Saturday Open Thread: The Lost Kingdom of Ethiopia

GOOD SATURDAY MORNTIN’ Sepia/POU FAM♥ – –***BIG HUG*** :>) – -

REAL FAST: – - -SAD NEWS: – - -

– - -James A. Hood dies at 70; fought segregation at University of Alabama – –

— –In 1963, Hood and Vivian Malone were physically blocked from enrolling at the school by Gov. George Wallace. Later in life, Hood and Wallace became friends.

—–FIRST — >The June 11, 1963, enrollment of Hood and Vivian Malone, who went on to become the first black graduate of the university, came during one of the most violent summers of the civil rights movement. The next day, Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist working for the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People in Jackson, Miss., was shot to death by a white supremacist. That September, four young girls were killed in the bombing of an African American church in Birmingham, Ala.
THERE IS MORE.

– — -RIHEP – - -DR. JAMES A. HOOD. THANK U 4 YOUR BRAVE annnd LIFE-LONG SERVICE – –IN -”DA STRUGGLE.” –AMEN.

– - –CONDOLEBCES 2 FAMILY/FRIENDS/ALL WHOM U SERVED –***raises hand*** – -AMEN. – –

I was just scrolling yesterday’s open thread.

Valerie Jarrett: I don’t play basketball and I don’t really like cards. I have a significant role here.

Shorter Valerie Jarrett: Y’all can all miss me with the bullsh#$%.

Instead of focusing on Lance Armstrong and Man-Tan’s fake girlfriend, the media needs to talk about this. (h/t Eclectic Brotha)

Explosive Allegations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Jan 16, 2013 4:45 AM EST

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the government of Benjamin Netanyahu spent almost $3 billion in the past two years preparing for a war against Iran’s nuclear program that it probably never intended to wage.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Olmert said the sum was above and beyond the billions allocated to the defense budget and helped raise Israel’s fiscal deficit to heights it hadn’t reached in years. As a result, he said, Netanyahu would be forced to make broad spending cuts, if reelected next week, upsetting potential coalition partners that are accustomed to having their sectarian causes generously financed.

“The security establishment…on the instructions of the government spent an additional 11 billion shekels ($2.95 billion) beyond the regular budget of the Defense department to make preparations regarding a possible Israeli operation against Iran,” said Olmert, who is Netanyahu’s political rival.

He said the extra spending was designed to make the United States believe that Israel genuinely intended to attack Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu hoped the perception would prod President Obama, who opposes an Israeli strike, to organize tighter sanctions against Iran and take action of his own to prevent it from crossing the nuclear threshold.

“The general opinion of those that were involved [in the preparations] was that this was much more about rhetoric and less about a real determination to activate it,” Olmert told The Daily Beast.

MORE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/16/explosive-allegations-against-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu.html

– A FORMAL GOOD SATURDAY MORNTIN’ Sepia/POU FAM♥ – -Sooo GETTIN’ READY 4 the EXCITING INAUGURAL ACTIVITIES. –Woo! Hoo! –Annnd THIS SERIES — DA BOMB!! :>) THANK U Sepia. :>) – -

- —☻President Obama recorded a special interview about what his second inauguration means to him –

– —☻The ARTIFACTS R FASCINATING!! — SO -MUCH 2 LEARN. :>)

– - -☻ENJOY YOUR SPECIAL TREAT–ETHIOPIAN HOT CHOCOLATE.♥ :>)

– — THANK U Sepia –4 a GR8 –INSPIRING SERIES. :>) –
– — – - — —–B BLESSED 2-day. :>) —– —–

Sepia – - –A “little preview” of MR/ PRESIDENT’s INAUGURAL SPEECH [From the WH.] – -:>) – - -

—-What will Obama address in his second inaugural speech?

– - -President Obama’s inaugural address sets the tone for his second term. Deputy Chief Speechwriter to President Clinton Jeff Shesol talks about the importance of the inaugural address. – –

– - -Oooooweee. :>) – – Soooo LOOKIN’ FORWARD – - -> – -:>)

South Carolina Saved $3M Last Year On ‘Smarter’ Prison Terms

[....] In 2010, Malloy’s bill to reduce the prison terms for nonviolent offenders while strengthening penalties for some of the worst offenders was signed into law by the state’s Republican governor, and makes the conservative state a potential leader on criminal justice reform. Instead of the projected 3,200-inmate increase in the prison population by 2014, the population has already decreased by 2,700 since 2010.

Probation for those whose prison terms are shortened costs the state just $1,088 per year, as compared to $17,342 per year to keep someone in prison.
The state is routing all of the savings back into more sentencing reform, a substantial portion of which includes better training for staff that work with the more serious, violent prisoners and a program to show inmates how their crimes hurt others.

Those released from prison early, meanwhile, are participating in probation programs that provide incentives for good behavior, rather than punishing violators with an automatic return to prison. Those without family support are assigned a counselor — a move that has already doubled the rate of juvenile offenders successfully completing probation in one South Carolina county.[[....]

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/01/17/1464031/south-carolina-saved-3m-last-year-on-smarter-prison-terms/

H/T Nicole Flatow

Hilda Solis Considering Run For Local Government Post In Los Angeles

Outgoing Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said she is mulling a run for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. “I’m going to take a look at it,” Solis told the Times, noting she intends to get her “footing back in the community.”

Solis announced last week that she will be stepping down from her cabinet post at the Department of Labor.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/hilda-solis-considering-run-for-local-government-post

H/T Tom Kludt

Nearly half of new U.S. power capacity in 2012 was renewable — mostly wind

As predicted, almost half of the new power-generating capacity installed in the United States last year was renewable. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently released its December update on the nation’s energy infrastructure [PDF]. When we last checked on the data, it suggested that some 46 percent of new capacity — January through October — was renewable. Well, that ratio improved over the last two months of the year. Ultimately, 49.1 percent of new capacity was renewable.[....]

[....] Wind ended up being the biggest new source of capacity, beating even natural gas (which itself had a pretty good year). The question is: Can this pace be sustained into 2013? The tax credit was extended as part of the fiscal cliff deal, but only temporarily.[....]

Read more: http://grist.org/news/nearly-half-of-new-u-s-power-capacity-in-2012-was-renewable-mostly-wind/

H/T Philip Bump

Sepia – - -Awwwww – - -THEY R —A-DOR-A-BLE!!♥ :>) —

—January 2013: Photo of the Day —

– — –President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stand together in the Blue Room of the White House, before a brunch celebrating the Inauguration, Jan. 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

– - -TRUE – -BLACK LOVE♥ —HE ADORES HER♥ – -:>) – — – -***smiles***

—GREEN dress – –Luvin’ IT. :>) —

From the mouth of babes…

Retaking Our Schools, Remaking Society! – NCSPU 2013 Conference

On February 16th, The NC-Student Power Union will be holding a statewide organizing conference in Raleigh, North Carolina – our state capital. This conference will bring together leaders of social justice organizations, university faculty, and most importantly, students like us for a day of education, inspiration, and action.[....]

[....] Wealthy right-wing donors bought the North Carolina legislature and put Tea Party conservatives in the driver’s seat of our state. Their program is clear: public education and services will face massive cuts, and the general welfare of our state will be undermined to benefit the richest few. From voting rights to women’s rights, those in power want to take us backwards. North Carolina families, students, and workers cannot afford this regressive agenda – and we will not accept it. It is more urgent than ever to build upon multi-issue, grassroots mobilization efforts in NC. Our state has a rich history of activism and resistance, and as in the past, students must serve as leaders in the fight for social justice.[....]

Read more: http://studentpowernc.org/2013/01/retaking-our-schools-remaking-society-ncspu-2013-conference/

H/T North Carolina Student Power Union, Matt Hickson and Ana Maria Reichenbach

In my opinion, Ella J. Baker is one of the many Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. Though she championed equality for all, she refused to be pidgeon-holed because of her gender. Ms. Baker was married but made frequent trips alone into the Deep South–where her male counterparts refused to go because of the potential risks to their personal safety. Unfortunately, Ms. Baker was routinely labeled by some as an “agitator” because she challenged what she perceived as the marginalization of black women in the Civil Rights Movement. Undeterred by her critics, she persisted in stressing the crucial role that black women played in the struggle for equality and society–inspiring thousands of young college students (black and white, male and female) to become actively involved. She was way ahead of the curve on many social issues and led an extraordinary life.

Who Was Ella Baker?

Ella Jo Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. She developed a sense for social justice early in her life. As a girl growing up in North Carolina, Baker listened to her grandmother tell stories about slave revolts.[...] Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.[....] After graduating in 1927 as class valedictorian, she moved to New York City and began joining social activist organizations. In 1930, she joined the Young Negroes Cooperative League, whose purpose was to develop black economic power through collective planning. She also involved herself with several women’s organizations. She was committed to economic justice for all people and once said, “People cannot be free until there is enough work in this land to give everybody a job.”

Ella Baker began her involvement with the NAACP in 1940. She worked as a field secretary and then served as director of branches from 1943 until 1946. Inspired by the historic bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, Baker co-founded the organization In Friendship to raise money to fight against Jim Crow Laws in the deep South. In 1957, Baker moved to Atlanta to help organize Martin Luther King’s new organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She also ran a voter registration campaign called the Crusade for Citizenship.[....] On February 1, 1960, a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service. Baker left the SCLC after the Greensboro sit-ins. She wanted to assist the new student activists because she viewed young, emerging activists as a resource and an asset to the movement.

Miss Baker organized a meeting at Shaw University for the student leaders of the sit-ins in April 1960. From that meeting, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee — SNCC — was born.[....] With Ella Baker’s guidance and encouragement, SNCC became one of the foremost advocates for human rights in the country. Ella Baker once said, “This may only be a dream of mine, but I think it can be made real.” Her audacity to dream big is a cornerstone of our philosophy. Her influence was reflected in the nickname she acquired: “Fundi,” a Swahili word meaning a person who teaches a craft to the next generation. Baker continued to be a respected and influential leader in the fight for human and civil rights until her death on December 13, 1986, her 83rd birthday.[....]

Read more: http://ellabakercenter.org/about/who-was-ella-baker

H/T Ella J. Baker Center for Human Rights

Obama Brings GOP to Its Knees, Debt Ceiling Hostage Freed

We told you so. Forgive me for quoting myself, but here’s what I wrote in my last piece about the debt ceiling, explaining why the President was not going to give Congress an easy out on this: The president does not want to make the Republicans in Congress irrelevant in this conversation; he wants them to come to their senses – or more likely, to their knees – and raise the debt limit without being able to keep their hostage. Well, the Republicans have come to their knees.[....]

[....] Barack Obama is no one’s fool. He cares about this country more deeply than any president in most of our lifetimes. But he is also a consummate political genius. He will work with the opposing side for the good of the country; he will meet them more than half way if necessary to make progress. But you will not get away with trying hurt the country he loves. He will make you cry uncle. America’s enemies abroad already know that. It’s time our domestic politicians learned it, too. Let the following sum it up:

Because I was kind,
You thought I was a lamb;
Because you went too far,
You will see I am a lion.
And I will rise.

Read more: http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2013/01/republicans-fall-to-their-knees.html

H/T Deaniac83

Evening Thread is up!