Kofi Annan passed away. The former UN Secretary General lived in Switzerland at the time of his death.
The former United Nations Secretary General passed away. The first person of color to lead the world organization for two terms passed away peacefully in his Switzerland home at the age of 80.
Kofi Annan was of Ghanaian blood and noted as the first African man to represent the world.
Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder of the Kofi Annan Foundations and was chairman of The Elders, a foundation founded by the late Nelson Mandela.
Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Annan went on to study economics at Macalester College, international relations at the Graduate Institute Geneva and management at MIT.
Annan joined the UN at a young age and went on to work for the peacekeeping between 1992 and 1996. He would be confirmed by the General Assembly in 1997.
Annan was devoted to combating HIV, peacekeeping in Syria, poverty and civil rights.
Annan was dogged by the far-right (especially Fox News) for the Oil-for-Food Program. The right wing network was attacking Annon. The program was established to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine and other humanitarian needs for Iraqis.
The program caused scandal after Fox News instigated allegations that Annon and his allies were using the funds for their personal uses. This was egged on by George W. Bush in his attempts to get allies to engage battle with Iraq.
Annon was a great leader. He volunteered his life to community service. He wanted to make awareness of genocide in the world.
The white extremist who created the (White) Traditionalist Workers Party and the White Student Union went dark after he strangled an ally.
The foolish Matt Heimbach. The suit and tie version of David Duke is no longer a voice in the movement. He did what most white extremists do when they're not on camera. They end up raping women and children.
The white extremist did not show up to the United The Right 2, the anniversary of the infamous Charlottesville riot which led to the death of Heather Heyer. The far right rally only managed to have 30 people and hundreds of counter protesters. Jason Kessler, the founder of the white extremist rally was shuffled out Washington, DC after a hour of ranting. More on him later.
Heimbach was infamous for starting white extremism on college campuses which usually lead to fights with counter protesters.
He was also the guy who attacked a Black woman at a Trump rally in Louisville. He was charged for aggravated assault. He was ordered to serve nearly a year in the lockup. The charges were reduced. He was ordered to get anger management, have no contact with the victim and stay out of trouble for two years.
Proud Boy beats on his wife.
Turns out he couldn't stay put of trouble. While he was living in his Indiana trailer park, Heimbach was living in his ethnopark with his wife, their child and her step-dad.
This year, the group dissolved.
Heimbach slept with his co-founder's wife. The co-founder David Matthew (known as Matt) Parrott caught Heimbach in the act. The two get into an altercation in which Heimbach twisted his arm and choked him until he went unconscious.
Heimbach fled to his home and then confronted his wife. His wife was upset that he slept around with her step-dad's wife and other women. Heimbach slapped the shit out his wife. She called the law.
Bad blood. White extremist slept with his buddy's wife.
He was soon arrested. He got out of that night only to be extradited to Kentucky to face court for violating his terms of agreement. He plead guilty to the charges and was ordered to serve a few months in the county lockup. After he was released, he soon found that his empire had collapsed.
Parrott had dissolved the white extremist group. He also said that Heimbach can't live on his property anymore.
Heimbach is pretty much shut down. He about to lose his wife. He lost his organization and he probably going to face federal lawsuits from victims of his reign of terror.
Heyer's death has become a rally cry to taking on alt-right figures like Alex Jones, Gavin McInnes, Lauren Southern, Laura Loomer, Milo Yiannopolos and Tomi Lahren. They have been banned or either boycotted by Americans and Canadians who want none of their influence in their cities.
Here's a bonus for you. Jason Kessler was shouted down by his own father. Apparently, Kessler lives in his parent's home.
Far right kookspiracist Alex Jones is losing everything. InfoWars is on its last leg.
Progressives and survivors of the most recent mass shootings are calling upon Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter to end the relationship with Alex Jones. Dorsey who appeared recently on NBC News to discuss his decision to keep the far right happy. I mean he went on Sean "Softball" Hannity's right wing carnival.
Hannity is just as bad as Jones and yet, Dorsey goes to him to discuss these matters.
This week, Jones was banned from Twitter and Periscope at least for a week after he openly called for an armed resistance against those who attacked him and InfoWars.
Then he decided to go to Tumblr to promote his agenda. Now there's call for Verizon/Oath, Inc, the companies that owns Tumblr to sever ties with him.
The biggest shock to Jones is the apparent closure of his longtime flagship station.
The Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday that the pirate radio station, Liberty Radio, was hit with a $15,000 fine and at least temporarily pulled from the airwaves.
The newspaper reported that a lawsuit filed in federal court in Austin alleged that Liberty Radio had functioned without a license since at least 2013, and had been transmitting from a tower at an Austin apartment complex.
Liberty Radio stopped airing on the radio in December, but still streams online. The FCC is charging that the station was also illegally broadcasting on an FM wavelength.
The Associated Press reported that Walter Olenick and M. Rae Nadler-Olenick were named as the defendants in the lawsuit, and the apartment complex where the station was transmitting from is linked to the pair.
The Olenicks reportedly told the FCC that they would not pay the fine and would treat any agency representatives as trespassers.
Jones, a conspiracy theorist who founded the site Infowars, has recently been banned by several platforms, including Facebook, Apple and YouTube.
Infowars and Jones's content has also been pulled from Spotify and Vimeo, and Twitter placed restrictions on the accounts for Jones and his site.
The Undisputed Queen of Soul and R&B has left the world. Her spirit and music will reign forever.
The entertainment industry lost a true legend.
Today, we just got word that Aretha Franklin had died at home (hospice) after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by her family and Stevie Wonder.
The news was confirmed at 9:50am.
Franklin recorded hundreds of tracks and had dozens of hits over the span of 50 years.
She won 18 Grammy awards and in 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Donald J. Trump was notified about her death today and posted remarks on social media.
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed!
Franklin's family said that her oncologist confirmed her cause of death was due to the pancreatic cancer she was battling.
"In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriated words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and frock of our family. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."
The last public performance was the Elton John's AIDS Foundation gala in New York.
Franklin sung at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. That became one of her biggest moments in her career. She also brought the president to tears when she sung her famous single "Natural Woman."
Franklin endured the exhausting grind of celebrity and personal troubles dating way back to childhood. She had two sons by the time she was 16 and was often in turmoil with her weight, family problems and alcoholism. '
Celebrities and others pour sympathy.
This photo was taken in 2012 when Aretha & I performed at a tribute celebration for our friend Marvin Hamlisch. It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer,but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world pic.twitter.com/Px9zVB90MM
The loss of @ArethaFranklin is a blow for everybody who loves real music: Music from the heart, the soul and the Church. Her voice was unique, her piano playing underrated – she was one of my favourite pianists. pic.twitter.com/ug5oZYywAz
Rest easy #ARETHAFRANKLIN I imagine u in heaven performing & still making people souls moveππΎ this was my aunt favorite record #RockSteady you will always be the Queen of Soul you been that before many of us were born! Thank you for giving us LEGENDARY TIMELESS music ππΎ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bEueBCLGJ9
We are saddened by the loss of Aretha Franklin and our city is mourning an icon today. The Queen of Soul will be missed but her legacy will live on through her music. pic.twitter.com/5ZQbnqGJWP
Franklin was honored both as a musical trailblazer and an advocate and role model for women and African-Americans.
“Today, the Queen of Soul has left this world; but her life and legacy has left us all with something we can truly feel," Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) said in a statement. "Aretha Franklin was soul personified and she gave us the gift of her voice, her truth and her unapologetic passion to demand compassion, love and R-E-S-P-E-C-T for women everywhere.
"An iconic entertainer, powerful civil rights leader and a beautiful spirit who I am privileged to call friend," Lawrence said. "She will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.”
Salutes to Franklin also emphasized her longstanding ties to Detroit, where her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, was pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church.
“Aretha Franklin was known internationally as the Queen of Soul, but she was also the Voice of Detroit," Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said in a statement. "I’m deeply saddened to learn of her passing today.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said Franklin's father helped her husband John Dingell in his first election. As for her relationship with Franklin, "Aretha was just a friend a to me - there if I ever needed her," she said in a statement.
"Aretha was complicated, loving and giving. Faith was important to her and the Church never left her," Dingell said. "Her faith in Detroit and it’s people is what I will remember as much as her voice."
SiriusXM announced on 60s on 6, that she passed away. It came quickly and turned into Queen of Soul Radio.
On behalf of me and S. Baldwin, we will truly miss a legendary voice like Aretha Franklin. Her death has touched so many. Throughout her life, Aretha was struggling for success. Being a single mother was rough. She had found faith in the church. Her voice was the gift and people cherished it.
A group of young Black girls were told to leave a business after a rude worker told them to have a chaperone.
A group of Black schoolgirls at a summer camp were "not welcome" to a gift shop without adult supervision.
The incident happened at the Jenkinson's Aquarium Gift Shop at Point Pleasant Beach in New Jersey.
Four little girls go inside the gift shop and were turned away by this rude ass storekeeper. The girls were part of the Princess to Queenz Day camp in Peterson.
Linda, the rude worker is fired out the cannon.
The girls were aged 12 to 13 were promptly told they were not welcomed inside the facility without a chaperone. Once they came back with a chaperone, they were "yelled at" while other white children were in the store. The white children were not accompanied by a chaperone.
The gift store worker named "Linda" then gets into it with the chaperone, Attiyya Barrett.
This heads to social media.
Since the video went viral, the company responded promptly. They fired that woman out the cannon.
Once it social media, the white extremists decided to share some feedback to Attiyya.
Here's some of the examples of white extremists posting in regards to the controversy.
Like a boss, Attiyya responded to the vicious reaction from white extremists.
Hey, why don't we flag these individuals?
Barrett posted a video of the incident on her Facebook page that was shared more than 3.4 million times.
Jenkinson's Boardwalk promises a full investigation.
"Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated at Jenkinson's. We strive to provide all of our customers with an enjoyable experience and we clearly missed the mark this time. We sincerely apologize to the girls from the camp group for the way they felt upon leaving. We have been in contact with the group leader and will continue to work with her to make amends. The employee involved in the incident has been suspended while we conduct an investigation. Any necessary further action will be determined after said investigation." Toby Wolf, Director of Marketing, said in a statement.
This is Donald J. Trump's Amerikkka. Where a group of Black girls are denied entry into a business. According to the white power structure, if there's a group of Black people in a business, they are up to something.
Jahana Hayes, a former Teacher of The Year could become the first African American woman to win a U.S. House seat in New England.
Democratic lawmaker Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) is retiring from the House of Representatives. Her seat represents Newtown, Connecticut the community rocked by a mass shooting in December 2012. Esty is resigning from Congress after her chief of staff faced accusations of sexual harassment and used threats of violence against staffers. She ignored the concerns and even wrote a letter of recommendation for him.
She would later remove him but the scandal hurt her chances for winning and the Democrats wanted her to bounce.
The Democrats endorsed establishment candidate Mary Glassman.
Glassman was considered a safe choice for the district. The progressives weren't having none of that. They wanted someone who could shake up Washington.
When it came down to the primaries, the progressives sought a candidate that got the endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democratic congressional nominee who rocked the political scale by beating Rep. Joe Crawley (D-NY) in a surprise primary win.
Now her seat is in play and the Democrats are hopeful that Jahana Hayes could succeed.
Hayes is a former National Teacher of the Year.
Hayes, 46, was thought to be a long-shot in the contest against Glassman, a longtime local Democratic politician in the Western Connecticut region. But she embraced her status as an underdog, melding her life story — growing up in Waterbury, she went through homelessness, a teen pregnancy and economic hardship — into her campaign.
She will face Republican Manny Santos, former mayor of Meriden, in November.
If she wins, Hayes will make history as the first black woman to win a Connecticut congressional seat as well as the first black congresswoman from New England.
"When we started this campaign a little more than 100 days ago, we had no organization and no network," Hayes said. "People told us we had no chance and no business trying to upset the status quo. And tonight, we proved them wrong."
Hayes already has a fundraising advantage, as she had about $360,000 cash on hand by July 25. Santos, on the other hand, had less than $500 after accounting for a campaign debt.
State lawmaker Ilhan Omar wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House. She could be the first Somali-American woman elected to the House. She and Rashida Tlaib could be the first Muslim women in Congress.
As Keith Ellison wins the Democratic nomination for Attorney General, a state lawmaker who was elected the first Muslim woman elected to the state house shook the world by winning the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House.
Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American former refugee is going to be the nominee. She won the Minnesota House of Representatives only a few years ago and just serve under a year.
If she wins the general election, Omar will join Rashida Tlaib as the first Muslim women to be elected to the House of Representatives.
Born in 1982, Ilhan was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and raised in the town of Baydhabo. She was the youngest of seven siblings and grew up in an upper-middle-class household. When the civil war began in 1991, her family moved from Somalia and moved to Kenya. They spent a portion of her young life in a refugee camp before moving to the United States.
Ilhan lived in Arlington for a brief time before settling in Minneapolis. She learned English quickly and started her life in public service at an early age.
In 2016, she ran on the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) ticket for the Minnesota House of Representatives. The DFL is an affiliate of the Democratic Party. She won to become the first Somali-American legislator in the United States.
She won the endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democratic nominee who rose to fame as the candidate who beat establishment favorite Rep. Joe Crawley (D-NY).
Ilhan attended North Dakota State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and international studies in 2011.
Ellison praised her victory as win for the people.
Ilhan has three children with her boyfriend (whom she calls her husband) Ahmed Hirsi.
