2nd whistleblower may give House Democrats fresh information

By ERIC TUCKER, RICHARD LARDNER and JILL COLVIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine may have fresh information to work with after a new whistleblower stepped forward with what the person’s lawyer said was firsthand knowledge of key events.

With Congress out for another week and many Republicans reticent to speak out, a text from attorney Mark Zaid that a second individual had emerged and could corroborate the original whistleblower’s complaint gripped Washington and potentially heightened the stakes for Trump.

Zaid, who represents both whistleblowers, told The Associated Press that the new whistleblower works in the intelligence field and has spoken to the intelligence community’s internal watchdog.

The original whistleblower, a CIA officer, filed a formal complaint with the inspector general in August that triggered the impeachment inquiry. The document alleged that Trump had used a July telephone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate a political rival, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, prompting a White House cover-up.

The push came even though there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the former vice president or his son, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Trump and his supporters deny that he did anything improper, but the White House has struggled to come up with a unified response.

A second whistleblower with direct knowledge could undermine efforts by Trump and his allies to discredit the original complaint. They have called it politically motivated, claimed it was filed improperly and dismissed it as unreliable because it was based on secondhand or thirdhand information.

A rough transcript of Trump’s call with Zelenskiy, released by the White House, has already corroborated the complaint’s central claim that Trump sought to pressure Ukraine on the investigation.

Text messages from State Department officials revealed other details, including that Ukraine was promised a visit with Trump if the government would agree to investigate the 2016 election and a Ukrainian gas company tied to Biden’s son — the outline of a potential quid pro quo.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said word of a second whistleblower indicates a larger shift inside the government.

“The president’s real problem is that his behavior has finally gotten to a place where people are saying, ‘Enough,'” Himes said.

Democrats have zeroed in on the State Department in the opening phase of their impeachment investigation. The Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees have already interviewed Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine who provided the text messages, and least two other witnesses are set for depositions this week: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, and Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly ousted as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in May.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s most vocal backers, provided perhaps the strongest defense of the Republican president. He said there was nothing wrong with Trump’s July conversation with Zelenskiy and said the accusations look like a “political setup.”

As for Trump, rather than visiting his nearby golf course in Sterling, Virginia, for a second day, he stayed at the White House on Sunday, where he tweeted and retweeted, with the Bidens a main target.

“The great Scam is being revealed!” Trump wrote at one point, continuing to paint himself as the victim of a “deep state” and hostile Democrats.

Aside from Trump’s attempt to pressure Zelenskiy, the July call has raised questions about whether Trump held back near $400 million in critical American military aid to Ukraine as leverage for an investigation of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.

Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Ukraine. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.

Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, wrote in The Washington Post that he had a message for Trump and “those who facilitate his abuses of power. … Please know that I’m not going anywhere. You won’t destroy me, and you won’t destroy my family.”

Additional details about the origins of Trump’s July 25 call with Zelenskiy have emerged over the weekend.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry had encouraged Trump to speak with the Ukrainian leader, but on energy and economic issues, according to spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes. She said Perry’s interest in Ukraine is part of U.S. efforts to boost Western energy ties to Eastern Europe.

Trump, who has repeatedly has described his conversation with Zelenskiy as “perfect,” told House Republicans on Friday night that it was Perry who teed up the July call, according to a person familiar with Trump’s comments who was granted anonymity to discuss them. The person said Trump did not suggest that Perry had anything to do with the pressure to investigate the Bidens.

Himes appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” while Graham spoke on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
___
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

The post 2nd whistleblower may give House Democrats fresh information appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/33evZ4K
via

Gregg Schoof, US pastor, arrested in Rwanda for 'illegal' meeting

Gregg Schoof's evangelical radio station was banned in Rwanda last year over a controversial sermon.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/35b8ECC
via

University of Kansas apologizes for Snoop Dogg’s stripper-pole performance

If you don’t know that Snoop Dogg parties like a rockstar and brings the heat, booty-shaking ladies, some Gin and Juice and sometimes lights one too when he rolls through, now you know.

—Snoop Dogg and family mourn baby grandson’s death—

At least that’s what the University of Kansas learned after they invited the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Gin and Juice” hit-maker to perform for the “Late Night in the Phog” preseason celebration, but ultimately apologized Friday night for the raunchiness that accompanied his show.

Snoop got on the mic and rocked it, belting out all his jams during his 35-minute performance at the Allen Fieldhouse. But show officials who booked apparently were surprised when concertgoers were treated to ladies dancing on stripper poles, dropping it and doing splits in bootylicious mini shorts. And snoop made it rain when fake money was shot into the crowd.

For some reason the school expected Snoop Dogg to deliver a clean performance.

“We apologize to anyone who was offended by the Snoop Dogg performance at Late Night. We made it clear to the entertainers’ managers that we expected a clean version of the show and took additional steps to communicate to our fans, including moving the artist to the final act of the evening, to ensure that no basketball activities would be missed if anyone did not want to stay for his show,” the said Kansas athletic director Jeff Long in a statement to the Kansas City Star.

“I take full responsibility for not thoroughly vetting all the details of the performance and offer my personal apology to those who were offended. We strive to create a family atmosphere at Kansas and fell short of that this evening,” Long added.

Snoop on the other hand thanked the school on Instagram for allowing him to do what he’s known to do.

“Thank. U for letting me be me. This is America,” he captioned the post.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Thank. U for letting me be me 👊🏿💥💙🏀🙏🏽. This is America

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Oct 5, 2019 at 2:29pm PDT

The post University of Kansas apologizes for Snoop Dogg’s stripper-pole performance appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2MhIkOy
via

Aston Villa 'disgusted' by fans' racist chant at Norwich game

Aston Villa say they are "disgusted and appalled" by footage of supporters singing a racist song which references two first-team players.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2Vm6FXN
via

Most Deepfakes Are Porn, and They're Multiplying Fast

Researchers worry that doctored videos may disrupt the 2020 election, but a new report finds that 96 percent of deepfakes are pornographic.

from Wired https://ift.tt/35ec3Au
via

Star Wars News: 'The Rise of Skywalker' Won't Retcon 'Last Jedi'

J.J. Abrams says he never found himself "trying to repair anything" while working on the forthcoming movie.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2VkEicb
via

Airbnb Wants to Send You to Antarctica. Don't Fall for It

The company is seeking five volunteers to go collect snow samples, but the stunt looks more like advertising than actual science.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2nnYltN
via

Killing "Dead-End Jobs" Only Hurts Us

Opinion: We can't let automation eliminate "on-ramp" jobs, which offer experience, education, and connections.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2AVif2l
via

50 Cent set to produce docuseries about Tekashi69’s rise and fall

50 Cent is launching a docuseries project that will give the low down on some of his industry friends like Snoop Dogg and foes like Tekashi 6ix9ine.

— Cardi B’s post-indictment Instagram photo teases new movie ‘Hustlers’—

The rapper who is known for his petty trolls of celebrities is reportedly producing “A Moment in Time” and putting Tekashi’s short-lived rap career on blast, chronicling his rise and unceremonious fall from grace, TMZ reports.

Tekashi turned into a federal informant against Nine Trey Blood gang members and other rappers, something some celebs have dogged him out for.

The docuseries will feature 6 to 8 hour-long episodes that will also highlight Snoop Dogg during a difficult time centered around his murder trial, at the height of his career when “Doggystyle” was the highest-selling hip-hop album in the country.

Also featured will be music producer Scott Storch, former NBA star Rafer Alston and 50 Cent.

50 Cent is never one to hold his tongue so we have to see how this docuseries plays out. But from his past transgressions, we’re pretty sure it’ll be just as petty as his checkered past confrontations.

Let’s not forget that 50 once called out his own “Power” co-star Rotimi for owing him $300k.

—Tekashi 6ix9ine plans to decline witness protection and resume his rap career after prison—

And the G-Unit rapper used his Instagram account as a part-time collections agency, where over the past year, he has put on blast the likes of Bow Wow, Young Buck, Teairra Mari, Power executive producer Randall Emmett as well as series co-star Rotimi, Jackie Long, Biz Markie, and Adrien Broner.

Surely Tekashi’s episode will be one to watch!

The post 50 Cent set to produce docuseries about Tekashi69’s rise and fall appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2VjC398
via

Outrage after Black man sentenced to 10 days in jail for missing jury duty

A 21-year-old Florida man was penalized with a 10-day jail sentence after he overslept and missed attending jury duty.

—Amber Guyger: Key witness in murder conviction slain outside home—

Deandre Somerville said he has never been arrested and yet faced criminal charges after Judge John Kastrenakis sentenced him to 10 days in jail, one year of probation and 150 hours of community service for failing to show up for a schedule court case, The NY Daily News reports.

According to the judge, Somerville “inconvenienced the court” for at least 45 minutes, and that rubbed the judge the wrong way. Somerville explains that he was chosen as a juror earlier this year and the case started on Aug. 21 but he didn’t wake up until 11:30a a.m.—two hours too late to attend, he thought.

Instead, Somerville who works in an after-school programs for the City of West Palm Beach and Recreation Department, went to work for his afternoon shift thinking that it was pointless to try to attend the trial at that point.

“At work, I was looking at my phone thinking, ‘What’s the worst-case scenario that could happen?’” Somerville recalled. “I thought maybe I would get a fine or something like that.”

While at work, Somerville said he received an urgent call from his grandmother alerting him that police were at the door. His grandfather then urged him to get to the court, where he said he was arrested after he explained to the judge about the delay.

“They handcuffed me in courtroom after that,” Somerville said.

—‘Deeply disturbing’ video of Black teen being arrested at UPS under investigation—

Somerville was also ordered to write an apology letter to judge Kastrenakis who then reduced his probation and community service hours.

After outrage following the sentence, the judge however stood his ground defending the time Somerville served implying that it fit his “crime.”

“I came to conclusion it was deserving of punishment,” Kastrenakis told CNN. “Good people make bad mistakes.”

According to CNN, instead of a year of probation, Somerville will now serve just three months, according to court records. His 150 hours of community service were reduced to 30 hours, which includes reporting to the jury office once a week to give a 10-minute talk on the importance of jury duty.

Somerville’s public defender asked the judge to throw out the case, according to WPTV.

Court records show the judge withheld Somerville’s conviction, and the station reported that the judge said he would entertain a motion in the future to drop the charge.

The post Outrage after Black man sentenced to 10 days in jail for missing jury duty appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2MiCeO1
via

We Asked Author Shea Serrano What Movies Must Be Made

Hollywood needs ideas. We asked the leader of the #FOHArmy what movies he'd make if he ran a studio.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2Iv3QhC
via

Tespo Connect Review: A Noisy, Messy Failure

Tespo's machine dispenses personalized vitamins, but it's not worth the counter space.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2LUsE4O
via

The Nobel Prize in Medicine Goes to Your Body’s Oxygen Detector

Three scientists won the award for uncovering the molecular switch that regulates how cells behave when oxygen levels drop.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2AOmGfF
via

The Style Maven Astrophysicists of Silicon Valley

You know who knows machine learning? People who look at the stars all day. And when it comes to what constellations of clothes and shows and music you will like, some of the same principles apply.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2pKFw4O
via

Today’s Cartoon: Ghosted

He died as he lived.

from Wired https://ift.tt/359mAgl
via

The Ties That Bind Facebook's Libra

Facebook says its cryptocurrency will be managed by an independent group, but an analysis finds more than half of the members have links back to the social media giant.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2Itz88M
via

Tacko Fall: Tallest active NBA player bids for success in debut season

Meet NBA newcomer Tacko Fall, the 7ft 5in 23-year-old who only stepped on to a basketball court seven years ago.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/35c4avB
via

The Kenyans demanding reparations over colonial land evictions

Kenyans forcibly evicted from their land by British colonisers in the 1930s are demanding reparations.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2IvB14H
via

Rwandan forces 'kill 19 terrorists' in retaliatory attack

Police say it was in retaliation for an attack on Friday by ethnic Hutu rebels in northern Rwanda.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/335cpHV
via

Scientists observe a single quantum vibration under ordinary conditions

When a guitar string is plucked, it vibrates as any vibrating object would, rising and falling like a wave, as the laws of classical physics predict. But under the laws of quantum mechanics, which describe the way physics works at the atomic scale, vibrations should behave not only as waves, but also as particles. The same guitar string, when observed at a quantum level, should vibrate as individual units of energy known as phonons.

Now scientists at MIT and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have for the first time created and observed a single phonon in a common material at room temperature.

Until now, single phonons have only been observed at ultracold temperatures and in precisely engineered, microscopic materials that researchers must probe in a vacuum. In contrast, the team has created and observed single phonons in a piece of diamond sitting in open air at room temperature. The results, the researchers write in a paper published today in Physical Review X, “bring quantum behavior closer to our daily life.”

“There is a dichotomy between our daily experience of what a vibration is — a wave — and what quantum mechanics tells us it must be — a particle,” says Vivishek Sudhir, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “Our experiment, because it is conducted at very tangible conditions, breaks this tension between our daily experience and what physics tells us must be the case.”

The technique the team developed can now be used to probe other common materials for quantum vibrations. This may help researchers characterize the atomic processes in solar cells, as well as identify why certain materials are superconducting at high temperatures. From an engineering perspective, the team’s technique can be used to identify common phonon-carrying materials that may make ideal interconnects, or transmission lines, between the quantum computers of the future.

“What our work means is that we now have access to a much wider palette of systems to choose from,” says Sudhir, one of the paper’s lead authors.

Sudhir’s co-authors are Santiago Tarrago Velez, Kilian Seibold, Nils Kipfer, Mitchell Anderson, and Christophe Galland, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

“Democratizing quantum mechanics”

Phonons, the individual particles of vibration described by quantum mechanics, are also associated with heat. For instance, when a crystal, made from orderly lattices of interconnected atoms, is heated at one end, quantum mechanics predicts that heat travels through the crystal in the form of phonons, or individual vibrations of the bonds between molecules.

Single phonons have been extremely difficult to detect, mainly because of their sensitivity to heat. Phonons are susceptible to any thermal energy that is greater than their own. If phonons are inherently low in energy, then exposure to higher thermal energies could trigger a material’s phonons to excite en masse, making detection of a single photon a needle-in-a-haystack endeavor.

The first efforts to observe single phonons did so with materials specially engineered to harbor very few phonons, at relatively high energies. These researchers then submerged the materials in near-absolute-zero refrigerators Sudhir describes as “brutally, aggressively cold,” to ensure that the surrounding thermal energy was lower than the energy of the phonons in the material.

“If that’s the case, then the [phonon] vibration cannot borrow energy from the thermal environment to excite more than one phonon,” Sudhir explains.

The researchers then shot a pulse of photons (particles of light) into the material, hoping that one photon would interact with a single phonon. When that happens, the photon, in a process known as Raman scattering, should reflect back out at a different energy imparted to it by the interacting phonon. In this way, researchers were able to detect single phonons, though at ultracold temperatures, and in carefully engineered materials.

“What we’ve done here is to ask the question, how do you get rid of this complicated environment you’ve created around this object, and bring this quantum effect to our setting, to see it in more common materials,” Sudhir says. “It’s like democratizing quantum mechanics in some sense.”

One in a million

For the new study, the team looked to diamond as a test subject. In diamond, phonons naturally operate at high frequencies, of tens of terahertz — so high that, at room temperature, the energy of a single phonon is higher than the surrounding thermal energy.

“When this crystal of diamond sits at room temperature, phonon motion does not even exist, because there’s no energy at room temperature to excite anything,” Sudhir says.

Within this vibrationally quiet mix of phonons, the researchers aimed to excite just a single phonon. They sent high-frequency laser pulses, consisting of 100 million photons each, into the diamond — a crystal made up of carbon atoms — on the off chance that one of them would interact and reflect off a phonon. The team would then measure the decreased frequency of the photon involved in the collision — confirmation that it had indeed hit upon a phonon, though this operation wouldn’t be able to discern whether one or more phonons were excited in the process.

To decipher the number of phonons excited, the researchers sent a second laser pulse into the diamond, as the phonon’s energy gradually decayed. For each phonon excited by the first pulse, this second pulse can de-excite it, taking away that energy in the form of a new, higher-energy photon. If only one phonon was initially excited, then one new, higher-frequency photon should be created.

To confirm this, the researchers placed a semitransparent glass through which this new, higher-frequency photon would exit the diamond, along with two detectors on either side of the glass. Photons do not split, so if multiple phonons were excited then de-excited, the resulting photons should pass through the glass and scatter randomly into both detectors. If just one detector “clicks,” indicating the detection of a single photon, the team can be sure that that photon interacted with a single phonon.

“It’s a clever trick we play to make sure we are observing just one phonon,” Sudhir says.

The probability of a photon interacting with a phonon is about one in 10 billion. In their experiments, the researchers blasted the diamond with 80 million pulses per second — what Sudhir describes as a “train of millions of billions of photons” over several hours, in order to detect about 1 million photon-phonon interactions. In the end, they found, with statistical significance, that they were able to create and detect a single quantum of vibration.

“This is sort of an ambitious claim, and we have to be careful the science is rigorously done, with no room for reasonable doubt,” Sudhir says.

When sending in their second laser pulse to verify that single phonons were indeed being created, the researchers delayed this pulse, sending in into the diamond as the excited phonon was beginning to ebb in energy. In this way, they were able to glean the manner in which the phonon itself decayed.

“So, not only are we able to probe the birth of a single phonon, but also we’re able to probe its death,” Sudhir says. “Now we can say, ‘go use this technique to study how long it takes for a single phonon to die out in your material of choice.’ That number is very useful. If the time it takes to die is very long, then that material can support coherent phonons. If that’s the case, you can do interesting things with it, like thermal transport in solar cells, and interconnects between quantum computers.”

from MIT News https://ift.tt/33cul3x
via

'Sex for grades': Undercover in West African universities

What happens behind closed doors at some of the West Africa’s most prestigious universities.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/335PZGs
via

Choreographer Dada Masilo: 'It's too dangerous to take work on tour in Africa'

Dada Masilo is the 34-year-old choreographer putting a controversial twist on ballet's classics.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2VhIidC
via

Kanye West praises Republican Party for freeing slaves at Utah Sunday Service

Kanye West has created much buzz over the last 9 months for his soulful Sunday Service. He’s turned the gospel worship experience into a pop-up concert that fans have been able to attend for free in cities from Atlanta to Chicago, and most recently, Salt Lake City, Utah

West used the event to not only proclaim the name of Jesus Christ but also praise Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

—Churchgoer not here for Kanye Sunday Service: ‘Slaves worshiping’—

Not long after taking the stage, West ranted about the backlash he’s received over his pro-Trump comments. He reminded the crowd that it was the Republican Party and President Abraham Lincoln, who, ahem, abolished slavery in the United States, according to Complex.

“Abraham Lincoln was the Whig Party—that’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves. I ain’t never make a decision based only on my color. That’s a form of slavery — mental slavery. I ain’t drink from the white person fountain. … I ain’t playing with them. All these mind controllers, the media, all of these mind controllers. I find that wherever Christ is where I’ve got my mind at. We find that the love of Christ is where I’ve got my mind back,” West said.

West also informed his audience that social media is “designed to make you think slower.”

West, who hasn’t tweeted since New Year’s, also railed against social media: “Do not read comments on the Internet. These people don’t know you like that. Social media is designed to make you think slower. … They want to slow you down and control you” pic.twitter.com/1BGpA5prGt

— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) October 5, 2019

He then touched on social justice and the state of incarcerated African-American’s in this country, highlighting how the system is broken in the U.S.

West touched on criminal justice reform. He talked about how people argue about music and sports then said, “there’s one in three African-Americans in jail in this country.” pic.twitter.com/9jefKUf4U5

— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) October 5, 2019

The service in Salt Lake City comes a little over a week after West reported he was set to release a new album, Jesus Is King. The album was due out on Sept. 27, according to an Instagram post by his wife, Kim Kardashian.

Meanwhile, West has embarked on tours around the nation, giving fans last weekend in New York a preview his documentary, Jesus Is King, scheduled to debut Oct. 25 in IMAX theaters.

The post Kanye West praises Republican Party for freeing slaves at Utah Sunday Service appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2OpYM23
via

Travis Scott fires back at ‘false’ cheating rumors

Travis Scott broke his silence and took to Instagram Friday to respond to cheating allegations after news broke about his split with Kylie Jenner.

Almost immediately after the split, his name was linked to Rojean Kar, and rumors began to circulate on the internet streets, according to PEOPLE.

–REPORTS: Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner SPLIT after 2 years of dating–

“It’s really affecting when u see false things said about u once again these false stories about me cheating are just simply not true. Focusing on life, music, and family at this moment is what’s real,” Scott wrote.

Not only did Scott speak up about the allegations but Rojean Kar, who goes by YungSweetRo on Instagram, also shut the rumors down on Thursday via her private Instagram account, according to E! News.

“None of these rumors are true, it’s just the internet creating a false narrative,” she reportedly wrote on her Instagram Story. “Please stop spreading lies & leave him, her & I alone because it’s affecting real lives. Thank you.”

A source told PEOPLE that “any rumors of cheating are totally and completely false.”

PEOPLE also confirmed on Tuesday that the couple decided to take a break from their two year long relationship.

“They are taking some time but not done. They still have some trust issues but their problems have stemmed more from the stress of their lifestyles,” a source told PEOPLE.

The 22-year-old also confirmed the breakup on Thursday saying, “Travis and I are on great terms. Our main focus right now is Stormi. Our friendship and our daughter is priority,” Jenner wrote on Twitter.

She also used this as a moment to debunk any rumors that she was seeing ex-boyfriend Tyga again.

“The internet makes everything 100 times more dramatic than what it really is. There was no ‘2am date with Tyga. You see me drop two of my friends off at a studio that he happened to be at,” she tweeted.

According to PEOPLE’s source while Jenner “is all about family life and really wants a second baby,” while 28-year-old Scott is focused on his music career.

—Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott break the internet with Playboy sneak peek—

“She still has trust issues with Travis. He hasn’t been giving her the commitment that she needs,” the source explained. “Travis isn’t ready to give her all that she wants.”

Scott also released a song on Thursday “Highest in the Room,” which seems to highlight his struggle with his relationship.

“I’m doing a show, I’ll be back soon/ That ain’t what she wanna hear,” he raps in the song.

The post Travis Scott fires back at ‘false’ cheating rumors appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2OpXjc3
via

Oprah, Beyoncé, more attend Tyler Perry star-studded gala for studio opening

Tyler Perry went from sleeping in his car, creating stage plays and movies, and has now opened his new massive film studio on Saturday.

The debut of the new Tyler Perry studios, now one of the largest in the country,  took place in Atlanta with plenty of entertainment industry moguls, a red carpet, and a gala to commemorate the special moment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson, Samuel L. Jackson, Halle Berry, among others, attended the gala to celebrate the opening of the 330-acre studio that was once a Confederate army base, the report said.

— Tyler Perry officially unveils the first Black owned studio —

Beyoncé at the Tyler Perry Studios opening in Atlanta — Oct. 5th. 💛 pic.twitter.com/gIq84t5iWV

— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) October 6, 2019

“I think it’s pivotal in everything that we’ve done, everything that we’re doing still, that we continue to try to motivate and inspire people,” Perry told The Associated Press on Saturday night as he greeted and shook hands with supporters.

Oprah, Perry’s close friend who also owns a studio, celebrated the the opening.

“He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way or that way. He said I’m going to create my own way and as we can see here, become a force for himself. I remember when he was thinking about buying this place and I said ‘You’d be crazy not to take it,”  she told The AP.

Samuel L. Jackson pointed out Perry’s go-getter mentality as the driving force behind his new studio.

“This is more about Tyler the entrepreneur. The visionary. A guy who understands that ownership means that you can do what you want,” Jackson said.

— Tyler Perry dedicates star on Hollywood Walk of Fame to ‘the underdogs’ —

Tyler Perry unveiled his $250 million Atlanta studio last night! It is the only major film studio in the nation owned by an African American: https://t.co/RCXwbUh5Hu pic.twitter.com/a3orFH91vQ

— AJC (@ajc) October 6, 2019

Tyler Perry Studios will pay homage to seminal Black actors and actresses, with all 12 sound stages in the studio being named after someone who made a difference.

“He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way or that way. He said I’m going to create my own way and as we can see here, become a force for himself,” Winfrey said.

The post Oprah, Beyoncé, more attend Tyler Perry star-studded gala for studio opening appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/339rZT0
via

Antonio Brown seeks $40 million from NFL in grievance claim

Antonio Brown may not be tied to an NFL team at the moment, but he still wants his money.

Brown wanted to be released from the Oakland Raiders, and his wish was granted. He was then picked up by the New England Patriots, which also released him, after accusations of sex assault were filed against him.

—Patriots release Antonio Brown after another accusation—

Now, Brown is looking to gain close to $40 million from the teams in unpaid salaries, fines, and voided guarantees, according to NFL Network Insider. The NFL Player’s Association has filed grievances against both teams on Brown’s behalf, the sports outlet writes.

Leading up to his dismissal from the Raiders, Brown faced disciplinary issues, including a blowout with the team’s general manager that led to about $215,000 in fines.

“He seeking a week of salary from when he requested to be released from Oakland — $860,294. He’s looking for payment of the guarantees for 2019 and 2020 — $29 million — plus his signing bonus of $1 million, which was divided into two workout bonuses,” according to the NFL Network.

The money from the Patriots Brown is requesting includes a $9 million signing bonus, $64,062 from his Week 1 salary, and the remaining $1.025 million of his guaranteed money, the outlet writes. He also signed a breach of contract grievance against the Patriots.

—Antonio Brown blasts Patriots, says he’s done with the NFL in Twitter rant—

The NFL report notes that recouping the total sum may be an uphill battle. The grievances aren’t Brown’s only legal battles. He also faces a civil lawsuit coming from claims of sexual assault. He was released by the Patriots in September after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct.

In the first incident, he was accused of rape in a lawsuit by a former trainer. In the second, an artist alleged that he exposed himself when she was hired to paint a mural at his home. Brown denies the accusations.

 

The post Antonio Brown seeks $40 million from NFL in grievance claim appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2MmKb4R
via

Amber Guyger: Key witness in murder conviction slain outside home

A key witness in ex-Dallas officer Amber Guyger‘s murder conviction last week was slain Friday night outside his new apartment complex, about five miles away from where his then-neighbor Botham Jean was shot to death, according to various media reports.

Joshua Brown, who used to live in the same apartment complex as Guyger and  Jean, was shot several times by an unknown assailant at his new place of residence, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt tweeted on Saturday night.

—Amber Guyger: Protests erupt over light sentence—

I just spoke with Joshua Browns mother. She is devastated. We all are. Joshua Brown was key witness in the murder of Botham Jean that helped put Amber Guyger away. We need answers. pic.twitter.com/5BCdkVXoQ4

— S. Lee Merritt, Esq. (@MeritLaw) October 5, 2019

The incident occurred just days after Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the shooting death of killing of Jean, a 26-year-old accountant.

Brown was shot and killed as he exited his car at an apartment complex, which was not the same place where Guyger killed Jean after entering his apartment, The Washington Post reported.

Brown delivered key testimony that likely aided in Guyger’s conviction. He testified that he was returning home from an outing, when he heard two people meeting by surprise, according to The Times. He then heard two gunshots and immediately ran away. He told the court he did not hear commands like “hands.”

“His murder underscores the reality of the black experience in America,” Merritt wrote. “A former athlete turned entrepreneur — Brown lived in constant fear that he could be the next victim of gun violence, either state sanctioned or otherwise.”

Although it has been reported that Brown was the victim, the Dallas Police Department has not confirmed that Brown was the man murdered because the man found had no identification. An emailed statement from the department said officers had responded to reports of a shooting just after 10:30 p.m. at the Atera Apartments at 4606 Cedar Springs Rd.

—The Forgiveness Trap: Botham Jean’s family’s response to Amber Guyger triggers debate—

According to Merritt, Brown had moved to a new apartment after living at South Side Flats, where Guyger killed Jean in September 2018.

Brown’s body was found lying on the ground in the parking lot of the Atera apartment complex with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics took him to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he later died of the fatal gunshot wounds, according to The Washington Post.

“Several witnesses heard several gunshots and observed a silver four-door sedan leaving the parking lot at a high rate of speed,” police said.

Brown attended the University of South Florida where he played football before returning home to the state of Texas where he began his own business in Dallas.

The post Amber Guyger: Key witness in murder conviction slain outside home appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/355XaQV
via

Onyango to retain Uganda captaincy under new coach McKinstry

Uganda's first choice goalkeeper, Denis Onyango, will retain the captaincy of the Cranes under newly appointed head coach Johnny McKinstry.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2VkEgB3
via

15 Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2019: Every Need and Budget

WIRED's favorite portable Bluetooth speakers of all shapes and sizes, from waterproof clip-ons to a massive boombox.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2J6dcme
via

Talk of Alligator-Filled Moats Tops This Week's Internet News Roundup

A moat stocked with reptiles was apparently one of the ideas that President Trump had for fortifying a wall along America’s southern border.

from Wired https://ift.tt/31N8vTM
via

Smart Summons from Tesla, Drones from UPS, and More Car News

Plus: A new “flying car” from Kitty Hawk.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2ImSe0f
via

Prepare for the Deepfake Era of Web Video

“We’re going to get more and more of this content and it’s probably going to get of better quality,” says Sam Gregory of the human-rights nonprofit Witness.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2AYssvj
via

Why I Coined the Term ‘Quantum Supremacy’

Researchers at Google finally seem to have a quantum computer that can outperform a classical computer. Here's what that really means.

from Wired https://ift.tt/33b806r
via

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Review: Is It Worth It?

Samsung’s latest Galaxy sports watch is a little bigger and a little more expensive than the last one.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2AJkzJY
via

7 Cybersecurity Threats That Can Sneak Up on You

From rogue USB sticks to Chrome extensions gone wild, here is a quick guide to some basic risks you should look out for.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2LO2Qay
via

EVs Fire Up Pyroswitches to Cut Risk of Shock After a Crash

Electric cars run on 400 volts or more. So automakers are designing systems to protect EMTs and others from exposed wires following a collision.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2MhdcP5
via

Oobleck’s weird behavior is now predictable

It’s a phenomenon many preschoolers know well: When you mix cornstarch and water, weird things happen. Swish it gently in a bowl, and the mixture sloshes around like a liquid. Squeeze it, and it starts to feel like paste. Roll it between your hands, and it solidifies into a rubbery ball. Try to hold that ball in the palm of your hand, and it will dribble away as a liquid.

Most of us who have played with this stuff know it as “oobleck,” named after a sticky green goo in Dr. Seuss’ “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” Scientists, on the other hand, refer to cornstarch and water as a “non-Newtonian fluid” — a material that appears thicker or thinner depending on how it is physically manipulated.

Now MIT engineers have developed a mathematical model that predicts oobleck’s weird behavior. Using their model, the researchers accurately simulated how oobleck turns from a liquid to a solid and back again, under various conditions.

Aside from predicting what the stuff might do in the hands of toddlers, the new model can be useful in predicting how oobleck and other solutions of ultrafine particles might behave for military and industrial applications. Could an oobleck-like substance fill highway potholes and temporarily harden as a car drives over it? Or perhaps the slurry could pad the lining of bulletproof vests, morphing briefly into an added shield against sudden impacts. With the team’s new oobleck model, designers and engineers can start to explore such possibilities.

“It’s a simple material to make — you go to the grocery store, buy cornstarch, then turn on your faucet,” says Ken Kamrin, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “But it turns out the rules that govern how this material flows are very nuanced.”

Kamrin, along with graduate student Aaron Baumgarten, have published their results today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A clumpy model

Kamrin’s primary work focuses on characterizing the flow of granular material such as sand. Over the years, he’s developed a mathematical model that accurately predicts the flow of dry grains under a number of different conditions and environments. When Baumgarten joined the group, the researchers started work on a model to describe how saturated wet sand moves. It was around this time that Kamrin and Baumgarten saw a scientific talk on oobleck.

“We’d seen this talk, and we had a lengthy debate over what is oobleck, and how is it different from wet sand,” Kamrin says. “After some vigorous back and forth with Aaron, he decided to see if we could turn this wet sand model into one for oobleck.”

Granular material in oobleck is much finer than sand: A single particle of cornstarch is about 1 to 10 microns wide and about one-hundredth the size of a grain of sand. Kamrin says particles at such a small scale experience effects that larger particles such as sand do not. For instance, because cornstarch particles are so small, they can be influenced by temperature, and by electric charges that build up between particles, causing them to slightly repel against each other.

“As long as you squish slowly, the grains will repel, keeping a layer of fluid between them, and just slide past each other, like a fluid,” Kamrin says. “But if you do anything too fast, you’ll overcome that little repulsion, the particles will touch, there will be friction, and it’ll act as a solid.”

This repulsion happening at the small scale brings out a key difference between large and ultrafine grain mixtures at the lab scale: The viscosity, or consistency of wet sand at a given packing density remains the same, whether you stir it gently or slam a fist into it. In contrast, oobleck has a low, liquid-like viscosity when slowly stirred. But if its surface is punched, a rapidly growing zone of the slurry adjacent to the contact point becomes more viscous, causing oobleck’s surface to bounce back and resist the impact, like a solid trampoline.

They found that stress was the main factor in determining whether a material was more or less viscous. For instance, the faster and more forcefully oobleck is disturbed, the “clumpier” it is — that is, the more the underlying particles make frictional, as opposed to lubricated, contact. If it is slowly and gently deformed, oobleck is less viscous, with particles that are more evenly distributed and that repel against each other, like a liquid.

The team looked to model the effect of repulsion of fine particles, with the idea that perhaps a new “clumpiness variable” could be added to their model of wet sand to make an accurate model of oobleck. In their model, they included mathematical terms to describe how this variable would grow and shrink under a certain stress or force.

“Now we have a robust way of modeling how clumpy any chunk of the material in the body will be as you deform it in an arbitrary way,” Baumgarten says.

Wheels spinning

The researchers incorporated this new variable into their more general model for wet sand, and looked to see whether it would predict oobleck’s behavior. They used their model to simulate previous experiments by others, including a simple setup of oobleck being squeezed and sheared between two plates, and a set of experiments in which a small projectile is shot into a tank of oobleck at different speeds.

In all scenarios, the simulations matched the experimental data and reproduced the motion of the oobleck, replicating the regions where it morphed from liquid to solid, and back again.

To see how their model could predict oobleck’s behavior in more complex conditions, the team simulated a pronged wheel driving at different speeds over a deep bed of the slurry. They found the faster the wheel spun, the more the mixture formed what Baumgarten calls a “solidification front” in the oobleck, that momentarily supports the wheel so that it can roll across without sinking.

Kamrin and Baumgarten say the new model can be used to explore how various ultrafine-particle solutions such as oobleck behave when put to use as, for instance, fillings for potholes, or bulletproof vests. They say the model could also help to identify ways to redirect slurries through systems such as industrial plants.

“With industrial waste products, you could get fine particle suspensions that don’t flow the way you expect, and you have to move them from this vat to that vat, and there may be best practices that people don’t know yet, because there’s no model for it,” Kamrin says. “Maybe now there is.”

This research was supported, in part, by the Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation.

from MIT News https://ift.tt/2LTa3Gt
via

UK matches Zimbabwe landmine fund after Prince Harry tour

The government says it will offer up to £2 million to help remove landmines in the country.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2MmriPc
via

Notre-Dame: How an underwater forest in Ghana could help rebuild a Paris icon

Wood submerged in Ghana's Lake Volta is a "genius solution" to rebuilding the French cathedral, some say but others disagree.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2MkuDhV
via

Keeping alive the Igbo talking flute in Nigeria

This Nigerian music teacher wants to preserve Igbo traditions, such as the 'Oja'. talking flute.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2OlZ75K
via

Liverpool 2-1 Leicester: Sadio Mane 'made most of contact', says Brendan Rodgers

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says Sadio Mane 'made the most of the contact' as he won a stoppage-time penalty in Liverpool's 2-1 win at Anfield.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2MkkBgA
via

True Black western centered on Boley, Oklahoma in the works at Universal Television

The true story of how Black people armed themselves to protect their homeland of Boley, Oklahoma will soon become a television series.

Boley, in development at Universal Television, was written by Dianne Houston, who has written episodes for Empire and When We Rise, and producer Rudy Langlais, who has worked on The Hurricane and Sugar Hill, according to Deadline.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry authorize their own official documentary

Already being hailed as “television’s first premium Black western,” Boley takes its inspiration from the true story of Boley, Okla., established in 1904 as one of the largest and most prosperous Black towns in the United States. It was in Boley in the 1930s when a group of Black residents took on notorious gangster Pretty Boy Floyd and his gang of outlaws to successfully defend their town.

Booker T. Washington once described Boley as “the finest Black town in the world.”

All of this was threatened on November 23, 1932, when three members of Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd’s gang attempted to rob the town’s Farmers and Merchants Bank, the first nationally chartered black-owned bank in Oklahoma. In the melee, the bank’s president and two of Pretty Boy Floyd’s gangsters were killed, one by a bank bookkeeper and the other by townspeople who took up arms and shot at the robbers when they tried to flee. All the money was recovered.

The legacy of the town of Boley and its inhabitants form the backdrop of this limited series, which has been a passion project for Langlais and Universal TV President Pearlena Igbokwe for two decades, according to Deadline.

READ MORE: Diahann Carroll, Oscar-nominated, pioneering actress, dies

“Boley was one of those mythic places, like Camelot, that I heard fleeting but exciting tales about,” Langlais told Deadline. “They described a place impossible to believe was real…in the middle of Oklahoma…mentioned Nikolai Tesla…and Pretty Boy Floyd…and a shoot-out during a bank robbery…all in the same breath. So when Pearlena called 20 years ago and asked if I was interested in telling this story, I was ready to jump on a train to find this mythic place. However long it took.”

“Rudy Langlais and I have been trying to tell this story for a long time,” Igbokwe added to the Deadline interview. “It is yet another piece of American history that has been overlooked. The showdown in Boley, Oklahoma is incredibly emotional and incredibly cinematic.”

We can’t wait!

The post True Black western centered on Boley, Oklahoma in the works at Universal Television appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/31MCJ9C
via

Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto walks free from jail

Maurice Kamto's release comes as long-serving President Paul Biya aims to strike a conciliatory tone.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/31LhHrM
via

Naby Keita: Liverpool midfielder removed from Guinea squad

Guinea coach Didier Six withdraws Naby Keita from his squad ahead of next week's friendlies, saying Liverpool appeared 'reluctant' when Keita was called-up.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2VknuCq
via

Jacksonville Jaguars owner buys majority stake in Black News Channel

The Black News Channel, a new Tallahassee-based cable news network launching on November 15, is being backed by Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid “Shad” Khan, who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The channel will launch in 33 million U.S. households and will target an African-American audience, according to WJCT News. The network is news gathered, written and reported by Black people for Black people, reported The New York Post.

READ MORE: Jaguars owner open to signing Kaepernick amid NFL protests

Khan has not disclosed the amount of his investment, but a source told The New York Post that it exceeded $25 million. Another source referred to the deal as “open-ended,” explaining that “whatever Khan gets involved in, he’s in all the way.”

“My decision to invest was an easy one,” Khan said, according to The New York Post.

In addition to the Jaguars, Khan also owns England’s Fulham FC soccer team. He is also the lead investor, with his son Tony, in the All Elite Wrestling.

The timing is ripe for the channel, according to the channel’s website.

“The number of cable news networks dedicated to serving the nation’s African American communities remains at ZERO! Black News Channel will be the nation’s first channel to fill this significant void,” the site reads.

BNC’s founder is J.C. Watts, Jr., a former congressman from Oklahoma who also played football in the Canadian Football League. The co-founder is Bob Brillante, who is a veteran of Florida television and helped to launch the Sunshine Network, which has since become Fox Sports Sun.  Brillante also launched Florida’s News Channel, a 24-hour regional cable news network which is now defunct.

Khan said he is backing the Black News Channel’s mission to give voices to issues in the Black community – something he is committed to himself.

“This is a chance for me to make an impact on how African Americans report and consume news and related programming, how their voices are amplified and heard, and how all of us can better connect socially, culturally, economically and more,” Khan said in a news release, according to WJCT News. “I am truly proud to be part of such an ambitious but worthy effort.”

READ MORE: Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios makes major power move by purchasing the Weather Channel for $300 million

Watts said he’s excited to have Khan’s support.

“Obviously, he’s a successful business person, not just in the Jacksonville area with the Jaguars and the things that he has going on there, but I think nationally and internationally. He’s got a brand that we’re excited and thrilled that he chose to join his brand to our efforts,” said Watts, according to WJCT News.

The Black News Channel will initially be available to 23 million satellite TV households and 10 million cable TV households. Watts told WJCT News that more distribution agreements would be forthcoming.

The post Jacksonville Jaguars owner buys majority stake in Black News Channel appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2njyinA
via

Were Black homeless people in Atlanta targeted to improve Google’s facial-recognition software?

Atlanta officials have questions for Google. Mainly, did the technology giant target Black homeless people in the city to improve their facial-recognition software?

On Wednesday, The New York Daily News reported that a staffing agency hired by Google sent contractors to Atlanta and other cities to target Black people for facial scans. In Atlanta, according to one anonymous ex-worker, contractors gathered up homeless people figuring they would be less apt to report them to the media.

READ MORE: Former Google employee says company made him feel ‘the burden of being Black’

Still, word got out and on Friday, Nina Hickson, Atlanta’s city attorney, sent a letter to Google looking for answers.

“The possibility that members of our most vulnerable populations are being exploited to advance your company’s commercial interest is profoundly alarming for numerous reasons,” Hickson said in a letter to Kent Walker, Google’s legal and policy chief, according to The New York Times. “If some or all of the reporting was accurate, we would welcome your response as what corrective action has been and will be taken.”

Google maintains it hired contractors from Randstad to scan the faces of volunteers to improve its facial-recognition software, designed to allow users to unlock Google’s new phone just by looking at it. The idea was to capture a diverse sampling of faces to ensure the software worked with a variety of different skin tones, two Google executives said in an email to colleagues which was shared with The New York Times.

“Our goal in this case has been to ensure we have a fair and secure feature that works across different skin tones and face shapes,” the Google executives said in the email.

READ MORE: Google offers job to artist behind viral Juneteenth homepage sketch

However, Google representatives say they suspended the research and began an investigation into the allegations, a Google spokesman said.

“We’re taking these claims seriously,” the spokesman said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

The unnamed ex-employee told The New York Daily News that Randstad sent contractors to Atlanta to focus on Black homeless people instead. The worker added that a Google manager was not present when that order was made. A second unnamed contractor added in the interview that employees were told by Randstad to find homeless people and university students in California, because they would be most receptive to the $5 gift cards volunteers received in exchange for their facial scans.

Chile.

The post Were Black homeless people in Atlanta targeted to improve Google’s facial-recognition software? appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/35jdFt0
via

Judge keeps special prosecutor in Jussie Smollett investigation

A Chicago judge on Friday ruled that he would keep in place a special prosecutor, who is investigating the handling of the Jussie Smollett case, despite a campaign contribution he made in 2016 to the state’s attorney, who dropped charges against the actor.

The Cook County Circuit Court Judge’s decision was delivered in a hearing after the special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, disclosed in a court filing that he co-hosted a 2016 fundraiser for Kim Foxx and gave $1,000 to her campaign for Cook County state’s attorney, reported ABC News. Foxx is Cook County’s first Black female state’s attorney.

READ MORE: Jussie Smollett hits back at critic who claims he lied about racist attack

Judge Michael Toomin said “there is no indication” that Webb’s disclosure would influence his decision on whether to ultimately reinstate charges against Smollett, and it is common practice for lawyers to contribute money to candidate campaigns.

“There’s no indication that (Webb) harbors any bias … to any party,” Toomin said, according to ABC News.

In March, Foxx dropped charges against Smollett, a former actor in the hit TV show Empire, for allegedly staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself. Smollett still says he was telling the truth and the attack was real.

The Osundairo brothers, Abel and Ola Osundairo, who are said to have perpetrated the attack, met with special prosecutor Webb this week to tell their side of the story, according to TMZ. Each brothers spent a few hours with the Webb’s team.

Before Toomin’s ruling, Webb told the judge that he didn’t even remember attending the fundraiser or writing out the check until someone recently told him.

“I don’t know Ms. Foxx …. and have never met her, as far as I know,” he said. “This is not even remotely a case that involves a conflict of interest.”

Webb, a former prosecutor who is now a sought after and highly respected private attorney, is investigating whether Foxx’s calls with a relative of Smollett and former aide to first lady Michelle Obama unduly influenced her decision to drop charges.

READ MORE: Terrence Howard on ‘Empire’ without Jussie Smollett: “The heart of our show is gone”

Prosecutor Cathy McNeil Stein, a Foxx representative during Friday’s hearing, told the judge that Foxx initially had no issues with Webb serving as special investigator, but now she worries about the perception of a conflict.

Retired Judge Sheila O’Brien, who initiated legal action leading to a special prosecutor, agreed. She told Toomin: “The concern I have is … what does the average person on the street think?” according to ABC News.

Smollett‘s attorneys didn’t oppose or back Webb. Initially, they were against the appointment of any special prosecutor, arguing that the charges were dropped and the case should have remained closed.

The post Judge keeps special prosecutor in Jussie Smollett investigation appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2AMYgmF
via

In pictures: Ethiopia's Oromos celebrate spring

Huge crowds turn out for the Irreecha festival, in the capital Addis Ababa for the first time.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2Vga61X
via

Summer Walker drops highly anticipated debut album ‘Over It’

Summer Walker dropped her debut album, Over It, on Friday, and her fans were here for it.

Almost instantly after the album dropped, Walker started trending on Twitter, according to Newsweek. The Atlanta R&B singer’s album covers 18 tracks, including songs about secret love affairs, losing feelings for a love interest and the challenge of avoiding temptation.

Fans want Walker to know her music is already sending them on an emotional ride.

READ MORE: Lil Baby says Young Thug paid him to leave the hood to become a rapper

“Summer Walker about to leave us in our feelings for the rest of the year,” wrote Twitter user @Miss_Woods on Friday.

“This new Summer Walker is really nice,” added @joekay, who hosts and created Soulection Radio, a Beats 1 radio show. “So ill to hear her on tracks with Bryson, party and Usher especially.”

this new summer walker is really nice.

so ill to hear her on tracks with bryson, party, & usher especially.

— JOE KAY (@joekay) October 4, 2019

Others agree that the collaborations featured on the album are so dope. Walker features A Boogie wit da Hoodie, PARTYNEXTDOOR, 6lack, Bryson Tiller, Usher and Jhené Aiko, whom Walker had accompanied on the “Triggered (Freestyle)” remix that was released on Wednesday, according to Newsweek.

Over It also includes some lines from Drake on the “Girls Need Love Too” remix. Walker included the original version of the song on her 2018 EP, Last Day of Summer. Drake, who loved the track, reached out to her on Instagram to tell her as much, according to Walker in an interview with Billboard.

“I think [Drake] slid into the DMs and was like, ‘I saw your video on a bowling alley monitor—thought it was cool,” Walker told Billboard. “And then Justice [Daiden, co-founder of the LVRN record label to which Walker is signed] made me ask him to [jump on the song] and he said yes.”

READ MORE: Lil Nas X cancels shows and announces a break from music days after singer Fiona Apple calls him out

Walker is now tour-ready. She is teaming up with New York rapper Melii on The First & Last Tour, which is expected to hit North American cities including Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York City, Dallas, Memphis and many more.

Over It is now available on all streaming platforms including iTunes.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM HERE:

The post Summer Walker drops highly anticipated debut album ‘Over It’ appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2IpOH1b
via

Ancient Sippy Cups Could Help Explain a Prehistoric Baby Boom

By weaning their infants off breast milk, mothers may have helped early European farming populations expand.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2Ve2LQq
via

Here’s One Solution to Help You Reduce Workplace Burnout

Are you experiencing burnout at work? You’re not alone. According to Deloitte’s 2018 Workplace Burnout Study, 77% of respondents say they have experienced employee burnout at their current job.

What’s the solution? Travel more!

You don’t have to go outside the country to experience the mental cleansing you need to reinvigorate your life. The United States offers over 400 National Parks and thousands of recreational and historic sites to help you disconnect from work and reconnect to life’s most beautiful features. Through the Find Your Park initiative, you can explore the wealth of history and nature around you. This was made possible through the National Park Foundation partnership with the National Park Service.

If you’re looking for one of the most environmentally sustainable National Parks, you should explore Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Subaru’s sponsorship of Don’t Feed The Landfills Initiative has helped the National Park Service eliminate over 6 million pounds of waste, ensuring that the parks remain healthy and vibrant.

Are you ready to inhale the beauty of the National Parks and conquer workplace burnout once and for all? Here’s how to get started on your journey to Grand Teton National Park.

Head To The Visitors Center

Before you get started on an adventure in Grand Teton National Park, stop by the visitor center to learn more about the best sites to explore. Opened in 2007, this visitor center is not like any other you’ve probably seen. You’ll notice videos coming out of the floor to mimic the iconic Snake Rivers and Bear country and walls filled with educational information that will connect you with the town in a new way.

Take a Hike at Jenny Lake 

If you’re looking for a rugged workout that will spoil you with breathtaking views, head on over to Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake is a starting point for many day and overnight hiking trips. This area grants you access to gorgeous district trails that meet all hiking levels. You’ll be able to walk trails along the lake to capture the most photogenic features of the outdoors. Be prepared for high elevation, steep trails, and possible signs of wildlife.

Go Rafting on the Snake River

Have you ever been river rafting before? A few hours on the river will definitely wipe away any stressful distractions that may be holding you back. The Grand Teton Lodge Company takes you on a 10-mile rafting tour on the Snake River. You’ll also receive a meal on the river before you dive into the water.

Test Your Dude Ranch Knowledge 

Work is less stressful when you can share fun facts with your colleagues. Check out the Bar BC Dude Ranch. You’ll learn about the entrepreneurial history of the old west and gain creative inspiration that will fuel your business ideas.

Walk Around the Art Gallery in Colter Bay

The Colter Bay Visitors Center is home to scenic views by Jackson Lake. You’ll be able to walk around an art gallery that features work from Native American tribes from different reservations across the U.S. Art is very therapeutic and has a way of relaxing the mind.

Find Meaning on Shadow Mountain 

When was the last time you had a chance to reflect on your life and think about your goals and aspirations? Shadow Mountain offers the perfect opportunity to do this. Just rent a powerful Subaru and you’re on your way to the top of the mountain to soak in all of the scenic views while you camp and take a break from everything going on around you.

Enjoy the Views and Activities at Spring Creek Ranch 

Stay at Spring Creek Ranch and you’ll have the opportunity to go horseback riding, enjoy the 24-hour hot tub, and eat at top restaurants such as The Granary and Amangani. You will also get a chance to stay at a modern-day townhouse ranch boasting spectacular views of the valley. The ranch also offers complimentary shuttle services to the center of the city.

Workplace burnout is impacting a lot of black professionals. If you’re experiencing workplace burnout, the most important action you can take is to take care of you. Grand Teton National Park is a perfect place to unplug and tap into the inspiration you need to balance your work-life commitments.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/30Q979M
via

A Bug in Popular Android Phones Gives Hackers Full Control

FCC comment bots, a "bulletproof" hosting takedown, and more of the week's top security news.

from Wired https://ift.tt/31T5voY
via

'Rule of Capture' Combines Legal Thriller and Dystopian Sci-Fi

Author Christopher Brown's new novel centers on a lawyer struggling to defend political prisoners.

from Wired https://ift.tt/35b3cQg
via

Wolf Gourmet Precision Griddle Review: Not That Precise

You can choose a specific temperature for your pancakes, but in a serious design flaw, the cooking surface heats unevenly.

from Wired https://ift.tt/2IqoLCC
via

The First Smartphone War

Mechanized combat and photography grew up together. In the Iraqi city of Mosul, they merged.

from Wired https://ift.tt/335ZDsy
via

These Small Cars Can Help Drive the Autonomous Future

Researchers are using 1/10th-size models to test self-driving technology more cheaply and easily than full-size vehicles.

from Wired https://ift.tt/31PeeZk
via

15 Spooky Tech Deals on Drones, Headphones, and Horror Games

It's the first weekend of October. Time to get your Halloween jitters on.

from Wired https://ift.tt/31KDdNk
via

Cameroon's Anglophone conflict: Will the National Dialogue make any difference?

President Paul Biya's national dialogue has produced some proposals, but critics say it was a sham.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/336yoy9
via

World Athletics Championships: Kenyan grabs gold from Ethiopian by millimetres

Kenya's Kipruto edged Ethiopia's Girma in a dramatic finale to a World Athletics Championships race.

from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2pLAftP
via

Tiffany Haddish drops receipts after Chingy denies hookup

Tiffany Haddish is pulling out receipts to prove that she once hooked up with rapper Chingy.

—The Forgiveness Trap – Botham Jean’s family’s response to Amber Guyger triggers debate—

While promoting her latest television show, Kids Say the Darndest Things, on The Ellen Show, Haddish told the host that she slept with rapper Chingy, best known for his chart-topping 2003 hit, “Right Thurr.”

Chingy, however, took to social media to deny the claim.

“Now @tiffanyhaddish knows damn well that’s a lie,” he wrote on Instagram in response to the claims. But he didn’t stop there. “An[d] since she lied I’m a tell the truth, she use to hook up with my brother not me but she liked me.”

Then he ended with, “Hey if we gone be honest let’s be honest. #chingy #facts #juslikethat.”

However, Haddish hit back and decided to clear the air and air out details about the one-night stand, even calling Chingy out for being bad in bed.

#TiffanyHaddish commented under #Chingy's post after the rapper denied they hooked up. Chingy has since deleted the entire post. https://t.co/RWNq3IFYhL pic.twitter.com/hfyFPTxqQ3

— Celeb Scoop Plus (@celebscoopplus) October 4, 2019

“Really Chingy stop I hooked up with you once like two months after we met,” Haddish recalled. “Granted the sex was not good cuz you was ‘sleepy.’ I was definitely in your bed at that hotel on San Vicente and Sunset. S**t, you pulled down my Sergio Valentes.”

Shots fired!

“Haddish never lies on her pussy,” she continued. “Boy I been talking about hooking up with you for years, why are you just now denying it? We had a lot of fun back in the day and only had sex once, don’t make me start calling out all the skeletons.”

Sounds like Haddish has taken a page from 50 Cent’s brand of petty hit back!

—Rapper Chingy denies Tiffany Haddish’s claim that they had sex—

The post Tiffany Haddish drops receipts after Chingy denies hookup appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2VhnzXh
via

Kamala Harris and Cory Booker side with Byron Allen in civil rights suit against Comcast and Charter

The Congressional Black Caucus has weighed in on the $20B lawsuit between Byron Allen‘s Entertainment Studios and the media companies, Comcast and Charter. Just in the nick of time, hours before the deadline for amicus briefs were to be filed in the highest court of the land, CBC members added their political voices to the powerful choir against Comcast, Charter and the President Donald Trump‘s Department of Justice regarding what Erwin Chemerinsky believes is the most important civil rights case of our time.

READ MORE: Berkeley Law Dean believes that Comcast and Charter Communications are putting Black people’s civil rights in jeopardy

The DOJ filed an amicus brief earlier this summer which stated that Allen and his team (and if they win… all Black owned businesses) will have to prove that race is the only factor in refusal to work with a business.  The CBC understands that this re-imagining of  the Civil Rights Act of 1886 is problematic, particularly since systemic racism is not necessarily overt.

According to Deadline, among those who have lent their voice in protest are presidential candidates, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). However, they are not alone. Earlier this week, a tsunami of the nation’s most respected civil rights organizations have let off sirens of opposition against what would be a dynamic change to a civil rights statute enacted to protect Black people from discrimination in business. The case, which will have the Civil Rights Act of 1866 smack dab in the middle of it, has reached the political mountain of The Supreme Court and is to be heard on November 13.

READ MORE: Color of Change demands Comcast withdraw its Supreme Court challenge to the Civil Rights Act of 1866

“As members of Congress, amici have a strong interest in ensuring that the laws Congress has passed are interpreted in a manner that is consistent with their text, history, and Congress’s plan in passing them,” says the brief filed by The CBC this Monday. “…The statute at issue in this case—42 U.S.C. § 1981—was passed immediately after the Civil War as part of a broader effort to ensure that the newly freed slaves enjoyed the same rights as other citizens.”

The brief continued, “This Court should not rewrite Section 1981 and disturb the vital protections that Congress passed that statute to provide.”

Booker and Harris are not the only voices from the race to the White House chiming in on this important issue. Mayor Pete Buttigieg was equally disturbed about the partnership formed between Comcast, Charter and the DOJ.

On October 1, he said, “It’s very clear that the civil rights division of the DOJ is not very energetic when it comes to civil rights, right?” The next day he took it even further, “This is critical because we need that economic empowerment to happen. I think this conversation needs to happen alongside the reparations conversation.”

READ MORE: Buttigieg on Byron Allen’s Comcast case — ‘It matters who’s running the DOJ’

The post Kamala Harris and Cory Booker side with Byron Allen in civil rights suit against Comcast and Charter appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2IluGsI
via