Archive for June, 2020

Reverend Al Sharpton explains why saying ‘white lives matter’ is so wrong in just 45 seconds – indy100

The civil rights activist and Baptist minister Al Sharpton has given a definitive answer on why slogans like 'white lives matter' and 'all lives matter' are so offensive and categorically wrong.

During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, the 65-year-old reverend was asked by Piers Morgan what is the correct response to people who use those phrases in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sharpton gave a short but completely accurate response which summed the entire argument up in less than a minute. He said:

The correct response to that is that there has never been any argument that White Lives Matter. There has never been any debate and when a white life is taken it is mitigated, prosecuted and, if convicted, incarcerated. The problem has been that it has not been equal on the other side. So, there has been no equal need to say 'white lives matter.' That has been a given and the system has worked that way. It has not worked that way around white lives. So, we're not saying 'Black Lives Matter more'. We are saying Black Lives Matter as much, equally and should be treated the same.

The Black Lives Matter movement, which was founded in 2013, has gained extra focus this year following the worldwide protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The backlash to this movement from racists, who oppose the movement, which has seen the statues of problematic figures from the past to be removed from public places has been to say things like 'white lives matter' or 'Black lives matter.'

Recently, there was a incident at the Premier League football match between Manchester City and Burnley where a plane carrying a banner reading 'White Lives Matter - Burnley' was flown over the Etihad Stadium, where the fixture was taking place. This lead to Burnley and the team's captain, Ben Mee condemning the stunt stating that those responsible are no longer welcome at the club.

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Reverend Al Sharpton explains why saying 'white lives matter' is so wrong in just 45 seconds - indy100

Rants and raves – The Augusta Chronicle

ThursdayJun25,2020at6:00PM

Georgia Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler can try to run, but they can't hide from voters this November they are coming out of office.

Comments from our readers:

Georgia Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler can try to run, but they can't hide from voters this November they are coming out of office.

I see Reverend Al Sharpton has attacked President Trump saying "We Cannot Use Bibles as Props". So what church is Rev. Al Sharpton the pastor at?

Who knew that all it took was 1 bad COP to cure the Corona problem in the US.

Explained in its simplest terms. Liberals believe you are responsible for what somebody else did 50 plus years ago that happened to share your skin color.

SHARE YOUR OPINION with other readers. Call the Rants & Raves line at (706) 828-2908, send an email to newsroom@augustachronicle.com or fill out the online form.

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Rants and raves - The Augusta Chronicle

Janison: Cop and teacher unions diverge on politics – Newsday

Months before the uproar over George Floyd's death in Minnesota rocked police forces across the U.S., President Donald Trump received a reelection endorsement from the International Union of Police Associations.

Every top Democrat currently running for this office has vilified the police and made criminals out to be victims," said Sam Cabral, president of the AFL-CIO-chartered organization. "They seem to take any union's support for granted."

That was in September. In March, with similar stridency, the American Federation of Teachers endorsed Democrat Joe Biden and blasted the Republican White House. An AFT resolution accused Education Secretary Betsy DeVos of making it her mission "to defund and destroy public education." AFT president Randi Weingarten is a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee.

Labor's allegiance might matter in November. More public employees belong to unions in the U.S. than do workers in the private sector.

Different unions become targets or allies of different elected officials depending on circumstance. Such dealings are complicated because politicians are the bosses and funders of government employees.

Trump has enjoyed vocal support from, among others, a police union leader in Minneapolis, whose members included ex-Officer Derek Chauvin, now facing murder charges in Floyd's death.

And last year, it was revealed that Trump urged his top border-security official to finalize a contract with the Border Patrol union, a political ally of Trump's. This contract boosted the number of union officers who can draw public pay without having to perform patrol duties.

As a result, the federal government now finances the equivalent of 74 full-time union positions, according to the Washington Post, and union officers are free to engage in partisan activity.

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This type of perk and alliance has been common in New York City and on Long Island regardless of party.

In blue-state New York, however, special arrangements sought and won by uniformed services in the past are drawing sharper scrutiny. This month, for instance, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a repeal of the provision known as 50-a, which allowed law enforcement to shield its disciplinary records from public view.

Tension along similar lines developed between Michael Bloomberg, the city's most recent Republican mayor, and the United Federation of Teachers over discipline and instances of misconduct. At the time, political pressure on teachers over school performance was building around the nation, with critics demanding better testing and evaluation.

Now all eyes are on police practices.

Even Trump has bowed to the Floyd protests with an executive order that creates a federal database of police officers with a record of excessive force. Overall he's refused to link the issue of police abuse to race. Trump won't be relying on widespread African American support in the election; Biden will.

Rivalry between teacher unions and police unions, meanwhile, is not unheard of.

Six years ago, Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, condemned New York City UFT president Michael Mulgrew for co-sponsoring a rally with the Rev. Al Sharpton to protest Eric Garner's death during an arrest on Staten Island.

How would he like it," Lynch asked at the time, "if police officers lined up with the activists who oppose his efforts to shield bad teachers and undermine effective charter schools?

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Janison: Cop and teacher unions diverge on politics - Newsday

The ESSENCE Festival Of Culture Is Going Virtual! TUNE IN NOW! – Essence

For the first time in the Festivals 26-year history, the much-anticipated celebration which annually draws more than 500,000 attendees and contributes almost $300 million in economic impact over July 4thweekend in New Orleanswill be produced as a fully virtual experience!

Click HERE for more information on how to tune in to the 2020 virtual ESSENCE Festival of Culture on http://www.essencestudios.com, streaming TWO WEEKENDS in a row from Thursday, June 25 Sunday, June 28 and Thursday, July 2 Sunday, July 5.

Expanding to not just one but TWO weekends, we invite you to join us as we entertain, empower, inspire, educate and mobilize our communities like never before.

Taking place June 25-28 and July 2-5 (Thursdays-Sundays) and streaming on ESSENCE Studios, the multi-day experience will extend to a global audience of viewers and feature virtual performances, summits, panels and more including leading musical artists, influencers and experts from around the world.

ESSENCEs #BlackVotesMatter365 voting hub will also be a core element of the virtual Festival and include quick access to helpful resources for Black women and communities to amplify their voices in local and national elections through voting. The Festival will also include a benefit initiative to raise funds to support the critical needs and sustainability of Black and Brown entrepreneurs, micro and small businesses, and organizations focused on racial equity across the U.S.

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Our explosive evening concert series is going digital! Catch the #EssenceFest all-star lineup including @johnlegend, @common, @burnaboygram, @nas, @raphael_saadiq, @estelledarlings, @indiaarie, @wyclefjean, @andradaymusic, @rapsody and more in this Saturday, June 27th from 7pm-10pm EST/4pm-7pm PST on essencestudios.com! Tap the link in our bio to see the full lineup!

A post shared by ESSENCE (@essence) on Jun 23, 2020 at 12:02pm PDT

Due to COVID-19, this was certainly not the year we planned for the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, but challenging times call for innovative measures, said Richelieu Dennis, founder & chair, Essence Ventures (parent company of ESSENCE). As we began to see the disproportionate impact ofCOVID-19 on our community, it became more important to us than ever to still create a Festival experience thatdelivered the community, love, laughter, fun and empowermentthat the Festival is known forand to leave our audience feeling inspired and uplifted,especially during these times. For 50 years, it has been ESSENCEs mission to provide content that our community needswhen they need it, and we are thrilled that ESSENCEStudios has been the perfect platform todeliver our offline experiences, such as Festival, for thefirst time evervirtually. We are also appreciative of ourpartners for their support and vision as we continue to navigate this time together and provide the quality programming, stellar lineup of musical talent, leading experts and thought leaders, and epicenter of global Black culture that only ESSENCE can.

Hosted by Loni Love, the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture will feature a global ensemble of performers, including: Amanda Black, Andra Day, Bell Biv Devoe (BBD), Bruno Mars, Burna Boy, Common, D-Nice, Damian Marley, Diamond Platnumz, Doug E. Fresh, Elephant Man, Estelle, India.Arie, John Legend, Ledisi, NAS, Patti LaBelle, Raphael Saadiq, Rapsody, Sauti Sol, Shaggy, Swizz Beatz and more, hosted by Loni Love. Leading a special tribute to the city of New Orleans will be Mayor LaToya Cantrell, PJ Morton, Big Freedia, Irma Thomas, Tank and The Bangas and Big 6 Brass Band.

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Powered by the New Voices Foundation, the ESSENCE Unstoppable Collective is proud to include innovative cities, including New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. While short-term relief efforts and emergency funding have helped bridge immediate needs through recent challenges, addressing the root issues of economic inequities and systemic injustice in new ways with new action is required for the long-term sustainability of Black and Brown communities. Thus, through unprecedented alliances with city, corporate and non-profit partners and via public donations, the ESSENCE Unstoppable Collective will raise funds through the @newvoicesfamily to support and impact four key pillars driving racial equity in America economic parity, health equity, education equality and equal justice. We cannot do this alone. The ESSENCE Unstoppable Collective will raise $100 million, supported by strategic partnerships, inspiring virtual content, purposeful recognition and celebration platforms, and influencer and celebrity ambassadors. Funds raised will enable Black and Brown entrepreneurs, non-profits, and small businesses to access critical resources such as grants, low-cost loans, coaching, training, accelerator programs and other opportunities to position them to thrive. We can ensure that our communities are better equipped to recover, sustain, and thrive together. Tap the bio link to learn more about our goal.

A post shared by ESSENCE (@essence) on Jun 20, 2020 at 10:45am PDT

On Sundays, our Get Lifted celebration will include amazing performances from Anita Wilson, Bri Babineaux, Erica Campbell, Fred Hammond, Greater Sound of Greater St. Stephen FGBC, Jonathan McReynolds, Kierra Sheard, Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne, Marvin Sapp, Tamela Mann, The Clark Sisters, The Walls Group, Tye Tribbett,and more, along with Sunday sermons from Bishop Paul S. Morton and Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Other culture-leaders and influencers raising their voices to speak include: Stephen Curry, Ayesha Curry, Rev. Al Sharpton, Naomi Campbell, Teyana Taylor, Iman Shumpert, Don Lemon, Tamika Mallory, Kirk Franklin, Tammy Franklin, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Lori Harvey, Ryan Destiny, Lexi Underwood, Lovie Simone, Tamika Mallory, Lori Harvey, Egypt Sherrod, Lisa Nichols, Marc Morial, Master P, Naomi Campbell, Shaun T., Tabitha Brown and many more!

The 2020 ESSENCE Festival is presented by Coca-Cola. Major sponsors include Ford, McDonalds, Walmart, My Black is Beautiful, P&G.

For more information, visit our official virtual 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture website HERE.

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The ESSENCE Festival Of Culture Is Going Virtual! TUNE IN NOW! - Essence

Learn how to optimize your site’s SEO with the help of this analysis tool – Boing Boing

If you create content for the web, you already know it takes time to build websites, write blog posts, create videos, produce graphics, and all the other steps that go into keeping a site healthy and flourishing.

But even once all that work is done, theres a second job that needs doing and its arguably just as important as the creation itself. Now, you have to play the search engine optimization (SEO) game to promote your content. You have to identify keywords, build relevant links, and trick out every page to attract users and search engine traffic alike.

Ranking high in Google searches can often be the only true route to getting your content the exposure it needs. Since SEO mastery is a skill not many of us possess, a service like Long Tail Pro can go a long way toward taking the headaches of SEO research off your hands.

Long Tail Pro is one of the original online keyword research tools and after 15 years of perfecting their craft, theyve assembled a full suite of analysis features and a step-by-step system for discovering thousands of profitable keywords while calculating how much work itll take to make you competitive for each of those keywords in your given industry or topic niche.

With Long Tail Pro, users can track their web ranking, analyze backlinks, and find the exact keywords thatll resonate with their target audience. Users can search for the specific keywords they think will be effective, or get hundreds of keyword suggestions. Youll even be able to analyze long-tail keywords, which offer significantly less competition but could be instrumental in driving traffic to your content.

If you have competitors, Long Tail Pro can also help you spy on their efforts with a detailed analysis showing which words theyre using and how much effect theyre having. Its like being inside your rivals camp and learning their battle tactics and theyll never even know you know.

Meanwhile, you can also get some SEO training yourself with Long Tail Pros 7-day SEO Bootcamp with video lessons outlining everything you need to know.

You can score access to a lifetime of Long Tail Pro services, a $1,500 value, for just $49.99.

Prices are subject to change.

Do you have your stay-at-home essentials? Here are some you may have missed.

Amazons new Chinese thermal spycam vendor was blacklisted by U.S. over allegations it helped China detain and monitor Uighurs and other Muslim minorities

Mark Di Stefano of the Financial Times is accused by The Independent of accessing private Zoom meetings held by The Independent and The Evening Standard as journalists were learning how coronavirus restrictions would affect them.

Hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, Reuters reports. Security experts blame an advanced cyber-espionage hacker group known as DarkHotel. A senior agency official says the WHO has been facing a more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Its a silent tragedy that no one ever wants to even consider. But the reality is that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of nearly 3,500 babies in the U.S. every year. Its a horror no parent wants to face, yet the threat of this heartless killer has newborn parents keeping as close []

At some point this summer, weve all got our fingers crossed that well be out on a patio, basking in a gorgeous day and smelling the delicious char of burgers, steaks, chicken, and other succulent meats grilling to perfection. But before that day happens, its probably time to consider the state of that grill. Actually, []

We may not have Hollywood blockbusters back yet and the fall television season may be on hold until 2021, but somebody forgot to tell video game makers that COVID-19 was supposed to shut down the gaming world. On the contrary, gamers have been feasting on announcements of huge events still to come this year, including []

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Learn how to optimize your site's SEO with the help of this analysis tool - Boing Boing