Yes, boys and girls, that's where music guru and I are headed.
I have good news and I have bad news.
The bad news is I won't be posting a Georgia Mae Morning News report next week. I love you guys and gals dearly, but I'm not getting up early during my vacation to watch the news. Sorry.
The good news is Edd and I will still be posting other items while we're away, so continue to check us out daily.
Also, because I don't want to leave you hanging with no current events updates, you'll notice to the right a news feed. It's set to search for stories about President Obama, the economy, women, fashion, hip-hop and music. (Just click on a keyword to get a list of stories related to that topic.) If you'd like me to add other keywords let me know and I'll be happy to do so.
And for any Georgia Mae fans in Birmingham, Alabama email me at javacia@georgiamae.com if you all would like to plan a little Georgia Mae Happy Hour.
xoxo,
javacia
Friday, February 27, 2009
Edd's MANtra: Pound puppy
I've had a good time at my man DMX's expense in the past, but now things are just getting sad.
From FOX news:
DMX, also known as Earl Simmons, may be charged with felony aggravated assault. FOX 10 has learned that while in lock down, Simmons apparently assaulted a Sheriff's detention officer. If convicted of these new charges, his probation could be revoked and he could be sentenced to 8 years in prison.
So let me get this straight - X has gone from serving 90 days in jail on drug and animal cruelty charges to potentially serving 8 years!
You think his hairline looks bad now - imagine how it'll look in 2015! We'll be riding around in flying cars by then!
DMX has long been a screw up, but at this point someone has to realize the man has some mental issues going on. Yes, we know he barks at grown people, chases cars and howls at the moon, but seriously, something is just not clicking upstairs.
It's kinda like seeing a loved one descend into dementia. I hope he gets himself together.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
President Barack Obama is expected today to unveil his plans to pull most troops out of Iraq by August 2010. Surprisingly, Obama as the support of Senator John McCain in this matter. McCain and other Republicans left a meeting with the president yesterday reassured that Obama's withdrawal plan is responsible and reasonable. NY Times
Citigroup and the Treasury Department has announced a deal that will give the federal government control over up to 36 percent of the bank's common stock. The deal will convert preferred shares that Treasury already holds in the bank for common shares, a shift that is designed to better protect shareholders against future losses and improve the embattled bank's capital base, which in turn will hopefully allow it to increase its lending. CNNMoney
In celebrity news, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and football star Tom Brady got hitched yesterday. The two married at the St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Calif., according to USMagazine.com. Gisele wore a form-fitting ivory lace strapless gown with a trumpet skirt, scalloped edges, long train and a floor-length veil with attached handmade satin roses and attached satin headband, all by Dolce & Gabbana. Her three dogs also wore matching Dolce & Gabbana floral lace collars. US Magazine
Citigroup and the Treasury Department has announced a deal that will give the federal government control over up to 36 percent of the bank's common stock. The deal will convert preferred shares that Treasury already holds in the bank for common shares, a shift that is designed to better protect shareholders against future losses and improve the embattled bank's capital base, which in turn will hopefully allow it to increase its lending. CNNMoney
In celebrity news, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and football star Tom Brady got hitched yesterday. The two married at the St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Calif., according to USMagazine.com. Gisele wore a form-fitting ivory lace strapless gown with a trumpet skirt, scalloped edges, long train and a floor-length veil with attached handmade satin roses and attached satin headband, all by Dolce & Gabbana. Her three dogs also wore matching Dolce & Gabbana floral lace collars. US Magazine
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Money talks
President Barack Obama unveiled today his plans for a $3 trillion-plus budget and as you might have guessed, the budget has set the stage for major political battles. Republicans criticized the budget as full of wasteful spending. But since the plan also includes big cuts for some programs, surely plenty of folks will be fighting to save some items in the months ahead.
Below are some highlights of Obama's proposed budget. Click here for CNN's complete story on the plan and let me know what you think.
*The Obama administration projects the deficit for fiscal year 2009 will reach $1.75 trillion, or 12.3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. That's a record in dollar terms and is the highest as a share of GDP since World War II.
* Despite this the administration has a goal of reducing the deficit in half by 2013 by doing things such as reducing tax cuts for the wealthy, making government more efficient, winding down the war, which will cut costs over time.
*Obama said his team has already identified $2 trillion in budget savings by scouring the federal budget.
*Tax cuts for the wealthy will expire as scheduled at the end of 2010. That will hit families making more than $250,000 a year.
* The plan allows for $75.5 billion in spending on Iraq and Afghanistan for the remainder of 2009, $130 billion in spending on Iraq and Afghanistan for fiscal year 2010 and $533.7 billion for for the Department of Defense.
* $46.7 billion in spending for fiscal year 2010 will go toward education.
*$26.3 billion in spending was projected for the Energy Department in fiscal year 2010.
*Obama is also proposing a $634 billion health care "reserve fund." To fund it Obama will ask wealthy Americans to accept a tax increase and wealthy seniors to pay higher Medicare premiums. The reserve fund will be used in part to deal with the 46 million Americans without health insurance.
Below are some highlights of Obama's proposed budget. Click here for CNN's complete story on the plan and let me know what you think.
*The Obama administration projects the deficit for fiscal year 2009 will reach $1.75 trillion, or 12.3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. That's a record in dollar terms and is the highest as a share of GDP since World War II.
* Despite this the administration has a goal of reducing the deficit in half by 2013 by doing things such as reducing tax cuts for the wealthy, making government more efficient, winding down the war, which will cut costs over time.
*Obama said his team has already identified $2 trillion in budget savings by scouring the federal budget.
*Tax cuts for the wealthy will expire as scheduled at the end of 2010. That will hit families making more than $250,000 a year.
* The plan allows for $75.5 billion in spending on Iraq and Afghanistan for the remainder of 2009, $130 billion in spending on Iraq and Afghanistan for fiscal year 2010 and $533.7 billion for for the Department of Defense.
* $46.7 billion in spending for fiscal year 2010 will go toward education.
*$26.3 billion in spending was projected for the Energy Department in fiscal year 2010.
*Obama is also proposing a $634 billion health care "reserve fund." To fund it Obama will ask wealthy Americans to accept a tax increase and wealthy seniors to pay higher Medicare premiums. The reserve fund will be used in part to deal with the 46 million Americans without health insurance.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
President Barack Obama will present his budget plan to Congress today. The plan is expected to propose raising taxes on the affluent and making health care more accessible and affordable for all Americans. More on the budget will be posted this evening.
More bad news: New jobless claims rose more than expected last week and the number of laid-off Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits topped 5.1 million. While analysts had expected a slight drop in claims, first-time requests for unemployment benefits jumped to 667,000 from the previous week's figure of 631,000. The 667,000 new claims are the most since October 1982. The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, rose to 639,000, the highest in more than 26 years. ABC News
President Barack Obama on Wednesday presented legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder with the nation’s highest award for pop music. Wonder received the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an East Room tribute that featured Tony Bennett, Martina McBride and Wonder himself. Obama thanked Wonder for creating “a style that’s uniquely American” and called Wonder's music the soundtrack of his youth. The ceremony is scheduled to air on PBS today. MSNBC
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's criticism of federal spending to monitor volcanoes has Royce Pollard, the mayor of Vancouver, Washington, fuming. "Does the governor have a volcano in his backyard?" Pollard said. "We have one that's very active, and it still rumbles and spits and coughs very frequently." Jindal, a rising Republican star, singled out a $140 million appropriation for the U.S. Geological Survey as an example of questionable government spending during the GOP response to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night.
"Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington," Jindal said. CNN
More bad news: New jobless claims rose more than expected last week and the number of laid-off Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits topped 5.1 million. While analysts had expected a slight drop in claims, first-time requests for unemployment benefits jumped to 667,000 from the previous week's figure of 631,000. The 667,000 new claims are the most since October 1982. The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, rose to 639,000, the highest in more than 26 years. ABC News
President Barack Obama on Wednesday presented legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder with the nation’s highest award for pop music. Wonder received the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an East Room tribute that featured Tony Bennett, Martina McBride and Wonder himself. Obama thanked Wonder for creating “a style that’s uniquely American” and called Wonder's music the soundtrack of his youth. The ceremony is scheduled to air on PBS today. MSNBC
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's criticism of federal spending to monitor volcanoes has Royce Pollard, the mayor of Vancouver, Washington, fuming. "Does the governor have a volcano in his backyard?" Pollard said. "We have one that's very active, and it still rumbles and spits and coughs very frequently." Jindal, a rising Republican star, singled out a $140 million appropriation for the U.S. Geological Survey as an example of questionable government spending during the GOP response to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night.
"Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington," Jindal said. CNN
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Blanche is the New Black
Blanche is a white woman from the suburbs, but she has a confession: She's really black.
She's always had feelings that she might be black, but the night Barack Obama won the presidency she was certain, because after Obama's victory she wanted to have a dance-off.
"Everything in me wanted to drop it like it's hot," she said.
After coming out as black to her girlfriend, Blanche headed to a bar sporting an over-sized Sean John jacket to sip Olde English from a can and puff on Newports. Oh, and she told a black guy at the bar she wants a grill.
If you think Blanche sounds too ridiculous to be a real person, well, you're right.
Blanche is the central character of Louisville video artist Pam Swisher's latest work, "Blanche is the New Black," a short comedic film in which Swisher deals with racial stereotypes by essentially making fun of them with the over-the-top character of Blanche.
The film is the topic of my latest "Write Out Loud" column for Velocity Weekly. Click here to read the article.
See Swisher's short film below and let me know what you think.
Crossposted at my Velocity Weekly blog.
She's always had feelings that she might be black, but the night Barack Obama won the presidency she was certain, because after Obama's victory she wanted to have a dance-off.
"Everything in me wanted to drop it like it's hot," she said.
After coming out as black to her girlfriend, Blanche headed to a bar sporting an over-sized Sean John jacket to sip Olde English from a can and puff on Newports. Oh, and she told a black guy at the bar she wants a grill.
If you think Blanche sounds too ridiculous to be a real person, well, you're right.
Blanche is the central character of Louisville video artist Pam Swisher's latest work, "Blanche is the New Black," a short comedic film in which Swisher deals with racial stereotypes by essentially making fun of them with the over-the-top character of Blanche.
The film is the topic of my latest "Write Out Loud" column for Velocity Weekly. Click here to read the article.
See Swisher's short film below and let me know what you think.
Crossposted at my Velocity Weekly blog.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
A Turkish passenger jet crashed as it tried to land at Amsterdam's main airport, killing at least nine people. and injuring more than 50, 25 seriously, Dutch airport authorities have said. The Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800, which had 127 passengers and seven crew members, broke into three pieces on impact in a field near Schiphol Airport. At least 50 other people were hurt, half of which reportedly sustained serious injuries. CNN
In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama said it's time to act boldly not just to revive the economy, but "to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity." During the talk the president focused on the three priorities of the budget he will present to Congress later this week: energy, health care and education. While he said "the cost of action will be great," Obama tried to maintain an optimistic tone stating, "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." Click here for more on Obama's speech.
A recently released study reveals more evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of some cancers. British researchers surveyed middle-aged women at breast cancer screening clinics about their drinking habits, and tracked their health for seven years. They then compared the lightest drinkers - two or fewer drinks a week - with people who drank more. Each extra drink per day increased the risk of breast, rectal and liver cancer, University of Oxford researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. CBS News
In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama said it's time to act boldly not just to revive the economy, but "to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity." During the talk the president focused on the three priorities of the budget he will present to Congress later this week: energy, health care and education. While he said "the cost of action will be great," Obama tried to maintain an optimistic tone stating, "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." Click here for more on Obama's speech.
A recently released study reveals more evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of some cancers. British researchers surveyed middle-aged women at breast cancer screening clinics about their drinking habits, and tracked their health for seven years. They then compared the lightest drinkers - two or fewer drinks a week - with people who drank more. Each extra drink per day increased the risk of breast, rectal and liver cancer, University of Oxford researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. CBS News
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
How to Throw Yourself at Men
photo courtesy of Lilly McElroyAfter reading about her in Bust magazine and checking out her website I just had to know more about Lilly's projects. Read on to learn more about the purpose of "I Throw Myself at Men" and find out what else Lilly is up to these days.
How did you get the idea for "I Throw Myself at Men"?
I stumbled into it. After I made "Pushing Cowboys," I was working with the idea of actually wrestling with men in bars. That project was a failure, but I'd taken a couple of photographs of the moment right before we started wrestling and there was something interesting there.
Tell me more about "Pushing Cowboys."
"Pushing Cowboys" is a video in which I go to my hometown (in southern Arizona) and literally push against the type of men that I grew up with. It is a feminist act.
What are you hoping to explore about relationships with "I Throw Myself at Men" ?
What are you hoping to explore about relationships with "I Throw Myself at Men" ?
Several things. I'm interested in how difficult it is to form connections with others. The attempts strike me as hopeful, kind of like acts of faith. I suppose that is part of the reason my leaps make sense. I also like how aggressive these attempts at making connections can be.
How do you go about asking a guy if you can, er, throw yourself at him?
How do you go about asking a guy if you can, er, throw yourself at him?
I'm straightforward. I see a man who is larger than I am, then I walk up to them and ask "Would you mind if I literally threw myself at you?"
The article about you in Bust magazine stated that your boyfriend actually takes a lot of the photos. What does he think of the project?
The article about you in Bust magazine stated that your boyfriend actually takes a lot of the photos. What does he think of the project?
I've never asked him. He seemed to enjoy the process and started insisting that I buy the men I throw myself at a drink afterward.
Is this similar to projects you've done in the past? What kind of art do you typically do?
Most of my work is about trying to form connections with people or things, so it is pretty typical. This project is also a reflection of my love of physical comedy.
Most of my work is about trying to form connections with people or things, so it is pretty typical. This project is also a reflection of my love of physical comedy.
What are you working on now?
I'm in Provincetown, Massachusetts participating in the Fine Arts Work Center winter fellowship program. Right now, I'm working on a sculpture of me kicking a dog. I'm interested in villains.
Kicking a dog?!
The kicking dog thing has to do with frustration and a new found interest in villainy. I've always enjoyed the "dog kicking villain."
The Georgia Mae Morning News
Be sure to catch President Barack Obama's address tonight. CNN reports that Obama's speech is expected to be sober yet optimistic as he focuses largely on the economy and related issues, including health care, education and energy. (The speech will air live on CNN at 9 p.m. ET.)
The United States will likely donate more than $900 million for the reconstruction of Gaza, CBS News and the Associated Press reports. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is preparing to attend a donors conference for the war-ravaged territory next week. Clinton is expected to visit Israel and the West Bank during the first week of March for her first trip to the region as America's top diplomat. CBS News
Jazz legend Duke Ellington is the first African-American to appear on an American coin, the U.S. Mint says in introducing the latest in its line of state-themed quarters. The District of Columbia commemorative quarter showing Ellington playing the piano will be introduced at a news conference today at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Ellington won the honor by a vote of D.C. residents, beating out abolitionist Frederick Douglass and astronomer Benjamin Banneker. CNN
The 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant girlfriend last week reportedly used his own youth model shotgun in the slaying. Jordan Brown has been charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide in the deaths of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn child. Police say Brown went downstairs from his bedroom with the gun hidden in a blanket, shot Houk in the head while she lay in bed, then took the bus to school. Brown is being held in the Lawrence County jail but is segregated from adult prisoners. He has not yet entered a plea. ABC News
The United States will likely donate more than $900 million for the reconstruction of Gaza, CBS News and the Associated Press reports. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is preparing to attend a donors conference for the war-ravaged territory next week. Clinton is expected to visit Israel and the West Bank during the first week of March for her first trip to the region as America's top diplomat. CBS News
Jazz legend Duke Ellington is the first African-American to appear on an American coin, the U.S. Mint says in introducing the latest in its line of state-themed quarters. The District of Columbia commemorative quarter showing Ellington playing the piano will be introduced at a news conference today at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Ellington won the honor by a vote of D.C. residents, beating out abolitionist Frederick Douglass and astronomer Benjamin Banneker. CNN
The 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant girlfriend last week reportedly used his own youth model shotgun in the slaying. Jordan Brown has been charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide in the deaths of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and her unborn child. Police say Brown went downstairs from his bedroom with the gun hidden in a blanket, shot Houk in the head while she lay in bed, then took the bus to school. Brown is being held in the Lawrence County jail but is segregated from adult prisoners. He has not yet entered a plea. ABC News
Monday, February 23, 2009
Edd's MANtra: For The Love of a Man
I first heard about this the day after the Grammys, when the world was captivated by "Chrihannagate." But since people won't shut up about it, I figured I'd add my two cents. Plus, it fits nicely into our recent discussions about women's body issues.
From music-news.com:
Usher was on the receiving end of a scary and confusing phone call recently. His wife, Tameka Raymond, was having liposuction earlier this month in Brazil, which was completely unknown to the singer.
Usher found out when he received a phone call that Tameka was in an induced coma. At this point, he rushed to the hospital in Sao Paulo, where he learned that his wife had suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest while under anesthesia. She was brought back after a minute and sent to ICU.
Tameka was transferred to a second hospital, where she remained for 11 days.
So, if I'm reading this right, Usher's wife snuck off to surprise Usher with lipo surgery? In Brazil!? Doesn't she know that in Brazil, crazy doctors steal organs from dumb Americans and sell 'em off to the highest bidder?
I learned that from watching that movie Turistas.
Anyway, this story brought back sad memories of Kanye West's mother, who died back in '07 from complications from cosmetic surgery. It amazes me that celebrities will put themselves in harm's way to achieve a more desirable figure.
I guess it shows that women in showbiz are even more pressured to look like stick figures than noncelebrities. Tameka has been known to have a jealous streak (she was allegedly giving Usher's co-star Keri Hilson the side eye during the "Love In The Club" video shoot) and I guess she thought the only way she could keep up with the young'ns is to have all the goop drained from her hips. And it nearly cost her her life.
I think Usher, and men in general, need to do a better job of showing their women that they don't have to look like Twizzlers to be attractive. I mean, Usher married a woman that's old enough to be my grandma's grandma, has a criminal record and who already has like 74 children. He HAS to love her to put up with all that.
Perhaps women are doing harmful things to themselves because that's what they THINK their man wants. I can't speak for Usher, but I know that's not what I want.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
"Slumdog Millionaire" cleaned up at the 81st annual Academy Awards last night snagging eight Oscars including best picture, director, adapted screenplay and song. It's hard to believe that movie almost went straight to DVD in the U.S. Sean Penn won best actor for "Milk" and Kate Winslet won best actress for her performance in "The Reader." Best supporting honors went to the late Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight" and to Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
What do you think of last night's winners?
How did Hugh Jackman do as host?
A Salvadoran immigrant convicted of attacking two women in the park where Chandra Levy's remains were found is expected to be arrested in the next few days in the former intern's 2001 murder. Investigators in 2002 questioned Ingmar Guandique in the slaying after he was convicted of attacking two women joggers in Washington's Rock Creek Park, but he wasn't charged. Statements Guandique made to people while in prison helped lead investigators back to him. MSNBC
President Barack Obama will announce a former Secret Service agent who helped expose lobbyists' corruption at the Interior Department as his pick to oversee the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, news reports indicate. It's believed that Obama will name Earl Devaney as chairman of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board. Vice President Joe Biden also will be given a role coordinating oversight of stimulus spending. CBS News
What do you think of last night's winners?
How did Hugh Jackman do as host?
A Salvadoran immigrant convicted of attacking two women in the park where Chandra Levy's remains were found is expected to be arrested in the next few days in the former intern's 2001 murder. Investigators in 2002 questioned Ingmar Guandique in the slaying after he was convicted of attacking two women joggers in Washington's Rock Creek Park, but he wasn't charged. Statements Guandique made to people while in prison helped lead investigators back to him. MSNBC
President Barack Obama will announce a former Secret Service agent who helped expose lobbyists' corruption at the Interior Department as his pick to oversee the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, news reports indicate. It's believed that Obama will name Earl Devaney as chairman of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board. Vice President Joe Biden also will be given a role coordinating oversight of stimulus spending. CBS News
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Georgia Mae Evening News
The unauthorized release of a photo of a battered Rihanna may trigger flashbacks for other victims of assault and could discourage them from reporting abuse, domestic abuse advocates say. The photo, in which the singer's lips appear swollen and her forehead is covered in welts, was first obtained by the entertainment Web site TMZ.com. Since then, several blogs and news agencies have also published the photograph. ABC News
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has called for Sen. Roland Burris to resign in the wake of disclosures that Burris spoke with the now ousted Rod Blagojevich's brother about possibly raising money for the former governor. An aide to Burris has said that the senator has no plans to resign and intends to "let the process work itself out in Illinois and in the Senate Ethics Committee." CNN
Ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy may not return to the Senate, and speculation is brewing that the veteran Democratic lawmaker is setting up his wife, Vicki, to succeed him, according to a report Friday in the Boston Herald. The article quoted friends of the family who said the Massachusetts senator's brain cancer has worsened and that he is resting at an undisclosed location in Florida. A Kennedy family spokesman however disputed the Herald's report and told FOX News that Sen. Kennedy is not on his death bed and that the report that Vicki Kennedy is in line to succeed her husband couldn't be farther from the truth. FOX News
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has called for Sen. Roland Burris to resign in the wake of disclosures that Burris spoke with the now ousted Rod Blagojevich's brother about possibly raising money for the former governor. An aide to Burris has said that the senator has no plans to resign and intends to "let the process work itself out in Illinois and in the Senate Ethics Committee." CNN
Ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy may not return to the Senate, and speculation is brewing that the veteran Democratic lawmaker is setting up his wife, Vicki, to succeed him, according to a report Friday in the Boston Herald. The article quoted friends of the family who said the Massachusetts senator's brain cancer has worsened and that he is resting at an undisclosed location in Florida. A Kennedy family spokesman however disputed the Herald's report and told FOX News that Sen. Kennedy is not on his death bed and that the report that Vicki Kennedy is in line to succeed her husband couldn't be farther from the truth. FOX News
A U.S. Army medic was convicted of murder Friday for his involvement in the execution-style slayings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees shot in the back of the head in the spring of 2007. Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. was found guilty on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He could receive a life sentence and a dishonorable discharge. CBS News
The White House is standing by the private banking system. When White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked Friday about speculation that the Obama administration may seek to nationalize Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp, Gibbs responded that the administration continues to "strongly believe that a privately held banking system is the correct way to go." MSNBC
News alert: Men see scantily-clad women as objects
I'm sure you're all thinking, "No sh-t, Sherlock," but now there's actually scientific evidence to back up this notion and the study on the matter also presents some scary details.
New research, presented this week by Princeton University psychology professor Susan Fiske at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, shows that, in men, the brain areas associated with handling tools and the intention to perform actions light up when viewing images of women in bikinis.
But the experts claim men just can't help themselves. They say it's a byproduct of human evolution because the first male humans had an incentive to seek fertile women as the means of spreading their genes. So it's part of their biology to depersonalize sexual images of women. (Yeah. Right.)
The study participants, who were heterosexual college men, also took a questionnaire to determine if they harbored sexist views of women. In the men who were found to harbor "hostile sexism" (an adversarial viewpoint of women that includes the belief that women attempt to dominate men), the part of the brain associated with analyzing another person's thoughts, feelings and intentions was inactive while viewing scantily clad women.
So these particular dudes are angry because they think women are trying to dominate them and if you're wearing a bikini they're not going to see you as a person. Ladies, make sure you never end up at the beach with one of these guys.
I pray this study isn't misused as backup for the idiotic notion that women who wear skimpy clothes deserve to be raped.
I pray this study isn't misused as backup for the idiotic notion that women who wear skimpy clothes deserve to be raped.
My hope is that instead heterosexual men who read about this research will decide to check themselves and strive to be more aware of exactly how they view different women in their lives and that they will examine how arousing images of women affect their interactions with other female acquaintances.
This study is just another example of why a world without rape will never become a reality unless the men of this world fight for it too.
Click here to read more about the research and let me know what you think of the study.
(crossposted at the Yes Means Yes blog)
Update: NY Post apologizes for cartoon, sort of
The New York Post has issued a statement apologizing for the controversial cartoon it published earlier this week.
CNN reports that The Post said the cartoon was meant to mock what it called an "ineptly written" stimulus bill.
"But it has been taken as something else -- as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism," reads the statement. "This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize."
But the statement goes on to say:
"However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past -- and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon -- even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."
Meanwhile Grammy-winning singer John Legend posted an open letter to the paper on his blog. If the insult wasn't intended, "it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots," he wrote. Click here to read Legend's entire post.
CNN reports that The Post said the cartoon was meant to mock what it called an "ineptly written" stimulus bill.
"But it has been taken as something else -- as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism," reads the statement. "This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize."
But the statement goes on to say:
"However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past -- and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon -- even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."
Meanwhile Grammy-winning singer John Legend posted an open letter to the paper on his blog. If the insult wasn't intended, "it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots," he wrote. Click here to read Legend's entire post.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monkey business
This cartoon from a recent edition of the New York Post has sparked some heated debate over whether or not the it's racist.
In the cartoon depicted two police officers and a chimpanzee that has just been shot by one of the cops. One officer says, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
It's typical for editorial cartoonists to link two current news stories, in this case the shooting of a chimp after it mauled a Connecticut woman and President Obama's signing of the stimulus bill. But according to a CNN report, black opinion makers like the Rev. Al Sharpton ask, "Are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?"
It's no secret that black people have been associated with primate imagery in the past and frankly I can't believe this cartoon made it past the paper's editors. Furthermore, some say including gun violence in the cartoon was in poor taste because of the nervousness some feel about the safety of a black president in a historically racist country. And I wholeheartedly agree. Also, let's not forget that a woman was nearly killed by a chimp and to make light of that is pretty insensitive too.
Bottom line -- this cartoon is NOT funny.
But maybe you disagree. Tell me your thoughts on this editorial cartoon.
The Georgia Mae Evening News
President Obama announced a plan yesterday to help as many as nine million American homeowners refinance their mortgages or avert foreclosure, saying that it would shore up housing prices, stabilize neighborhoods and slow a downward spiral that was “unraveling homeownership, the middle class and the American Dream itself.” The plan, which was more ambitious and expensive than many housing analysts had expected, drew praise from consumer advocates as well as the financial industry though it could cost taxpayers as much as $275 billion. NY Times
FBI agents have located Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford in Fredericksburg, Va. The flamboyant 58-year-old Texas billionaire is accused of bilking 50,000 investors spread through 131 countries. FBI agents served Stanford with court orders relating to the SEC civil investigation into alleged fraud by his firm, Stanford Financial Group. Federal law enforcement officials raided Stanford's Houston offices Tuesday, seizing assets and shutting down operations. The action followed civil charges that Stanford had promised clients unrealistic returns on $8 billion in certificates of deposit and committed other financial fraud. As of now, Stanford is not under arrest and is not in custody. CBS News
A Chicago minister told the Associated Press he and other black pastors who previously supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now plan to ask him to resign in light of recent revelations that Burris attempted to raise money for now-ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell the Senate seat. Chicago Tribune
Note: Tomorrow's news report will also be posted in the evening.
FBI agents have located Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford in Fredericksburg, Va. The flamboyant 58-year-old Texas billionaire is accused of bilking 50,000 investors spread through 131 countries. FBI agents served Stanford with court orders relating to the SEC civil investigation into alleged fraud by his firm, Stanford Financial Group. Federal law enforcement officials raided Stanford's Houston offices Tuesday, seizing assets and shutting down operations. The action followed civil charges that Stanford had promised clients unrealistic returns on $8 billion in certificates of deposit and committed other financial fraud. As of now, Stanford is not under arrest and is not in custody. CBS News
A Chicago minister told the Associated Press he and other black pastors who previously supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now plan to ask him to resign in light of recent revelations that Burris attempted to raise money for now-ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell the Senate seat. Chicago Tribune
Note: Tomorrow's news report will also be posted in the evening.
Edd's MANtra: The New Kids
Late winter is usually the dead season for new music. Typically the big acts release their albums before Christmas and everyone takes it slow until spring. That three-month window is the perfect time for a new artist to emerge, without the fear of being overshadowed by the heavyweights.
I've seen a few new videos pop up lately from underground rappers looking to make it big. Will they be the next Lil Wayne or the next Lil Cease? You decide.
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
Come on, admit it. You saw this guy and immediately said "who is this little boy trying to be like Eminem?" Unlike someone like Bubba Sparxxx, who is unfairly compared to Em based on skin tone, Asher actually sounds a lot like Eminem. A LOT. But his flow and subject matters are completely different, so maybe he has a chance to break out.
I rarely watch videos, but I've seen "I Love College" about 15 times in the past two weeks, all on MTV. You know, that channel that used to play music. Anyway, this song itself is OK - his flow is a little too lazy but the wordplay is solid. It definitely has a chance of catching on the with the college kids. There's potential here.
Charles Hamilton, "Brooklyn Girls"
Hamilton received a little Internet buzz last year for a cat fight with Soulja Boy. Ugh, I won't hold that against him. He tries to come off as a less nerdy Lupe Fiasco, but he's still pretty geeky. But patterning himself off of Lupe isn't a bad idea.
"Brooklyn Girls" is one of those "the girls in my city look better than the ones in your city" songs. Geez, rappers will find anything to fight about. I'm pretty partial to this song, though, in spite of Hamilton's droning flow. He sounds like one of those kids in grade school that had to go to the speech therapist twice a week. He's definitely going to have to work on that. And playa, get a haircut!
B.o.B., I'll Be In The Sky
B.o.B - "I'll Be In The Sky"
Let's see, horrible wardrobe, off-key singing, obsession with aliens, this guy reminds me of someone, I just can't put my finger on whom...
Oh yeah, him.
It's no secret from whom B.o.B. finds inspiration. Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery but "I'll Be In The Sky" seems to be pushing it. It's definitely going into "biting" territory. Not feeling this one - it sounds like something from Idlewild. but I'm sure Andre 3000 fans will like it..
What do you think of the new breed?
I've seen a few new videos pop up lately from underground rappers looking to make it big. Will they be the next Lil Wayne or the next Lil Cease? You decide.
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
Come on, admit it. You saw this guy and immediately said "who is this little boy trying to be like Eminem?" Unlike someone like Bubba Sparxxx, who is unfairly compared to Em based on skin tone, Asher actually sounds a lot like Eminem. A LOT. But his flow and subject matters are completely different, so maybe he has a chance to break out.
I rarely watch videos, but I've seen "I Love College" about 15 times in the past two weeks, all on MTV. You know, that channel that used to play music. Anyway, this song itself is OK - his flow is a little too lazy but the wordplay is solid. It definitely has a chance of catching on the with the college kids. There's potential here.
Charles Hamilton, "Brooklyn Girls"
Hamilton received a little Internet buzz last year for a cat fight with Soulja Boy. Ugh, I won't hold that against him. He tries to come off as a less nerdy Lupe Fiasco, but he's still pretty geeky. But patterning himself off of Lupe isn't a bad idea.
"Brooklyn Girls" is one of those "the girls in my city look better than the ones in your city" songs. Geez, rappers will find anything to fight about. I'm pretty partial to this song, though, in spite of Hamilton's droning flow. He sounds like one of those kids in grade school that had to go to the speech therapist twice a week. He's definitely going to have to work on that. And playa, get a haircut!
B.o.B., I'll Be In The Sky
B.o.B - "I'll Be In The Sky"
Let's see, horrible wardrobe, off-key singing, obsession with aliens, this guy reminds me of someone, I just can't put my finger on whom...
Oh yeah, him.
It's no secret from whom B.o.B. finds inspiration. Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery but "I'll Be In The Sky" seems to be pushing it. It's definitely going into "biting" territory. Not feeling this one - it sounds like something from Idlewild. but I'm sure Andre 3000 fans will like it..
What do you think of the new breed?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bad Boyfriend Stories
The hubster and I are going to spend a week in my Sweet Home Alabama soon which means it's time for me to select a vacation read. Right now I think the book I'll be packing up in my Isaac Mizrahi bag is "What Was I Thinking?: 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories." This book is a collection of first-person essays about that moment in a relationship when you realize that no matter how much you like your partner, things simply cannont and will not work out.
I'm thinking this book will probably have me reaching for a pen to jot down some bad boyfriend stories of my own, and Lord knows I have plenty of them.
There's the one guy I stopped talking to because he pronounced words like street and straight as "skreet" and "skraight."
Then there was the guy who cheated on me with my best friend. (My best friend was a guy.)
Oh, and I can't forget the one who thought an idea of a good date was me helping him take inventory of his wardrobe. (At least he always looked nice.)
I could go on and on, but I actually remained friends with most of my ex-dudes and some might even be nice enough to read this blog. So I'll stop.
It's your turn. What are some of your bad boyfriend or girlfriend stories?
Also, tell me about some of your favorite vacation reads.
I'm thinking this book will probably have me reaching for a pen to jot down some bad boyfriend stories of my own, and Lord knows I have plenty of them.
There's the one guy I stopped talking to because he pronounced words like street and straight as "skreet" and "skraight."
Then there was the guy who cheated on me with my best friend. (My best friend was a guy.)
Oh, and I can't forget the one who thought an idea of a good date was me helping him take inventory of his wardrobe. (At least he always looked nice.)
I could go on and on, but I actually remained friends with most of my ex-dudes and some might even be nice enough to read this blog. So I'll stop.
It's your turn. What are some of your bad boyfriend or girlfriend stories?
Also, tell me about some of your favorite vacation reads.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
In a speech in Phoenix, a signature real estate boomtown gone bust, President Obama today will explain his $50 billion plan to reduce foreclosures. ABC News reports that part of the plan will be aimed at reducing homeowners' monthly mortgage payments. The proposal will also include government subsidies for lenders to modify loans to homeowners who are struggling to make payments and a program through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for homeowners to refinance their mortgages if they owe more than their homes are worth. ABC News
President Obama approved adding some 17,000 U.S. troops for the flagging war in Afghanistan, his first significant move to change the course of a conflict that his closest military advisers have warned the United States is not winning. "This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires," Obama said in a statement. CBS News
The price tag for bailing out General Motors and Chrysler jumped by another $14 billion Tuesday, to $39 billion, with the two automakers saying they would need the additional aid from the federal government to remain solvent. In return, the two companies promised to make further drastic cuts to all parts of their operations -- eliminating jobs and cutting some brands. NY Times
Under fire from tens of thousands of users, the wildly popular social networking site Facebook said early Wednesday it is reverting to its old policy on user information -- for now. Facebook has been caught in a content-rights battle after revealing earlier this month that it was granting itself permanent rights to users' photos, wall posts and other information even after a user closed an account. Member backlash against Facebook began over the weekend after a consumer advocate Web site, The Consumerist, flagged a change made to Facebook's policy earlier in the month. The company, in its post Wednesday, said it was returning to its previous Terms of Use because of the "feedback" it had received. CNN
The frantic owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that went berserk in Connecticut pleaded with police over the phone to help her stop the animal from mauling her friend, begging them to "Hurry, please! He ripped her face off." Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's desperate call to police Monday as her 15-year-old chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash. The chimp can be heard grunting at times on the tape, as Herold cries, "He's killing my friend!" The tapes indicate that Nash was so disfigured the police officers that arrived on the scene thought she was a man. Nash remained was in critical condition early Wednesday with major injuries to her face and hands. MSNBC
President Obama approved adding some 17,000 U.S. troops for the flagging war in Afghanistan, his first significant move to change the course of a conflict that his closest military advisers have warned the United States is not winning. "This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires," Obama said in a statement. CBS News
The price tag for bailing out General Motors and Chrysler jumped by another $14 billion Tuesday, to $39 billion, with the two automakers saying they would need the additional aid from the federal government to remain solvent. In return, the two companies promised to make further drastic cuts to all parts of their operations -- eliminating jobs and cutting some brands. NY Times
Under fire from tens of thousands of users, the wildly popular social networking site Facebook said early Wednesday it is reverting to its old policy on user information -- for now. Facebook has been caught in a content-rights battle after revealing earlier this month that it was granting itself permanent rights to users' photos, wall posts and other information even after a user closed an account. Member backlash against Facebook began over the weekend after a consumer advocate Web site, The Consumerist, flagged a change made to Facebook's policy earlier in the month. The company, in its post Wednesday, said it was returning to its previous Terms of Use because of the "feedback" it had received. CNN
The frantic owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that went berserk in Connecticut pleaded with police over the phone to help her stop the animal from mauling her friend, begging them to "Hurry, please! He ripped her face off." Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's desperate call to police Monday as her 15-year-old chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash. The chimp can be heard grunting at times on the tape, as Herold cries, "He's killing my friend!" The tapes indicate that Nash was so disfigured the police officers that arrived on the scene thought she was a man. Nash remained was in critical condition early Wednesday with major injuries to her face and hands. MSNBC
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Edd's MANtra: Is It OK to Hit a Woman?
It's been a little over a week since your boy Chris Brown decided to get his Ike Turner on, and the rumor mill is still buzzing. We still aren't sure if the beat down occurred because of a cold sore or because C Breezy got busted for a text message from one of his women on the side, but at least he apologized. Sort of. From extratv.com:
"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person," Brown said in a written statement.
Notice how he didn't say exactly what he's apologizing for. Rihanna's camp reportedly is pretty upset because the apology didn't specifically acknowledge that he stomped her out.
Maybe it's because he still feels justified in what he did, and the apology is just to get some of that Doublemint gum money back. As odd as it might sound, I've had many people tell me last week that maybe, just maybe, Chris Brown was not at fault in putting his shoe on Rihanna.
And you know what? Everyone who said that was a woman.
So is there ever a time when it's OK for a guy to beat up a woman?
I was always taught that even if I was being attacked by a cyborg woman with chainsaw arms and eyes that shoot lasers I couldn't hit her. Maybe trip her and run away, but that's it. But with so many women saying "well, maybe Rihanna deserved it" maybe I need to adjust my thinking.
You can't convince me that it was OK for Rihanna to be left bruised and bloody on the street, but is there an accepted scenario where a man can clock a woman? If there are mothers out here teaching their sons this stuff, I'd like to know why.
Y'all need to hip me to the game.
The Georgia Mae Morning News
Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center said they've cracked the code for the common cold -- meaning they're closer to a cure. The University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, worked together on the research and were able to build a family tree of the rhinovirus (or the common cold), finding about 100 different variations of it . The rhinovirus results in between $60 and $100 billion in health care costs a year. It is the cause of middle ear infections, can lead to respiratory distress and is to blame for 80 percent of childhood asthma attacks. Researchers could find the cure or cures for the cold within the next five years, but when it's available to consumers will be up to the Food and Drug Administration. MSNBC
The automakers that received federal loans last year must submit viability plans today to government officials. Since December, General Motors and Chrysler have received $9.4 billion and $4 billion, respectively, to help them survive plummeting auto sales and mammoth debts. GM may be eligible for another $4 billion, while Chrysler is expected to ask for an additional $3 billion. Without government aid, both companies are at risk for bankruptcy. Do you think GM and Chrysler should continue to get billions in federal loans? ABC News
The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife. Muzzammil Hassan was charged with second-degree murder after police found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, at the Bridges TV station in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park. His wife filed for divorce January 6, and police had responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's home, Benz said. Hassan was arrested Thursday. CNN
It's probably safe to say that there were more shoulder pads at Goodwill drop-off bins than at fashion boutiques in recent years. But big shoulders edged onto the runways of Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and others as Fashion Week ended its fourth day of fall previews Monday. "Shoulder pads scare people but remember, runway is a fairy tale," said Gloria Baume, fashion director at Teen Vogue. "Now we have to figure out how to make it real." (Or we could just leave the shoulder pads in the Goodwill drop-off bins where they belong.) Newsweek
In other fashion news, pop star Justin Timberlake tops GQ magazine's 10 Most Stylish Men in America List. Timberlake, 28, launched his own clothing line, William Rast, in October 2006. LA Times
The automakers that received federal loans last year must submit viability plans today to government officials. Since December, General Motors and Chrysler have received $9.4 billion and $4 billion, respectively, to help them survive plummeting auto sales and mammoth debts. GM may be eligible for another $4 billion, while Chrysler is expected to ask for an additional $3 billion. Without government aid, both companies are at risk for bankruptcy. Do you think GM and Chrysler should continue to get billions in federal loans? ABC News
The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife. Muzzammil Hassan was charged with second-degree murder after police found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, at the Bridges TV station in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park. His wife filed for divorce January 6, and police had responded to several domestic violence calls at the couple's home, Benz said. Hassan was arrested Thursday. CNN
It's probably safe to say that there were more shoulder pads at Goodwill drop-off bins than at fashion boutiques in recent years. But big shoulders edged onto the runways of Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and others as Fashion Week ended its fourth day of fall previews Monday. "Shoulder pads scare people but remember, runway is a fairy tale," said Gloria Baume, fashion director at Teen Vogue. "Now we have to figure out how to make it real." (Or we could just leave the shoulder pads in the Goodwill drop-off bins where they belong.) Newsweek
In other fashion news, pop star Justin Timberlake tops GQ magazine's 10 Most Stylish Men in America List. Timberlake, 28, launched his own clothing line, William Rast, in October 2006. LA Times
Monday, February 16, 2009
How to get rid of the jerk in your life
It's time for some more promotion of the book Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, a collection of essays edited by Jaclyn Friedman and Feministing.com founder Jessica Valenti and written by established and emerging feminist writers including yours truly. (Click here to purchase your copy. FYI: My essay starts on page 53.)
Kate Harding's essay "How Do You F---- a Fat Woman" (FYI: This post will be censored for the easily offended.) really got me thinking about the role that self esteem plays in our romantic relationships.
Kate Harding's essay "How Do You F---- a Fat Woman" (FYI: This post will be censored for the easily offended.) really got me thinking about the role that self esteem plays in our romantic relationships.
Harding's essay explores the "rape is a compliment" construct. You know, the suggestion that a woman who's overweight should be happy that a man wanted to have sex with her in the first place. In the essay Harding gives examples of comments that some idiots have actually posted on some feminists blogs. Things like:
I'm against rape. Unless it's obese women. How else are they going to get sweet, sweet, c-ck.Can you believe a human being would say something like that?
Harding is quite comfortable in her body these days. But she writes in the essay that while she's never fallen for this fat-chicks-should-be happy-to-be-raped crap, body image issues have affected her relationships in the past. She tells the story of how a flirty friendship she had with a guy pal in college didn't blossom into more because she was convinced he didn't really want her because of she wasn't skinny.But Harding points out that what's even worse is the fact that low self esteem can cause a woman to believe that any male attention is to be treasured and retained at all costs. Unfortunately, I know women of all shapes and sizes who have fallen for this one, myself included.
You stay in an unhappy and unhealthy relationship because something inside tells you that if you let this one go you'll find no one else to love you.You stay in an abusive relationship because you somehow feel you deserve it.
You have sex with a man before you really want to because you're convinced you should do anything to make him stay.If you've found yourself in any of these situations my message to you is this: Do not believe the hype. Oftentimes we think we're too fat or too skinny, too short or too tall, too dark or too pale because we're comparing ourselves to mainstream beauty standards, to popular culture's notion of what's hot.
But as Harding explains in her essay, "Ain't no such thing as a person who's categorically hot in the opinion of every single person who sees them."Most folks think Angelina Jolie is gorgeous, but my husband just doesn't get the appeal. And as for the issue of weight, the hubster would choose a woman that Hollywood considers fat over a woman who's supermodel thin any day. "It's unnatural for a woman's thighs not to touch," he told me one day while we were watching America's Next Top Model. (Yes, he watches ANTM with me. But I digress.)
Ladies, once you realize how fabulous you are, the idea of staying with a jerk because you fear no one else will want you will sound absolutely ludicrous, because it is.The Georgia Mae Morning News
President Barack Obama on Saturday savored his first major victory in Congress with the newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus package. Obama is expected to sign the measure tomorrow in Denver. Obama described the bill's passage as a "major milestone on our road to recovery." Despite Obama's goal of bipartisanship, the bill passed Friday with lawmakers largely voting along party lines. The Senate approved the measure 60-38 with three Republican moderates providing crucial support. Hours earlier, the House vote was 246-183, with all Republicans opposed to the package of tax cuts and federal spending that Obama has made the centerpiece of his plan for economic recovery. USA Today
*Click here for details on how the stimulus package could affect you.
Illinois Republican leaders on Sunday called for a perjury investigation of Sen. Roland Burris, questioning if he "purposely deceived the public" last month by failing to tell state lawmakers that then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited him for campaign cash. Burris confirmed Sunday that Blagojevich's brother, Rob, asked him to contribute or help raise money before the governor tapped Burris on December 30 to fill President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.
"I made clear to him I would not contribute [to the governor's campaign] because it would be inappropriate because I had expressed my interest in the Senate seat," Burris, a Democrat, told reporters at a news conference. "I did not donate one single dollar." CNN
Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris." There were no reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft in flight and the FAA received no reports from pilots in the air of any sightings, but the agency did received numerous calls from people on the ground from Dallas, Texas, south to Austin, Texas. Video shot by a photographer from an Austin TV station showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky Sunday morning. CNN
Daytime TV will have its first lesbian wedding today as "All My Children" characters Reese Williams (Tamara Braun) and Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) -- the daughter of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) -- tie the knot. ET Online
*Click here for details on how the stimulus package could affect you.
Illinois Republican leaders on Sunday called for a perjury investigation of Sen. Roland Burris, questioning if he "purposely deceived the public" last month by failing to tell state lawmakers that then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited him for campaign cash. Burris confirmed Sunday that Blagojevich's brother, Rob, asked him to contribute or help raise money before the governor tapped Burris on December 30 to fill President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.
"I made clear to him I would not contribute [to the governor's campaign] because it would be inappropriate because I had expressed my interest in the Senate seat," Burris, a Democrat, told reporters at a news conference. "I did not donate one single dollar." CNN
Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris." There were no reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft in flight and the FAA received no reports from pilots in the air of any sightings, but the agency did received numerous calls from people on the ground from Dallas, Texas, south to Austin, Texas. Video shot by a photographer from an Austin TV station showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky Sunday morning. CNN
Daytime TV will have its first lesbian wedding today as "All My Children" characters Reese Williams (Tamara Braun) and Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) -- the daughter of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) -- tie the knot. ET Online
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
more animals
Show your love for Georgia Mae this weekend by telling at least one pal about the site.
We'll give you a big virtual hug in return.
xoxo,
javacia
Friday, February 13, 2009
More on the Buffalo plane crash
Portraits of the Victims
A human rights official known for her expertise on the Rwanda genocide. A September 11 widow who channeled her grief into fighting for survivors and families. A beloved cantor. These are just a few of the 50 people who died Thursday night when a Continental Airlines flight operated by Colgan Air crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York. All 49 aboard the plane died, along with one person on the ground. Click here for profiles of some of the crash victims.
Why did this happen?
According to reports from CNN, the pilots of the commuter airliner discussed "significant ice buildup" on the plane's wings and windshields before the plane plunged to the ground. Continental Connection Flight 3407 was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it went down about 10:20 p.m. ET Thursday. Preliminary information recovered from the flight's cockpit voice and data recorders indicated that the plane underwent "severe" pitching and rolling motions after the landing gear was lowered and wing flaps were set for the approach.
A human rights official known for her expertise on the Rwanda genocide. A September 11 widow who channeled her grief into fighting for survivors and families. A beloved cantor. These are just a few of the 50 people who died Thursday night when a Continental Airlines flight operated by Colgan Air crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York. All 49 aboard the plane died, along with one person on the ground. Click here for profiles of some of the crash victims.
Why did this happen?
According to reports from CNN, the pilots of the commuter airliner discussed "significant ice buildup" on the plane's wings and windshields before the plane plunged to the ground. Continental Connection Flight 3407 was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it went down about 10:20 p.m. ET Thursday. Preliminary information recovered from the flight's cockpit voice and data recorders indicated that the plane underwent "severe" pitching and rolling motions after the landing gear was lowered and wing flaps were set for the approach.
There's Something About Nadya
Everyone is talking about Nadya Suleman.
The 33-year-old California woman first made headlines last month when she gave birth to octuplets she conceived through in vitro fertilization. Then it was revealed that she is a single mother with no stable source of income and she already has six other kids.
Suleman had four single births and one set of twins through in-vitro fertilization before her history-making pregnancy, but she told NBC's "Today" show that for each of her six pregnancies, six embryos were implanted.
Many folks started to blast Suleman for having so many children with no clear way to support them, including her mother, Angela Suleman, who called her daughter's decision to have more babies "unconscionable."
The birth of Suleman's octuplets even have the government and fertility industry looking at the methods of IVF with more scrutiny. (IVF often results in multiple births because oftentimes several embryos are implanted to increase the chances for success.)
And yesterday it was reported Suleman has been getting death threats from people angry over the fact that she's receiving public assistance to care for her 14 children.
So why is everyone making such a big deal out of Suleman and her clan of kids? Is it just because the public is concerned about the welfare of her children or is she being attacked because she's an unmarried nonwhite woman?
Kenny Darter, co-moderator and writer for the blog Hate On Me thinks it's the latter. In an insightful post Darter writes, "White ladies have a bunch of kids and get TV shows. A brown woman pumps out eight babies and gets scorn – and maybe a few high-profile interviews."
Darter points out that in shows like “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” which tracked the trials of the Gosselin family as they manage their eight children, the couple is praised and viewers send money. "17 Kids and Counting" another reality show about a couple with 18 children, focuses on the family's strong faith.
Meanwhile Suleman's situation has been called grotesque, a freak circus act and a medical disaster.
Honestly, it's taken me a while to write about this because I'm not sure how I feel about Suleman's situation. I do think the commentary would be a lot different if she were white and very, very different if she were white and married. I don't doubt that race plays a role in this and the fact that she's receiving death threats makes me sick.
I do think, however, she was being selfish in deciding to have more children knowing she had no clear way to support them. I'm not saying only the wealthy should be allowed to have several children, but my husband and I don't feel comfortable having one child right now because our bank account doesn't look the way we want it to.
Suleman claims she will find a way to care for her children. And maybe she will. Many of us are the products of single mothers or low-income couples who managed to keep us warm, feed and clothed despite the odds.
Furthermore, there's a chance Suleman had no idea she'd have so many babies. Her previous IVF procedures resulted in single births and one set of twins, so she probably thought she'd just be adding one or two more kids to her family.
Still, supporting even seven or eight kids with shaky income is beyond tough, let alone caring for 14. So I maintain that Suleman's decision was a selfish one and my opinion would be no different if she were white.
What do you think? What are your thoughts on Suleman's decision to have more children? Do you think she's being attacked partly because of her race?
The Georgia Mae Morning News
Buffalo Plane Crash Updates
A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing all 49 passengers and crew members and a person in the home. Four people were injured at the crash site, including a mother and daughter inside the house that was hit. They suffered minor injuries and were treated at a hospital and released. It was not clear whether the mix of sleet and snow in the area played any role in the crash of Flight 3407. CNN
President Obama issued a statement early Friday, saying he and his wife were “deeply saddened” over last night’s deadly plane crash outside Buffalo. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones,” the statement said. “We pray for all those who have been touched by this terrible tragedy to find peace and comfort in the hard days ahead.” CNN
More updates will be posted throughout the day.
A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing all 49 passengers and crew members and a person in the home. Four people were injured at the crash site, including a mother and daughter inside the house that was hit. They suffered minor injuries and were treated at a hospital and released. It was not clear whether the mix of sleet and snow in the area played any role in the crash of Flight 3407. CNN
President Obama issued a statement early Friday, saying he and his wife were “deeply saddened” over last night’s deadly plane crash outside Buffalo. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones,” the statement said. “We pray for all those who have been touched by this terrible tragedy to find peace and comfort in the hard days ahead.” CNN
More updates will be posted throughout the day.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
All the single ladies!
In 2002, two weeks before Valentine's Day, I broke up with my boyfriend of two years. When Feb. 14 rolled around I was determined not to feel lonely. I was a junior in college then and a few of my other brokenhearted buddies and I decided to have a fun girls' night out. But instead we just ended up cruising around in my girl's Mazda, blasting the saddest of love songs and singing them off-key, as loudly as possible out of the car windows. And of course we were checking our phones every 10 minutes to see if the man on our mind had called.
That night I went back to my dorm room and cried myself to sleep, and I was so depressed the next morning I skipped all my classes.
Fast forward to Valentine's Day 2003. I was still single. But instead of feeling sorry for myself and replaying the year before, a friend and I decided to spend the night noshing on homemade pizza and watching scary movies. We had a blast because we put boys on the backburner and simply celebrated our friendship. To this day it's one of my greatest Valentine's Day memories ever.
For all my single ladies out there here are a few tips on how to have a fun and fabulous Valentine's Day.
Girls Night In. Have a movie marathon like my pal and I did or have a potluck dinner with your friends. Have a clothes swap party or a night of redesigning old T-shirts.
Girls Night Out. V'day is on a Saturday this year so there will be no shortage of dance parties for you and your girls to hit up. Get all dressed up and go out for a night on the town with your best gal pals.
Make a day of it. If you all can afford to do so, get a group of friends together and have brunch, get a massage or manicure and then hit the mall and treat yourself to one thing you've always wanted but never bought for yourself.
Have a play date. Go bowling, play pool or head to your favorite arcade. Better yet, have a Wii party at home complete with cupcakes.
Remember that Valentine's Day is just a Hallmark holiday that you can easily repurpose into a celebration of being single and free.
What are you doing for Valentine's Day?
The Georgia Mae Morning News
Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, has started a Web site seeking donations to help support her family of 14 children. Suleman, 33, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six young children and no clear source of income.
In recent television interviews, Suleman has rejected suggestions that she might not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children. CNN
A 42-year-old HIV patient with leukemia appears to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms after a stem cell transplant from a donor carrying a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to the virus that causes AIDS, according to a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. A team of medical professionals performed the stem cell transplant on the patient, an American living in Germany, to treat the man's leukemia, not the HIV itself, but deliberately chose a compatible donor who has a naturally occurring gene mutation that confers resistance to HIV. The mutation cripples a receptor known as CCR5, which is normally found on the surface of T cells, the type of immune system cells attacked by HIV. CNN
Dangling enough dollars in front of smokers who want to quit helps many more succeed, an experiment with hundreds of General Electric Co. workers indicates. Among those paid up to $750 to quit and stay off cigarettes, 15 percent were still tobacco-free about a year later. That may not sound like much, but it's three times the success rate of a comparison group that got no such bonuses. GE plans to offer an incentive program nationwide next year, aiming to save some of the company's estimated $50 million annually in extra health and other costs for smoking employees. CBS News
A new poll released just in time for Charles Darwin's 200th birthday found only 39 percent of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution" and just 24 percent of those who attend church weekly believe in the explanation for the origin of life. A quarter of those polled do not believe in evolution, and 36 percent say they don't have an opinion either way. The poll of 1,018 American adults, found strong ties between education level and belief in the theory. Among those with high-school educations or less who have an opinion on Darwin's theory, more say they do not believe in evolution than say they believe in it. FOX News
A Department of Justice special court will hand down rulings today in cases asking whether certain vaccines cause autism. Decisions will be issued on three test cases heard in 2007 involving children with autism that their parents contend was triggered by early childhood vaccination. The parents seek compensation, saying the "combined" exposure to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, in some vaccines and the MMR vaccine led to autism. CNN
In recent television interviews, Suleman has rejected suggestions that she might not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children. CNN
A 42-year-old HIV patient with leukemia appears to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms after a stem cell transplant from a donor carrying a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to the virus that causes AIDS, according to a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. A team of medical professionals performed the stem cell transplant on the patient, an American living in Germany, to treat the man's leukemia, not the HIV itself, but deliberately chose a compatible donor who has a naturally occurring gene mutation that confers resistance to HIV. The mutation cripples a receptor known as CCR5, which is normally found on the surface of T cells, the type of immune system cells attacked by HIV. CNN
Dangling enough dollars in front of smokers who want to quit helps many more succeed, an experiment with hundreds of General Electric Co. workers indicates. Among those paid up to $750 to quit and stay off cigarettes, 15 percent were still tobacco-free about a year later. That may not sound like much, but it's three times the success rate of a comparison group that got no such bonuses. GE plans to offer an incentive program nationwide next year, aiming to save some of the company's estimated $50 million annually in extra health and other costs for smoking employees. CBS News
A new poll released just in time for Charles Darwin's 200th birthday found only 39 percent of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution" and just 24 percent of those who attend church weekly believe in the explanation for the origin of life. A quarter of those polled do not believe in evolution, and 36 percent say they don't have an opinion either way. The poll of 1,018 American adults, found strong ties between education level and belief in the theory. Among those with high-school educations or less who have an opinion on Darwin's theory, more say they do not believe in evolution than say they believe in it. FOX News
A Department of Justice special court will hand down rulings today in cases asking whether certain vaccines cause autism. Decisions will be issued on three test cases heard in 2007 involving children with autism that their parents contend was triggered by early childhood vaccination. The parents seek compensation, saying the "combined" exposure to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, in some vaccines and the MMR vaccine led to autism. CNN
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Georgia Mae Evening News
Congressional negotiators announced this afternoon that they have reached an agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill, clearing the way for final action and President Obama's signature. Negotiations had been going on all day, following extensive talks on Tuesday night, to close the gap between the Senate and House versions. In the end, the agreed-upon package will pare back Democrats’ proposed spending on education and health programs in favor of tax cuts that were needed to win Republican votes in the Senate. NY Times
Residents on in Oklahoma residents are dealing with the aftermath of an unusual cluster of February twisters that ripped across the state killing at least eight people and destroying businesses and homes. Emergency responders searched into the night for more victims in Lone Grove, where all of the victims died Tuesday and 14 people were seriously injured. MSNBC
Residents on in Oklahoma residents are dealing with the aftermath of an unusual cluster of February twisters that ripped across the state killing at least eight people and destroying businesses and homes. Emergency responders searched into the night for more victims in Lone Grove, where all of the victims died Tuesday and 14 people were seriously injured. MSNBC
Florida detectives believe that Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, a 5-year-old girl who vanished from her bed Tuesday morning, was abducted and they aren't overlooking anyone, including family members, as suspects. The child was reported missing by her father Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend Misty Croslin. Croslin, Cummings and the child's mother, Crystal Sheffield, as well as several others have been questioned in the case and police have given them all the chance to take lie detector tests. FOX News
Album review: Anthony Hamilton, The Point of It All
Anthony Hamilton
The Point Of It All (released December 16, 2008)
Look at Anthony! Somebody got a haiiir-cut! I barely noticed him without his homeless man beard and raggedy T-shirt. But he doesn't look too happy as he checks himself in the mirror. Guess his new girlfriend made him do it.
I don't know why he's always so depressed. Maybe because his excellent 2003 debut, Comin' From Where I'm From, often gets overlooked in discussions of great soul albums of the last few years.
In honor of his new look, let's try something different for this review.
Track 1: The News
Sort of like a more hip "What's Going On," about constant drama on the news and the need for a savior. Old premise, but it works.
Track 2: Cool (featuring David Banner)
Anthony's trademark mellow single. David Banner's disgusting rap "let me scratch the dandruff out your scalp/dig in your nose" can't even slow this down.
Track 3: The Day We Met
Another laid back one, but when the horns kick in on the hook things pick up nicely. He also continues his long obsession with having a bunch of kids. He wants "as many as we can afford." Doesn't he know we're in a recession?
Track 4: Diamond In The Rough
Don't worry ladies, your man might be triflin' but Anthony'll treat you right. So he says.
Track 5: I Did It Fo Sho
Produced by Salaam Remi, the guy who did a lot of those Jazmine Sullivan and Amy Winehouse songs. Pretty good, until he starts rambling at the end of the track about "that Beyonce talk, to the left, to the left." Makes him sound about 75 years old.
Track 6: Hard To Breathe
He slows it waaaay down here to flex his vocals. Nice.
Track 7: Soul's On Fire
Oh, here we go. Anthony at his miserable best. When he says "Done lost sleep, and lost weight/I'm doing bad" he sound like a strung-out crackhead. And that's a compliment!
Track 8: Please Stay
Pretty much what you'd guess - Anthony begs his woman to stay. He probably offered to cut off his homeless man beard for her.
Track 9: The Point Of It All
Eh, the lyrics are kinda corny - like something your uncle would sing in embarrassing fashion to your aunt at the family reunion - but it has its charm.
Track 10: Fallin' In Love
Sounds like one of those boisterous Christina Aguilera songs, complete with someone playing the piano really hard, but minus the ear-shattering screaming.
Track 11: Prayin' For You/Superman
Ugh, the banjo and hand claps makes this sound too much like a Negro spiritual. The smoky lounge-groove of "Superman" is much better.
Track 12: Her Heart
Another pitiful love song. But the man puts so much emotion into it that you have to feel him. I'm digging it.
Track 13: Fine Again
OK, but pretty forgettable compared to most of the stuff here.
Track 14: She's Gone
Lyrically, it's no different than "Her Heart," another sad song about his girl moving on. It sounds like his mother is happy to see the woman go, though. You'd think she'd be happy that the girlfriend got her son to put on a clean shirt for once.
The verdict: Anthony's still down in the dumps, and that's how I like him. Minus a couple of sharecropper-sounding songs, this is a definite keeper.
Best tracks: "Soul's On Fire", "Her Heart", "The Day We Met"
4 stars out of 5
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Georgia Mae Morning News
The Obama administration's $838 billion economic stimulus plan has survived a key vote in the Senate, putting a compromise version of the bill on track for passage today. With the help of Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter, the Democrats locked in the votes needed to end debate on the bill. The final vote The final vote was 61 in favor, 36 opposed.
The bill is expected to survive a full vote in the Senate today, setting up a battle with the House as the two chambers try to iron out differences between their versions of the bill. CNN
FBI agents Monday raided The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, suspected as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak. The company is accused of knowingly shipping tainted products now linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states. The recent outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history, encompassing more than 1,000 products. CNN
Authorities searching for answers to the carnage from the worst wildfires in Australia's history said Tuesday they would rethink policies that allow residents to decide for themselves whether to evacuate their homes. Authorities defended their preparation and actions during the fires that swept unchecked across southeastern Australia last weekend, saying the weather conditions were so extreme that it was almost impossible to avoid some level of catastrophe. The official death toll currently stands at 181. An official said he expected the death toll to exceed 200. ABC News
Israelis voted on Tuesday in a tight election race, with right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu bidding to oust the centrist party of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The short campaign was overshadowed by Israel's January war with Palestinian militants in Gaza. The key issue facing voters is which leader can best assure the security of the state while chances of a peace deal seem remote. ABC News
The bill is expected to survive a full vote in the Senate today, setting up a battle with the House as the two chambers try to iron out differences between their versions of the bill. CNN
FBI agents Monday raided The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, suspected as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak. The company is accused of knowingly shipping tainted products now linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states. The recent outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history, encompassing more than 1,000 products. CNN
Authorities searching for answers to the carnage from the worst wildfires in Australia's history said Tuesday they would rethink policies that allow residents to decide for themselves whether to evacuate their homes. Authorities defended their preparation and actions during the fires that swept unchecked across southeastern Australia last weekend, saying the weather conditions were so extreme that it was almost impossible to avoid some level of catastrophe. The official death toll currently stands at 181. An official said he expected the death toll to exceed 200. ABC News
Israelis voted on Tuesday in a tight election race, with right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu bidding to oust the centrist party of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The short campaign was overshadowed by Israel's January war with Palestinian militants in Gaza. The key issue facing voters is which leader can best assure the security of the state while chances of a peace deal seem remote. ABC News
Monday, February 9, 2009
Edd's MANtra: Good riddance, Chris Brown
Well, I had planned to blog about last night's Grammys, but I didn't want you all to suffer through the four hours of sheer boredom that I endured.
Honestly, besides Jazmine Sullivan getting robbed and holding my breath as Whitney Houston presented Jennifer Hudson with her award (surprisingly, the train wreck I expected didn't happen), it was a pretty uneventful evening. Loooooooong and torturous, but uneventful.
But as I'm sure you know by now, the big story occurred behind the scenes. From cnn.com:
Singer Chris Brown, a no-show for Sunday night's Grammy Awards, has been charged with a felony in connection with a domestic violence incident....Brown, 19, posted a $50,000 bond and was released by police at 8:35 p.m. (11:35 p.m. ET). A March 5 court date has been set.
Brown, nominated for two Grammy Awards, was scheduled to perform at the show.
Brown, nominated for two Grammy Awards, was scheduled to perform at the show.
His girlfriend, singer Rihanna, abruptly canceled her planned Grammys performance, but neither her spokesman nor the show organizers gave a reason.
Chiiiiile, no he did-unt.
Although it hasn't been confirmed, word is Rihanna was the victim of Chris Breezy's attempt at proving his manhood. Seems plausible to me. I mean, if she wasn't the victim, wouldn't she have said so by now?
I've heard all kinds of reasons for this alleged confrontation - everything from them fighting over who gave whom an STD to Rih-Rih getting drunk and telling Chris that she thought some guy had a better looking butt than his. I hoping it's the latter, because it's the most hilarious.
As horrible as this situation is, I am excited that Chris Brown's career is now on life support, and he has no one to blame but himself. Now can we dig up some dirt on T-Pain already?
And let me now make this plea to poor Rihanna:
Rih-Rih, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye. I've often questioned your talent and have been disturbed by the radius of your forehead. However, I hope you realize that you don't have to put up with a goofball like Chris Brown, a man who may be even more overrated than you.
Sorry, sorry, old habits.
Anyway, no matter how cool you think it is that he can do back spins on your momma's coffee table, he deserves a kick square in his Doublemints next time you see him. If you're still too emotionally attached to do it, hit a brother up. I have cousins who can get the job done. Just e-mail me at chrisbrowncantsing@gmail.com. I closed my old account, rihannasoundslikearustymuffler@gmail.com, this morning.
And remember, never, EVER trust guys from Virgina.
Do you think it's a wrap from Chris Brown's career?
Edd's MANtra: 28 Things About the Birthday Girl
It's no secret that I don't frequent Facebook very much. Why would I? There is nothing to do. Look, if my friends want to give me a round of drinks they can meet me at one of my spots downtown.
I like my Shirley Temples ice cold, by the way. Just for future reference.
Well anyway, there's this thing going around on Facebook where you post 25 or 30 things about yourself. I participated, mainly because I was procrastinating at work (sorta like I'm doing now) and also because it was something that was actually - gasp - interesting on Facebook.
On the other hand, I was pretty salty because well before that survey I had prepared this posting to celebrate the 28th birthday of the lovely head mistress of Georgia Mae. But because of the popularity of that stupid Facebook survey, everyone will think that I just stole the idea for this blog.
For the record, let it be known that Facebook stole this idea from ME.
Anyway, as the wife marks 28 years, I'm going to unveil 28 little-known facts about her. Read it, enjoy, and wish her well. We accept cash donations.
I'll need them after she kicks me out of the house for writing this.
1. Javacia says "dude" and "seriously" approximately 85 times an hour. It's like living with the guy from Wayne's World.
2. She pokes my stomach like the Pillsbury Doughboy. It's nowhere near as sexy as it sounds.
3. Javacia and her brother are extremely loving and NEVER fight. Which means they're really not related.
4. She has had three last names. Which makes me think she's been divorced twice.
5. Javacia has won writing awards and has had many of her writings and poems published.
6. Jai finds the oddest people attractive - Anderson Cooper from CNN, the little boy from the Transformers movie, even Kumar from Harold and Kumar could get the digits.
7. If you value your life, don't ask her if her hair is real. (It is, by the way.)
8. And while you're at it, never ask what her ethnicity is.
9. She is unselfish to a fault.
10. Jai likes to scream "MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAT" for reasons that even I don't understand.
11. She'll probably name her first daughter Hello Kitty.
12. Jai once was a huge fan of Janet Jackson. Not anymore.
13. She dearly loves her grandmother, who is no longer with us. The name of this site is dedicated to her memory.
14. Every time Javacia uses an ink pen in our house, she throws it in her purse. She does this until there are no pens in the house. A couple of weeks ago I found TEN pens in one of her purses.
15. She's obsessed with bags. Not the expensive kind, thankfully.
16. Jai once told me she used to think she looked like Rowlf from The Muppet Babies. I think she's selling herself short, she looks more like Skeeter.
17. She nearly killed me once when I thought one of her unopened tampons was a fruit rollup. Why do they give them such tasty looking wrappers?
18. One of my family members STILL calls her Jayla, even though she has been corrected hundreds of times.
19. She has more aunts and uncles and cousins than could be considered humanly possible.
20. One night, during her graduate studies in California, some dude tried to flirt with her. At that very moment, I just happened to call her. She freaked out, ran away from dude and her friend was like "your man felt something WRONG in the UN-I-VERSE!"
21. She is an awesome interpretive dancer.
22. Javacia went to Canada a few years ago but I couldn't join her. Stupid work.
23. She likes the nastiest of candies - Cadbury cream eggs, candy corn, Peeps, yuck. Who eats Peeps? They're like chewing on my mom's hair rollers.
24. I think she still has R&B relic Ginuwine's number in her phone. Don't ask.
25. Javacia freaks out in cold weather. And by "cold" I mean anything less than 75 degrees.
26. She loves action movies and thrillers, which spares me from seeing most dumb chick flicks.
27. Don't be fooled by her girly demeanor, for the ghetto lurks within her soul. In her youth, she was known for kicking the crap out of dudes regularly.
28. She gets that from her momma, who keeps a baseball bat (her "Iraq bat") with her at all times. Now that's hood.
Happy birthday!
I like my Shirley Temples ice cold, by the way. Just for future reference.
Well anyway, there's this thing going around on Facebook where you post 25 or 30 things about yourself. I participated, mainly because I was procrastinating at work (sorta like I'm doing now) and also because it was something that was actually - gasp - interesting on Facebook.
On the other hand, I was pretty salty because well before that survey I had prepared this posting to celebrate the 28th birthday of the lovely head mistress of Georgia Mae. But because of the popularity of that stupid Facebook survey, everyone will think that I just stole the idea for this blog.
For the record, let it be known that Facebook stole this idea from ME.
Anyway, as the wife marks 28 years, I'm going to unveil 28 little-known facts about her. Read it, enjoy, and wish her well. We accept cash donations.
I'll need them after she kicks me out of the house for writing this.
1. Javacia says "dude" and "seriously" approximately 85 times an hour. It's like living with the guy from Wayne's World.
2. She pokes my stomach like the Pillsbury Doughboy. It's nowhere near as sexy as it sounds.
3. Javacia and her brother are extremely loving and NEVER fight. Which means they're really not related.
4. She has had three last names. Which makes me think she's been divorced twice.
5. Javacia has won writing awards and has had many of her writings and poems published.
6. Jai finds the oddest people attractive - Anderson Cooper from CNN, the little boy from the Transformers movie, even Kumar from Harold and Kumar could get the digits.
7. If you value your life, don't ask her if her hair is real. (It is, by the way.)
8. And while you're at it, never ask what her ethnicity is.
9. She is unselfish to a fault.
10. Jai likes to scream "MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAT" for reasons that even I don't understand.
11. She'll probably name her first daughter Hello Kitty.
12. Jai once was a huge fan of Janet Jackson. Not anymore.
13. She dearly loves her grandmother, who is no longer with us. The name of this site is dedicated to her memory.
14. Every time Javacia uses an ink pen in our house, she throws it in her purse. She does this until there are no pens in the house. A couple of weeks ago I found TEN pens in one of her purses.
15. She's obsessed with bags. Not the expensive kind, thankfully.
16. Jai once told me she used to think she looked like Rowlf from The Muppet Babies. I think she's selling herself short, she looks more like Skeeter.
17. She nearly killed me once when I thought one of her unopened tampons was a fruit rollup. Why do they give them such tasty looking wrappers?
18. One of my family members STILL calls her Jayla, even though she has been corrected hundreds of times.
19. She has more aunts and uncles and cousins than could be considered humanly possible.
20. One night, during her graduate studies in California, some dude tried to flirt with her. At that very moment, I just happened to call her. She freaked out, ran away from dude and her friend was like "your man felt something WRONG in the UN-I-VERSE!"
21. She is an awesome interpretive dancer.
22. Javacia went to Canada a few years ago but I couldn't join her. Stupid work.
23. She likes the nastiest of candies - Cadbury cream eggs, candy corn, Peeps, yuck. Who eats Peeps? They're like chewing on my mom's hair rollers.
24. I think she still has R&B relic Ginuwine's number in her phone. Don't ask.
25. Javacia freaks out in cold weather. And by "cold" I mean anything less than 75 degrees.
26. She loves action movies and thrillers, which spares me from seeing most dumb chick flicks.
27. Don't be fooled by her girly demeanor, for the ghetto lurks within her soul. In her youth, she was known for kicking the crap out of dudes regularly.
28. She gets that from her momma, who keeps a baseball bat (her "Iraq bat") with her at all times. Now that's hood.
Happy birthday!
The Georgia Mae Morning News
Singer Chris Brown, a no-show for Sunday night's Grammy Awards, has been charged with a felony in connection with a domestic violence incident. Brown, 19, posted a $50,000 bond and was released by police. FOX News and celebrity gossip blogs are reporting that Brown's girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, was involved in the incident. Rihanna also abruptly canceled her planned Grammys performance. FOX News
Authorities are looking for six U.S. citizens missing since their small plane crashed Sunday off the north coast of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Coast Guard found debris that might belong to the downed single-engine Cessna 206 half a nautical mile from the shoreline of the city of Quebradillas. But despite five searches Sunday and two others throughout the night, rescue crews have not been able to find the pilot or the five passengers on the plane. CNN
In an effort to build support for his signature economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama is setting off for Indiana today, holding his first prime-time news conference tonight and heading to Florida on Tuesday. In both states, he will be working to counter Republican criticism of his $800 billion recovery package and take greater control of the debate. NY Times
Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set deliberately, a conclusion prompting Australia's prime minister to call such acts "mass murder." Officials in Victoria state have launched arson investigations into some of the blazes, which have killed least 156 people, decimated massive spans of land and left thousands of people homeless. CNN
Authorities are looking for six U.S. citizens missing since their small plane crashed Sunday off the north coast of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Coast Guard found debris that might belong to the downed single-engine Cessna 206 half a nautical mile from the shoreline of the city of Quebradillas. But despite five searches Sunday and two others throughout the night, rescue crews have not been able to find the pilot or the five passengers on the plane. CNN
In an effort to build support for his signature economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama is setting off for Indiana today, holding his first prime-time news conference tonight and heading to Florida on Tuesday. In both states, he will be working to counter Republican criticism of his $800 billion recovery package and take greater control of the debate. NY Times
Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set deliberately, a conclusion prompting Australia's prime minister to call such acts "mass murder." Officials in Victoria state have launched arson investigations into some of the blazes, which have killed least 156 people, decimated massive spans of land and left thousands of people homeless. CNN
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Georgia Mae Evening News
A working coalition of members of the U.S. Senate have reached a deal on an economic stimulus plan and a vote is expected sometime tonight. Earlier, Democratic sources and a GOP negotiator said a tentative agreement for a $780 billion stimulus package had been reached, CNN reports.
The Obama administration is weighing three different military options for withdrawing troops from Iraq -- including the possibility of breaking Obama's campaign pledge of a pullout within 16 months. While one option is along the lines of Obama's campaign pledge of 16 months, the second option envisions about 23 months for combat forces to leave. This is an option that many of the military leaders favor because it would not require leaving so much equipment behind. An earlier report by the Associated Press said a third, in-between option of 19 months is also being weighed. FOX News
Last fall, the government and vaccine maker Merck concluded there's no link between the HPV vaccine Gardasil and serious adverse events such as seizures, strokes and heart problems. But a new analysis calls that finding into question. The National Vaccine Information Center, a private vaccine-safety group, compared Gardasil adverse events to another vaccine, one also given to young people, but for meningitis. Gardasil had three times the number of Emergency Room visits - more than 5,000. Reports of side effects were up to 30 times higher with Gardasil. CBSNews
Christian Bale has apologized for his profanity-filled tirade against a crew member on the set of "Terminator: Salvation" and says he wants everyone to make fun of him for his tantrum. "I deserve it completely," Bale told the hosts of a Los Angeles radio show Friday. CNN
In an interview with NBC, the mother of octuplets, whose story has sparked controversy around the world, rejects suggestions that she may not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children and that her decisions have been selfish. Nadya Suleman, a 33-year-old single mother, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, while already having six young children and no clear source of income. CNN
Olympic hero Michael Phelps was suspended from competitive swimming for three months on Thursday -- just hours after one of his sponsors announced it would not renew his contract after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong. USA Swimming, the nation's governing body for competitive swimming, said it was withdrawing financial support for Phelps and barring him from competition during the period of his "reprimand." Earlier Thursday, Kellogg Co. said it will not renew Phelps' advertising contract. CNN
The Obama administration is weighing three different military options for withdrawing troops from Iraq -- including the possibility of breaking Obama's campaign pledge of a pullout within 16 months. While one option is along the lines of Obama's campaign pledge of 16 months, the second option envisions about 23 months for combat forces to leave. This is an option that many of the military leaders favor because it would not require leaving so much equipment behind. An earlier report by the Associated Press said a third, in-between option of 19 months is also being weighed. FOX News
Last fall, the government and vaccine maker Merck concluded there's no link between the HPV vaccine Gardasil and serious adverse events such as seizures, strokes and heart problems. But a new analysis calls that finding into question. The National Vaccine Information Center, a private vaccine-safety group, compared Gardasil adverse events to another vaccine, one also given to young people, but for meningitis. Gardasil had three times the number of Emergency Room visits - more than 5,000. Reports of side effects were up to 30 times higher with Gardasil. CBSNews
Christian Bale has apologized for his profanity-filled tirade against a crew member on the set of "Terminator: Salvation" and says he wants everyone to make fun of him for his tantrum. "I deserve it completely," Bale told the hosts of a Los Angeles radio show Friday. CNN
In an interview with NBC, the mother of octuplets, whose story has sparked controversy around the world, rejects suggestions that she may not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children and that her decisions have been selfish. Nadya Suleman, a 33-year-old single mother, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, while already having six young children and no clear source of income. CNN
Olympic hero Michael Phelps was suspended from competitive swimming for three months on Thursday -- just hours after one of his sponsors announced it would not renew his contract after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong. USA Swimming, the nation's governing body for competitive swimming, said it was withdrawing financial support for Phelps and barring him from competition during the period of his "reprimand." Earlier Thursday, Kellogg Co. said it will not renew Phelps' advertising contract. CNN
Is it time to end Black History Month?
That's the question asked in an Associated Press story released today.
Stephen Donovan, a 41-year-old lawyer quoted in the article, argues that President Barack Obama's election shows that "African-American history is American history and should be remembered and recognized every day of the year."
And Yemesi Oyeniyi, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother, said that she feels Black History Month is only for blacks and therefore fails to educate others about African-American culture.
Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this.
Donovan and Oyeniyi make excellent points and I often wonder how much good Black History Month actually does in educating white America about black culture. But I also wonder if there's a chance that African-American history could be pushed to the back burner without Black History Month.
What do you think?
*Shout out to mErCh for the tip.
Stephen Donovan, a 41-year-old lawyer quoted in the article, argues that President Barack Obama's election shows that "African-American history is American history and should be remembered and recognized every day of the year."
And Yemesi Oyeniyi, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother, said that she feels Black History Month is only for blacks and therefore fails to educate others about African-American culture.
Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this.
Donovan and Oyeniyi make excellent points and I often wonder how much good Black History Month actually does in educating white America about black culture. But I also wonder if there's a chance that African-American history could be pushed to the back burner without Black History Month.
What do you think?
*Shout out to mErCh for the tip.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Georgia Mae Evening News
It's been a bumpy week for the Obama team. First, Nancy Killefer, tapped to be the federal government's chief performance officer, withdrew her nomination after reports that she had neglected to pay employment taxes for household help. Then, Tom Daschle, the president's pick as secretary of health and human services, followed suit amid revelations he failed to pay federal taxes. Now, Hilda Solis' nomination to be secretary of labor has come under attack by Senate Republicans raising questions about her husband's taxes. Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee issued a joint statement just before the committee was scheduled to vote on Solis' nomination to say they need more time to review documentation. CBSNews
One week after the U.S. Army announced record suicide rates among its soldiers last year, the service is worried about a spike in possible suicides in the new year. The Army said 24 soldiers are believed to have committed suicide in January alone -- six times as many as killed themselves in January 2008, according to statistics released Thursday. If these 24 deaths, some of which are still being investigated, are all confirmed as suicides more soldiers will have killed themselves than died in combat last month. CNN
Legendary soul singer Etta James, famous for her rendition of the song “At Last,” is apparently miffed that pop star Beyonce was tapped to perform the ballad as the president and first lady slow-danced during the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on January 20. “You guys know your president, right?” the singer asked an audience in Canada last week, according to audio posted on TMZ.com. “You know the one with big ears? Yeah, wait a minute. He ain’t my president.”
She then went after Beyonce: “That woman singing for him, singing my song? She’s gonna get her ass whipped.” CNN
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg, 75, had the surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and will remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days. In 1999, Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer and had chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The only woman on the court, she has been a justice since 1993. MSNBC
One week after the U.S. Army announced record suicide rates among its soldiers last year, the service is worried about a spike in possible suicides in the new year. The Army said 24 soldiers are believed to have committed suicide in January alone -- six times as many as killed themselves in January 2008, according to statistics released Thursday. If these 24 deaths, some of which are still being investigated, are all confirmed as suicides more soldiers will have killed themselves than died in combat last month. CNN
Legendary soul singer Etta James, famous for her rendition of the song “At Last,” is apparently miffed that pop star Beyonce was tapped to perform the ballad as the president and first lady slow-danced during the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on January 20. “You guys know your president, right?” the singer asked an audience in Canada last week, according to audio posted on TMZ.com. “You know the one with big ears? Yeah, wait a minute. He ain’t my president.”
She then went after Beyonce: “That woman singing for him, singing my song? She’s gonna get her ass whipped.” CNN
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg, 75, had the surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and will remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days. In 1999, Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer and had chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The only woman on the court, she has been a justice since 1993. MSNBC
Edd's MANtra: Rocks In His Head
Y'all like Lil' Wayne, right?
Sorry, I couldn't tell if those were cheers or the sound of crickets.
Well, I had the pleasure of hearing Wayne's newest offering, an attempt at a rock song called "Prom Queen." If you haven't heard it, I'm positive that it'll be playing nonstop on your local radio station soon enough.
For those of you lucky enough to lack access to radio, never fear, I'll sum it up for you. It sucks.
I think it's odd that "Prom Queen" is slated to be the first single from Wayne's new album, Rebirth, a "rock album" which is set to drop in April. By "rock" I assume that means Wayne will be giggling nonsense over screechy guitars. Sort of like how that hideous Kanye album was "pop."Walking around with a Guitar Hero guitar doesn't make you Kurt Cobain.
While I wouldn't be shocked if the album was pushed back (Tha Carter III was delayed for about a year) I don't understand why he thinks it's a good idea to release another album so soon, let alone a rock album. Carter III hasn't been out a year yet.
These rappers need to learn from Ja Rule. I contend that the reason Ja's now a bagger at Target is not because of 50 Cent's taunting, but because he was putting out approximately 495,934 songs with Jennifer Lopez every week. People just got tired of hearing the Cookie Monster 24/7. 50 just made it cool to hate on him.
Besides the looming problem of oversaturation, I think this new endeavor shows that Wayne is starting to crack under pressure.
This "rock" nonsense raises a question: why do these artists achieve blockbuster success in a genre and then pull a 180 and do the very opposite of what made them famous in the first place?
I think it's because they realize they aren't as good as they claim to be.
Think of it like this: We're in a recession. John Q. Musicexecutive sees that Lil Wayne sold a gazillion copies in his first week, so they pressure the little gremlin to release a follow-up. The so-called "best rapper alive," who knows it's only a matter of time before his 15 minutes are up, knows that he'll probably wind up releasing crap and so he slaps together a "rock" CD instead. That way, when people criticize it he can say they didn't understand his "vision." Right, Mr. West?
Wayne would have been better off laying low for a year, releasing a ton of mixtapes and then popping back up in 2010. But what do I know? "Prom Queen" is awful, but so was that "Mrs. Officer" song and I know many grown women who thought that was poetry.
Do you think Lil Wayne is headed toward disaster?
Sorry, I couldn't tell if those were cheers or the sound of crickets.
Well, I had the pleasure of hearing Wayne's newest offering, an attempt at a rock song called "Prom Queen." If you haven't heard it, I'm positive that it'll be playing nonstop on your local radio station soon enough.
For those of you lucky enough to lack access to radio, never fear, I'll sum it up for you. It sucks.
I think it's odd that "Prom Queen" is slated to be the first single from Wayne's new album, Rebirth, a "rock album" which is set to drop in April. By "rock" I assume that means Wayne will be giggling nonsense over screechy guitars. Sort of like how that hideous Kanye album was "pop."Walking around with a Guitar Hero guitar doesn't make you Kurt Cobain.
While I wouldn't be shocked if the album was pushed back (Tha Carter III was delayed for about a year) I don't understand why he thinks it's a good idea to release another album so soon, let alone a rock album. Carter III hasn't been out a year yet.
These rappers need to learn from Ja Rule. I contend that the reason Ja's now a bagger at Target is not because of 50 Cent's taunting, but because he was putting out approximately 495,934 songs with Jennifer Lopez every week. People just got tired of hearing the Cookie Monster 24/7. 50 just made it cool to hate on him.
Besides the looming problem of oversaturation, I think this new endeavor shows that Wayne is starting to crack under pressure.
This "rock" nonsense raises a question: why do these artists achieve blockbuster success in a genre and then pull a 180 and do the very opposite of what made them famous in the first place?
I think it's because they realize they aren't as good as they claim to be.
Think of it like this: We're in a recession. John Q. Musicexecutive sees that Lil Wayne sold a gazillion copies in his first week, so they pressure the little gremlin to release a follow-up. The so-called "best rapper alive," who knows it's only a matter of time before his 15 minutes are up, knows that he'll probably wind up releasing crap and so he slaps together a "rock" CD instead. That way, when people criticize it he can say they didn't understand his "vision." Right, Mr. West?
Wayne would have been better off laying low for a year, releasing a ton of mixtapes and then popping back up in 2010. But what do I know? "Prom Queen" is awful, but so was that "Mrs. Officer" song and I know many grown women who thought that was poetry.
Do you think Lil Wayne is headed toward disaster?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Weighty issues
Because several media outlets found it to be so newsworthy, I'm sure most of you have heard by now that singer Jessica Simpson has put on a few pounds.
Websites around the world, including FOXNews.com, ran pictures of Simpson at a recent Florida concert and pointed out that the star had put on weight. FOX News ran the headline: "Jessica Simpson Shocks Fans With Noticeably Fuller Figure."
Other celebrities have been outraged including supermodel Heidi Klum and Simpson's sister, pop star Ashlee Simpson-Wentz who wrote on her blog, "I am completely disgusted by the headlines concerning my sister's weight."
It disgusts me too and I can't even call it sexism. When actor Joaquin Phoenix started to gain weight he wasn't spared either.
But yesterday I ran across a very intriguing story on ChicagoTribune.com that made me question my feelings on the topic of the media making a big brouhaha over a celebrity's weight.
Rex W. Huppke writes:
Simpson has put on a few pounds. She is, to use her celebrity pals'
favorite euphemism, curvier.
The news media, as is our constitutional obligation, have picked up on
this. Any time a national figure grows, shrinks or is somehow altered in shape,
we are obliged to make note of it for historical purposes.
And yet, once again, aspersions are heaped upon us for simply doing our
jobs.
He goes on to say:
One would think that by now the people we celebrate—i.e., celebrities—would
understand that their fame doesn't come with an on/off switch.
In other words, Huppke believes that Simpson, who owes much of her fame to her figure, should be able to roll with the punches and should know that the media pointing out your belly bulge is part of the price of fame.
Frankly, he's right, and the media is going to keep serving this kind of celebrity dish because readers and viewers keep eating it up.
But this doesn't make me feel any better. Every time I hear of or read about another celebrity (who often is not even overweight) being called out simply because he or she gained a few pounds, I can't help but wonder what kind of message this is sending to the teenage girl or boy struggling with an eating disorder or body image issues.
When stars like Jennifer Love Hewitt are called fat as a size 2 and the average American woman is a size 14, something is very wrong.
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