John Oliver: The Poor Make The Lottery A Success!

The Multi-State Lottery Association releases a new game. Monopoly Millionaires Club begins. Many states are licensed to sell this game. Hasbro authorized the usage of its game.

HBO's Last Week Tonight is a hit. The former writer and contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, John Oliver host the program. This episode got me thinking. Oliver covers the state lotteries.

How could  45 states, DC and three territories profit off the lottery?

They take advantage of the poor.

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value (referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Gambling thus requires three elements be present: consideration, chance and prize.

The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice or a spin of a roulette wheel, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season.

John Oliver on the idea that the lottery boosts funding for education... pic.twitter.com/VUsyadCbwg
— Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) November 10, 2014

John Oliver nails it to the wall and let's it hang. It's gone viral and I hope you take interest in it.

Connecticut Fraternity Gets Away With Calling Black Sorority Women Racist and Sexist Slurs

This article first came to my attention at Rawstory.com regarding harassment of Black sorority women at the University of Connecticut.  So much was covered on the race-and class baiting street harassment video that we don't pay attention to the real victims of street and university harassment. It's us Black women, Women of Color, ethnic White women, working/lower class women who bear the brunt of such harassment and it's not always men of Color, ethnic/working class White men.  It's the upper class men such as the frat boys pictured below.

Connecticut frat brothers get ‘no punishment’ for racial attack on ‘whores’ in ‘fat black b*tch’ sorority

How can those guys get away with such racist evil?  

“This is definitely not UConn’s finest hour”: Community Uproar Against Campus Racism

Christine Wilson (left) and Noel Cazenave (right) speak at the town meeting on campus racism hosted by the African American Cultural Center and Asian American Cultural Center. (Photo by Ryan King/The Daily Campus)

“Privilege will ruin our reputation,” Brittney Yancy, a victim of harassment by members of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said to a round of applause at a town hall meeting hosted by the African American Cultural Center last night. “And if it goes unchecked, this is how it impacts our community. It will determine who matters, who is protected, who gets access and who is worthy of justice on this campus.”

Audience members including student leaders and UConn alumni felt disrespected by responses from some of the panelists who were giving comments on community, civility and respect.

The forum was held in the Student Union at 6 p.m. on Monday and featured panelists UConn Police Chief Barbara O’Connor, Vice President of Student Affairs Christine Wilson, Dean of Students Eleanor Daugherty, Sociology Professor Noel Cazenave and Director of the Asian American Cultural Center Angela Rola.

The focus of the meeting was a confrontation which occurred on Sept. 29 between an African American sorority and a historically white fraternity.

Greek students belonging to the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha verbally accosted members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority after painting on a spirit rock, using racially-infused hate speech.

“We were called whores, and after establishing that I was a university professional I was verbally accosted, and intimidation tactics were used,” said AKA Graduate Advisor Brittney Yancy. “They called me a fat black bitch, not just a fat bitch but a fat black bitch.”

Although sanctions were administered against PIKE including the loss of rock painting privilege, individual members at the incident were not punished.

“I have to deal with the fact that the student who has verbally accosted me received no punishment,” Yancy said.

After Yancy made her remarks, Wilson talked about diversity and access and Daugherty expressed a shared commitment to make everyone on campus feel safe and heard.

UConn Political Science Professor Evelyn Simien addressed the panelists during question and answer: “We don’t want to hear about your job descriptions or the statistics,” she said.

Siemien asked that the panelists to “go off script and speak from your heart as a human being that’s not so invested in your administrative job description.”

One particularly thought-provoking question demonstrated the double standard which the incident raised.

“Had the perpetrators been black men and the sorority girls been white, wouldn’t the results have been different?” Simien asked.

O’Connor did not have an answer for this hypothetical situation.

Khalifa Miles, who was at the incident that night, said he felt disrespected by the chief’s response. “As a chief, you have the supreme command in running these police officers that serve this university, so how is it that you don’t have an answer?” he asked. “Do they have free reign to do whatever they want?…There has to be a protocol. There has to be some type of training put in place for these men to adhere to. I think it’s highly disrespectful for you to address these concerns with: I do not have an answer.”

One student said she doesn’t understand how the university can say that they promote safety when some students don’t feel safe.

“Things like this happen, and what I’m trying to say is that when things happen we try to talk to everyone,” Wilson said in response.

There was also debate over how the investigation was handled. Diondra Brown, president of AKA, said she was told by Wilson that the group filing the complaint could not appeal the decision made by Community Standards. At the town hall meeting, Wilson said that she learned the group could in fact file an appeal of the decision.

“Why is this information just now being communicated to us?” Brown asked.

Victims involved also found out at the panel that they could file individual complaints against members of Pike in addition to a complaint against the organization as a whole.

“I appreciate this conversation,” Yancy said. “But I think what is nauseating is the lack of transparency. It would have been great to know that someone needs to follow up on an individual complaint so we can take the appropriate actions.”

Yancy was visibly upset when this information was revealed to her during the town hall, prompted by a question from the audience.

“I silenced (the girls) that night when they were visibly upset. I said do not react. I told them to let me do all the talking because I’m sure my authority and the process is going to get this right,” Yancy remembered. “The lack of transparency about the appeal process is so disheartening.”

AKA plans to appeal the decision made by the university department of student affairs. Many members of AKA were not asked for their testimony during the event and many feel that the case was mishandled.

“It is almost inconceivable that the university has made no effort to investigate the women that were there that night,” said Cazenave.

Noticeably absent from the meeting was any member of PIKE or other non-African American sororities, which was seen as indicative of a lack of perspective and understanding shown by the groups.

“Why is it that none of the historically white sororities show their support for their fellow sororities? Is it because they don’t see them as women because they’re too busy seeing them as black, or is it instead that they align themselves with PIKE because they see themselves as being white,” Cazenave asked.

President Susan Herbst also came under fire for her lack of commitment in trying to promote a more inclusive environment.

“The Herbst administration has certainly not articulated any vision for diversity at UConn instead I’ve noticed that there has actually been a dismantling of the universities previously existing efforts to promote inclusiveness,” Cazenave said.

Herbst was also criticized for not being in attendance for the meeting.

“I remember a time when we had university professors that actually attended events like this,” said Cazenave.

In efforts to move forward, speakers addressed particular initiatives currently being made to promote a more inclusive campus environment.

“We try to hire and maintain a diverse faculty and staff,” said Wilson.

Stephanie Sponzo, a member of the student development committee of USG said “the lack of passion from the administration” was saddening, given the passion that the students affected brought to the town hall meeting.

In regards to what needs to be done about issues like these, panelist Cazenave said: “Change has to come from the top.”

Privileged White men can do whatever the heck they want without consequences.  The epitome of White privilege.

Black women who report harassment by nonblack men are called paranoid, playing the race card, and boys will be boys and we need to be silent. That's not right.  Let's call them out on their racist sexism.

Big Bank Hank Passes Away!

Big Bank Hank (left) passed away.

Everybody clap your hands, cause it's time to party and The Sugarhill Gang was here to party with you. Did you ever went over to someone's house and they offered food that tasted like wood?

That's some of the memorable things I could think of when I hear the music from the pioneers of hip-hop music.

Today a legend died and we here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to family of Big Bank Hank. He died today and it's sending ripples across the entertainment community.

The AP reports that the member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, "Rapper's Delight," has died of complications of cancer at age 57.

He died Tuesday at a hospital in Englewood, New Jersey according to David Mallie, a business manager for two former members of the group, and Aree Booker, a funeral director with Eternity Funeral Services.

Big Bank Hank, whose real name was Henry Jackson, was born in the Bronx borough of New York. He was a part of the Sugarhill Gang in 1979 when it had hip-hop's first hit with "Rapper's Delight."

The song was released as hip-hop music started to emerge as a genre, and it landed in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It also peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, now called the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The Sugarhill Gang, which was formed in Englewood, also included Master Gee and Wonder Mike.

"So sad to hear about our brothers passing," Gee and Mike said in a statement issued through Mallie, who didn't work with Big Bank Hank. "The 3 of us created musical history together with the release of Rapper's Delight. We will always remember traveling the world together and rocking the house. Rest in peace Big Bank."

"Rapper's Delight" became a success thanks to the late Sylvia Robinson, the record label owner who released it on her Sugar Hill Records. Robinson, who was known as the Mother of Hip-Hop, died in 2011.

After "Rapper's Delight," the trio had minor successes with songs such as "Apache" and "8th Wonder" but faded away. Their last album was a 1999 children's rap album, "Jump On It!"

Gee and Mike currently perform under the name Rapper's Delight Experience featuring Wonder Mike and Master Gee, Mallie said. Robinson's son owns the Sugarhill Gang trademark, and Gee and Mike haven't been able to perform under the name since 2010, he said.

Gee and Mike were on good terms with Big Bank Hank before he died, Mallie said.

Giveaway For The Veterans!

Vice President Joe Biden visits the Arlington National Cemetery for Veterans Day. 

As we mark the all important Veteran's Day: Do you thank a veteran?

Do you visit the grave of a family member or even a stranger who served in the U.S. military?

As we celebrate Veteran's Day is a day that gives thanks to all men and women who served in our military. This is one of the country's most important days. To give time to thank our troops who served in the long fought wars is a honor.

The president delivered his weekend address to thank the men and women actively serving and the veterans. His new Veterans Administration secretary Bob McDonald is working on fixing the hospitals and wait times that cause a great uproar this year.

While the president is overseas, Vice President Joe Biden visits Arlington to devote his gratitude to the unknowns who fought and died for America.

Our conservative agitators are probably bitching about the president being overseas instead of thanking the troops. President Barack Obama heading to Asia instead of visiting troops. Although there's military bases in Japan, South Korea and the U.S. territories, the agitators will ignore the fact that the president delivered an address. He honored five service members (living or deceased) for their service. And First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are working to help children of military families.

The Republicans devoted their time to give the president a headache this year. They won control of Congress despite them not passing bills to help veterans.

To all our men and women who served or died.

Thank you for your service.

Myles Munroe Passes Away!

Megachurch pastor died in tragic plane crash in The Bahamas.

Bahamian mega pastor, his wife, and his entourage died in a plane crash in the Bahamas over the weekend. We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to those lost in this senseless tragedy.

Myles Munroe was the president and founder of the Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) and Myles Munroe International (MMI), a Christian growth and resource center that includes leadership training institutes, a missions agency, a publishing company, a television network, radio and Web communications, and a church community. He was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the International Third World Leaders Association and president of the International Leadership Training Institute. He was the author of 69 books and was a motivational speaker.



CNN reports that the aircraft hit a crane at the Freeport Ship Yard and crashed into a nearby "junk site," police said.

No U.S. agencies are involved, and the Royal Bahamas Police Force is handling the investigation, a police spokesman said.

Police released the names of five victims Monday that includes Myles Munroe and his wife Ruth.
Myles Munroe was the senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International Fellowship, that group's website says. Ruth served as co-pastor.

The two were friends of Andrew Young, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who was also scheduled to arrive in Freeport.

"Ambassador Young expresses his deep sadness over the tragic death of his friends Dr. Myles and Mrs. Ruth Munroe. He offers condolences to the Munroe family and the families of the other souls who lost their lives as a result of this shocking plane crash," the Andrew Young Foundation said in a statement.

Young is scheduled to speak at a conference starting Monday in Freeport.

The Global Leadership Forum will continue this week, according to Munroe's organization.

"On behalf of Myles Munroe International and ITWLA. We would like to inform you that the Global Leadership Forum will continue," Myles Munroe International posted on its Facebook page. "This is what Dr. Munroe would have wanted."

The other identified victims are Stanley Jerome Thurston, Richard Howard Pinder and Frankhan Demeyer Cooper, all residents of the Bahamas.

The ITWLA is International Third World Leaders Association, which was founded by Munroe.

The Racist Right Already Attacking Loretta Lynch!

These women are named Loretta Lynch. Guess which one is being nominated for U.S. Attorney General? Which one will the racist right attack the most?

In their latest attempt to find some either racially bias or politically bias attack on the nominee for U.S. Attorney General, the dumbasses at Breitfart have tried to dig up dirt on Loretta Lynch.

How much dirt?

Dirty straight out of the 1990s.

But according to Media Matters for America, they already got the story wrong before it left the gate.

Breitfart.com added corrections to the articles that confused the two attorneys, noting at bottom that "[t]he Loretta Lynch identified earlier as the Whitewater attorney was, in fact, a different attorney."

Later on November 9, Breitbart.com removed the article by Warner Todd Huston.

Members of the conservative media are attempting to scandalize President Obama's Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch by suggesting she was involved in the Whitewater investigations of the 1990s. However, the Loretta Lynch that played a bit role in Whitewater -- an investigation into fraudulent real estate deals that did not include any wrongdoing by the Clintons -- is a different person than Obama's attorney general nominee.

According to a November 8 Breitfart.com article by Warner Todd Huston, "few are talking about" the fact nominee Lynch "was part of Bill Clinton's Whitewater probe defense team in 1992." Huston pointed to a March 1992 New York Times article that "reported that Lynch was one of the Clintons' Whitewater defense attorneys as well as a 'campaign aide.'" And in a November 9 article Huston's colleague, Breitfart.com Senior Editor-at Large Joel Pollak wrote, "The connection to Whitewater ought to provide additional fodder for Republicans during Lynch's confirmation hearings":

Here's the posting from the Huffington Post.

The racist right begins their smear campaign against Loretta Lynch, the nominee for Attorney General.

Now you tell me. For the first African American woman to be the head of Department of Justice if confirmed, why on earth would these agitators and politicos smear her?

Already, the designate for Majority Leader, Kentucky Republican senator Mitch McConnell warned the president to not have this nominee confirmed until the new Senate comes to session.

Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is the current United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She has served her current tenure as U.S. Attorney since 2010, having previously held the position from 1999-2001. As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lynch oversees federal prosecutions in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.

On November 8, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated her to succeed Eric Holder as the next Attorney General of the United States.

This already marking the lines drawn between a "Do Nothing Congress" and a "Lame Duck President".

Ja Rule: I Admit 50 [Cent] Tore My A** Up!

Clearance bin rappers 50 Cent and Ja Rule posed together last year. The feud over, right? Ja reflects on it.

Ja Rule comes out of the cesspool to reignite the infamous feud between him and Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent, the leader of the Unit). This marks over 10 years since the hip-hop stans got to know how much Ja and 50 hate each other.

Ja Rule comes clean about his feud with 50 Cent. Although he's no longer worried about his sworn enemy, the entertainer might as well start it all over again. He wants to air out how this little feud started.

This a well-publicized dispute started with 50 Cent claiming that a friend robbed Ja Rule of his jewelry and that Ja Rule accused him of setting it up.

However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because 50 did not like seeing him "getting so much love" from the neighborhood.

While at The Hit Factory studio in New York, the rappers had an altercation and some of Murder Inc. associates jumped 50. He was treated for three stitches after receiving a stab wound.

Rapper Black Child claimed responsibility for the stabbing, saying he acted in self-defense because he thought someone reached for a gun.

An affidavit by an IRS agent suggested that Murder Inc. had ties to Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a New York drug lord who was suspected of being involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of 50. An excerpt of the affidavit read:

The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was shot in 2000, survived and thereafter refused to cooperate with law enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the Murder Inc. pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder Inc. employees concerning the target.

In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule acknowledged his defeat against 50 Cent and stated that his new album, The Mirror, will not be continuing any past feuds that he has engaged in. He said: There was a lot of things I wanted to say, and I didn't want there to be any bitter records on the album. Because I'm not bitter about anything that happened [in the past few years].

In May 2011, it was confirmed that both Ja Rule and 50 Cent squashed the feud.

Ja Rule said "I’m cool. We ain't beefing no more. We’ll never collaborate. That’s just what it is. You don’t have to be at war with somebody, but it’s also kind of like U.S. and another country that they may not get along with. We don’t gotta go to war, but we’re not friends either. But we can coincide inside of a world. He’s doing him, and he’s not thinking about me, and I’m doing me and I’m not thinking about him."

Not so fast. HipHopDX reports that Ja still talking shit. Wonder when's 50 going to respond?

In a sitdown with VladTV, the washed up rapper opens up again about this issue with 50 Cent, Ja Rule explained his side of an infamous chain snatching incident and clarified that the G-Unit founder “had nothing to do with it.”

“He’s good at what he does,” Ja Rule said of 50 Cent early in the interview. “He tells stories. I call him MC Gusto, you ever seen CB4? That’s who he is in real life to me.”

“It had nothing to do with music, Hip Hop, Rap, none of that,” Ja Rule said before admitting that he gave up the chain when a gun when pointed at him. “Of course, I said, ‘Yeah, take it.' Nigga got a gun on you. Nigga with a gun is the winner. Hands down. The guy with the gun won. ‘Take that, hold on to that.’

“Anyway, so I guess the story got back in the hood and so 50 used that as his end, to have something to say about me,” he continued. “But it had nothing to with him. I didn’t even know you know this dude. His story is, ‘I seen him with Troy out and about and I got mad at him.’ Nigga you had nothing to do with it, why would I get mad at the guy next to the guy? His stories just don’t add up, they don’t make sense. But to an outside source, looking in listening, people don’t know what to believe.”

As you know, all the players from the feuds of yesterday are now on the bottom of the clearance bin.

See what 50 Cent done to them all.

50 Cent is on the independent circuit after leaving Interscope. He announced this year that he is done with Eminem and Dr. Dre after they held his garbage in the bin too long. It started to smell.

Seriously, his songs off the now shelved album Street King Immortal weren't charting. Even with Adam Levine, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Alicia Keys, Jeezy, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg on the tracks, Mr. Iovine wasn't seeing a profit. So instead of going into the studio to muster time to make hits, 50 decided to leave the label that made him rich. He jumps onto some off-shoot of Capitol Records.

50 Cent went on this rant about how Dre and Iovine screwed him. Mostly because his Slump headphones were passed by Apple. The Beats Audio put Dre in the billionaires club and Mr. Iovine formally left Interscope a very rich and powerful man.

Those outburst forced G-Unit entirely off Interscope. That also gave 50 a chance to reunite with his disgruntled members (minus Jayceon).

The Unit got back together and released a couple of sleepers but no hits. The Unit is formed with 50, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and former Cash Money artist Kidd Kidd.

Jayceon (by the name of Game) is acting like a total dickhead. Still trying to work out them differences with the Unit but still dissing. Buck tried to calm the feud but no dice. Game wants Blood.

Foolish rapper was dumped from Interscope after Jesus Piece sold less than 100,000 copies. Game tried to eat with Lil' Wayne and Baby. That didn't go so well.

Now Game is flipping burgers somewhere while trying to sell his Year of the Wolf album.

Of course, 50's proven a point. Back in 2005, 50 aired out problems with Game. He said that he's putting his shit out on Koch Records. I guess he's proven a point.

Game is signed to E1 Records (formerly known as Koch). Game stated that he'll sign Ja to his Blood Money label just to piss 50 off.