Former White House top cybersecurity official Tom Bossert reveals his new startup, Trinity. Its focus: "active threat inference."
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Monday, July 29, 2019
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Michael Jackson: MTV weighs removing name from award, report
Michael Jackson‘s legacy is still experiencing backlash from the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland.
As a result, MTV is contemplating removing Jackson’s name from its Video Vanguard Award for the Video Music Awards in August, reported the New York Post‘s Page Six.
READ MORE: Michelle Obama, Victor Blackwell respond to Trump’s racist Baltimore rant
“There’s a lot of heated discussion at the network about how to handle the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award this year, and it’s getting ugly,” a source told Page Six. “There’s talk about if they should change the name, or get rid of it altogether. [There’s also talk] about who would present it and who would accept it. It’s a mess.”
Leaving Neverland highlighted sexual-abuse allegations by two of Jackson’s former child protege’s Wade Robson and James Safechuck. In the documentary the men and their families described the relationships they had with Jackson, which included stories of how Jackson groomed these men to be sexual partners with him during their adolescence.
The Jackson estate denied the allegations and has since filed a $100 million lawsuit against HBO for violating a clause in a 1992 contract. The contract barred MTV from making “disparaging remarks” about Jackson, but HBO says the contract has expired.
The documentary aired in March, but Jackson’s legacy is still taking hits because of Robson and Safechuck’s allegations.
“MTV [potentially] banning his name is the latest fallout. They haven’t decided yet, but they’ve been going back and forth on it. There are a lot of issues,” a source told Page Six.
READ MORE: Black rag dolls created for abuse pulled from shelves
The VMA Video Vanguard award has recognized the accomplishments of artists, directors, and entertainers since 1984. Jackson’s work in music and his groundbreaking visuals, is what made the network rename the award the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 1991, according to Yahoo News.
The 2018 recipient of the Video Vanguard award was Jennifer Lopez, which the network released last July ahead of the August awards show. There has been no word on this years recipient.
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Lena Waithe signs major deal with Amazon
Lena Waithe has inked a deal with Amazon studios.
The news came at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Saturday. The booked and busy producer signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios, which is already locked in a two-season commitment with her for the horror anthology series THEM, according to Variety.
Waithe will also create and produce other original shows under the new Amazon deal, which was previously set up under a first-look deal at Showtime, the report noted.
READ MORE: Black rag dolls created for abuse pulled from shelves
“Lena is a powerhouse writer and producer who also has a gift for identifying exciting and authentic voices,” said head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke. “Our upcoming series THEM is the result of her rare ability to cultivate brilliant voices like Little Marvin and bring his wholly original and compelling vision to Amazon. We look forward to collaborating with Lena and her team for years to come.”
Waithe’s work on the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Master of None scored her an Emmy Award in 2017 for best writing for a comedy series.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership with Amazon Studios and am looking forward to this next chapter,” Waithe said, writes the entertainment news outlet. “Both of our goals are aligned in that we want to continue elevating storytellers who are underrepresented and have a unique vision of the world.”
She has created a production company called Hillman Grad that has several projects under its belt. THEM isn’t Waithe’s only project in the works. She also is the creator and executive producer of The Chi, a Showtime drama series, as well as BET’s Boomerang. Both series have been renewed.
She also created, wrote, and is the executive producer for a new BET comedy series Twenties. The company also has an upcoming Showtime pilot How to Make Love to a Black Woman and an Untitled Kid Fury Project at HBO.
Waithe’s film writing debut Queen & Slim, will be released in November. She has also previously produced Step Sisters and Dear White People.
READ MORE: Michelle Obama, Victor Blackwell respond to Trump’s racist Baltimore rant
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Black rag dolls, designed to be abused, pulled from shelves
So-called “Feel better dolls,” which resemble black rag dolls, have been removed from shelves at One Dollar Zone stores because of the racist message attached to the front.
The purpose of this doll was to get the owner to abuse it or even find a wall to “slam the doll” into when they were feeling down, the message says.
New Jersey state legislator Angela McKnight discovered the dolls at a store in Bayonne, N.J., and found them “offensive and disturbing on so many levels,” according to CNN.
McKnight also added in a statement on Facebook, “Racism has no place in the world and I will not tolerate it, especially not in this district. When I saw the doll in person, I cringed and was truly disheartened by the thought of a black child being beaten by another child or an adult for pure pleasure. To have a product depict or teach children that it is OK to hit another child, regardless of race, in order to feel good is sick. Dolls should be a symbol of love, care and affection.”
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis also chimed in by calling the dolls “insensitive” and praising the community for saying something about the dolls. He ended his post by saying, “We will not tolerate any symbol of hate and division within our community!”
One Dollar Zone’s President Ricky Shah said the company immediately pulled the dolls from the shelves after customers complained, CNN reported.
“One Dollar Zone deeply apologizes for this incident,” Shah said.
The controversial dolls weren’t bought individually, but came as part of an assorted 35,000 unit purchase. Workers try to vet all incoming items, but can’t catch everything, a Dollar Zone worker told CNN. The worker also noted that the doll comes not only in Black, but green and yellow as well.
The manufacturing company of the dolls is Harvey Hutter Co., headquartered just outside New York City, appears to have gone out of business, The Associated Press writes. The company’s website not longer exists and the phone numbers have since been disconnected
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Michelle Obama, Victor Blackwell respond to Trump’s racist Baltimore rant
Michelle Obama and CNN anchor Victor Blackwell both reacted to another racially charged twitter rant from Donald Trump.
The rant came Saturday after U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings criticized conditions of ICE and border patrol facilities along the Mexican border. Trump took to Twitter, and called Cummings’ Baltimore home district a “very dangerous & filthy place.”
Most of Cummings’ district is comprised of Baltimore, where about 62.8 percent of the city’s population is African-American, notes People.
READ MORE: Sheraton Atlanta linked to 11 new cases of Legionnaires Disease
Trump went on to say that Cummings is “shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous.”
Why is so much money sent to the Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there. Where is all this money going? How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2019
The tweets and somewhat baseless words about Baltimore shook up CNN anchor and Baltimore Native Victor Blackwell on Saturday.
During his show Saturday, Blackwell stated, “Donald Trump has tweeted more than 43,000 times. He’s insulted thousands of people, many different types of people. But when he tweets about infestation, it’s about black and brown people,” the New York Post wrote.
Blackwell used over 5 examples of Trump’s use of the word infested, which in every case had to do with people of color.
Drop everything you're doing and watch this….
cc: @VictorBlackwell pic.twitter.com/N9ZWttHSzd
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 27, 2019
Blackwell’s final response to the president was addressing Trump’s comment that no one wants to live in Baltimore. “You know who did, Mr. President? I did, from the day I was brought home from the hospital to the day I left for college, and a lot of people I care about still do.”
First Lady Michelle Obama also chimed in on the discussion, but in a bit more subtle way. She took time to give a shoutout to a Baltimore dance team for National Dance Day.
On #NationalDanceDay, I'm shouting out the Lethal Ladies, a Baltimore STEP team who I saw perform back in 2017. I’m so proud of you all—and everyone who’s dancing today! pic.twitter.com/U15Be9wSMs
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 27, 2019
READ MORE: Boston Celtics sign Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-7 center from Dakar, Senegal to its roster
Trump has tweeted about Blacks, Baltimore, racism, and Cummings from Saturday to Sunday. Here’s a look at some of the conversation.
.@RepCummings, why don’t you focus on your district!? pic.twitter.com/F3Ej0Z21PZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
So sad that Elijah Cummings has been able to do so little for the people of Baltimore. Statistically, Baltimore ranks last in almost every major category. Cummings has done nothing but milk Baltimore dry, but the public is getting wise to the bad job that he is doing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
….a look, the facts speak far louder than words! The Democrats always play the Race Card, when in fact they have done so little for our Nation’s great African American people. Now, lowest unemployment in U.S. history, and only getting better. Elijah Cummings has failed badly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know, that Elijah Cummings has done a terrible job for the people of his district, and of Baltimore itself. Dems always play the race card when they are unable to win with facts. Shame!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
The post Michelle Obama, Victor Blackwell respond to Trump’s racist Baltimore rant appeared first on theGrio.
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Black Founder Creates Meditation App for People of Color
Julio Rivera found a deep-seated need to connect to the wellness space. As an Afro-Latino, he found a practice that worked for him at the New York Insight Meditation Center. When that was taken away due to an intensive schedule, he felt extremely isolated which caused a sudden onset of anxiety that he wasn’t sure how to cope with.
After a thorough search, he discovered there wasn’t a platform out there that specifically met his needs. Rivera took his knowledge and background as a software engineer and created Liberate Meditation. It’s a meditation app for people of color built to provide empowerment and support.
The site states that it’s dedicated to empowering the black, indigenous, and people of color communities on their journey to find inner peace. Folks can sign up for free to access from instructors of color on their path through guided meditations and talks.
“We want to help empower people, not only to meditate but to show them that there’s something you can do about your suffering,” said Rivera in a statement. “We can help each other get free and be liberated.”
The platform showcases content that is specific to the black community. Topics range from dealing with microaggressions to cultivating loving-kindness for difficult people. There are specific chats from unique authors like Jan Willis who hosts dharma talks addressing the intersection of Buddhism and racism.
(Image: Liberate Meditation)
Users can select time frames for their practices that range from five to 20 minutes. They are then asked to rate their experience through the platform. “We continuously see how touched people are,” said Rivera. “A few people have mentioned in their ratings that they cried during their meditation and were able to release pent up emotions. To me, that makes all the challenges and sacrifices that come with building a business worth it. I want folks of color all over the world to know that they are not alone.”
Currently, Liberate Meditation is available for both Apple and Android.
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Black America Must Understand the Importance of Estate Planning
Prince passed on April 16, 2016; Bob Marley passed in 1981; Aretha Franklin passed Aug. 16, 2018, and as of this past April, John Singleton has passed on. These celebrities, and many others I haven’t named, all have something profound in common aside from their fame and race: none of them had efficient estate planning in place.
Passing on without a will or a current will in place turned their mourning periods into a frenzy of fighting families. The lack of a will is a social imbalance that affects many black Americans regardless of socioeconomic standing and/or level of fame, as the aforementioned celebrities’ estate issues reveal.
Financial Blunders of the Rich and Famous
The notion of celebrities dying without a will seems bizarre considering that after their deaths, their output continues to generate massive amounts of income. Think of Michael Jackson as an example. According to Reuters, from June 25, 2009—the day he passed—to June 25, 2010, his estate—including his music royalties, merchandising, licensing and more—brought in a staggering $1 billion in revenue.
However, Jackson had a will in place that allotted his robust financial returns to go to his children with his mother, Katherine Jackson, as the executor of his estate. There was never any risk of confusion or family members with ulterior motives attempting to gain access to an estate with a seemingly endless amount of capital.
On the other hand, Singleton, the Oscar-nominated director of such movies as Boyz N’ the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, and the recent FX series, Snowfall, is the latest example of a wealthy individual not having adequate estate planning in place. His alleged $35 million fortune is still being contested in court by his seven children, six of whom were not included in the will he created in 1993 when his eldest daughter, Justice Singleton, was born. According to his outdated will, Justice is the sole beneficiary of her father’s fortune. However, John Singleton’s mother, Sheila Ward, who is the executor of his estate, filed his will in probate court and listed his assets at only $3.8 million. Therefore, an additional $31 million of Singleton’s estate is unaccounted for.
Allegedly, Singleton set up a trust with other assets such as movie rights and other royalties, the value of which has yet to be determined, that doesn’t have to go through probate court. Therefore, inheritance issues involving those assets can be settled quickly, quietly, and more efficiently. Otherwise, the seven siblings are gearing up for a messy court battle that could be lengthy and also expensive. If Singleton’s will had been updated, preferably after each child was born, his offspring would have been financially protected and able to mourn their father in peace.
Available Information for Everyday People
What about everyday people who aren’t Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning celebrities? For us, living wills are just as important. End of life planning is something the black American community should incorporate into the conversations we have with our families.
According to Lori Anne Douglas, an estate planning and probate attorney based in New York, “Black Americans are 50% less likely to have a living will in place in comparison to other groups.”
“Estate planning,” she continues, “is much bigger than ‘You get this after I die’—it can be about setting our families up for the type of generational wealth that has long alluded our community. Having done this for 25 years and watched all the money that was lost in families because they didn’t have any planning, I am convinced that if the African American community got on the good foot and every black person who is alive over 60 did their estate planning, we’d be the richest minority group in the United States in one generation. We used to be the assets. Now we have assets.” (Douglas has more estate planning gems worthy of viewing, here).
Creating a will can be confusing for some. You may wonder; Do I need an attorney? Do I have to have a will notarized? What if I want to change my will? These are all valid questions. You also don’t need to be rich to have a will in place. Each state has its own requirements for how a will can be crafted and legitimized. But what most states have in common is that you can write a simple will, have it notarized and/or signed by two witnesses. This allows you to itemize exactly your wishes during your final days and after passing on. It also allows flexibility in updating estate plans when the need arises. Legalzoom.com also gives simple step-by-step instructions on what one can do to prepare a will without an attorney.
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3 Ways to Save When Buying a Car
Many businesses are working to reduce the financial impact on consumers due to Trump’s tariffs on China’s imports. However, they are still feeling the significant financial burden, which ultimately affects what consumers will pay, especially for automobiles. Purchasing a car is projected to get even more expensive. So, if you are in the market to buy a vehicle, get these three things done first to save when buying a car.
3 Ways to Save When Buying a Car
Get Pre-Approved
Before shopping for your next vehicle, the first question to answer is, “How much I can afford?” Do not allow the dealer’s finance department or bank to tell you how much you can afford. The reality is they both want you to borrow and spend as much as possible to increase their income. Most people shop for a vehicle and then rely on the dealer to secure financing. Financing through the dealership can be costly because it will be based on the cost of the car as well as the best deal the dealer will obtain from the financier.
To avoid an expensive payment that may become a financial hardship, get pre-approved for a loan based on the payment you can afford based on your budget. Once pre-approved, you will know how much money you will have to shop for a vehicle. This will also eliminate numerous financial institutions pulling your credit file, as well as minimize the chance of being lured into an overpriced car.
Get Prepared
There is nothing like the “new car” smell. It can be intoxicating as you test drive your dream car. So, get prepared by knowing these numbers.
Online car-buying sites like Vroom, Carvana, and Shift have inventory available for viewing online. Understanding the market price for vehicles will help you decide the best car for your budget. Once you have identified your desired vehicle, check the value of the vehicle using NADAguides or Kelley Blue Book to find its value. Also, use these sites to check the trade-in value of your car used toward your next car purchase. This information will be valuable when it comes time to negotiate.
Get Pre-Owned
The thought of being the first person to purchase that new vehicle can be exhilarating. However, when purchased new, a car loses at least 10% of its value when driven off the lot. Vehicles lose over 45% over the first three years of ownership, which means the value of the car will be less than the amount financed—called ‘negative equity.’
Buying a used or pre-owned vehicle with low miles gives you the vehicle you want, holds its value better, and can save you up to a few thousand dollars.
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