Social Blogger. Artist. Photographer. ShortFilmmaker. Small Business Entrepreneur. Closet Actress. Native New Yorker. Thanks for stopping by to read my post!
‘Argo’ won Best Picture at the The Oscars.Really? I just heard of the dang movie–what–a few weeks ago? The film is based on writer, Joshuah Bearman’s 2007 article in Wired: “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran”, written after the records were declassified. Seems intriguing enough, but I haven’t seen it. In fact, out of the 9 nominees for best pictures, I’ve only seen 1, wanted to see 4 others, never heard of 2, and was totally uninterested in 2…so I’m not even trying to do a review lol. Over the years my interest in Oscar winners has narrowed down to what producer(s) won Best Movie (Who are the guys that have big money or get big money to make big films?), who wins Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jennifer Lawrence ‘Silver Linings Playbook’. Didn’t see it but liked her in ‘ The Hunger Games’) and who gets Best Actor in a Leading Role, (Daniel Day-Lewis in ‘Lincoln”— the one movie I did see and enjoyed btw.) After that, I’m bored stupid. So…thats it! ♦
Turkish police are now looking for the man they suspect killed 33 y.o. New Yorker, Sarai Sierra. She was a tourist visiting alone in Turkey and was found dead on February 2, her body found near some ancient stone walls in Istanbul. Identified only as “Ziya T” police are looking for the suspect in his hometown in the southern province of Hatay where he has some family. May justice be swift and merciless! I see that her family is selling her photographs online on a website called Instacanvas to help support her two sons, ages 9 and 11. According to a family friend, Marjorie Ryan, the money was originally intended to pay for Sierra’s funeral services, but “the funeral home has now agreed to take on the costs.” she said. Turkish Airlines is also transporting her body home for free. That should ease Sarai’s soul just a bit. ♦
Linor Abargil is an Israeli national, who was crowned Miss World in 1998 just two months after she was kidnapped and raped in Italy at 18 y.o. Her story is documented in a film called, “Brave Miss World”, director by the daughter of the great actor Gregory Peck‘s (Remember ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’?), Cecilia Peck. Now as a global advocate in the fight against sexual violence, Abargil is on a mission to reach out to fellow survivors spending the last three years traveling the world talking about what happened to her, and urging others to speak. On her blog page Linor Speaks Out, Abargil explains,
“The only way we can help each other and make a change in our society is by telling our stories.”
The amazing survival stories are as horrifying as any war torn hero’s experience you may have heard and are hard to listen to. However, once you get through them, you feel strengthened and comforted by these women and young girl’s strength and will to survive. And there will be crying. ♦
‘scroo-gleverb: 1. The process of Google going through every Gmail that’s sent or received by you and to you, looking for keywords in which to target you with paid ads’
And there’s no way to opt out of this invasion of your privacy, other than to not use Google as your search engine, of course.
“There is what I call the creepy line. The Google policy on a lot of things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.” says Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.
Admitting to it only makes it even more creepier, Mr. Schmidt.
See, what Google Gmail apparently does is use the system it has to scan your email in order to identify spam or viruses, to also pickup on keywords in your mail to show ads that may or may not be relevant to you. Umm–anyone the least bit surprised by this, please raise your hand. Did your Mama not tell you that there ain’t nothing free in this world chile’? Microsoft’s Outlook.com’s advertising attempts to differentiate itself from Google with ads claiming they’d never go through your email to sell ads. No word yet on exactly how they plan to get around that statement. ♦
Everything you care about most is on the new Start screen. Tiles on the Start screen are connected to people, apps, folders, photos, or websites, and are alive with the latest info, so you’re up to date at a glance.
Mouse, keyboard—and now touch
Windows 8 is perfect for PCs with only a mouse and keyboard, those with touchscreens, and those with both. Whatever kind of PC you have, you’ll discover fast and fluid ways to switch between apps, move things around, and go smoothly from one place to another.
New PCs
There are amazing new PCs of all kinds, including sleek and lightweight tablets, convertibles, and laptops.
Apps from the Windows Store
Windows 8 comes with a new store for apps, the Windows Store. Open the Store right from your Start screen to browse and download apps for cooking, photos, sports, news, and a lot more—many of them free.
Millions of streaming songs
Windows 8 also includes the Xbox Music app, which gives you access to a whole world of music.
Your Windows, everywhere
Sign in with your Microsoft account to any of your PCs running Windows 8 and you’ll immediately see your own background, display preferences, and settings.
The familiar made better
The desktop
The desktop that you’re used to—with its taskbar, folders, and icons—is still here and better than ever, with a new taskbar and streamlined file management.
Security
Stay up to date and more secure with Windows Defender, Windows Firewall, and Windows Update.
.
Speed
Windows 8 starts up faster, switches between apps faster, and uses power more efficiently than Windows 7.
Why download Windows 8?
It goes where you go
Your pictures, files, and settings are easily synced through the cloud, so you can get to what you need almost anywhere.
.
It plays as hard as it works
Windows 8 gives you the power to quickly browse, watch movies, play games, polish your resume, and pull together a killer presentation—all on a single PC.
.
You keep all your files
If your PC is running Windows 7, your files, apps, and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8.
,
You keep familiar programs
Programs that run on Windows 7 will run on Windows 8.
Meet Windows RT
Exclusively on new PCs
In addition to Windows 8, there’s a version of Windows called Windows RT that runs on some tablets and PCs. These lightweight PCs have fantastic battery life, and are a great option for doing stuff on the go. You can’t install Windows RT on your current PC. You can only get it by buying a Windows RT PC.
.
Includes a special version of Office
Windows RT comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 RT. This version of Office is optimized for touchscreens and automatically updates so you always have the latest version.
.
Exclusively runs Windows Store apps
Windows RT only runs apps that you download from the Windows Store, and also has great built-in apps like Mail, People, Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive, Music, and Video, so you can stay in touch and have fun.
Chilean-born, New York-based writer, photographer Camilo Jose Vergara has been travelling across the US since 1970, photo documenting street portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King jr.
Having discovered the many hand painted murals done by local artists on neighborhood walls of car repair shops, alleyways, barbershop and the like, Vargas noticed a consistent theme of this this folk art whether it be in a Latino, Native American or Asian neighborhood,
“Over time I became interested in learning why these images are so pervasive. I feel that they reflect a significant cultural phenomenon: the rise of Dr. King as a central moral figure in poor neighborhoods, and his elevation to secular sainthood as the savior of dispossessed African Americans. His varied representations, often based on photographs taken from the national media, express poor people’s perceptions.” Camilo Vergara
Photographer Camilo Jose Vergara interviewed by NPR
So you know you can’t complete your celebration of Black History Month without first paying a visit to the famed African Slave Burial Ground Memorial in NYC. In May of 1991 the burial ground, widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American archeological finds of the twentieth century, was discovered in lower Manhattan during construction for a municipal building. The discovery significantly raised public awareness of colonial African heritage in the area. For instance, I’ve learned that New York had more enslaved Africans than any other port north of the Caribbean except Charleston, South Carolina. With nearly two decades dedicated to documenting and interpreting data from the site, in October of 2003 the remains of 419 individuals excavated from the site were reinterred during a ceremony called the Rites of Ancestral Return. Followed by a series of events and ceremonies honoring the dead, and the grounds being named a national monument, actvities culminated in the 2007 unveiling of a permanent on-site memorial. Dr. Michael L. Blakey, a physical anthropologist now at William & Mary College, was the scientific director of the African Burial Ground Project. He said of the unveiling,
“It was a good day. I certainly felt that I was nearing the end of a very long, difficult journey with the African Burial Ground that brought me and all of the other researchers very close to the individual and collective stories of the people whose remains we were there to bury. It also brought us close to people in all walks of life who shared that journey with us.”
And yes, the admission is free, like many National Parks are. Our tax dollars at work for something we know is worthwhile for a change. ♦
News Flash: in the event of a Sequester, your air travel holiday plans may be seriously interrupted! We can all agree that the whole air travel experience these days is no picnic, and outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says it could get worse if the sequester isn’t averted. If Republicans don’t get back to the negotiating table to hammer out a deal, the proposed cuts indicated in the plan will eliminate $600 million from the Federal Aviation Administration resulting in more than 100 air traffic control towers closing down. Expect more delays, cuts in service, cancelled flights and waiting in lines longer than the distance to the sunny tranquil beaches you’re trying to get too. Once again President Obama reached out to Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday, to try and stress the need to continue negotiations, but as usual, his calls went unheeded. Better start calling your congressman ASAP pilgrims. ♦
Want to know what the GOP’s latest attempt to take back women is? Welcome to hashtag #LiberalTips2AvoidRape on Twitter created by conservative mystery blogger SooperMexican. See, it all started with first-term Democrat, Joe Salazar, who, when debating a bill on banning gun-toting students on college campuses, was presented with a counter argument that women could use guns to defend themselves from possible rapists. Salazar’s response was,
That’s why “we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. Because you don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody.”
I can see how he made himself an open target with that statement, can’t you? In enters SooperMexican, who wishing to remain anonymous, said in a telephone interview that he thought what Salazar said was condescending to women and responded with this one tweet under the hashtag which got the proverbial ball rolling,
Conservatives jumped all over it and within 24 hours the hashtag racked up 25,000 tweets! Here’s just a slice of some of the responses…
This past Monday, Salazar issued a formal apology for his statement saying,
“I deeply apologize for how people have taken the statement. It’s not reflective of the point I wanted to make. I certainly know that women know how to defend themselves and know how to discern a threat. I was trying to explain that more guns on campus doesn’t mean that campuses are any safer. I used a really bad example and I apologize for it.”
Ok. Now disappear for a while Joe. ♦
Our favorite FLOTUS here at Ezkool.com, Michelle Obama, appeared on the zany ‘Jimmy Fallon Show’ last night! Along with the madcap skits, Jimmy did take time out to put a serious question to The Lady,
“What fresh new hell is this?” you’re probably wondering. Would you believe its a math homework assignment that was to be given out to kids in the fourth grade at NYC school P.S. 59? It would have been, if not for the conscientiousness of student teacher Aziza Harding, who was told by the teacher in-charge of the class to hand out the assignment but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Ms.Harding reported the teacher’s assignment to one of her professors at NYU, where she’s a graduate student. He swiftly brought it to the attention of the school’s principal who wrote back saying she was ‘appalled’ and after that things went really viral. The Department of Education released this statement,
“This is obviously unacceptable and we will take appropriate disciplinary action against these teachers. The Chancellor spoke to the principal, and she has already taken steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
And upon hearing the story on the news, State Senator Simcha Felder, who is the chairman of the New York City Education Sub-Committee, emailed this statement,
“While the city, state and unions are busy haggling over teacher evaluations, New York City’s students are being subjected to reprehensible and irresponsible educational materials. I am calling for the immediate removal of these two (?) teachers.”
FYI: No word yet on the name of the teacher! They probably have her in hiding for her own safety. ♦
Which leads to my next story…
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, failed to reach a deal on a new system for evaluating 75,000 public school teachers, putting the city in danger of losing out on $450 million in state and federal money along with raising the possibility of cuts to staff and programs. The mayor boo-hooed about how tragic this impass was for public school children and Mulgrew is now mumbling under his breathe about a strike. WTF! The teachers’ union has been working without a contract since just before Mr. Bloomberg hijacked…oh, excuse me, I meant was reelected in 2009, a campaign in which the union declined to endorse a candidate (ie: not Bloomberg). The UFT are hoping for a more friendly administration next year, and are being heavily courted by several Democratic candidates for mayor. A professor of political science at Hunter College, Kenneth S. Sherrill says this:
“The fact of the matter is that as long as a Democrat wins, the union is better off, and I think that holds for all public employees. There is a long tradition of this.”
An endorsement for a Democrat if I ever heard one. To be continued…♦
So, some researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine think they’ve come up with biological evidence supporting the idea that women talk more than men. The assertion is that the average woman speaks about 20,000 words a day, while the average man manages gets in about 7,000 words in between women flapping their gums.The new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience says that women have a higher level of some protein in our brains called, get this — FOXP2, nicknamed the “language protein.” Bunk all that I say! You wanna know the real reason why women talk almost 3x as much as men? Because the first two times we try to tell you something you’re not listening. See…, you guys aren’t even listening now! Thar’s one… ♦
I love it when the ‘wave of the future’ comes splashing right up to my wiggling toes! Today it comes in the form of a company called SkyVegetables, headed by CEO Bob Fireman. Based on a simple concept utilizing otherwise wasted space on big rooftops to grow fresh vegtables, it can be utilized on supermarkets, schools, public housing, anywhere there’s a roof and a need for easy access to fresh, wholesome food. Rooftopm farms are self sustaining, complexes using solar energy, rainwater catchment, wind turbines and living-machine style aquaponics, all functioning 24/7, 365 days a year in all weather conditions. Affordable housing developer Les Bluestone has taken this concept one step further by incorporating affordable housing and sustainable living sky farms with the newly built Bronx, NYC residence called Arbor House. The nearly $38 million housing complex has 124 units of affordable housing and will feature a hydroponic rooftop farm for growing fresh vegetables. Fireman says,
“Local, fresh, nutritious food is what the people of the cities need. And there is no reason why we can’t turn all of these rooftops into living farms.”
“THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILL-ARYS!” No need to worry about Hillary Clinton and how she’ll make ends meet after quitting her day job. Her gig as Secretary of State segues right into a career in the public speaker circuit where its estimated she could pull in anywhere from $250,000 to $750, 000 a pop! Considered one of the most admired people in the world, Hillary can parlay this into a pretty nifty retirement package if she plays her cards right. Then, who needs the white house in 2016? ♦
Its on record that John Boehner and his bunch approved of the sequester idea, if they and Democrats didn’t come up with a budget plan for the first fiscal period of 2013. They approved of it! Now, Boehner is going around saying that ‘No, I didn’t approve a sequester because’ quote, ” …it threatens US national security, thousands of jobs and more” and is bad, bad, bad! So what part of “on record” doesn’t he get? He now wants the record to show that he and the GOP will allow the $1.2 trillion sequester cuts to go into effect unless President Obama and Democrats agree to make some deep cuts to entitlement programs. Highly unlikely JB. If Boehner thinks the blame for the activation of the automatic cuts, which can go into effect in 9 short days, will be placed on the President’s head, then either he and his party were not paying attention to who won the election for POTUS this past November or they’re certified members of the walking dead, in which case they’ll be excused for not knowing who won on accounta them being brain-dead and all. In this late stage of the game, Republicans are trying to drag the country back to square one. In-sane. ♦
The Independent Party has selected Adolfo Carrion, the former borough president of the Bronx, as their candidate for mayor. Formally a Democrat and member of the Obama Administration, Carrion now has an official spot on the ballot this fall as an Independent. His strategy, he says, will be to target NYers who aren’t Democrats or Republicans and who suffer from voter apathy, having never voted at all. Carrion says that less than 30% of the electorate actually shows up to vote. Pull that one off my friend and I guarantee you, there will be a spot for you in the White House! Adolfo Carrion joins the ranks ofMichael Bloomberg, George Pataki, Andrew Cuomo, Eric Schneiderman, Kirsten Gillibrand, all successful switch hitters to the Independent Party. ♦
A new play at the Lincoln Center, writtenby Kirsten Greenidge (Bossa Nova, Milk Like Sugar),“Luck of The Irish” chronicles an upwardly mobile African-American couple who want to buy a home in an all-white neighborhood of 1950’s Boston, but due to that wonderful era in America’s history, black folks realized that their brown faces automatically made them ineligible to buy homes in certain parts of the country. The couple hatch a scheme to pay a struggling Irish family to “ghost-buy” a house on their behalf in order to get their piece of the American Dream. Ms Greenidge writes:
“Ghost buying was how my grandparents bought their house in a predominantly white town in the 1950s. The American dream is that you should be able to provide a home for your family. But often, if you are ‘other’ – poor, of color, what-have-you – there are forces conspiring against you. I am more than slightly obsessed with recognizing how race and class intersect – and they always do in America.” -Kirsten Greenidge
This historically went on quite often and was still risky business once the family showed up at their new home with a moving van. Aaahh, what people wouldn’t do for liberty, freedom and justice for all, huh? Anyway, fifty years later it backfires, and the Irish family wants “their” house back. Wow! One of stars of the show is Victor Williams who plays Deacon Palmer, Doug Heffernan friend on the tv show “Kings of Queens” (I love that show. ) Tickets for “Luck of The Irish” are on sale now so support an indie and go check it out.♦
Besides being quite possibly the kindest sign of the zodiac, Pisces are dreamy, mysterious, and very endearing to all who meet them. There’s something of an otherworldly, indescribable quality to them that tends to attract others. While submissive Pisces will get along with most people, they definitely appreciate certain personalities more than others.
Open up to your Pisces friend or acquaintance without any fear or holding anything back. Pisces is a very emotional and intuitive sign and has a knack for being able to sympathize and understand where others are coming from. If you are already close, this is the obvious choice when deciding who to go to for a shoulder to lean on (or to cry on.)
Protect him from individuals who might try to manipulate him or take advantage of him. A Pisces has a very hard time spotting those who might have negative or selfish intentions because they are naive and off in their own dream worlds. They don’t always understand the harsh, cold realities of the real world. Therefore, it’s a smart idea to watch their backs and bring such situations or people to their attention.
Give your Pisces friend a jump-start if you notice her falling into a state of laziness or apathy. Because they are so creative and artistic, they loathe the concept of demanding assignments and the grueling monotony of the 9 to 5 existence. Nevertheless, avoiding these things is obviously not good for them. Sometimes they just need a little reminder to get them moving.
Make sure you don’t let your friend spiral into a pattern of escapism. This can manifest in many forms, but it often shows up as disappearing into novels, video games, alcohol, or drug abuse for long periods of time. While indulging in these activities can be healthy to some extent, Pisces has a habit of becoming addicted to things that let them escape from this reality. This can have disastrous results on all areas of their lives. If necessary, unplug the Wii or take the bottle away.
Return all of the good deeds and favors that your friend offers you. Pisces is eternally giving and selfless by nature, and rarely asks for anything in return. This too often leads to them not getting as much back. To be a truly good friend to a Pisces, offer her the same amount of support that she has given to you.
The science behind 350.org can be found in their mission statement which reads:
“350 means climate safety. To preserve our planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number—it’s a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.”
Last September they organized “Moving Planet” — a massive day of action to find alternatives to fossil fuels. They also credit themselves with helping lead the campaign to stop the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline from happening.
The grassroots organization thinks they can turn the tide on the climate crisisby establishing an international movement that forces world leaders to be accountable for the damage and responsible for finding environmentally friendly solutions to reduce the harmful effects of pollution. Sounds like a noble, worthy cause, doesn’t it? Well, Donor’s Trust doesn’t.
The think–tank spends an inordinate amount of money and time trying discredit the science behind climate change. Their mission statement reads a bit differently:
“Explicitly devoted to supporting organizations that promote liberty, Donors Trust alone can commit to honor and defend the charitable intent of donors who share in our mission. The Trust is working to help alleviate, through education, research, and private initiative, society’s most pervasive and radical needs, including those relating to social welfare, health, the environment, economics, governance, foreign relations, and arts and culture; and to encourage philanthropy and individual giving and responsibility, as opposed to governmental involvement, as an answer to society’s needs.”
Pretty much the opposite of 350, Donors Trust’s rich, conservative, anonymous ‘well-doers‘, prefer to fund such groups as The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, which runs the website Climate Depot, created exclusively to attack environmentalists and scientist who take on global warming. Well, a wisewoman once said, “You’ll never realize the good that you do, until a negative force attempts to suppress you.”
Okay, I said it, but its still a good saying. Carry on 350. ♦
In his State of the Borough address on Tuesday, Bronx Borough President Reuben Diaz touted what he says is the climatic change in economic progress happening in that borough right now. Affectionately called Da Bronx by some New Yorkers, this area of NYC has had its share of bad raps–some deservedly, some not–with high crime, suspicious firebombings of real estate property and an overall badass-itude ( use to live up by the Grand Concourse on Morris Avenue. Street cred for real lol!). But Diaz says the borough,which saw more than $1.7 billion in new investments last year, is taking a turn for the better, lowering its crime rate and welcoming a number of large-scale projects, from new housing to an indoor mall to a Marriott Hotel, the first brand name hotel in the borough.
In the area of education, Diaz is pushing to build a six-year high school that he hopes will give young people who graduate a boost in getting high-paying science and tech jobs. Assuring that there will be even more progress to report at the next State of the Borough address, Diaz also let it be known that he plans to run for re-election. He’d get my vote! ♦
I want to start a campaign to bring Byron Allen‘s now defunct ‘Comics Unleashed’ to prime time television! Airing back in 2006, each show featured five hilarious (most times) comedians discussing everything from pop culture to entertainment, ad-lib! Caught the show at 3am this morning and had to stifle my laughs before my neighbors called the cops on me. Too. funny! Check out the segment I caught last night (excuse the bad audio) which originally aired… I-don’t-know-when lol!: ♦
The Hurry Cane (that name is definitely cute). You’ve seen the commercial on tv with the even cuter senior citizens exalting how this magic stick has enriched their lives, all within the time it takes for the fold up cane to be removed from the pocketbook and expanded to a full size stand-alone support apparatus. Hope there’s no hidden dangers or drawbacks in the thing because I intend to buy two or three of them and sock them away for my impending ‘Golden Years’–you know, just in case the whole “I-intend-to-stay-healthy-and-strong-til-the-day-I-die” thing doesn’t work out. Best to get one now just in case they disappear off the market like the Today’s SpongeContraceptive. I’m still investigating that btw. Best damn contraception ever created in my opinion. ♦
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By agreeing to this, we can analyze browsing behavior and unique IDs on this site. Declining or revoking consent may affect certain features.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
