Month: March 2015

Trevor Noah On Oprah Winfrey’s School In South Africa

South African Trevor Noah will be replacing John Stewart when Stewart finishes his time at The Daily Show.

The New York Times:

“…after only three appearances on that Comedy Central show, Mr. Noah has gotten a huge and unexpected promotion. On Monday, Comedy Central announced that Mr. Noah would be the new host of ‘The Daily Show,’ succeeding Mr. Stewart after he steps down later this year.”

Here Noah gives a stand-up comedy routine on a school that Oprah Winfrey had built in South Africa.

http://www.oprah.com states:

“It’s a seemingly ordinary August morning, but it will be no ordinary day in the city of Johannesburg. Oprah Winfrey is here to view the new school she has dreamed of for South Africa. Beyond inspecting the handiwork of the builders, she has come to personally select girls for the founding 7th and 8th classes. From poor, troubled backgrounds, these too are no ordinary girls. Many have been hand-chosen by teachers across South Africa for academic excellence and early displays of leadership. On the cusp of adolescence, they are 11, 12, and newly-turned 13 years old.

“At 52, Oprah feels her most important work has just begun. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—South Africa is an innovative high school whose aim is to discover, teach and inspire young South African girls to become a new generation of leaders.”

Trevor Noah

More here:

http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Building-a-Dream#ixzz3W01sGMTB

Has There Been Progress In Tikrit?

Is the U.S. winning in Tikrit?

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed recently that the city of Tikrit (in Iraq) has been recaptured from Islamic State (ISIS) after a long battle.

Tikrit was considered Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

Haider al-Abadi went on live television to announce the liberation of Tikrit and congratulated the Iraqi security forces and popular volunteers “on the historic milestone,” according to the IB Times U.K.

According to the I.B. Times U.K., “an Iraqi commander said the Iraqi flag is flying on the Salaheddin provincial headquarters in the flashpoint city.”

Previously, Iraqi Shi’ite militias halted Tikrit operations following US air strikes on IS defenders.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, A’laa al-Idani, told IBTimes UK air strikes by the US and its coalition allies would help to destroy the network of tunnels where IS militants were holed up and allow the army and militias to fully take the city after over a week of fighting.

Iraqi forces launched an attack to push IS out of Tikrit on March 2nd, with a force of 30,000 Sunni and Shi’ite fighters. Taking back Tikrit could serve as a launchpad for a key battle to seize Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, back from the jihadists.

More here:

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tikrit-liberated-iraqi-army-have-routed-isis-saddam-husseins-home-town-says-pm-abadi-1494411

2nd Suicide Related To Missouri Auditor’s Office

A top Missouri political aide has reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound a month after his boss – the Missouri State Auditor and Republican Tom Schweich – took his life with a gun, police said Monday.

State auditor’s spokesman Robert “Spence” Jackson was found dead Sunday night inside his Jefferson City apartment after police responded to concerns of a relative that he wasn’t answering the phone.

Robert Jackson

Authorities said they are investigating the case as a suicide.

Jackson’s former boss, Auditor Tom Schweich, had been running for the Republican nomination for Governor of the state when he shot himself in the head on Feb. 26 inside his home in Clayton, Missouri.

Schweich was also about to go public with complaints that a GOP rival was spreading a “whisper campaign” that Schweich was Jewish.

According to the Washington Post, Schweich was an Episcopalian Christian.

He had told others that he believed rivals – led by Missouri Republican Party chairman John Hancock – were spreading an anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” against him.

Jackson was among the first of Schweich’s allies to demand Hancock’s resignation from the top party post. Hancock has denied making anti-Semitic remarks but admitted telling people he thought, mistakenly, that Schweich was Jewish.

Tom Schweich

Jackson remained with the Auditor’s Office after Schweich’s death.

“The initial investigation gives detectives reason to believe this is most likely a suicide,” Jefferson City police Capt. Doug Shoemaker told reporters on Monday.

“There were no signs of forced entry nor any signs of a struggle. There was one firearm found at the apartment. A revolver and one spent round were recovered.”

Police also found a note from Jackson, but Shoemaker declined to elaborate.

More here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/03/30/spokesman-found-dead-weeks-after-missouri-state-auditor-tom-schweichs-suicide/

(Updated post)

Connecticut College Cancels Classes For A Week Over Racism

The president of a school in Connecticut canceled classes Monday following the discovery over the weekend of racist graffiti, scheduling a series of events in their place to promote discussion and “eradicate this ignorance and hatred,” claims ABC News.

The name of the college is “Connecticut College.”

The private liberal arts school, which was called into question earlier this month by language a professor used to describe Gaza Strip, scheduled a day of campus-wide diversity events including an open discussion with administrators and a faculty-led discussion.

The graffiti, including a racial slur, was found shortly after noon Sunday in bathroom stalls inside a student center at the college of 1,900 students in the town of New London.

In a campus-wide message a few hours later, the college dean and director of campus safety asked for help identifying the people responsible, citing “the egregious nature of the graffiti,” states ABC News.

After meeting with students, college President Katherine Bergeron issued a letter to campus Sunday night, saying classes would be canceled to ensure the dialogue on racism and inclusion received appropriate attention.

“We must take action immediately to expose and eradicate this ignorance and hatred,” Bergeron wrote.

The episode follows a controversy earlier this month over a professor’s Facebook post that compared Gaza Strip to a “rabid pit bull.”

More here

(Updated article)

Do Jews Promote Homosexuality?

David Pakman Show

…and would it matter if they did?

The host of a liberal radio talk show, David Pakman, and his co-host Lewis (who are Jewish) discuss an anti-Jewish voicemail they received that accuses Jews of siding with gays.

(Updated report)

Campaign Finance Group Helps Pass Bill In Delaware Senate


TYT Network

Wolf PAC is an organization founded by TYT Network that attempts to stop campaign finance money from controlling our politicians (and our lives.) Wolf PAC has moved through several states already and recently helped pass a bill in the Delaware senate to create an Amendment to the Delaware constitution that would limit the money corporations can give to politicians.

USA Today Sports Writer Says NCAA Should Pull Out Of Indiana

Nancy Armour was a sports writer for Associated Press prior to becoming a sports columnist for USA Today.

In a recent article, Armour states:

“The NCAA should be applauded for swiftly and strongly expressing its disapproval of Indiana’s new law that cloaks discrimination in ‘religious freedom.’

“But it can’t stop there.

“It is too late to pull this year’s Final Four from Indianapolis, given it is next weekend and there’s no other city that would have an arena and several thousand hotel rooms available. But the NCAA can – and should – tell Indiana lawmakers that their prejudice and mean-spiritedness has cost the state the privilege of hosting any other collegiate sporting event.”

Strange Situation At NSA

Officers opened fire after two men allegedly dressed as women refused to stop a stolen vehicle Monday at the National Security Agency gate at Fort Meade in Maryland. The stolen vehicle smashed into a police vehicle blocking the road, officials said.

One of the men died, and the other man and an officer were hurt.

Officials claimed that there were plenty of chances for the incident to end nonviolently.

The NSA released a statement Monday afternoon saying the driver of the sport utility vehicle disobeyed instructions from an NSA police officer and failed to stop shortly before 9 a.m.

Investigators are looking into whether the men were under the influence of drugs following a night of partying, a federal law enforcement official said.

A man reported his car stolen from a hotel not far away from NSA Headquarters and said he had been with two men who had taken his car. Cocaine was found in the vehicle. The Howard County Police Department confirms that a Ford Escape reported stolen in Howard County, Maryland, is the vehicle involved in the incident.

The FBI said they did not think terrorism was related to the incident.


MSNBC

More here