Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people.
BLM regularly organizes protests around the deaths of black people in killings by law enforcement officers, and broader issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.
In 2013, the movement began with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin.
Black Lives Matter became nationally recognized for its street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown, resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, and Eric Garner in New York City.
The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters during 2014–16.
The overall Black Lives Matter movement, however, is a decentralized network and has no formal hierarchy.
While the Rio Olympics are going on, while the incessant “bombardment” of inane politics goes on, while children are getting ready to start this school’s term, while politicians continue their unwarranted push to dominate the little domains they oversee, this child suffers.
This child’s world has been up-ended.
He seems to be in shock, he’s alone, he’s hurt, he’s bleeding.
It this was humanity has come to?
Multiply that by thousands and you will see the results of humanity’s effort to dominate others.
CNN’s Kate Bolduan Begins to Cry While Sharing Video of Bloodied Syrian Child
~~Published on Aug 18, 2016~~
CNN’s Kate Bolduan is a reporter who asks tough questions and is often expressive and emphatic when she does it. Today, however, she was expressive in a very different way. While sharing a video of a five-year-old Syrian named Omran Daqneesh sitting in the back of an ambulance with blood and soot all over him, Bolduan was tasked with explaining that he and his family were pulled from the rubble that was once their house. She said that there had been an air strike — which is common, as the country has been embroiled in a violent civil war for years — but had to stop and compose herself a few times.
There is little point in describing her visceral reaction when you can watch it right here for yourself:
“What strikes me is we shed tears, but there are no tears here,” she observed as her voice cracked. “He doesn’t cry once. That little boy is in total shock. He’s stunned, inside his home one moment and the next, lost in the fury and the flurry of war and chaos.”
After sharing how many thousands have died in Aleppo, Syria, alone, she closed with, “This is Omran.
Prince, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger all died from opioid overdoses
Toxicology results are in.
Prince died from an opioid overdose. He became just one of thousands of Americans who have fallen victim to prescription painkillers. Since 1999, the number of opioid-related deaths have nearly quadrupled.
Opioids – whether prescription painkillers or heroin – reduce the perception of pain and create feelings of pleasure. They are highly addictive. Over time, the body’s opioid receptors become accustomed to the drug; users may need to take a higher dose to get the same euphoric feelings and stave off withdrawal. When taken in excess, opioids can kill users by depressing their ability to breathe.
And as the Boston Globe reports, the United States is dealing with two inter-related drug abuse epidemics: One for prescription pills, and one for heroin.
DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd were awarded the Mirrorball trophy.
(Second place went to Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas, with Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy nabbing third.)
DiMarco — who, coincidentally, also won the 22nd cycle of America’s Next Top Model — was a favorite from the beginning, as he overcame his deafness (including an inability to feel musical vibrations) to produce some of the season’s most memorable routines.
Of course, before Nyle and Peta could overtake Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough as the reigning Dancing champs, the ABC series hosted a two-hour celebration of this season’s standout performances and memorable contestants.
The three finalists also performed their 24-hour fusion dances — a mash-up of two dance styles — which earned them one last score from the judges, denoted below:
Ginger Zee and pro Val Chmerkovskiy — Foxtrot/Argentine Tango — 27/30
Nyle DiMarco and pro Peta Murgatroyd — Tango/Cha-Cha — 30/30
Paige VanZant and pro Mark Ballas — Jive/Salsa — 30/30
And just like that, Season 22 came to a close, with Nyle and Peta swept up in a massive celebration alongside their castmates.
“I owe it all to him,” Murgatroyd said of her partner. “He’s just incredible.”
Nyle DiMarco (born May 8, 1989 in Queens, New York) is an American actor and model. In 2015 he was the first and only deaf contestant to appear on the final season of America’s Next Top Model.
DiMarco was born in Queens, New York. He comes from a deaf family with his parents, both of his brothers and his grandparents all born deaf. His parents divorced when he was young and his mom singlehandedly raised him and his two brothers. He grew up in Frederick, Maryland and graduated from Gallaudet University with a degree in Mathematics. DiMarco lives in New York City. He considers American Sign Language (ASL) to be his native language and is also proficient in lip reading and nonverbal communication.
DiMarco had been doing freelance modeling for about a year before he was contacted by America’s Next Top Model producers. They scouted the 25-year-old via his Instagram without realizing he was deaf. He is the second male winner of the CW’s America’s Next Top Model. DiMarco is now currently signed with Wilhelmina Models in New York City. He is also working with Barxbell, the first all deaf company based in Pleasanton.
DiMarco acted in a leading role for an independent film On the Can … again under ASL Films production, a movie told in American Sign Language with English subtitles.He played the recurring role of Garrett Banducci in Switched at Birth on the Freeform network.
DiMarco doesn’t consider himself to be disabled by deafness and sees his media profile as an opportunity to bring awareness to Deaf culture. He views deafness as an advantage in modeling because he is accustomed to conveying messages without speaking.He also holds the belief that deaf roles should be played by deaf actors.
DiMarco is an honorary spokesperson for the Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) campaign.
The Taíno were an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico.
In the Greater Antilles, the northern Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas, they were known as the Lucayans. They spoke the Taíno language, one of theArawakan languages. The ancestors of the Taíno entered the Caribbean from South America.
At the time of contact, the Taíno were divided into three broad groups, known as the Western Taíno (Jamaica, most of Cuba, and the Bahamas), the Classic Taíno (Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) and the Eastern Taíno (northern Lesser Antilles), and other groups of Taíno nations of Florida, such as the Tequesta, Calusa, Jaega, Ais, and other groups. Taíno groups were in conflict with the Caribs of the southern Lesser Antilles.
Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris & Lindsay Arnold Sizzle With Fun Samba on ‘DWTS’ Disney Night!
Lindsay Arnold and her celeb partner Wanya Morris make us want to get up and dance with them on Dancing with the Stars on Monday (April 11, 2016) from Los Angeles.
The dance team performed a fun samba set to “Circle of Life” from Disney’s The Lion King, and picked up 35 points from the judges.
Wanya Morris and Lindsay Arnold dance the Samba to “Circle of Life (District 78 remix)” from The Lion King by Carmen Twillie Libomn on Dancing with the Stars’ Season 22 Disney Night!
“On the 10th of January this year, the world was stunned and shaken by the news that David Bowie had suddenly passed away. I suspect that everyone is still trying to process this sadly unexpected event. Even if they didn’t know him personally, many people must feel as if things will never be quite the same again. He had that special kind of significance.
“For me, it’s almost impossible to mention Bowie’s name in the past tense. Everything he represented as an artist was, and always will be, vital and incredibly present. As a cutting-edge artistic genius, he continues to live on through his music. David Bowie is deeply embedded in the heart of British culture, as a fixture within our collective inner psyche, influencing every decade from the moment he first appeared on the airwaves with ‘Space Oddity’ in 1969 right up to the present day.
“The Brits Icon Award is only presented to unparalleled artists whose writing, recording and performance set them apart as having made a lasting impact on the nation’s culture, recognizing the very highest level of British music achievement. To accept the award, I’d now like to invite David’s dear friend Gary Oldman to the stage.”
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“We are all coming to terms with the magnitude of David’s passing. The Jones family lost a husband and a father. Those closest to David lost a dear friend and the world lost a man, an artist of transcendent talent. As Annie so gracefully said, David’s contribution, his influence on popular music – on culture itself – has no equal. He was the very definition, the living embodiment of that singular word, ‘icon’. I am so deeply touched and honored to be here tonight to accept this award for David and his family.
Watch the full David Bowie tribute from The BRITs 2016. Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman pay moving tribute to the late, great David Bowie as he is honoured with a BRITs Icon award. Bowie’s band are joined by Lorde for a performance of ‘Life on Mars’.
It Is What It Is 