Whale Face Killah!!

*Notice to Humans: Do Not Swim with or attempt to capture the KILLER Whale!!

The killer whale (Orcinus orca), commonly referred to as the orca and, less commonly, blackfish, is the largest species of the dolphin family. They are found in all of the world's oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales as a species have a diverse diet, although populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, particularly salmon, while other populations hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses and even large whales. Killer whales are regarded as an apex predator as they have no natural predators.
There are up to five distinct killer whale types distinguished by geographical range, preferred prey items and physical appearance. Some of these may be separate races, subspecies or even species. Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups which are the most stable of any animal species. The sophisticated social and vocal behavior of killer whales have been described as manifestations of culture.
The IUCN currently assesses the conservation status of the killer whale as data deficient because of the likelihood that one or more killer whale types could actually be a separate species in need of protection. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to depletion of prey species, habitat loss, pollution by PCBs, historic capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with fisheries. In late 2005, the killer whales known as the "southern resident killer whales" were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, although there have been cases of captive killer whales attacking their handlers at marine theme parks. The killer whale features strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures. In Western cultures, it has had a reputation for being a fearsome predator, but in recent decades better understanding has led to widespread appreciation of the species.

Types

There are three to five types of killer whales that are distinct enough to be considered different races, subspecies, or possibly even species. The IUCN reported in 2008, "The taxonomy of this genus is clearly in need of review, and it is likely that O. orca will be split into a number of different species or at least subspecies over the next few years." In the 1970s and 1980s, research off the west coast of Canada and the United States identified the following three types:
Resident: These are the most commonly sighted of the three populations in the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific. Residents' diet consists primarily of fish and sometimes squid, and they live in complex and cohesive family groups. Pods possess lifelong family bonds, often living in matrilineal groups and vocalizing in variable and complex dialects. Female residents characteristically have a rounded dorsal fin tip that terminates in a sharp corner. They are known to visit the same areas consistently. British Columbia and Washington resident populations are amongst the most-intensively studied marine mammals. Researchers have identified and named over 300 killer whales over the past 30 years.
Transient: Their diet consists almost exclusively of marine mammals; they do not eat fish. Transients in southern Alaska generally travel in small groups, usually of two to six animals. Unlike residents, transients may not always stay together as a family unit. Pods consist of smaller groups with less persistent family bonds. Transients vocalize in less variable and less complex dialects. Female transients are characterized by more triangular and pointed dorsal fins than those of residents. The gray or white area around the dorsal fin, known as the "saddle patch," often contains some black coloring in residents. However, the saddle patches of transients are solid and uniformly gray. Transients roam widely along the coast—some individuals have been sighted in both southern Alaska and California.
Offshore: These killer whales were discovered in 1988 when humpback whale researcher Jim Darling signaled to killer whale researchers Michael Bigg and Graeme Ellis that he saw some in open water. They cruise the open oceans and are believed to feed primarily on schooling fish. However, because of the large presence of scarred and nicked dorsal fins resembling that of the mammal-hunting transients, the possibility that they eat mammals and sharks cannot be dismissed. They have mostly been encountered off the west coast of Vancouver Island and near the Queen Charlotte Islands. They have been seen traveling in groups of up to 60. Currently, little is known about their habits, but they can be distinguished genetically from residents and transients. Offshores appear to be shorter and females are characterized by dorsal fin tips that are continuously rounded. These types demonstrate a correlation between diet and social behavior. Transient and resident killer whales live in the same areas, but avoid each other. The name transient originated from the belief that these killer whales were outcasts from larger resident pods. Researchers later discovered that transients are not born into resident pods or vice-versa. The evolutionary split between the two groups is believed to have begun two million years ago. Genetic research indicates that the types have not interbred for up to 10,000 years. Killer whale populations in other parts of the world have not been as well studied, although specialized fish-eating and mammal-eating killer whales have also been distinguished elsewhere. Separate populations of fish-eating and mammal-eating killer whales have been identified around the United Kingdom. Fish-eating killer whales in Alaska and Norway have been observed to have resident-like social structures, while mammal-eating killer whales in Argentina and the Crozet Islands have been observed to behave more like transients.
Three killer whale types have recently been documented in the Antarctic.

Range and Habitat

Killer whales are found in all oceans and most seas, including (unusually for cetaceans) the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas. However, they prefer cooler temperate and polar regions. Although sometimes spotted in deep water, they generally prefer coastal areas to pelagic environments. The killer whale is particularly highly concentrated in the northeast Pacific Basin, where Canada curves into Alaska as well as the Johnstone Strait area and Washington state. There are also large populations off the coast of Iceland and off the coast of northern Norway. They are regularly sighted in Argentina and New Zealand. Information for offshore regions and tropical waters is more scarce, but widespread, if not frequent, sightings indicate that the killer whale can survive in most water temperatures. Sightings are rare in Indonesian and Philippine waters.
The largest population lives in Antarctic waters, where they range up to the ice pack and are believed to venture under the pack, surviving by breathing in air pockets as do beluga whales in the Arctic. Killer whales visit Arctic waters in summer, but are rarely seen in winter and do not approach the ice pack. With the rapid Arctic sea ice decline in the Hudson Strait, their range now extends into Canada's far northern waters. In the 1990s, killer whales were sighted in western Hudson Bay only 6 times; there were over 30 sightings from 2001–2006.
Worldwide population estimates are uncertain, but one recent study estimated more than 50,000. Local estimates include roughly 25,000 in the Antarctic, 8,500 in the tropical Pacific, 2,250–2,700 off the cooler northeast Pacific and 500–1,500 off Norway. Japan's Fisheries Agency estimated there were 2,321 killer whales in the seas around Japan. Killer whales' migration patterns are poorly understood. Each summer, the same resident killer whales appear off the coasts of British Columbia and Washington State. After decades of research, it is still unknown where these animals go for the rest of the year. Transient pods have been sighted from southern Alaska to central California.
On some occasions, they swim into freshwater rivers. They have been documented 100 miles (161 km) up the Columbia River in the United States. They have also been found in the Fraser River in Canada and the Horikawa River in Japan.


Feeding

Killer whales prey on diverse species. However, some populations specialize in particular prey species. For example, some populations in the Norwegian and Greenland sea specialize in herring and follow that fish's autumnal migration to the Norwegian coast. Other populations prey on seals. Field observations of northeast Pacific resident killer whales show that salmon accounted for 96% of their diet. 65% are the large, fatty Chinook. Chum salmon are also eaten, but smaller sockeye and pink salmon are not a significant food item. Depletion of specific prey species in an area is therefore cause for concern for local populations, despite the high diversity of prey. On average, a killer whale eats 227 kilograms (500 lb) each day.
Since some killer whales prey on large whales and sharks, they are considered to be apex predators. They are sometimes called the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in groups like wolf packs.

Social Structure

North Pacific fish-eaters have a complex but stable social grouping system. Unlike any other mammal species whose social structure is known, resident killer whales live with their mothers for their entire lives. Therefore, killer whale societies are based around matrilines consisting of the matriarch and her descendants who form part of the line, as do their descendants. The average size of a matriline is 5.5 animals.
Because females can reach age ninety, 4 generations may travel together. These matrilineal groups are highly stable. Individuals separate for only a few hours at a time, to mate or forage. No permanent dispersal of an individual from a resident matriline has been recorded. However, see Luna (Orca).
Closely related matrilines form loose aggregations called pods, usually consisting of one to four matrilines. Unlike matrilines, pods may split up for weeks or months at a time. DNA testing indicates that resident males nearly always mate with females from other pods. Clans are the next level of social structure and are composed of pods with similar dialects and common but older maternal heritage. Geographic ranges of clans overlap. Pods from different clans frequently intermingle.
The final association layer, perhaps more arbitrary than the other, familial groupings, is called the community and is defined as a set of clans that regularly commingle. Clans within a community do not share vocal patterns.
Transient pods are smaller than resident pods, consisting of one to four individuals. They typically consist of an adult female and one or two of her offspring. Males typically maintain stronger relationships with their mother than females. These bonds can extend well into adulthood. Unlike residents, extended or permanent dispersal of transient offspring from natal matrilines is common, with juveniles and adults of both sexes participating. Some males become “roving” males that do not form long-term associations, living alone while occasionally joining groups that contain reproductive females. As in resident clans, transient community members share an acoustic repertoire, although regional differences in vocalizations have been noted.

Captivity

The killer whale's intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size have made it a popular exhibit at aquariums and aquatic theme parks. Killer whales were taken from the coasts of British Columbia and Washington until 1976.[108] From 1976-1997, 55 whales were taken from the wild in Iceland, 19 from Japan, and three from Argentina. These figures exclude any animals that may have died during capture. Live captures fell dramatically in the 1990s, and by 1999, about 40% of the 48 animals on display in the world were captive born.
Organizations such as the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the practice of keeping them in captivity. Killer whales in captivity often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of captive males. Captive killer whales have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s, though there are examples of killer whales living longer, including several over 30 years old, and two captive orcas (Corky II and Lolita) are in their mid-40s. In the wild, female killer whales can live to be 70–80 years old (though this is a rare occurrence, and 50 years is the average lifespan expected for those who survive infancy), while males can live to be 50–60 years old (while 30 years is the average). The captive environment usually bears little resemblance to their wild habitat, and the social groups that the killer whales are put into are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim that captive life is stressful due to small tanks, false social groupings and chemically altered water. Captive killer whales occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress. Unlike wild killer whales, captives have attacked and even killed people such as their handlers or pool intruders, with nearly two dozen attacks since the 1970s. Tilikum, an orca, has allegedly been involved in three fatalities.

The Canadian women’s hockey team celebrate their gold by making out on Center Ice

After winning the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the women of the Canadian Olympic Hockey team politely accepted them and waved to an adoring crowd. And then the real celebration began as all of the Canadian team members began making out, ferociously, with each other on Center Ice.

More than a half an hour after beating the US, 2-0, the players came back from the locker room and staged a party on ice. Completely adorned with all of the latest sex-toy paraphernalia Vancouver had to offer.

“This is the most fun I have ever had at the Winter Olympics,” said Meghan Agosta. “Beating the United States was one thing, but getting an opportunity, afterwards, to truly experience all of the wonderful skills and talents of my beautiful teammates was just heaven on earth for me. Especially Rebecca Johnston. That girl can win a gold medal from me anytime.”

The celebration raised eyebrows (along with other body parts) at the IOC, which said it would look into the matter. Gilbert Felli, the executive director of the IOC, said “unless you are alone in your hotel room, this is not what you want to see.”

“I don’t think getting the fan aroused is a good promotion of sports values. If they had performed their celebration back in the locker room, with a handheld camera, that’s one thing. But not in public. And when Haley Irwin poured champagne into the beautiful mouth of Tessa Bonhomme, that was just it for me. I need to schedule a meeting in my office with those two, at once.”

Fans see this display differently, obviously, as many want this type of celebration for winning a gold medal made an official Olympic rule.

“I don’t have a problem at all with Canada’s celebration, outside of some of the hairy armpits I saw,” said Olympic fan, Craig Bateer. “But this is what the fans need out of the Olympics. It would keep us wanting America to win even more. I mean, have you seen Lindsey Vonn ? And then to see her making out after her gold medal win ? USA !!! USA !!!"

When asked what he thinks about the USA Men’s Hockey Team possibly winning the gold with that rule in place, Craig said ‘totally gay’.

ESPN Suspends Kornheiser after trying to get a BJ from Hannah Storm during PTI

Tony Kornheiser, host of the immensely popular show Pardon the Interruption, was suspended for two weeks by ESPN, the station that airs PTI. The suspension was issued after Kornheiser was caught trying to get a BJ from Hanna Storm during a 2-minute commercial of the show.

Kornheiser immediately apologized for getting caught.

“I apologize, wholeheartedly, for getting caught. That definitely was not my intention. I thought I could sneak in a quick “BJ Armstrong” from Hannah during the commercial without anyone seeing. But, unfortunately, ESPN has people all over the studio. The bastards. But I am sorry because I was wrong, even though this is kind of what I do with my female ESPN co-workers. It’s not the first time and definitely won’t be the last. So next time, maybe I will just lock the door.”

ESPN executive vice president of content, John Skipper, released the following statement on the incident:

“Tony Kornheiser’s intended actions with Hannah Storm were totally inappropriate and will not be tolerated by the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Activities such as this definitely lead to dire consequences. So let this be an example to any other ESPN host who has any thoughts of doing this with Hannah. She is a respected colleague who has been an integral part of Sportscenter, so you better think twice before trying to get a hummer from her.”

Kornheiser says he will do anything possible to prevent getting caught again.

“I have learned my lesson and I will definitely be more careful from now on when trying to get an “Oral Hershiser” from a fellow ESPN’er. But really I am lucky because I thought that ESPN would have been suspended me from PTI. Especially after the time I made that big dork, Wilbon, shine my shoes.”

You ought to know: Josephine Baker (Pre your favorite Diva Edition)

Josephine Baker(June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) was an American expatriate entertainer and actress. She became a French citizen in 1937. Most noted as a singer, Baker also was a celebrated dancer in her early career. She was given the nicknames the "Bronze Venus" or the "Black Pearl", as well as the "Créole Goddess" in anglophone nations. In France, she has always been known as "La Baker".
Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (she was offered the leadership of the movement by Coretta Scott King in 1968 following Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, but turned it down), for assisting the French Resistance during World War 2 and for being the first American-born woman to receive the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre.

Early Life

Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Carrie McDonald. Her estate credits vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson as her natural father. A biography written by her foster son Jean-Claude Baker stated: "(Josephine Baker's) father was identified (on the birth certificate) simply as "Edw" … I think Josephine's father was white — so did Josephine, so did her family … people in St. Louis say that (Josephine's mother) had worked for a German family (around the time she became pregnant). (Carrie) let people think Eddie Carson was the father, and Carson played along … (but) Josephine knew better." Her mother, Carrie, was adopted in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1886 by Richard and Elvira McDonald, both of whom were former slaves of both African and Native American descent.
When Baker was eight she was sent to work for a white woman who abused her, burning Baker's hands when she put too much soap in the laundry. She later went to work for another woman.Baker dropped out of school at the age of 12 and lived as a street child in the slums of St. Louis, sleeping in cardboard shelters and scavenging for food in garbage cans. Her street-corner dancing attracted attention and she was recruited for the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show at 15. She then headed to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, performing at the Plantation Club and in the chorus of the popular Broadway revues Shuffle Along (1921) and The Chocolate Dandies (1924). She performed as the last dancer in a chorus line, a position in which the dancer traditionally performed in a comic manner, as if she was unable to remember the dance, until the encore, at which point she would not only perform it correctly, but with additional complexity. Baker was then billed as "the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville."
On October 2, 1925, she opened in Paris at the Théatre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. After a successful tour of Europe, she reneged on her contract and returned to France to star at the Folies Bergères, setting the standard for her future acts. She performed the Danse sauvage, wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas.
Baker's success coincided (1925) with the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, which gave us the term "Art Deco", and also with a renewal of interest in ethnic forms of art, including African. Baker represented one aspect of this fashion. She was very creative and loved sequins and feathers.
In later shows in Paris she was often accompanied on stage by her pet cheetah, Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The cheetah frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding another element of excitement to the show.

Rise to Fame

After a short while she was the most successful American entertainer working in France. Ernest Hemingway called her "… the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." In addition to being a musical star, Baker also starred in three films which found success only in Europe: the silent film Siren of the Tropics (1927), Zouzou (1934) and Princesse Tam Tam (1935). Although Baker is often credited as a movie star, her starring roles ended with Princesse Tam Tam in 1935.At this time she also scored her most successful song, "J'ai deux amours" (1931) and became a muse for contemporary authors, painters, designers, and sculptors including Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and Christian Dior.
Under the management of Giuseppe Pepito Abatino — a Sicilian former stonemason who passed himself off as a count — Baker's stage and public persona, as well as her singing voice, went through a significant transformation. In 1934 she took the lead in a revival of Jacques Offenbach's 1875 opera La créole at the Théâtre Marigny on the Champs-Élysées of Paris, which premiered in December of that year for a six month run. In preparation for her performances she went through months of training with a vocal coach.
In the words of Shirley Bassey, who has cited Baker as her primary influence, "… she went from a 'petite danseuse sauvage' with a decent voice to 'la grande diva magnifique' … I swear in all my life I have never seen, and probably never shall see again, such a spectacular singer and performer."
Despite her popularity in France, she never obtained the same reputation in America. Upon a visit to the United States in 1935-1936, her performances received poor opening reviews for her starring role in the Ziegfeld Follies and she was replaced by Gypsy Rose Lee later in the run. Baker returned to Paris in 1937, married Frenchman Jean Lion, and became a French citizen.
Baker was so well known and popular with the French that even the Nazis, who occupied France during World War II, were hesitant to cause her harm. In turn, this allowed Baker to show her loyalty to her adopted country by participating in the Underground, smuggling intelligence to the resistance in Portugal coded within her sheet music. After the war, for her underground activity, Baker received the Croix de Guerre, the Rosette de la Résistance, and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.
After 1942, she went to North Africa where Ahmed Belbachir Haskouri, the right-hand man of the caliph of Spanish Morocco, placed her under his protection. Belbachir used Josephine to communicate with the French and U.S. forces to reinforce the allied position in North Africa. At Baker's request, Belbachir was successfully issuing visas and passports from Spanish Morocco and via the Spanish High Commissioner to the Jews who were suffering from persecution in Nazi occupied Europe.
In January 1966, she was invited by Fidel Castro to perform at the Teatro Musical de La Habana in Havana, Cuba. Her spectacular show in April of that year led to record breaking attendance. In 1973, Baker opened at Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation. She had finally received in the U.S. the recognition long accorded her in Europe.

Civil Rights Activism

Although based in France, Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s. She protested in her own way against racism, adopting 12 multi-ethnic orphans, who she called the "Rainbow Tribe." They were: Janot (Korean son), Akio (Japanese son), Luis (Colombian son), Jari (Finnish son), Jean-Claude (Canadian son), Moïse (French Jewish son), Brahim (Algerian son), Marianne (French daughter), Koffi (Ivorian son), Mara (Venezuelan son), Noël (French son), and Stellina (Moroccan daughter).
For some time she lived with all of her children and an enormous staff in a castle, Château de Milandes, in Dordogne, France. Baker bore only one child, stillborn in 1941, an incident that precipitated an emergency hysterectomy.
She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. Her insistence on mixed audiences helped to integrate shows in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1951, Baker made charges of racism against Sherman Billingsley's Stork Club in New York, where she had been refused service. Actress Grace Kelly, who was at the club at the time, rushed over to Baker, took her by the arm and stormed out with her entire party, vowing to never return (and she never did). The two women became close friends after the incident. Testament to this was made evident when Baker was near bankruptcy and was offered a villa and financial assistance by Kelly (who by then was princess consort of Rainier III of Monaco).
Baker also worked with the NAACP. In 1963, she spoke at the March on Washington at the side of Martin Luther King, Jr. Wearing her Free French uniform emblazoned with her medal of the Légion d'honneur, she was the only woman to speak at the rally. After King's assassination, his widow Coretta Scott King approached Baker in Holland to ask if she would take her husband's place as leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. After many days of thinking it over, Baker declined, saying her children were "… too young to lose their mother."

Personal Life

There is evidence to suggest that she was bisexual. One of her adopted sons, Jean-Claude Baker, writing in his book Josephine: The Hungry Heart, states that she was involved in numerous lesbian affairs, both while she was single and married, and mentions six of her female lovers by name. Clara Smith, Evelyn Sheppard, Bessie Allison, Ada "Bricktop" Smith, and Mildred Smallwood were all African-American women she met while touring on the black performing circuit early in her career. She was also involved with the writer Colette, and possibly with Caroline Dudley Reagan, who ran the Paris extravaganza La Revue Nègre.
Not mentioned, but confirmed since, was her affair with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Baker wrote that affairs with women were not uncommon with Josephine throughout her lifetime.
Jean-Claude Baker interviewed over 2,000 people while writing his book. He was quoted in one interview as saying,
"She was what today you would call bisexual, and I will tell you why. Forget that I am her son, I am also a historian. You have to put her back into the context of the time in which she lived. In those days, Chorus Girls were abused by the white or black producers and by the leading men if he liked girls. But they could not sleep together because there were not enough hotels to accommodate black people. So they would all stay together, and the girls would develop lady lover friendships, do you understand my English? But wait wait...If one of the girls by preference was gay, she'd be called a bull dyke by the whole cast. So you see, descrimination is everywhere."

Death

On April 8, 1975, Baker starred in a retrospective revue at the Bobino in Paris — Joséphine à Bobino 1975, celebrating her 50 years in show business. The revue, financed by Prince Rainier, Princess Grace, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, opened to rave reviews. Demand for seating was such that fold-out chairs had to be added to accommodate spectators. The opening-night audience included Sophia Loren, Mick Jagger, Shirley Bassey, Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli.
Four days later, Baker was found lying peacefully in her bed surrounded by newspapers with glowing reviews of her performance. She was in a coma after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. She was taken to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, where she died aged 68 on April 12, 1975. Her funeral was held at L'Église de la Madeleine. The first American woman to receive full French military honors at her funeral, Josephine Baker locked up the streets of Paris one last time. She was interred at the Cimetière de Monaco in Monte Carlo.

Legacy

Her affection for France was so great that when World War II broke out, she volunteered to spy for her adopted country. Baker's agent's older brother approached her about working for the French government as an "honorable correspondent" -- if she happened to hear any gossip at parties that might be of use to her adopted country, she could report it. Baker immediately agreed, since she was against the Nazi stand on race not only because she was black but because her husband was Jewish. Her café society fame enabled her to rub shoulders with those in the know, from high-ranking Japanese officials to Italian bureaucrats, and report back what she heard. She was able to do things such as attend parties at the Italian embassy without any suspicion falling on her and gather information that turned out to be useful. She also helped in the war effort in other ways, such as by sending Christmas presents to French soldiers.
When the Germans invaded France, Baker left Paris and went to the Château des Milandes, her home in the south of France, where she had Belgian refugees living with her and others who were eager to help the Free French effort led by Charles de Gaulle from England. As an entertainer, Baker had an excuse for moving around Europe, visiting neutral Portugal, coming back to France, and such. Baker assisted the French Resistance by smuggling secrets written in invisible ink on her sheet music.
She helped mount a production in Marseilles on the south coast of France to give herself and her like-minded friends a reason for being there. She helped quite a lot of people who were in danger from the Nazis get visas and passports to leave France. Later in 1941, she and her entourage went to the French colonies in North Africa; the stated reason was Baker's health (since she really was recovering from another case of pneumonia) but the real reason was to continue helping the Resistance. From a base in Morocco, she made tours of Spain and pinned notes with the information she gathered inside her underwear (counting on her celebrity to avoid a strip search) and made friends with the Pasha of Marrakesh, whose support helped her through a miscarriage (the last of several) and emergency hysterectomy she had to go through in 1942. Despite the state of medicine in that time and place, she recovered, and started touring to entertain Allied soldiers in North Africa. She even persuaded Egypt's King Farouk to make a public appearance at one of her concerts, a subtle indication of which side his officially neutral country leaned toward. Later, she would perform at Buchenwald for the liberated inmates who were too frail to be moved. Baker became the first American-born woman to receive the highest French military honor, the Croix de Guerre.
"Place Joséphine Baker" in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris was named in her honor. She has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and the Hall of Famous Missourians. Her name has also been incorporated at Paris Plage, a man-made beach along the river Seine "Piscine Joséphine Baker." Two of Baker's sons, Jean-Claude and Jarry (Jari), grew up to go into business together, running the restaurant Chez Josephine on Theatre Row, 42nd Street, New York, which celebrates Baker's life and works. Baker's iconic performance style has also been influential. Diana Ross, a long-time admirer of Baker, performed in Bob Mackie-designed outfits similar to Baker's and reenacted similar poses of the latter in many photo sessions. Whitney Houston pays tribute to Baker in her "I'm Your Baby Tonight" music video to represent the Harlem Renaissance. Baker's banana skirt, in particular, has made numerous media appearance. A dancer wore one in Sir-Mix-A-Lot's 1991 video for "Baby Got Back", and singer Beyoncé Knowles wore one when performing for CBS's 2006 Fashion Rocks. During her performance, images of Baker were projected on a large screen above the stage.

Blockhead: The Music Scene

Some of you may know of Blockhead, some of you may not... Either way that has little bearing on the utter, that's right "utter" dopeness of The Music Scene the latest offering from Blockhead. Formerly and soon to be again my favorite producer. Those of you following me on twitter have heard me raving about it so I thought I would mention it again...

Hear (and possibly see) Tiger Roar !!!

Tiger Woods to hold an invite-only press conference, Friday, for Hannah Storm, Erin Andrews, and Suzy Kolber.

Of Hooptys and Hovercrafts

So by now most of you have heard or read the Def Jux could be going on what has been characterized as a "hiatus", I am not sure if this is permanent or not. Anyway if you missed it here is El-P's open letter/post via DefinitiveJux.net:


OF HOOPTYS AND HOVERCRAFTS
Posted on 02/03/2010
Dear Inter-web, fans, friends and JUX family,

People keep asking me what's up with JUX. There's been some talk, there have been some rumors. Some half true, some way off. Reports of our demise have been mildly exaggerated. Here's what it really all boils down to: (read on)

This year, a decade after starting DEF JUX and after overseeing the releases of some incredible albums including the forthcoming release of my dear late and great friend Camu Tao's brilliant "KING OF HEARTS" LP, I'm stepping away from my duties as artistic director for the label to concentrate on what I love most: being a producer and an artist full time. This is something I've been contemplating for a few years now, and can't think of a better time or, with the eventual release of Camu's record, a more poetic way to transition into a new direction.

This means change for JUX. Of course we'll still have our website, we will still sell our catalog, merch and more as well as bring you news and updates on all our projects and artists. We will be releasing "KING OF HEARTS", a DEF JUX remix compilation, a 10 year anniversary retrospective and some other goodies. But then as a traditional record label DEF JUX will effectively be put on hiatus. We are not closing, but we are changing. The process is already underway, and the last several months (for those wondering what the hell we've been up to) have been spent dealing with the technical aspects of wrapping up the label in it's current form and re-imagining our collective and individual futures.

In 2000 starting a traditional record label made a lot of sense. But now, in 2010, less so and I find myself yearning for something else to put my energy into. I also see newer, smarter, more interesting things on the horizon for the way art and commerce intersect, and as an artist and an entrepreneur, I'm eager to see them unfold. The evolution of this industry is, in my opinion, exciting, inevitable and it would be nice to see the DEFINITIVE JUX brand be a part of it. In other words, maybe we can turn this hoopty in to a hovercraft.

All business aside, and regardless of what form JUX may inevitably take, my focus for the immediate future is going to be back-to-basics. The fun stuff: sitting in the studio and immersing myself in music, performing it for for my fans when the time comes and whatever (or wherever) else might be out there creatively for me. Thats how it all started and that's how the next phase will begin. The days of me dedicating the majority of my time and energy into providing JUX with a constant stream of physical releases from multiple artists are on hold for the time being. My heart (and what little common sense I possess) is telling me to simplify my focus and it has always been my policy to listen to my heart.

Truly, DEF JUX has been amazing to be a part of. So many good people. So much fun. I feel very lucky to be friends and collaborators with people who have affected and continue to affect my life and work deeply and indelibly. Working with the likes of Amaechi Uzoigwe, Jesse Ferguson, Jason Drake, and Katy Eustis at JUX as well as allies like Kathryn Frazier (biz3), Michael Bull and Lisa Socransky-Austin (to name only a few) has been incredible. These are people who worked for generally meager wages because they loved what they did and they believed in the artists and the idea of DEF JUX. Anyone would be lucky to have worked with even one person as dedicated and passionate as all of them are. They are true champions of indie music and they (and too many others to mention here) have my gratitude and loyalty forever.

None of it would have existed, though, if not for the artists. Artists who rolled the dice on us the same way we did on them, and were there with us as we battled it all out. CAMU, MR LIF, AESOP ROCK, MURS, CAGE, ROB SONIC, HANGAR 18, CHIN CHIN, CANNIBAL OX, THE PERCEPTIONISTS, RJD2, DESPOT, SA SMASH, YAK BALLZ, CRAYZ, THE MIGHTY UNDERDOGS, DIZZEE RASCAL, DEL, P.F.A.C, ACTIVATOR, COOL CALM PETE ... the list goes on. I consider them all geniuses at what they do. Every victory that they have had and will have will always feel like a victory for myself and all of us at JUX. It's been a joy to create and even struggle with them all. It has not always been easy, but it's almost always been fulfilling. I only hope the work we put in together helped build a path to their collective futures. They have my sincerest well wishes and genuine respect.

Lastly and most importantly are the fans... holy shit THE FANS! Our fans are no joke. I can't tell you how humbled I am to have felt the love and respect that they have shown us all. Even when we did things they didn't like, they stuck around. This was their label as much as ours. We answered to them, and yet they respected that we did what we loved, nothing more and nothing less. We always will. You are why we do any of this, and I'll never be able to express how much your support means to all of us. I think I speak for all of us Jukies when I say I love making music for you and can't wait to make more.

Until then, on behalf of everyone here at JUX and from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

EL-P
Founder/Artistic Director/Recording Artist

Don't just stand there... Bust a Move!!!

As some of you know there is a party, a world party going on it's called Carnival... and here's what you need to know.


Carnival (Carnaval, Καρναβάλι (Carnavali), Carnevale, Carnestoltes, Carnaval, Karneval, Carnaval and Karnawal in Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Catalan, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Polish languages) is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.
Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. Protestant areas usually do not have carnival celebrations or have modified traditions, such as the Danish Carnival or other Shrove Tuesday events. The Brazilian Carnaval is one of the best-known celebrations today, but many cities and regions worldwide celebrate with large, popular, and days-long events. These include the Carnevale of Venice and the Carnevale of Viareggio, Italy, the German Rhineland carnivals, centering on the Carnivals in Dusseldorf,Cologne and Mainz; the carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; in Andalusia(Spain)Carnival of Cádiz ; the carnival of Cape Verde; of Torres Vedras, Portugal; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rijeka, Croatia; Barranquilla, Colombia; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; the Carnaval and the Llamadas in Montevideo, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In the United States, the famous Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, date back to French and Spanish colonial times.

Length and individual holidays

While the starting day of Carnival varies, the festival usually builds up to a crescendo in the week before lent, ending on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. In the Ambrosian rite of Milan (Italy), the carnival ends on the Saturday after Ash Wednesday. In areas in which people practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Carnival ends on the Sunday seven weeks before Easter, since in Eastern tradition lent begins on Clean Monday.
Most common the season begins on Septuagesima, the first Sunday before Ash Wednesday. In some places it starts as early as Twelfth Night (January 6) or even in November. The most important celebrations are generally concentrated during the last days of the season before Ash Wednesday.

The origin of the name "carnival" is disputed. Variants in Italian dialects suggest that the name comes from the Italian carne levare or similar, meaning "to remove meat", since meat is prohibited during Lent.
A different explanation states that the word comes from the Late Latin expression carne vale, which means "farewell to meat", signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. Yet another translation depicts carne vale as "a farewell to the flesh", a phrase embraced by certain carnival celebrations that encourage letting go of your former (or everyday) self and embracing the carefree nature of the festival. However, explanations proceeding from carne vale seem to be folk etymologies and are not supported by philological evidence.
Another possible explanation comes from the term "Carrus Navalis" (ship cart), the name of the roman festival of Isis, where her image was carried to the sea-shore to bless the start of the sailing season. The festival consisted in a parade of masks following an adorned wooden boat, that would reflect the floats of modern carnivals.

Carnival around the world

India

Goa

Goa (which was a Portuguese colony) has a long tradition of celebrating "Carnival" known as Intruz (possibly from the Portuguese word Entrudo, another name for Carnival) with colorful masks and floats. The city of Loutulim has the largest carnival which sees merry residents gathered on the streets amid beating of drums and reverberating music. The celebrations run three days culminating in a carnival parade on fat Tuesday. There is participation of a large number of tourists. Dance troupes performed skits before throwing water on each other. After the revelry, song and dance, great food and good wine come together beautifully. After partying, the crowds enjoy a delightful Goan cuisine at a buffet dinner.

Kerala

In contrast, the state of Kerala has very different celebrations. The festival is called "Raasa" (means fun in Sanskrit and in early malayalam). No masks are worn, but there is music and festivities, sometimes with fireworks. The Raasas are organized on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday by local catholic churches, and usually culminate in a public mass or a mass conducted in the church. Even though mostly Syrian or Roman Catholic Christians only take part in Raasa Parade (which is considered the religious part), both Hindus and Muslims join to watch and join the public mass by Christians in the festivities. There is no food at the end of the celebration but there are fireworks organized by some churches. People however offer half boiled or raw rice for the "Chembeduppu" ceremony in large copper vessels ("Chembu") kept at the Church. The copper vessels carrying the half-boiled rice were taken out in a Raasa procession by the faithfuls with traditional Church orchestra playing the accompaniment. The golden and the silver cross as well as the Papal and Catholicate flags were also taken out with the Raasa procession.

Europe

Belgium

Many Belgian towns celebrate Carnival, typically with costume parades, partying and fireworks.
The city of Aalst celebrates Carnival during a whole week leading up to Ash Wednesday. In 2010 it will most probably be recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The main parades of the Carnival of Binche stretch over the three days before Lent. The most important participants are the Gilles, who go out in their traditional costumes on Mardi Gras and throw blood oranges to the crowd. Carnival in Binche has a history dating back at least to the 16th century. In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Other large carnival celebrations are held in Malmedy.
Some Belgian cities hold carnivals later during Lent. One of the best known is Stavelot, where the Carnaval de la Laetare takes place on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. The most well-known participants are the Blancs-Moussis, dressed in white and wearing long red noses. They parade through town throwing confetti and beating bystanders with dried pig bladders. Another large carnival celebration on Laetare Sunday is held in Halle.

Cyprus

In Cyprus, the Carnival is celebrated for 10 consecutive days just before the beginning of Lent. The Carnival had been celebrated for centuries on the island by dressing up, holding masked balls and visiting friend's houses in fancy costumes. It is believed that the tradition was established during the Venetian rule. It is also believed ancient Greek traditions might have contributed as well. Such traditions include festivities for greek deities such as Dionysus. However, it is during the past one hundred years or so that an organised festival takes place annually. The festival is celebrated almost exclusively in the city of Limassol, which holds the largest annual carnival on the island. In Cyprus, the carnival season changes according to the Greek Orthodox calendar.
There are three main parades taking place. The first one takes place on the first day of the Carnival, during which the "Carnival King" goes around the centre of the city on his carriage. The King can be either a real person in a costume or an artistically made effigy. The parade one takes place on the first Sunday of the festival, and the participants are mainly children. The third parade is the largest one and takes place on the last day of Carnival, before the Monday that marks the beginning of Lent. During this parade several groups in costumes, which often consist of hundreds of people, walk along the longest avenue of the town. It is important to mention that in either of the Sunday parades, the majority of the participants are ordinary citizens, while everyone is entitled to taking part in the parades.

Greece

The carnival season is also known as the Apókreō (Greek: Ἀπόκρεω, "weaning from meat"), or the season of the "Opening of the Triodion", so named after the liturgical book used by the church from then until the Holy Week. Among the high points of the season is Tsiknopémptẽ, "Smoke Thursday", where "smoke" refers to the smokey smell created when meat is roasted over open fire. Tsíkna is an anagram of the Ancient Greek word kníssa, the smoke and smell of roasting meat. On Tsiknopempte most people go out for roast meat dinners, in taverns or friends' houses, a ritual repeated the following Sunday, Apokreo Sunday. The following week, the last before Lent, is called Tyrinē (Greek: Τυρινή, "cheese [week]") because eating meat is not allowed, but dairy products are. The Great Lent begins on "Clean Monday", the day after "Cheese Sunday". Throughout the carnival season, people disguise themselves as maskarádes ("masqueraders") and engage in pranks and general revelry.
Patras in the Peloponnese, holds the largest annual carnival in Greece, the famous Patras Carnival, with celebrations starting on the week before the beginning of the Great Lent, which falls between late February to early March. It is a 3-day-long spectacle replete with concerts, balles masqués, parading troupes, floats, a treasure hunt and many events for children. The grand parade of masked troupes and floats is held at noon, Tyrine Sunday, and culminates after several hours in the ceremonial burning of the effigy of King Carnival at the Patras harbour.
In many other regions, festivities of smaller extent are organized, focused on the reenactment of traditional carnevalic customs; for example those held in Tyrnavos (Thessaly), Kozani (West Macedonia), Rethymno (Crete) and in Xanthi (East Macedonia and Thrace). Specifically Tyrnavos holds an annual Phallus festival, a traditional "phallkloric" event in which giant, gaudily painted effigies of phalluses made of papier maché are paraded, and which all women present are asked to touch, or kiss, their reward for doing so being a shot of the famous local ouzo liquor.

Portugal

Carnival in Portugal is celebrated throughout the country, the most famous are the ones of Ovar, Madeira, Loulé, Nazaré, and Torres Vedras. The ones from Podence and Lazarim have pagan traditions, namely the Careto, and Torres Vedras Carnival is seen as the most typical Portuguese carnival.
Paradoxically, Portugal having introduced Christianity and the customs related to Catholic practice to Brazil, has started to adopt some of the aspects of Brazilian-style Carnival celebrations, in particular those of Rio de Janeiro with sumptuous parades, Samba and other Brazilian musical elements.

Americas

Brazil

An important part of the Brazilian Carnival takes place in the Rio Carnival, with samba schools parading in the Sambadrome ("sambódromo" in Portuguese). It's the largest carnival event in this country, considered to be the largest of the kind in the world. Called "One of the biggest shows of the Earth", the festival attracts millions of tourists, both Brazilians and foreigners who come from everywhere to participate and enjoy the great show. Samba Schools are large, social entities with thousands of members and a theme for their song and parade each year. Blocos are generally small informal groups also with a definite theme in their samba, usually satirical of the current political situation. But there are also a lot, about 30 of them in Rio de Janeiro, that are very big in number of participants, gathering hundreds of thousands of people. There are more than 200 blocos in Rio de Janeiro. Bandas are samba musical bands, usually formed by enthusiasts in the same neighborhood.
An adapted truck from Salvador, with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play songs of local genres such as Axé music, Samba-reggae, Pagode and Arrocha, is driven with the following crowd both dancing and singing. It was originally staged by two Salvador musicians, Dodo & Osmar, in the 1950s.
Pernambuco has large Carnival celebrations, including the Frevo, typical Pernambuco music. Another famous carnival music style from Pernambuco is Maracatu. The cities of Recife and Olinda also host large carnival celebrations in Brazil. The largest carnival parade in all of the world according The Guinness Book of World Records is named Galo da Madrugada, which takes place in downtown Recife on the Saturday of carnival. Another famous event is the Noite dos Tambores Silenciosos.

Peru

The town of Cajamarca is considered the capital of Peruvian carnival. Local residents of all ages as well as tourists dance around the unhsa, or yunsa, a tree adorned with ribbons, balloons, toys, fruits, bottles of liquor, and other prizes.
At a certain point the Mayordomo (governor of the feast) walks into the circle. The governor chooses a partner to go to the unsha, where they attempt to cut down the unsha by striking the tree three times with a machete. The machete is passed from couple to couple as each strikes the tree three times. When the unsha finally falls, the crowd rushes to grab the prizes.
The person who successfully brings down the unsha becomes next year’s governor of the feast.

Violence

The Peruvian carnival consists mostly of violent games that last all the month of February, extending to early March if Ash Wednesday falls on March, but rarely ending when it falls on February. Quoting the Lima police chief "The carnival is associated with criminal actions" (2007). It has even gone to major consequences.
The Peruvian carnival incorporates elements of violence and reflects the lately trends of urban violence in the Peruvian society after the conflict in Peru. Traditionally, Peruvian Andean festivities were held on this period every year because it's the rainy season. It was already violent during the 19th century, but the government managed to regulate it and during the early 20th century it followed the normal trends of partying and parading, while in the second half of the 20th century it has acquired the violent characteristics that it has today, to the point of being banned, first from the streets in 1958 and altogether in 1959 by the Prado government. It consisted basically on water battles in a traditional way, while in later years it includes playing with dirty water, mud, oil and colorants -and also including fighting and sometimes even looting private property and sexual assaults on women; all this to unconsenting passers-by and in a very violent way. It has also become an excuse for criminal gangs to rob people while pretending to play the game. As of 2010, it has become so violent that the government has imposed heavy penalties of up to 8 years in prison for violence during the games (the games themselves are not forbidden, but using violence during the games or coercing others to participate is).

Caribbean

Most of the islands in the Caribbean celebrate Carnival. The largest and most well-known celebration is held in Trinidad and Tobago. Dominican Republic, Antigua, Aruba, Cayman Islands, Barbados, Haiti, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Sint Maarten, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts, Saint Thomas and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are also known for lengthy carnival seasons and large celebrations.
Carnival is an important cultural event on the Dutch Antilles islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius (Statia), and Bonaire. Festivities include "jump-up" parades with beautifully colored costumes, floats, and live bands as well as beauty contests and other competitions. Carnival on these islands also includes a middle-of-the-night j'ouvert (juvé) parade that ends at sunrise with the burning of a straw King Momo, cleansing the island of sins and bad luck. On Statia he is called Prince Stupid.
Carnival has also been celebrated in Cuba since the 18th century. The costumes, dances and pageantry grew with each passing year, with the participants donning costumes from the cultural and ethnic variety on the island. After Fidel Castro's Communist Revolution, carnival's religious overture was suppressed. The events remained, albeit frowned upon by the state. Carnival celebrations have been in decline throughout Cuba since 1960.

Haiti

Arguably the largest carnival in the Caribbean[citation needed], Haiti Kanaval has over 1,000,000 people jamming the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince's Champs de Marse rock to Meringues (Haitian carnival melodies) on the Beton (the street course where the floats pass through). Those with enough money or the right connections enjoy the scene from the comfort of elaborately decorated stands often decorated in resemblance of Haiti’s famous Tap-Tap street cabs. Other stands are designed in accord with the logos of their respective local corporate sponsors.
The many different genres of Haitian Music are fully represented with the different bands that blaze through the beton. Among these the Kompa Meringues are the most popular followed by the Racine (roots) bands that pay homage to the rich African Ancestry of the people. New styles with foreign influence emerge continuously mixing Haitian sounds with techno, hip-hop, reggae, zouk, Fand soukous to name a few.
The floats, on flatbed trucks and nearly two stories high (called “Chars”), look more like ocean liners than anything else, but liners with massed humps of speakers. The 20 bands in the seven-hour parade play as the chars creep through the wild crowds until 4 A.M. The dancers before and after the floats, dance the ga gun, an aggressive dance that can be as competitive as it is celebrative. Everybody knows the songs; every line, every chant has the audience ecstatic, with the floats themselves bouncing in time to the music. Condoms, thrown from floats and from the stands, were blown up like balloons. And long lines of people dance elaborate dances, turning the sensuality of the music into movement. Combined, the depth of the music and dance suggests Haiti's enormous cultural power as a reservoir of African and Creole culture, underscoring its importance as one of the major producers of art in the Caribbean. And in its intensity, its Carnival is clearly one of the more important events in the African diaspora in the Americas.

United States

Carnival celebrations, usually referred to as Mardi Gras, were first celebrated in the Gulf Coast area of the United States, but now occur in many other states. Customs originated in the onetime French colonial capitals of Mobile (now in Alabama), New Orleans (Louisiana) and Biloxi (Mississippi), all of which have celebrated for many years with street parades and masked balls. Other major U.S. cities with celebrations include Tampa, Florida, St. Louis, Missouri, Pensacola, Florida, San Diego, California, Galveston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, etc.

Louisiana

The best-known, most elaborate, and most popular events are in New Orleans, while other South Louisiana cities such as Lafayette, Mamou, and Houma, all of which were under French control at one time or another, are the sites of famous Carnival celebrations of their own.
Major Mardi Gras celebrations are spreading to other parts of the United States, such as the Mississippi Valley region of St. Louis, Missouri, Orlando, Florida in Universal Studios, and in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, California.

Cleveland Cavaliers Trade for Mark Price and Brad Daugherty

After hearing all of the rumors of the impending mega free-agent class in the summer of 2010 and fearing the possible loss of Lebron James, GM Danny Ferry, pulled off a blockbuster trade to entice his star to stay, just one day before the trade deadline. He said that bringing Mark Price and Brad Daugherty back to the team is just what Lebron needs.

“When I came aboard my former team as the general manager, I promised them that I would do anything possible to make us a contender like we were in the late 80’s/early 90’s. And what better way to do that then to bring back the two pieces of that “almost” championship puzzle that we had way back then, Mark and Brad. What a great opportunity we have.”

Mark being 46 years old and Brad being 44 only added to the intrigue Danny had on getting this deal done.

“Some people look at being in your mid-40’s as being old. But not the new-look Cavsaliers. We see that age as experience. And this is what Lebron wanted from management. He wanted us to put a team around him that would be a threat in the NBA playoffs. So either by winning the championship or collapsing at half-court from exhaustion, these two will make us a threat in the playoffs.”

Several fans of the Cavs are worried about the team making a trade like this while sitting atop of the league with the best record.

“I just don’t understand why they would do this. I have been a lifelong fan of the Cavs,” said Rob Perry. “And this is a terrible move. Mark Price and Brad Daugherty ? We have the best record in the NBA and you want to bring in some old Geezers. What the h*ll are they seeing ? That blind owner must still be making the decisions.”

Lebron says even with this addition to the Cavs, he will still probably test the FA waters to see if there are any NBA teams out there who might want his services.

“I appreciate Mr. Ferry doing what he can to keep me in town. But this is my 7th season in the league and I feel that I have done everything I can in Cleveland and my skills have started regressing the last few years. So I think I should get out while I’m on top. I just hope there are some teams that want me as a player. Right now, the pickings are slim. But the New York Knicks are at the top of the list as of now. They have promised to do what it takes to surround me with championship players. And I have always wanted to play with Willis Reed and “Clyde the Glide”.”

Happy Birthday to the best 2 Guard Ever!!!

Knowing is half the battle: Tea Party Radicals Edition

What's a Tea Party?

The Tea Party protests are a series of nationally coordinated protests across the United States since 2009. Participants say the events are part of a Tea Party movement opposing big government, President Barack Obama, the U.S. federal budget and, more specifically, the stimulus package, which the protesters argue are wasteful government spending and unnecessary government growth. They oppose the increase in the national debt as well. The protesters also objected to possible future tax increases. Protests have been held on April 15, 2009 to coincide with the annual U.S. deadline for submitting tax returns, known as Tax Day, over the weekend of July 4, 2009 to coincide with Independence Day, and on September 12, 2009 to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, and the protests have sought to evoke images, slogans, and themes from the American Revolution. The letters T, E, and A have been used by protesters to form the backronym "Taxed Enough Already."
Commentators promoted Tax Day events on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, while the Fox News Channel regularly featured televised programming leading into and promoting various protest activities. Reaction to the tea parties included counter-protests expressing support for the Obama administration, and dismissive or mocking media coverage of both the events and its promoters.

Background

On January 27, 2009 radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh criticized the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commenting, "This 'porkulus' bill is designed to repair the Democratic Party's power losses from the 1990s forward, and to cement the party's majority power for decades." The term porkulus was coined as a portmanteau of "pork" and "stimulus," in reference to pork barrel spending or earmarks, proving popular with conservative politicians and commentators, who began to unify in opposition against stimulus spending after the 2008 General Election.
On February 10, FreedomWorks activist Mary Rakovich, who is also a leader in the conservative advocacy group "America Coast 2 Coast", led a protest outside President Barack Obama's townhall meeting in Fort Myers, Florida, displaying a sign with an image of a pig and the statement "$650,000,000 for DTV coupons".
On February 16, the day before President Obama signed into law the stimulus bill, blogger Keli Carender called for and organized a "porkulus" protest in Seattle, Washington. A protest was held in Denver on February 17 and a protest in Mesa, Arizona on February 18 brought 500 protesters.

Tactics

The New York Times reported on August 8, 2009 that organizations opposed to the health care reform legislation were urging opponents to be disruptive. It noted that the Tea Party Patriots web site circulated a memo instructing them to "Pack the hall. Yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early. Get him off his prepared script and agenda. Stand up and shout and sit right back down." The memo continued, "The Rep [representative] should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington."
Some Tea party organizers have stated that they look to Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals for inspiration. Protesters have also appropriated left-wing imagery; the logo for the 9/12 March on Washington featured a raised fist design that was intended to resemble those used by pro-labor, anti-war, and black power movements of the 1960s. In addition, the slogan "Keep Your Laws Off My Body", usually associated with pro-choice activists, has been seen on signs at tea parties.

Someone need these ???

After losing to Germany in the Olympics, USA enlists Ed Hochuli's arms for their next curling event.

You ought to know: Stop Snitchin', Denmark Vesey Edition

Bio

Denmark Vesey originally Telemaque, (1767? – July 2, 1822) was an African American slave brought to the United States from the Caribbean. After purchasing his freedom, he planned what would have been one of the largest slave rebellions in the United States. Word of the plans was leaked, and Charleston, South Carolina, authorities arrested the plot's leaders before the uprising could begin. Vesey and others were tried, convicted and executed.
Many antislavery activists came to regard Vesey as a hero. During the American Civil War, abolitionist Frederick Douglass used Vesey's name as a battle cry to rally African-American regiments, especially the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
In 1781, Vesey was purchased by Captain Joseph Vesey from the then-Danish Caribbean island of St. Thomas. He labored briefly in French Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), and then was settled in Charleston, South Carolina as a youth, where Joseph Vesey kept him as a domestic slave. On November 9, 1799, Denmark Vesey won $1500 in a city lottery. He bought his own freedom and began working as a carpenter. Although briefly a Presbyterian, Vesey co-founded a branch of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816. The church was temporarily shut down by white authorities in 1818 and again in 1820.

Conspiracy

Inspired by the revolutionary spirit and actions of slaves during the 1791 Haitian Revolution, and furious at the closing of the African Church, Vesey began to plan a slave rebellion. His insurrection, which was to take place on Bastille Day, July 14, 1822, became known to thousands of blacks throughout Charleston and along the Carolina coast. The plot called for Vesey and his group of slaves and free blacks to slay their owners and temporarily seize the city of Charleston. Vesey and his followers planned to sail to Haiti to escape retaliation. Two slaves opposed to Vesey's scheme leaked the plot. Charleston authorities charged 131 men with conspiracy. In total, 67 men were convicted and 35 hanged, including Denmark Vesey.
Sandy Vesey, one of Denmark's sons, was transported, probably to Cuba. Vesey's last wife Susan later immigrated to Liberia. Another son, Robert Vesey, survived to rebuild Charleston's African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865.
In response to white fears, a municipal guard of 150 men was established in Charleston in 1822. Half the men were stationed in an arsenal called the Citadel. In 1842, the South Carolina legislature replaced the expensive guardsmen with less expensive cadets. The arsenal was turned over to the newly established South Carolina Military Academy, which later became known as The Citadel.

Lil Wayne Jail Sentencing Postponed After he has his Braces Tightened

Lil Wayne temporarily escaped his sentencing in New York on criminal possession of a weapon after the judge found out that the rapper just had his braces tightened. Lil Wayne, 27, whose real name is Dwayne Carter said that he and his Pa had been planning this oral surgery since he was even littler. “You know this has actually been a procedure that Pa and I have been planning for awhile. Braces are very important to a Martian’s appearance and we thought this was a perfect time to get them tightened to close the gap between my Incisors. Fans mistakenly thought I had all this platinum in my mouth for a fashion statement. No, these platinum braces are so Weezy F can keep that Colgate smile, whoadie.” The braces also must be a way to keep him and his Pa close like a father and son should be. As Pa gave him a beautiful and passionate kiss as Wayne walked out of the Orthodontist.

He is still in my heart !!!

Juan Dixon blames his alleged steroid use on the death of his former teammate, Len Bias.

N-Word Please !!!

John Mayer says n*ggaz should just give him a hood pass for using the ‘n-word’.

Clark Kent Tells Dwight Howard and Shaq to Kindly Shut the F*ck Up

After the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Orlando Magic this week, Shaquille O’Neal commented to the media questioning the true origin of the “Superman” mantra, referencing the use of it by Orlando center, Dwight Howard. Dwight, in response, basically told Shaq to get over it because ‘a lot of people call themselves Superman, not just me and Shaq.’ And one of those persons held a press conference to tell both of those multi-million dollar superstars to just shut the f*ck up.

“Why the h*ll are we even entertaining these two idiots? “said reporter, Clark Kent, with much disdain. “These two normal humans are making millions of dollars playing a damn game. I am a super human and I had to work as a measly reporter at that crappy Daily Planet, barely making minimum wage, and I didn’t have to step in front of the cameras boasting about who I was. How can they be Superman anyway ? Neither one of them have that little Vidal Sassoon curl in the front of their hair.”

One of Clark Kent’s arch-nemesis, General Zod, was quick to chime in on this ‘Who is the real superman?’ debate.

“In my professional villain opinion, this is really no question. I quickly realized the authenticity of Clark’s Superman powers that time I asked him to ‘Come, kneel before Zod’ and that prick crushed my frickin hand leaving me with Arthritis. Furthermore, how could Shaq even be the son of Jor-el, isn’t his father’s name Phillip or something?”

Clark says that ‘even though everyone uses cell phones now’, he ‘will find a phone booth somewhere if it needs to be proven who the true man of steel is.’

“Look, for the last time. I am Clark Kent and I am the real Superman. Not Dwight Howard and not Shaquille O’Neal. My feats are impeccable and well-documented. And not only in saving Earth from General Zod and his 2 cronies but also in my eye for discovering talent. H*ll, I made Lex Luthor a star way before Enemy of the State and Wyatt Earp.”

Nate Robinson Wins 3rd Consecutive Mini Slam Contest at Local Carnival

Nate Robinson became the first player to win the mini slam contest, 3 years in a row, at the local Carnival held Saturday night in Dallas, TX. The carnival, which has become largely forgettable the last couple of years, has tried to spice things up by using a 6’5 rim instead of the standard 10’ rim which the carnival routinely incorporates. Nate won the contest in the final round by bringing several Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders on the court with him, attempting to divert the fans attention to the ladies and away from this joke of a contest.

“The best thing that I could bring with me to this mini slam contest were the Cowboys cheerleaders. I asked if they could help me out in the carnival this year and they said they were more than happy to. I told them that all I needed them to do really was just to walk out onto the court and that should distract the crowd enough so they wouldn’t pay any attention to the crap I was doing.”

And his goal was successful. When asked what he thought of Nate’s final dunk, Shawn Rudell, local bartender, said, “Who?”

“To be honest, I have stopped paying any attention to this annual carnival. I just come to the events because of all the hot women who come in droves to try to secure themselves a carnival participant. There’s only so many ‘roofies’ you can slip in a chick’s drink and I figured this was the next best thing. And I was much more focused on the T&A out there on the court with the pompoms than watching the New York Knicks mascot. Did he win ?”

But Robinson said that he is not going for 4 carnival wins in a row and that he is calling it quits.

“No, this is it for me. I’m just happy that I got this third one in a row. But this is definitely the last one. I don’t think I can bear all the different ideas they were trying to come up with to make this carnival interesting again. Things like a ‘Guess Charles Barkley’s Weight’ booth or a ‘Take a Pic with the mascot of the New York Knicks’ booth. Come on man. And I thought the NBA All-Star Saturday night was a joke.”