 a.m. Thursday, July 30, 2015

    Four Confederate flags were placed overnight at Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Visitor Center, police said Thursday morning.

    Police were called to investigate the incident at the Auburn Avenue historical sites, Officer Kim Jones said.

    Rev. Shanan Jones said the church expects to release a statement about the flags later in the day. Homeland Security was also called to investigate, she said.

    The flags were placed below a poster that states “BLACK LIVES MATTER, HANDS UP,” by a garbage can, on the path to the MLK Visitor Center and on the corner near the church. Just after 9:30 a.m., the flags were removed and placed in the trunk of an Atlanta police squad car.

    Azuria Beeks, a 17-year-old member of the church, stood solemnly across the street from Ebenezer watching police officers scour the area.

    “It’s disgusting,” she said. “They’re living in the past. They want us to fear them. And it’s not working.”

    http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/four-confederate-flags-left-at-king-center-ebeneze/nm889/

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Richard Prince @princeeditor 3m 3 minutes ago
    Philly Anchor on Leave After Husband’s Indictment http://bit.ly/1LSOO0h @NBCPhiladelphia #ChakaFattah

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 11:58 am

    Busted: Video shows Georgia cop slammed elderly black man’s head on concrete and lied about it
    30 Jul 2015 at 10:24 ET

    A former Georgia police officer was indicted this week after cell phone video showed that he lied to justify force against a 69-year-old black man who was moving into his new home.

    While responding to a suspected burglary call on May 2 with at least three other officers, then-Clayton County police officer Ryan Hall said that he attempted to arrest 69-year-old Dhoruba Bin-Wahad because he “lied” about a second burglar being in the home.

    Although the “fellow burglar” turned out to be another police officer, Hall claimed Bin-Wahad was “uncooperative and verbally argumentative.”

    But cell phone video recorded by witnesses showed that Hall did not have justification when he slammed Bin-Wahad’s head into the concrete.

    “I felt like I was humiliated in front of all my neighbors or whoever was watching,” Bin-Wahad recalled. “They might have thought I was a criminal or someone the police followed to this residence, so I didn’t want to move in.”

    Hall was fired by Clayton County after cell photo video emerged showing that he lied to justify his use of force. On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Hall on a misdemeanor charge of battery against the elderly. Bond was set at $2,000.

    http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/fired-clayton-police-officer-indicted-on-simple-ba/nm8ss/

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Billboard Cover: ‘Hamilton’ Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove and Black Thought on the Runaway Broadway Hit, Its Political Relevance and Super-Fan Barack Obama

    Six years ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda was invited to perform during an evening of song and poetry at the White House. The writer, composer and performer was fresh off of a Tony Award win for In the Heights, his debut hip-hop- and salsa-inflected coming-of-age musical about life in the working-class Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. But instead of doing something from that show, he debuted a rap about Alexander Hamilton, inspired by Ron Chernow’s landmark biography. Miranda introduced the number by saying that the life of the orphaned, immigrant, obsessively verbal Hamilton “embodies hip-hop,” pointing to the fact that he “caught beef” with every other Founding Father. The room chuckled at first, but by about four bars in, it was clear that Miranda had channeled something both completely new and utterly classic. The song was a masterpiece in miniature. A cutaway camera caught President Barack Obama smiling and nodding his head to the beat.

    Six years later, that song has become Hamilton on Broadway. The two-act musical, written by and starring Miranda, opens with that same tune, nearly unchanged, now performed by a dazzling cast almost entirely made up of performers of color in period costume. The show is, from start to finish, a revelation, easily the most celebrated and anticipated new musical in a generation. It is destined to immediately enter the canon of American theater, indeed of American art, cannily revealing how much — and how little — has changed in America since its founding, from political campaigning to debates on immigration to the role of the United States abroad.

    During its sold-out run at the Public Theater, it attracted a who’s who of dignitaries and celebrities, from Bill Clinton to Julia Roberts, and inspired rapturous reviews that recall nothing so much as the way many Americans reacted to Obama when he first burst on the scene: There has never been anything like this, and nothing will ever be the same again. In its first weekend of previews, the president completed the circle by taking his daughters to see a Saturday matinee, and a few days later I sat down with Miranda, 35, whom I’ve known since we were teenagers doing high school theater together. We were joined by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter ofThe Roots, who saw Hamilton before it came to Broadway and were so taken with it, they are producing the cast album…

    When did you first find out the president was going to come see the show?

    Miranda: The day before our very first preview. And we were told he’s coming to the Saturday matinee — but I don’t do the Saturday matinee. That’s when my alternate is in, and that’s my first chance to see the show, so you know there was a moment of, “Do you want to go on? It’s the president.” But it actually gave us an opportunity to send the message to the world that the show is the star of the show and it doesn’t matter if I’m on or not. The story is front and center. And I’ve had the good fortune to perform for him already.

    Right, the first time anything from this show was performed was at the White House.

    Questlove: And from what I hear, the president won’t cease to let you know that: “The White House is where it began.” (Laughter.)

    Miranda: He claims it. That first time, when I did it at the White House for the first few minutes, everyone was like, “What’s happening?” But by the end they’re kind of like, “Ohhhh, we kind of like this.” That has been a microcosm of the Hamilton experience. You say “rapping Founding Fathers,” everyone laughs, and then the first few numbers happen and they go, “Ohhhh, this makes sense.”

    When the president was here the other day, did you spend the performance sneaking looks at his reaction? I would have a hard time not doing that.

    Miranda: He was two rows behind me, so I kind of couldn’t do it. But my director Tommy Kail said he was super attentive and soaking it in. And then when King George came out to sing his number about how hard it is to be in charge, Obama started slapping his leg. Tommy’s joke was like, “Yeah, this guy’s right: Running a ­country’s hard.”

    You know this phrase that people use a lot: “Obama’s America.”

    Miranda: Hashtag not my president.

    Exactly. It strikes me as fitting that this started at the dawn of the Obama era. You perform it at the White House, it comes to Broadway, and then he comes to see it. The show somehow really does feel like ­Obama’s America.

    Miranda: I’ll tell you the one moment where I kind of smiled to myself while he was here. There’s a song in the show called “One Last Time.” It’s George Washington’s farewell address, and we used the text of Washington’s actual address. It starts spoken and then Washington begins singing — it’s a straight grab of the “Yes We Can” video where they sing the speech under it. That’s where we learned the technique. And so in that particular song we owe a very specific debt — and really, more to Will.i.am. [who wrote the song] than Obama — but to Obama.

    I remember being in the cast of In the Heights when Obama was running in 2008 and how amazing that felt, because my parents and my parents’ generation were like, “He seems really great, but our country’s just not ready.” And Tommy always talks about the show like there’s no way this show should exist — except it does. That’s kind of how we felt about Obama’s presidency. There’s no world in which that was going to happen — except it happened. It seems crazy, but it’s real.

    http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/6648455/hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-questlove-black-thought-the-roots-chris-hayes-interview?utm_source=twitter

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 11:54 am

    AG Loretta Lynch ‏@LorettaLynch Jul 27
    As my Delta Soror Dorothy Height said, “There is no contradiction between effective law enforcement and respect for civil and human rights.”

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 11:53 am

    Erica Werner ‏@ericawerner 44m44 minutes ago
    Pelosi on Iran deal: “This is a diplomatic masterpiece”

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  45. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:51 am

    Shock poll: Donald Trump leads Jeb Bush 26-20 percent … in Florida
    By Mitch Perry – Jul 29, 2015

    For the first time this year, Donald Trump tops a state poll of GOP presidential candidates in Florida.

    A St. Pete Polls survey released on Wednesday shows the New York businessman with 26 percent support, with Jeb Bush in second place with 20 percent.

    http://www.saintpetersblog.com/archives/236488

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  46. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:50 am

    SG2,

    sending you positive thoughts and hope that you are well.

    Reply
  47. rikyrah says:
    July 30, 2015 at 6:48 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply

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