#Sherrod Barnes

[ropeadope]

New Music | Jason Miles

Kind of New Live | Miles to Miles by Jason Miles

Jason Miles never stops. After migrating to Lisbon to a very warm reception from the EU music community, Jason is set to steadily release material from the past and present. First up is Miles To Miles, live recordings featuring James Genus, Cindy Blackman Santana, Sherrod Barnes, Cyro Baptista, Barry Danielian, Aaron Heick, and Dino Gavoni. Miles To Miles is an important piece in the ongoing transformation of Jazz, in which Jason has had important influence.

Jason’s recent autobiography - The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles - tells the stories of his amazing associations with many great artists. Miles Davis called him a genius. Roberta Flack has been quoted that “Jason Miles along with my friends Miles Davis and Marcus Miller help change the sound of modern Jazz”

from ropeadope https://ift.tt/kzaOUi6 via IFTTT

[cherrysugcr]

some blabbing about my muses can be found under this, it involves the elimination of some muses

I went through my extensive muse lists and found 66 of them did not have active threads, i have decided to remove some and move others onto the main pages in order to promote them more. below i will list the muses that are staying but are not actively involved in a thread, muses whose current faces are likely changing and those who are being moved to a general list of faces i would play if someone requested them. If you’re interested in any of the muses/faces below please reach out! I may be making starters with some of them soon if their muse speaks to me :)    **NOTE** IF YOU NOTICE YOU HAVE A THREAD WITH ANY OF THE MUSES LISTED IN THIS POST PLEASE MESSAGE ME AND I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE ERROR ON MY PART 

Current Non-Active Muses:

Alexander (Raymond Ablack) Connor (Penn Badgley) Charlotte ‘Lottie’ (Madelyn Cline) Dorian (Jon Hamm) Damon (Rege Jean Page) Fred (John David Washington) Greer (Barbie Ferreira) Holly (Christina Hendricks) Iris (Gemma Chan) Jack (Colin Farrell) Jagger (Jack Harlow) Kylo (Dominic Fike) Piper (Maude Apatow) Poppy (Lily James) Rhys (Harry Styles, inspired by Jack in Don’t Worry Darling) Sean (Trevante Rhodes, face may be changing to Jonathan Majors) Stella (Hailee Steinfeld) Sutton (Dove Cameron) Titus (Jason Sudeikis) Valencio (Joe Manganiello) Vance (Ben Affleck) Wyatt (David Harbour) Troy (Charles Melton) Donovan (Jacob Elordi) Kieran (Joseph Morgan) Elton (Timothee Chalamet) Selma (Alexa Demie) Warner (Gavin Leatherwood) Sherrod (Brett Goldstein) Augustus ‘Gus’ (Tom Holland) Benedict (Ben Barnes) Cassie (Josie Totah) Beau (Jamie Dornan) Adam (John Krasinski) Deon (Michael B. Jordan) Rubio (Manny Montana) Ace (Skeet Ulrich) Landon (Chris Hemsworth) Adonis (Tom Ellis) Lucian (Idris Elba) Ross (Paul Rudd) Mark (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) MUSES WHOSE FACES ARE CHANGING AND TBD (their current faces can be requested no questions asked, I just feel these faces are losing popularity in the RPC and I want to stay current. The muse themselves, the character is still fresh for me which is why they are not being completely eliminated just revamped)

Brielle (currently Ariana Grande) Roman (currently Noah Centineo) Carina (currently Cindy Kimberly) Tripp (currently Beau Mirchoff) Crystal (currently Eiza Gonzelz) FACES WHO ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST WITH A BASIC MUSE/BACKSTORY  (The character behind these faces just aren’t sparking with me so their faces are being added to a list of general request for my writing partners this may be good to go or denied on how the musings are vibing at that time) Ben Platt (formerly Blaine) Tyler Hoechlin (formerly Elliot) Tom Bateman (formerly Evander) Zayn Malik (formerly Flynn) KJ Apa (formerly Memphis) Doja Cat (formerly Valencia) Tom Hiddlseton (formerly Wesley) Mishti Rahmen (formerly Cora) Niall Horan (formerly Grayson) Normani (formerly Serena) Kieran Culkin (formerly Tate) Sofia Jamora (formerly Whitney) Shawn Mendes (formerly Heath) Richard Madden (formerly Kingsley) Henry Goulding (formerly Reid) Jon Bernthal (formerly Rhett) 

If you’ve read all this, I appreciate you. It’s going to take some time to totally revamp my muse pages with the coding and everything but I will have this post easily referenced should there be any issues with my writing partners past, present and future until that work is completed. Thank you for your time! You’re lovely and I would hug you if I could. 

[harlemcondolife]

Trailblazer Ryan Shaw At Ashford & Simpson’s Virtual Open Mic At The Sugar Bar

Trailblazer Ryan Shaw At Ashford & Simpson’s Virtual Open Mic At The Sugar Bar

The #1 source in the world for all things Harlem. Multi-GRAMMY®-nominated vocal trailblazer Ryan Shaw will appear in a special livestream performance session, Ashford & Simpson’s Virtual Open Mic at the Sugar Bar this Thursday, December 3rd at 8:00 PM, Continue Reading → The post Trailblazer Ryan Shaw At Ashford

[tamenome]

Announcing “My Way Your Way Our Way”, Bashiri Johnson’s New Video & Single released on Life In Rhythm Media — Life In Rhythm Media

Announcing “My Way Your Way Our Way”, Bashiri Johnson’s New Video & Single released on Life In Rhythm Media — Life In Rhythm Media

Bashiri Johnson’s “My Way Your Way Our Way” new video and single featuring Cindy Mizelle & Sherrod Barnes, Premiers on Youtube 5/12/21, from the forthcoming album DRUM SONGS. BROOKLYN, N.Y. – May 12, 2021 – Senmer — Debuting today on Bashiri’s B’day, is “My Way Your Way Our Way,” the new single and video from the forthcoming album DRUM SONGS on Life In Rhythm Media. Produced and written by…

[bringinbackpod]

Interview with Jessie Wagner

We had the pleasure of interviewing Jessie Wagner over Zoom video! 

It’s been a long journey to center stage for Jessie Wagner. Having gained her greatest exposure to date by singing songs everyone knows the words to, on some of the world’s biggest stages, it’s only now, through sharing her own triumphs and pain, that the spotlight is shining directly on her at last.

After logging thousands of miles as an in-demand vocalist on tour with Lenny Kravitz, Chic, Duran Duran, Kid Rock and most recently Little Steven and The Disciples Of Soul, Jessie Wagner reveals a very personal collection of songs with Shoes Droppin’, her debut solo album for Wicked Cool Records.

Displaying an impressive range encompassing bluesy R&B, neo-soul, acoustic balladry and rock a la John Mayer’s more confessional side, Shoes maintains a unified sound rooted in ’60s and ’70s style production. The songs trace times of darkness and redemption for the Norfolk, Virginia native, now based in New York City, who also fronts the rock/soul band Army of the Underdog.

“’Shoes Droppin’’ was the song I wrote when I was at my lowest point,” Jessie says of the stomping, bluesy title track which opens the album. “My ex went into cardiac arrest and almost died. He spent the next couple of years fighting to regain a semblance of his former existence, and because of that, my life was arrested in a strange way. I thought I’d have to give up my music career. I fought my way back from that, and ‘Shoes Droppin’’ is a testament to losing and regaining your faith in what is possible.”

Recorded during downtime from the Little Steven world tour, the album was produced by drummer Dave Diamond (Bob Weir, Derek Trucks) with engineer Chris Laybourne. Seasoned soul guitarist Sherrod Barnes has the most co-writes with six; he’s previously written for or with Beyoncé, Angie Stone and Ashanti as well as recording with Whitney Houston, Roberta Flack and Queen Latifah. The album’s striking horn arrangements are by longtime Little Steven cohort Eddie Manion, who’s also worked with Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and Darlene Love.

Wagner never expected singing in Stevie Van Zandt’s band would lead to being signed to his label for her own work. “When Stevie said he thought I was a real artist, I could’ve cried.” Jessie recalls. “After fighting to be heard in this industry for so long, it means so much for someone of his stature to say your voice is unique and needs to be heard.” Stevie says, “Her music is eclectic and unique and impossible to categorize, which makes her the perfect Wicked Cool artist.”

“I started the year with a record deal, and then shortly after, the world fell apart in so many ways,” Jessie comments on the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m happy that I have this album to look forward to. It gives me some purpose and determination.

“This album really addresses every aspect of me as an artist. I don’t settle well in any box. I’ve hinted at that with my rock band Army of the Underdog. But this really shows my versatility – or my schizophrenia! I like that It’s honest and playful, with touches of hopelessness, but also the idea of redemption and faith.”

After singing for so many legends, it was a special treat to arrange and sing both leads and harmonies for herself. “That’s something I love doing. After talking to Dave [Diamond] about how I thought ‘What You Get’ sounded like a Paul Simon song, I asked a friend how to say ‘This is me’ in Swahili and it sounded so beautiful. Then I had to figure out how to sing it and make it fit with the song.”

The sassy soul of “Over And Over” already conquered satellite radio, to be followed in August by the girl group vibes of “End Of Time.” “Jorgen Kjaer sent me a piano idea and it made me want to write an Amy Winehouse type song.”

Future single “My Darlin’, My Dear” has a slow burn kind of feel. “I had Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings in mind. It was this person begging to be recognized for her worth, and it needed to be bluesy and gritty.” Another projected single, “Passin’ Me By,” is propelled by those crucial Manion-arranged horns.

Pandemic conditions upended Jessie’s plans to tour on her own name this year. “That will be the dream realized,” Jessie says of the day when that will happen. In the meantime she’s doing live streaming shows and putting together several music videos and lyric videos within the constraints of social distancing.

The latest Wicked Cool release distributed by The Orchard, Shoes Droppin’ is the next gem from the label whose 2020 slate also includes new music from Jesse Malin, WYLDLIFE, Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts, The Empty Hearts and Kurt Baker.

We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com.

www.BringinitBackwards.com

#podcast #interview #bringinbackpod  #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork

Listen & Subscribe to BiB

Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! 

source https://bringin-it-backwards.simplecast.com/episodes/interview-with-jessie-wagner-TDWM56aD

[eyesonworldcultures]

Lyrics & Lyricists

Review by Brenda Repland

 Yes I Can: The Sammy Davis Jr. Songbook

“I’ve got to be a star like another man needs to breathe,” said Sammy Davis, Jr.

Known as “Mr. Show Business,” Davis was an electrifying entertainer, with a career that was dazzling in its range and reach: song-and-dance man, Rat Pack member alongside Frank Sinatra, and beyond. It was a career that also triumphed over the oppressive challenges of racism.

The focus of Lyrics & Lyricists this week at 92Y was Sammy Davis, Jr.  A retrospective of his life and music covered his rise to fame as seen through some of his most famous musical  singing and dancing numbers.

Highlights included tremendous tap dancing by Jared Grimes to “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee;” exquisite saxophone by Steve Kenyon to “The Birth of the Blues;” great trumpet by Brian Pareschi to “Mr. Wonderful.” Shrerrod Barnes played a haunting guitar on “What Kind Of Fool Am I?”   The showstopper was “Mr. Bojangles” with Jared and accompanied by Brian on trumpet.

Much was said of Sammy’s determination to “open doors that would stay open.”  Illustrating this point was a montage of famous African-Americans.  The last picture was of Barak Obama which was particularly moving in this context.  

This production succeeds in demonstrating just how “special” a certain kind of charisma can be.  Sammy Davis Jr. was, of course, known for it.  

Laurence Maslon, artistic director Tazewell Thompson, director Michael O. Mitchell, music director

Featuring Harriett D. Foy Jared Grimes Max Kumangai Matthew Saldivar Betsy Wolfe

Steve Kenyon, reeds Brian Pareschi, trumpet Sherrod Barnes, guitar Jeff Hanley, bass Abdullah Rahman, drums

[terabitweb]

Original Post from SC Magazine Author: Doug Olenick

Any competent business advisor would likely tell a client that spending $76,000 in order to potentially fend off an incident that could cost that organizations millions of dollars would be money well spent.

There are no easy answers when it comes to ransom payments.

But what happens to that calculus when the outlay is a ransom demanded by cybercriminals who managed to infiltrate your computer network, encrypt all your files leading to a complete shutdown of operations?

With hundreds of publicly disclosed ransomware attacks to study the unfortunate answer is there is no easy answer.

That is the quandary business owners, municipal governments, school administrators and even librarians are now facing as more and more of these folks arrive at one morning, turn on their PC and find themselves staring at a computer screen that will only display a plaintext message from their attackers demanding a certain amount in bitcoin in exchange for the keys needed to decrypt their data.

Once this point is reached there are basically three courses of action an organization can take. Pay the ransom and take the chance the bad guys will do as promised and send along the decrypt keys; begin the recovery process using an established plan and backed up data; or refuse to pay the ransom and then try to rebuild from scratch.

Two major U.S. cities recently found themselves in the latter position.

When Atlanta was hit with SamSam ransomware in March 2018 it refused to pay the $51,000 ransom demand with the end result of being unable to work around the encryption and then spending $17 million and many weeks to rebuild its network. Baltimore is now in the same boat having refused to pay the attackers $76,000 and instead is looking at a potential $18 million bill and months of repair work to get back online from Robbinhood ransomware.

Jackson County, Ga., decided to take the other route and caved to the demand paying its attacker $400,000 in March 2019 for the decryption keys. In this case the gamble paid off as County Manager Kevin Poe told SC Media. The county was willing to take the chance that the criminals would honor their word and let them regain access because there was no other choice.

Poe said forensic evidence showed the county had little choice as network had been infiltrated for quite some time and the attackers were able to essentially throw a switch and turn everything off, including its 911 emergency system.

Most recently on June 17 Riviera Beach, Fla., shelled out 65 bitcoins, almost $600,000, in an attempt to regain access to its completely shuttered network. To add insult to injury the city also had to spend more than $900,000 to replace damaged computer equipment.

While paying the ransom or dealing with the exorbitant recovery costs are bad enough, one company opted to simply go out of business. Brookside ENT and Hearing Center in Battle Creek, Mich., made this choice after being hit in April. The company told local TV station WWMT that when the $6,500 payment was not received all their files were wiped, so the doctors simply decided to close up shop and retire early.

Chris Bates, vice president of security strategy at SentinelOne, said there is only one truly correct answer to the problem. Take a proactive approach and update legacy defense systems susceptible to sophisticated attacks, in addition to allocating additional resources to security team staffing, training and support because the odds of regaining access to your data is not in the victim’s favor.

“Riviera Beach took the opposite approach of Baltimore but paying the ransom is not the answer either as recent research shows us that 45 percent of U.S. companies hit with a ransomware attack paid at least one ransom, but only 26 percent of these companies had their files unlocked. Furthermore, organizations that paid the ransoms were targeted and attacked again 73 percent of the time as attackers treat paying companies like ATMs,” he told SC Media, citing the SentinelOne 2018 Global Ransomware Research Report.

The FBI’s 2018 Internet Crime Report states there were 1,493 ransomware cases reported last year costing each victim on average $3.6 million. The FBI did list a few caveats with that figure noting it does not include estimates of lost business, time, wages, files, equipment, or any third party remediation services acquired by a victim. Also, not every victim reports a loss and some under represent the figure.

Forrester Senior Analyst Josh Zelonis believes the option of paying the ransom, while odious, is a perfectly legitimate business decision to make calling the Baltimore Mayor Jack Young’s immediate decision to not pay “shortsighted” adding emotion has to be removed from the equation when deciding how to get a business or city back up and running.

“Forrester’s guidance is not a recommendation of whether or not to pay a ransom but to recognize paying the ransom as a valid recovery path that should be explored in parallel with other recovery efforts to ensure that you’re making the best decision for your organization,” he wrote.

There are also other factors to consider before the desperate maneuver of paying the ransom is contemplated. DeGrippo said some entities, like schools for example, do not have to rush a decision as there is time and possibly additional resources that can be brought to bear in an attempt to recover. However, a hospital lacks that luxury. It could be a matter of life or death if it cannot return to full operations immediately. In this case a ransom may have to be paid if it has the ability to eventually regain access on its own.

The hard decision will have to be when all resources are exhausted and access cannot be regained. DeGrippo laid out the math that should lead to the proper answer for any organization.

“When it comes to deciding on whether to pay a ransom, organizations must compare the benefits of paying against the moral and financial costs of not paying up. If the attacked organization backed up their data five minutes before the attack and can restore that data in hours – they will be less likely to pay. A hospital or medical center might not have that luxury, so simply paying might be their only option for keeping patients safe,” she said.

She added that in her experience it is likely the decryption keys will be supplied allowing the victim to get back online.

But for those entities that do not follow Bates’ advice and prepare in advance there are steps that can be taken to help mitigate the situation and possibly help even fully recover.

The first is possibly the most obvious, disconnect the impacted devices from the network and inform IT, said Sherrod DeGrippo, senior director of threat research and detection at Proofpoint.

“Once disconnected, information security operations teams must determine the scope of the attack. Not all ransomware is the same. To properly respond it’s crucial to determine the attack type, who on the network is compromised, and what network permissions the compromised users may have,” DeGrippo said, adding law enforcement and other outside resources should be brought in at this time.

“The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the federal government’s lead civilian cybersecurity agency, has a number of resources to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments defend against the growing threat of ransomware.  This includes exchanging the latest threat information, providing technical services and expertise, and supporting incident response,” said Scott McConnell, press secretary for CISA.

As beneficial as these steps and resources are to a victim they are still being taken after the proverbial horse has left the barn. What is required is action prior to the event.

As has been stated, being prepared with the proper security in place and backups ready to go is a necessity for any company or municipality and while it helps to have deep pockets to pay for advanced levels of protection those organizations that have to count their pennies can still take precautions.

Ionut Nechita, threat labs senior analyst at Comodo Cybersecurity, suggests restricting normal users access, so when ransomware is accidentally started, it cannot do as much damage from a limited account.

“Given ransomware is typically known to target and delete backups, having a backup of critical data, ideally in a different location, can keep your data away from attackers,” Nechita said.

Although it seems to be a no-brainer by now, organizations should not underestimate the power of simply having good cyber hygiene. System administrators should patch and update software and there are federal and state-level resources available to help organizations prepare.

CISA has outreach programs that include a recorded webinar on combating ransomware along with a 24/7 watch center that analyzes and disseminates threat and mitigation information to critical infrastructure partners in both the public and private sectors. The organization also provides exercise support, risk and vulnerability assessments, and incident response from our Hunt and Incident Response Teams.

The post Ransomware: Make it stop! appeared first on SC Media.

#gallery-0-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-6 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Go to Source Author: Doug Olenick Ransomware: Make it stop! Original Post from SC Magazine Author: Doug Olenick Any competent business advisor would likely tell a client that spending $76,000 in order to potentially fend off an incident that could cost that organizations millions of dollars would be money well spent.

[tokin-lesbian]

A Call To Action

So good news! As you might know: the Trump administration has made it impossible for trans people to joined the military as of April 2019 unless they stay closeted. However, the good news is: the House Blocked this executive order! The House ALSO passed in favor of the Equality Act which will extent anti-discrimination rights to LGBTQ+ people when it becomes a law. Both of these will be heading to the Senate. 

Call 👏 Your 👏 Senators 👏

Tell them why trans people should be allowed to serve their country and LGBTQ+ Americans should not be denied housing or employment because of their sexual or gender preferences. I live in Ohio and if you do too: Sen. Sherrod Brown (Democratic) can be reached at (614) 469-2083 and Sen. Rob Portman (Republican) can be reached at (614) 469-6774. Let them know that 500,000 (half a MILLION) people showed up to Columbus Pride alone! If you do not live in this HELL-is-REAL-Grandpa’s-Cheese-Barn-Corn-Field of a state you can find your Senator here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm Seriously 👏 Stop 👏 Scrolling 👏 And 👏 Call 👏 Your 👏 Senators 👏 NOW 👏 It 👏 Takes 👏 Like 👏 5 👏 Minutes 👏 You 👏 Can 👏 Leave 👏 A 👏 Message 👏 Or 👏 Write 👏 An 👏 Email 👏 LGBTQ+ people: this is our livelihood at stake! Straight people: if you want to consider yourself an Ally this is your time to act. I know a lot of straight people and corporations have been going to Pride events this year but if you don't call your Senators about The Equality Act and The Trans Ban Executive order then you are NO ally of mine and you have no right to appropriate this community. 🏳️‍🌈❣️  Thanks! Call Your Senators! Take Pride! Make a difference!

[cratesofjr]

Singer Vivian Sessoms Brings A New Bounce To Amerie's "1 Thing"

Prepare to trip out as Soul woman Vivian Sessoms makes you bounce. The life-giving singer flexes her songwriting and vocal abilities on her dreamy rework of Amerie's hit "1 Thing". Featuring Sherrod Barnes & Paradigm, from the album, "LIFE II - II" - fanlink.to/LifeII Directed by Vivian Sessoms & The Last American BBoy ft. Chris Parks - Bass Dave Archer - Keys Eric Brown - Drums via Blogger http://bit.ly/2W1RUI1

[cherrysugcr]

MAIN MUSES

+ Troy - fc: charles melton

+Brielle - fc: ariana grande

+Reece - fc: dylan o’brien

+Cora - fc: mishti rahman

+Brooks - fc: henry cavill

+Rafaella - fc: cierra ramirez

+Roman - fc: noah centineo

+Landry - fc: lili reinhart

+Alistir - fc: chris evans

+Jolene - fc: laura harrier

+Carina - fc: cindy kimberly

+Pierce - fc: bill skarsgard

+Donovan - fc: jacob elordi

+Gwen - fc: sydney sweeney

+Kieran - fc: joseph morgan

+Elton - fc: timotheé chalamet

+Tripp - fc: beau mirchoff

+Grayson - fc: niall horan

+Symone - fc: megan thee stallion

+Selma - fc: alexa demie

+Serena - fc: normani

+Katya - fc: florence pugh

+Whitney - fc: sofia jamora

+Diana - fc: sabrina carpenter

+Tate - fc: kieran culkin

+Warner - fc: gavin leatherwood

+Heath - fc: shawn mendes

+Sherrod - fc: matthew daddario

+Elle - fc: madelaine petsch

+Augustus - fc: tom holland

+Benedict - fc: ben barnes

+Cassie - fc: josie totah

+Kirk - fc: sebastian stan

SECONDARY MUSES

-Beau {fc: Jamie Dornan}

-Adam {fc: John Krasinski}

-Laura {fc: Reese Witherspoon}

-Crystal {fc: Eiza Gonzalez}

-Daniel {fc: Adam Driver}

-Simone {fc: Margot Robbie}

-Deon {fc: Michael b. Jordan}

-Rubio {fc: Manny Montana}

-Ace {fc: Skeet Ulrich}

-Nadia {fc: Megan Fox}

-Stefano {fc: Michele Morrone}

-Cole {fc: Harry Styles}

-Finn {fc: Jake Gyllenhaal}

-Cameron {fc: Zachary Levi}

-Landon {fc: Chris Hemsworth}

-Kingsley {fc: Richard Madden}

-Adonis {fc: Tom Ellis}

-Victor {fc: Oscar Isaac}

-Lucian {fc: Idris Elba}

-Reid {fc: Henry Goulding}

-Roscoe {fc: Paul Rudd}

-Mark {fc: Jeffrey Dean Morgan}

-Mateo {fc: Pedro Pascal}

-Rhett {Jon Bernthal}

**NOTE** I’m known to drop/add muses on a whim so if you see someone on my page that isn’t listed here or on my main muse page please message me. Also I’ll be honest if someone has been dropped from my blog if they’re on here but not actively being used.

[topbeautifulwomens]

#Ayo #modeling #anastasiabeverlyhills #chanel #clouds #festival #halfindonesiajapan #instamakeup #instasky #lip #worldstar

Ayo is a Nigerian-German singer-songwriter. She uses the Yoruba translation Ayọ or Ayo. of her 1st name Joy. Her debut album Joyful, which was first released in 2006, reached Double-Platinum status in France, Platinum in Germany and Poland, Gold status in Switzerland and Italy and Greece. The album was released in the United States on 20 November 2007 by Interscope Records.

She has a son, Nile, who was born in late 2005 and a daughter, Billie-Eve, born July 2010, with her partner, the Afro-German reggae singer Patrice. At the end of 2007, she moved with her family to the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan in New York City. At the age of six Ayọ played the violin for a limited time, then turned to the piano and later taught herself to play the guitar. When she was about 15, she wrote her first song, which was about her mother, and which served her to cope with her traumatic childhood. Her musical flavor was influenced by her father’s substantial alternative of vinyl albums which included Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti, Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. When her father, who worked part-time as a DJ while studying engineering in Germany, located her singing talent he recorded a first demo tape with her in a studio and allowed her to drop out of school at the age of eighteen.

At twenty-one Ayọ moved to London and later lived in Paris and New York. During her time in Paris her musical talent was noticed by a broader audience, and she gave her first solo concerts, opened 2002 for soul singers Omar and Cody Chesnutt, and signed a contract with Polydor Records. On 10 March 2008 Ayọ started recording on her second album Gravity At Last at the Compass Point Studios in Nassau on the Island of New Providence, The Bahamas. She is co-generating the album with Jay Newland. Her band involves Keith Christopherson (bass), Larry Campbell (guitars and other string instruments), Lucky Peterson (keyboards), Sherrod Barnes (guitar/vocals) and Jermaine Parrish (drums). The album with 13 tracks written and composed by the singer was recorded in only 5 days and was released at the end of September 2008 by Universal Music France.

The album reached number 1 on the French album charts in October. On 21. November 2008 Ayọ started her promotion tour for the album in Berlin which includes around 30 concerts in five European countries. Ayọs third album Billie-Eve, referred to as after her daughter, was recorded in New York with the cooperation of musicians like Craig Ross (guitarist of Lenny Kravitz), the rapper Saul Williams, Matthieu Chedid and Gail Ann Dorsey, bass player of David Bowie. The album is first released on 7 March 2011 in France and Ayọ starts a promotional tour through France and Poland on 21 March 2011. Ayo signed with MBM Records in 2011 in the US. Billie-Eve was released in the United States on 20 March 2012.

Name Ayo Height Naionality Nigerian-German Date of Birth 14-September-1980 Place of Birth Cologne, Germany Famous for Singing

The post Ayo appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/ayo/

[vicarious-vixen-blog]

NEW RELEASE

Vindicated

by Sharon C. Cooper Publication Date: April 27, 2018 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She’s a distraction he can’t resist…

A spark ignites the moment security specialist, Hamilton Crosby, meets stuntwoman, Dakota Sherrod. She’s like no other woman he’s ever met. But Hamilton never ignores his gut, and his gut tells him to stay clear of…

[everettwilkinson]

POLITICO Playbook: GAME DAY in Alabama

Good Tuesday morning. Hanukkah begins tonight. IT IS ELECTION DAY IN ALABAMA, and voters will choose between Roy Moore and Doug Jones. REPUBLICANS’ GOAL: Pass the tax bill before the new senator gets seated. Moore or Jones will be seated after Dec. 20, we hear.

NEW: WE HEAR if everything goes according to plan, the Senate could vote on the negotiated tax plan next Monday or Tuesday, and the House would then vote Tuesday or Wednesday. The negotiated House-Senate tax plan is scheduled to be filed this Friday. This timeframe is designed to give adequate time to deal with government funding, which expires next Friday, and a deal to boost spending caps. Of course, a million things can go wrong between now and then. But this is what’s being discussed at the top levels of Republican leadership.

Story Continued Below

GAME DAY IN ALABAMA — “Moore, wife blast Washington establishment and media in final appeal,” by Alex Isenstadt and Gabe Debenedetti in Midland City, Alabama: “A defiant Roy Moore returned to the campaign trail Monday evening, delivering a thundering speech at an election eve rally in which he implored Alabamians to ignore outsiders who he said were bent on stopping him in the Senate special election. ‘We dare to defend our rights and we will defend our rights,’ Moore, who has been abandoned by much of the Republican Party establishment, told an audience of several hundred packed into a barn. ‘We’re up to our neck in people that don’t want change in Washington, D.C., they want to keep their power, keep it the same, keep their positions, and we’ve got to change that.’

“The 24-minute speech served as the capstone of a campaign that has thrust the special election into a spiraling national dialogue over sexual harassment. Moore, a twice-removed controversial former state Supreme Court justice, has faced allegations that he preyed on teenage girls as a man in his 30s. As he has done in the past, Moore denied the allegations against him — this time, calling them ‘disgusting’ and reiterating his belief that they emerged just weeks before the election in an attempt to defeat him. He cast the accusations as part of a broader, establishment-led effort to destroy him and to undermine his character. Neither Republicans nor Democrats, he argued, wanted him in the Senate.

“Moore also pointed out that both parties had spent millions against him, first in the Republican primary and then in Tuesday’s general election, when he faces Democrat Doug Jones. Yet the ‘verdict’ of the race, he said, wasn’t up to the Washington political class or the members of the national media who were also in attendance. ‘If you don’t believe in my character,’ he added, ‘don’t vote for me.’” http://politi.co/2knnQpA

DANIEL STRAUSS: “Alabama Senate election: 5 things to watch”: http://politi.co/2BdLNdv

— LESSONS LEARNED: “Pollsters dodge Alabama prediction game,” by Steven Shepard: “Who’s leading in Tuesday’s special Senate election in Alabama? The race is so peculiar and has so many variables that some pollsters are reluctant to say. Rather than put out a single result that could be viewed as a projection in the race between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore, several polling outfits have simply released a number of different turnout models that explain how the composition of the electorate could swing the election. It’s an approach that they say best reflects the tremendous uncertainty surrounding a historically unusual, off-year, mid-December special election in a racially polarized state — where one candidate is an accused child molester.” http://politi.co/2ALGvTY

The most reliable politics newsletter.

Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

ON THE GROUND — @daveweigel: “Roy Moore’s wife Kayla: ‘Fake news will tell you that we don’t care for Jews. One of our attorneys is a Jew!’ #ALsen”. 36-second video http://bit.ly/2AOtLvU … @Bencjacobs: “Among those spotted at the Roy Moore event tonight: Steve Bannon sipping Red Bull, Louie Gohmert, Paul Nehlen and Sheriff David Clarke”.

— MYSTERY SOLVED: “Secret super PAC backing Jones in Alabama exposed,” by Gabe Debenedetti in Birmingham, Alabama: “A mystery super PAC backing Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama is controlled by a pair of groups closely aligned with the national Democratic Party, even as the candidate strives to dissociate himself from Washington interests. Highway 31, which dropped more than $4.1 million in support of Jones and against Roy Moore ahead of Tuesday’s Senate special election, is a joint project of two of the largest national Democratic super PACs — Senate Majority PAC and Priorities USA Action — along with a group of Alabama Democrats, multiple senior officials familiar with the arrangement told POLITICO. Highway 31 was created in November, [FEC] filings show. …

“The groups have collected checks from a gamut of top Democratic donors, led by longtime party contributors like George Soros, Jim Simons, Haim Saban and Fred Eychaner. While both Jones and Moore have gotten support from other outside groups in recent weeks, Highway 31 is by far the biggest-spending.” http://politi.co/2iRTlYy

FOR THOSE SEEKING STEVE BANNON’S BACKING, from Bloomberg’s Josh Green: “Bannon worked to create a counter-narrative that ultimately would change many Republicans’ perception of the [Roy Moore] scandal. A former filmmaker, he’s long been captivated by the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi filmmaker, and the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein for their power to shape public sentiment. Earlier this year, Bannon told the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer his 2012 anti-Obama film ‘The Hope and the Change,’ had consciously mimicked Riefenstahl’s infamous, ‘Triumph of the Will.’ Her film, he added, ‘seared into me’ that unhappy voters could be influenced if they felt they were being conned.

“‘Riefenstahl and Eisenstein both created an image of their nation that coalesced in the minds of citizens and shaped public opinion through narratives, which is essentially what Bannon is doing in politics,’ says Nadia Szold, a filmmaker and documentarian who has studied Bannon’s films and discussed his influences with him. ‘They all evoke emotions like nostalgia, patriotism or paranoia that strengthen a collective sentiment.’” https://bloom.bg/2BEIdKc

CRUNCH TIME ON TAXES — “GOP lawmakers struggle to close gaps in tax plan,” by Bernie Becker, Aaron Lorenzo and Seung Min Kim: “Top congressional Republicans, racing to hammer out a final tax agreement by the end of the week, have yet to make any breakthroughs on a range of key issues. House and Senate negotiators bounced proposals back and forth over the weekend, but said Monday that they still had to find compromises on where to set the corporate tax rate, how to treat millions of businesses that aren’t set up as corporations and how much of a deduction to allow for state and local taxes.

“‘We speak of little else these days,’ said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). On the House side, Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) deflected questions about a slew of potential trouble spots, also including the estate tax, the Alternative Minimum Tax and the fate of an existing law barring churches and other tax-exempt groups from openly politicking. Asked Monday what differences the House and Senate had resolved, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) responded: ‘Well, nothing really.

“‘I don’t think you can say at this point anything is really nailed down,’ added Thune, a member of GOP leadership and the tax conference committee working to settle the chambers’ differences. ‘But I think the way it’s shaping up right now, I feel like we’re getting pretty close, and every time that we have an exchange of offers the differences are narrowing.’” http://politi.co/2C5UDrt

— THEIR GOAL is to have a tax bill on the president’s desk by Dec. 20, but time is quickly slipping away.

COMING ATTRACTIONS? — “Looming pension shortfalls to complicate next shutdown fight,” by Elana Schor: “The next potential sleeper cause of a government shutdown? Pensions. Congress barely averted a shutdown last year amid a fight over miners’ health care. Now the looming collapse of pension plans for the miners — as well as thousands of Teamster truck drivers and food service workers — is fueling another, even more expensive, round of brinkmanship.

“Key Democrats are vowing to fight for a fix as part of any forthcoming deal to fund the government. And they warn that if Congress doesn’t step in soon to forestall the insolvency of several key pension plans — including the massive Central States plan, which covers an estimated 400,000 union workers and retirees — taxpayers risk ending up on the hook for an even bigger multi-billion-dollar rescue for the government’s pension guarantee agency. But it’s far from clear the workers will get their rescue. Conservative Republicans will be loath to provide anything that looks like a bailout, particularly for union workers. And one of the Senate’s leading Democratic advocates for relief, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, is one of the GOP’s top targets ahead of his reelection next year.” http://politi.co/2BgBdCJ

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines bought $42 billion in US-made commercial aircraft at the 2017 Dubai Airshow. That’s economic growth and jobs for Americans. The UAE-US commercial aviation relationship is a win-win deal. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

INSIDE BLAKE FARENTHOLD’S OFFICE — “Texas Congressman Runs What Former Aides Call a Hostile Workplace,” by NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “Throughout the Capitol, House aides have described office cultures where sexually explicit conversations are routine, pickup lines are part of daily life, hiring can be based on looks, tolerance is expected and intolerance of such behavior is career-ending. In Farenthold’s case, legal documents and interviews with former aides suggest an atmosphere in which the congressman set the tone for off-color jokes and inappropriate banter, which flourished among his underlings. … [Elizabeth] Peace and another former aide to Mr. Farenthold, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of harming that aide’s reputation, described an atmosphere in his Washington office that was freewheeling, yet also filled with anxiety. The congressman, they said, was volatile.

“When he was angry, they added, Mr. Farenthold would berate them, sometimes sweeping his arm across his desk, knocking its contents to the floor, and threatening to fire people. … The refrigerator in the ‘bullpen’ — the open area where aides worked — was filled with beer, and sometimes happy hour would begin at 4:30 p.m., which his aides called ‘beer-thirty.’ Ms. Peace said women would discuss which male lobbyists had texted them pictures of their genitals, and both men and women would talk about strip clubs and whether certain Fox News anchors had breast implants.” http://nyti.ms/2AbYDoX

— “#MeToo spotlight increasingly pointed at past Trump conduct,” by AP’s Jonathan Lemire: “The president’s advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration [Nikki Haley] broke with the White House line and said the accusers’ voices ‘should be heard.’ … Haley’s comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.” http://bit.ly/2BU2OWE

HAPPENING TOMORROW — HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI is hosting a meeting tomorrow to “discuss sexual harassment prevention policies and the ME TOO Congress Act legislation.” California Rep. Jackie Speier and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Charlotte Burrows and Chai Feldblum will speak.

WAR REPORT — “White House hides troop numbers in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan,” by Yahoo News’ Olivier Knox: “The White House left out the number of U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria from a semi-annual accounting it provided to Congress on Monday. In a previous report, sent to Congress in June, the administration had said how many Americans are in those war zones.

“The omissions reflect President Trump’s eagerness to keep secret the size of U.S. deployments in some global hot spots under the theory that the numbers, no matter how vague, might give extremists and other enemies a strategic advantage, a senior administration official told Yahoo News. Military, congressional and even some other administration officials privately dispute that notion and say some transparency is necessary for informed debate about America’s use of force. It is unclear whether the administration detailed the figures to Congress in a classified addendum to the letter.” https://yhoo.it/2AMdcjY

— “DOJ seeks emergency halt to transgender troop deadline,” by Jacqueline Klimas: “The Trump administration on Monday night requested an emergency stay to a court decision that would require the Defense Department to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1. The action came hours after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the military must begin accepting transgender recruits on New Year’s Day — the latest action to stall President Donald Trump’s proposed ban. The Justice Department then turned to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying the Pentagon will still be reviewing the policy until February but needs a stay now.” http://politi.co/2AMdBmu

IN THE MIDDLE EAST — “Hezbollah Leader Calls for Arab Countries to Stop Seeking New Ties With Israel,” by NYT’s Nada Homsi in Beirut: “The leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah called on Monday for Arab countries to support the Palestinian cause and abandon their pursuit of normalizing relations with Israel.

“Speaking via a video feed at a rally in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that was organized to protest President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Muslim countries to evict Israeli embassies and cut diplomatic ties with Israel.

“‘Today we are witnessing a true intifada,’ or uprising, Mr. Nasrallah told the crowd, speaking of protests that have spread throughout the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. ‘Muslims and Christians are all united to defend their holy sites in Jerusalem.’ The rally drew thousands of protesters and was the largest yet in Lebanon in response to Mr. Trump’s Jerusalem declaration last week, which upset a decades-old diplomatic status quo.” http://nyti.ms/2Bfjhs0

PUTIN’S MIDDLE EAST PLAY, by NYT’s Neil MacFarquhar in Moscow and Anne Bernard in Beirut: “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia undertook a whirlwind tour to his new allies in the Middle East on Monday, underscoring the extension of Russia’s influence in the region and the continuing shrinkage of the United States’ role.

“Mr. Putin touched down in rapid succession in Syria and Egypt, where he met briefly with their leaders, and landed in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, later in the day. His excursion came as anger at the United States was running high over President Trump’s unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem, the third holiest city in Islam, as the capital of Israel. That decision has helped isolate the United States and Israel, angering allies in Europe and the Arab world while helping to convince the Arab public that the United States is solidly anti-Muslim.” http://nyti.ms/2AwVDaU

SPICER RETURNS — “Spicer writing book about White House tenure,” by Brent D. Griffiths: “Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced Monday night that he is writing a book about his brief run behind the podium, taking readers ‘behind the scenes of his turbulent tenure.’ ‘I’ve decided that it is incumbent on me to set the record straight,’ Spicer told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday night.

“‘I looked back at the coverage of the campaign, the transition and the first six, seven months of this White House and realized that the stories that are being told are not an accurate represent[ation] of what President Trump went through to get the nomination, to transition to the White House and then his first six months in office.’ His book titled ‘The Briefing’ will be published by Regnery Publishing, which calls itself ‘the leader in conservative books,’ in July.” http://politi.co/2kqbdu1

TRUMP’S TUESDAY — The president will sign the National Defense Authorization Act. He will also meet with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty. VP MIKE PENCE speaks to the Values Action Team on Capitol Hill, and has lunch with Senate Republicans.

THE JUICE …

— SNEAK PEEK: REP. PATRICK MCHENRY (R-N.C.), the party’s chief deputy whip, will announce a $1 million transfer to the NRCC at this morning’s House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club, according to a source familiar with his plans. McHenry has transferred nearly $1.85 million to the party committee this year. McHenry has raised roughly $5 million for his House GOP colleagues and roughly $7.5 million overall.

— JEH JOHNSON, former DHS secretary and current partner at Paul Weiss, is joining the board of directors of Lockheed Martin. Directors make roughly $300,000 in equity and cash.

— SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND, a super-PAC closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, held a private political discussion and appreciation reception Monday night. SLF President and CEO Steven Law noted in his remarks that 2017 was a record fundraising year for the group. SPOTTED: McConnell, Karl Rove, NRSC Chairman Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Republican Sens. Steve Daines (Mont.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Todd Young (Ind.) and Tim Scott (S.C.).

— OUT AND ABOUT IN NYC — Last night in TriBeCa Dan Senor hosted a private screening for the premiere of the second season of the Israeli thriller “Fauda,” followed by a panel discussion with co-creator Avi Issacharoff and lead members of the cast, including Lior Raz (Doron) and Shadi Mari (Walid). Trailer for the second season http://bit.ly/2B8xWEQ

SPOTTED: Alexandra Pelosi, Bret Stephens, Jon Lerner, Bari Weiss, Cy Vance, Ben Wallace, Jamie Gangel, Dan Silva, Gabe Sherman, Campbell Brown, Michael Aronov, Greg Zuckerman, Abe Greenwald, Noah Rothman, Banks Tarver, Dan Selig, David Bushman, Jay Lefkowitz, Ethan Bronner, Josh Block, Matthew Hiltzik, Mosheh Oinounou, Reihan and Kathryn Salam, Rich Lowry, Richard Cohen, Sewell Chan, Sohrab Ahmari, Stu Loeser and Roger Bennett. (NOTE from Jake: If you don’t watch Fauda, you should. It’s one of the best shows on television. Season one is on Netflix.)

LATE NIGHT BEST — After taking last week off because of his son Billy’s second open heart surgery, which was successful, JIMMY KIMMEL made a tearful return to his show last night and made the case for CHIP funding. 5-min. video http://bit.ly/2BDPYjc

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump holds an astronaut toy after a signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive 1, with the aim of returning Americans to the moon, at the White House on Dec. 11. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

ISAAC DOVERE talks with DAVID PETRAEUS for the latest OFF MESSAGE podcast — “David Petraeus Would Still Work for Trump, Under ‘Certain Conditions’: Life is good for the former CIA director and four-star general. But he’s keeping his options open”: Isaac talks to retired four star general and CIA director, who offers his battlefield advice in response to Trump’s saying he’s winning the war against ISIS and that previous administrations weren’t letting troops win: “Be first with the truth.” “There are other presidents who have also made some declarations that they undoubtedly wished that they hadn’t made,” he said.

He’s not on Twitter, but he sees the tweets. “What you should follow more is the troops, the money and the substance of policies, which we can overlook if we get too mesmerized by reading tweets,” he says. What he sees: “more continuity than you might have expected,” though he worries about Trump’s “occasional ambivalence about what does ‘America First’ mean relative to the traditional role of the United States in the post-World War II era and particularly, in the post-Cold War era.” http://politi.co/2jRI0Zj

BLAKE HOUNSHELL in POLITICO Magazine, “Paul Manafort’s Dirty Secret: He’s a Terrible Propagandist: If bad editing’s a crime, lock him up”: “We must first indict Manafort for letting [Oleg] Voloshin’s proposed headline [in the Kyiv Post] stand. Typically, authors don’t write their own, but sometimes an editor will accept a suggestion out of sheer inertia or a lack of creativity. (It’s fine to offer a good one when you file your draft — just don’t insist on it or editors will consider you gauche and difficult to work with.)

“In this case, Voloshin had come up with a real stinker: ‘European integration unknown soldier.’ A bad headline can be fatal even to a good piece of writing. Manafort should have proposed his own. In this age of social media-fueled narcissism, it’s usually best to go with a first-person hed when you have the opportunity. I might have suggested something a bit more web-friendly, such as, ‘I Know Paul Manafort. He’s No Russian Stooge.’” http://politi.co/2BfMGSW

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Fearing the Worst, China Plans Refugee Camps on North Korean Border,” by NYT’s Jane Perlez in Beijing: “A Chinese county along the border with North Korea is constructing refugee camps intended to house thousands of migrants fleeing a possible crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to an internal document that appears to have been leaked from China’s main state-owned telecommunications company. Three villages in Changbai County and two cities in the northeastern border province of Jilin, have been designated for the camps, according to the document from China Mobile. … The camps are an unusual, albeit tacit, admission by China that instability in North Korea is increasingly likely, and that refugees could swarm across the Tumen River, a narrow ribbon of water that divides the two countries.” http://nyti.ms/2Bae5W2

— “North Korea’s prisons are as bad as Nazi camps, says judge who survived Auschwitz,” by WaPo’s Anna Fifield in Tokyo: “North Korea’s political prisons are just as bad as — and perhaps even worse than — the Nazi concentration camps of the Holocaust, a renowned judge and Auschwitz survivor has concluded after hearing from former North Korean prisoners and guards. Thomas Buergenthal, who served on the International Court of Justice, is one of three jurists who have concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should be tried for crimes against humanity for the way his regime uses brutal political prisons to control the population.” http://wapo.st/2l2lYGM

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: Boeing is the preferred supplier for UAE commercial aviation requirements. Over the past 10 years, UAE customers have ordered $150 billion in Boeing planes, supporting 781,000 jobs in the US and injecting billions of dollars into the US economy. In 2016, the US had a $19 billion trade surplus with the UAE, America’s third largest trade surplus globally. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

MEDIAWATCH — “New Yorker fires Ryan Lizza over alleged ‘improper sexual conduct,’” by Michael Calderone: “The New Yorker magazine announced Monday it had fired Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza following an allegation of sexual misconduct. … In a statement, Lizza said the magazine made ‘a terrible mistake’ and rejected its characterization of his relationship. ‘I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate,’ he said. … Douglas Wigdor, an attorney representing the unnamed woman who accused Lizza of misconduct, disputed that characterization. … Lizza also is an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, where he taught this past fall. A university spokesperson said that classes had already concluded for the fall semester and that Lizza was not previously scheduled to teach in the spring.” http://politi.co/2z2LgsV

— “Comcast Says No Longer Reviewing Deal for 21st Century Fox Assets,” by WSJ’s Joe Flint: “Comcast Corp. said it is no longer pursuing an acquisition of several key media and entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox, leaving Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in position to finalize a deal with Walt Disney Co. The Philadelphia-based cable and programming giant had approached 21st Century Fox about assets that included its international properties, movie and television studios, and some U.S. cable networks, The Wall Street Journal had previously reported, citing people familiar with the matter.” http://on.wsj.com/2z37VFu

— Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter-Poza is joining Daily Kos as its first-ever judicial affairs editor. She previously was a fellow at the Center for American Progress and is currently a contributor to the Pacific Standard.

SPOTTED: on the 2 p.m. Acela from New York Penn Station to D.C.: Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and John Thune (R-S.D.) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) … Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) waiting to catch a flight on Monday to Phoenix from DCA, where he “stopped to have a word with former Rep. Sue Myrick [R-N.C.] on the concourse,” per our tipster. … Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) in first class on the 3:17 p.m. Delta flight from Atlanta to DCA. Reps. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) and Tom Graves (R-Ga.) were in coach.

HOLIDAY PARTY CIRCUIT — SPOTTED at AEI’s annual holiday party last night: Arthur Brooks, Danielle Pletka, Michael Barone, Tim Carney, Ramesh Ponnuru, Jonah Goldberg, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Teller, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, Andrew Bremberg, Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), Scott Parkinson, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Carl Cannon, Mona Charen, Daniel Halper, Julia Ioffe, Greg Ip, Chris Isham, Eliana Johnson, Matt Lewis, Shawn McCoy, John Parkinson, Abby Phillip, Josh and Ali Rogin, Phil Rucker, Meridith McGraw, Margy Slattery, Byron York, Mike Stone, Elias Groll, Halley Toosi, Mallory Shelbourne, Ryan Nabil, Maddy Weast, Steve Guest, Jenna Lifhits, Marcus Weisgerber and Oriana Pawlyk.

— HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) held a Cajun Christmas party in Eastern Market last night. Pool report: “Guests dined on traditional Cajun cuisine as the Capitol Hillbillies played. Scalise joined them to play his washboard, known as the ‘Zydeco Lightning.’” Pic http://bit.ly/2knsGTS

SPOTTED: Speaker Paul Ryan, Brett Horton, Chris Bond, Lauren Fine, Kelley Hudak, Bill Hughes, Matt Bravo, Ben Napier, Bart Reising, Drew Ferguson, Reps. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), John Faso (R-N.Y.), Scott Taylor (R-Va.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Will Hurd (R-Texas), John Shimkus (R-Ill.), Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Jason Lewis (R-Minn.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and members of Scalise’s medical team, including Dr. Jack Sava and Dr. Rob Golden.

— Pool report: German “Ambassador Peter Wittig, Huberta von Voss-Wittig, and Liz Mohn … hosted the fourth annual Neue Stimmen concert Monday evening at the Ambassador’s Residence. Four soloists from the Neue Stimmen competition performed pieces from Faust and The Barber of Seville, among others, along with a medley of Christmas standards.”

SPOTTED: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Samuel Alito and Martha-Ann Alito, national security adviser HR McMaster and Kathleen McMaster, DNI Dan Coats and Marsha Coats, Jane Harman, Barbara Allbritton, Alexandra de Borchgrave, Calvin Cafritz and Jane Cafritz, Amb. Rafat Mahmood and Shaista Mahmood, Sally Quinn, David Ignatius, Ben Chang, John Arundel, Sandra Pandit, Lee Merritt and Julie Folger, Annie Totah, John and JoAnn Mason, Karl Matthias Klause.

TRANSITION — KELLEY MCCORMICK has been hired as SVP of corporate communications at Under Armour, where she will start on Jan 8. She most recently has been a managing director at SKDKnickerbocker.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Lanny Davis, co-founder and partner of Trident DMG and co-founder and partner of Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC, is 72. How he got his start in politics: “In the Vietnam War era in the mid-1960s, I realized that politics meant life or death unless America elected someone to get America out of Vietnam. So I knocked on doors for Sen. Gene McCarthy in the 1968 New Hampshire primary – and haven’t missed knocking on doors in a Democratic New Hampshire presidential primary since then.” Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2BWRWYq

BIRTHDAYS: Jesse Ferguson is 37 … David Pasch, HHS digital director and Mets fanatic, is 29 (hat tips: Charmaine Yoest and Brian Jack) … Allan Karl (h/t little bro Jonathan) … Maggie Rodriguez … Broderick Johnson, partner at Bryan Cave and Obama alum (h/t Jon Haber) … Jeff Goldstein, MBA/MPA concurrent degree candidate at Dartmouth Tuck and Harvard Kennedy School (h/t Katie Glueck) … Politico’s Taylor Miller Thomas … Andrew Platt, Maryland State Delegate … Katy Bachman … ABC News’ Becky Perlow … Nora Boustany … Peter Fenn … former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) is 66 … former Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) is 68 … AP science writer Seth Borenstein … Bret Wincup, director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise … Jeff Burton, founder of Burton Strategy Group and Cantor/NRCC alum, is 43 … Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) is 56 … Liz Brim … Alexander Levine …

… Sarah Horowitz, senior media strategist at Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications … Jenna Kruse, VP of research at EMILY’s List … BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti … Politico Europe’s Esther King … Nick Pearson of Google (h/t Riva Sciuto) … David Mays … Bush WH alum Rebecca Neale, now at the Paulson Institute … Jamie Brown Hantman … Danny Russel, diplomat in residence and senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute … Dwight Fettig … Jen Richer … Bob Wood … Ed Espinoza … Caroline Whitehouse, senior account executive at Edelman … Carolyn Castore … Dawn Laguens … Tina Henry … Tanner Hishta … Bush 43 alum Angela Hernandez … Kelly O’Brien … Maren Hesla … Peter Bock …Diane Welsh … David Sandretti, Obama USDA alum … Dan Schooff … Dawn Laguens … Madeline Sasse … Tony Winnicker (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines have received or have on order more than 800 Boeing aircraft. Emirates is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777s and has 40 Boeing 787-10s currently on order. Flydubai operates an all-Boeing fleet of planes and has a total of 361 Boeing 737s on order. Etihad operates 24 Boeing 777s with 25 more on order, and has an additional $8.7 billion order for Boeing 787-10s. UAE airlines now serve 11 US gateway cities from Dubai and Abu Dhabi with more than 250 weekly nonstop flights. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh … Playbook Power Briefing http://politi.co/2xuOiqh … New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW … Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 … New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF … Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v … Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb … California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl … London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK … Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw … All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX

This article tagged under:

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/politico-playbook-game-day-in-alabama/

[snowlucario-blog]

My 2018 Senate Predictions

The Democrats, should Hillary Clinton have become President, would likely have faced a 2018 Senate BLOODBATH. Since Donald Trump is our President instead, the bloodbath is likely to be not as bad as it would otherwise have been. Remember that the party in power generally suffers in midterm elections. However, due to the Senate map this cycle, it’s difficult to make gains for the Democrats.

In this assessment, I will be only ranking things as Democrat, Republican, or Swing. Most predictions are made differently, but I am simply making this more simple. After all, I am only sixteen years old, and I’m only one person. I’ll try to be as objective as possible, but you know my political views. We are going to see how things go, but let’s begin.

ALABAMA: LUTHER STRANGE ( R )

This one is technically up, just because of Jeff Sessions becoming our Attorney General. However, it doesn’t really matter.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

ARIZONA: JEFF FLAKE ( R )

Even though this is one of the two states that COULD flip to the Democrats, I don’t think it will.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

CALIFORNIA: DIANNE FEINSTEIN ( D )

Feinstein is a very old woman, but she’s running again. I don’t think that she will lose if she makes it to 2018, and if she dies before that, a Democrat will probably win.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

CONNECTICUT: CHRIS MURPHY ( D )

This is a pretty blue state. He’s running again. I think you know what that means.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

DELAWARE: TOM CARPER ( D )

Even if he doesn’t run, this seat will probably be won by a Democrat.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

FLORIDA: BILL NELSON ( D )

This is now a slightly red state, but this would be his fourth term. I think he’ll win.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

HAWAII: MAZIE HIRONO ( D )

I don’t care if her name is pronounced similarly to my sister’s nickname. She’s going to win.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

INDIANA: JOE DONNELLY ( D )

Now that our Vice President, Mike Pence, is from Indiana, this might go towards Republicans or Democrats. I heard he wasn’t popular as governor, but this would only be Donnelly’s second term. I expect Republicans to take this over.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

MAINE: ANGUS KING ( D/I )

This depends on who runs against him, but I think it leans towards him. Paul LePage is pretty controversial, but King is popular.

RATING: DEMOCRAT/INDEPENDENT

MARYLAND: BEN CARDIN ( D )

Should he run again, he is likely to win. Even if he doesn’t, I don’t think a Republican will win.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

MASSACHUSETTS: ELIZABETH WARREN ( D )

I think this is a swing state, and I live here. But Warren isn’t popular, and Schilling just might beat her. Democrats’ best option is to primary her.

RATING: SWING

MICHIGAN: DEBBIE STABENOW ( D )

This was a red state in 2016, but Debbie Stabenow is pretty cemented down. It’ll be hard to take her out.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

MINNESOTA: AMY KLOBUCHAR ( D )

She’ll be tough to beat in this slightly blue state, and she’s running for a third term.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

MISSISSIPPI: ROGER WICKER ( R )

This is a nonfactor. Wicker is in a deep red state. I’m nearly sure he’ll win.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

MISSOURI: CLAIRE MCCASKILL ( D )

She’s not too popular, and this is a pretty red state. I think she’ll lose.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

MONTANA: JON TESTER ( D )

It’s going to be a barn-burner for sure. He does have an overall favorable approval rating, but it’ll be close either way.

RATING: SWING

NEBRASKA: DEB FISCHER ( R )

She might run, or she might not. Either way, it’s likely to be a Republican.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

NEVADA: DEAN HELLER ( R )

This is probably the most likely Republican-held seat to flip, and he is vulnerable to be sure, but I just don’t know.

RATING: SWING

NEW JERSEY: BOB MENENDEZ ( D )

Menendez is likely to be replaced by another Democrat if he retires. This is a solid blue state.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

NEW MEXICO: MARTIN HEINRICH ( D )

In this blue state, I think that the voters won’t like Trump, and will want to keep Heinrich in power.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

NEW YORK: KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND ( D )

Blue state. Yada yada.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

NORTH DAKOTA: HEIDI HEITKAMP ( D )

Should Heitkamp retire, this will almost certainly go to a Republican. If she runs, I still think the GOP will take it.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

OHIO: SHERROD BROWN ( D )

Brown’s in a red state, but he is cemented down.

RATING: SWING

PENNSYLVANIA: BOB CASEY JR. ( D )

A red state in 2016, this could get interesting.

RATING: SWING

RHODE ISLAND: SHELDON WHITEHOUSE ( D )

Whitehouse is safe. He’s safe.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

TENNESSEE: BOB CORKER ( R )

He’s safe if he runs, and the seat is safe Republican.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

TEXAS: TED CRUZ ( R )

The failed 2016 Presidential candidate is running again, but it doesn’t really matter. He’ll probably win.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

UTAH: ORRIN HATCH ( R )

He might not run again, since he’s very old. Even if he doesn’t, it’s not going to be a Democrat.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

VERMONT: BERNIE SANDERS (D/I)

He’s safe. No questions about it. And, even though I’m a socialist, I hate his guts. He divided the Democratic Party and cost us the 2016 election. Fuck you, Bernie. But please win.

RATING: DEMOCRAT/INDEPENDENT

VIRGINIA: TIM KAINE ( D )

Hillary Clinton’s running mate is running for re-election, and I think he’ll win again.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

WASHINGTON: MARIA CANTWELL ( D )

Should she retire, it’s still probably going to be a Democrat who wins.

RATING: DEMOCRAT

WEST VIRGINIA: JOE MANCHIN ( D )

I think this one will flip. Manchin’s got two groups of people in his state pissed at him, and if the Democrats are foolish enough to primary him, there’s no way they’ll win.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

WISCONSIN: TAMMY BALDWIN ( D )

I’m not sure about this one.

RATING: SWING

WYOMING: JOHN BARRASSO ( R )

You know how this is going to go. It’s a foregone conclusion.

RATING: REPUBLICAN

In conclusion, this is what we’ve got. Let’s see the results.

We have:

16 DEMOCRATS

6 SWINGS

11 REPUBLICANS

Since Democrats and Independents caucusing with them control 25 seats up for re-election, and Republicans control 9, and I’m assuming half of the swing seats go to each party, we have

19 DEMOCRATS

14 REPUBLICANS

This means a net gain for Republicans of four seats, for a total of 56 Republicans and 44 Democrats in the next Congress.

[likefolio]

Budweiser or Pepsi? Which COMPANIES will win the Big Game?

Tonight we will all be watching a fierce battle among the world’s best competitors. No, I’m not talking about football – I’m talking about the commercials and the enormous spending that goes into them.  Companies are dropping millions upon millions for thirty 30 seconds of access to consumer eyeballs.

So, the real question here isn’t “what do ad experts think about the commercials” – it’s “what do real consumers think about the commercials”.  Because it’s consumers who are making purchasing decisions and potentially driving revenues for these companies…and that’s what matters to investors like us.

So how will we know which commercials do the best with consumers?

Enter the TD Ameritrade Ad Challenge.  Through a partnership with TD Ameritrade, Likefolio is leveraging its social data tracking technology to show investors how social media chatter around this year’s big game commercials may be able to help them validate potential trading opportunities in real time.  

Here’s how it works

LikeFolio’s proprietary technology scans the entire twitterverse constantly, capturing every tweet about the brands and products behind the world’s most popular stocks—and then analyzing those tweets for indications of sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative) and consumer purchase intent.

For the TD Ameritrade Ad Challenge, our industry-leading technology is being used to highlight which publicly-traded companies got the most positive Twitter mentions about their ads during the game.  Updates will be delivered in real-time throughout the game on Twitter, with the final results announced on video and through multiple media outlets on Monday morning.

Handicapping the field

What contest is complete without some pre-game projections?  With companies pre-announcing, or even pre-releasing their ads, it is already looking like a banner game for commercials.  Here’s how I think they stack up as we head into the weekend, but make sure you follow throughout the game as we are sure to see major shifts as the game gets underway:

First out the gate

Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD) has to be considered the morning line favorite to win the TD Ameritrade Ad Challenge due to its overwhelming size and strength. With 4 brands expected to be promoted in multiple spots, a history of popular ads, and an already controversial ad about its founder’s immigrant story…this year's Big Game is Bud's to lose.

Proctor & Gamble ($PG) might not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of great ads, but this year’s Mr. Clean ad is already getting good chatter, and they’ve had some wild, tweet-inducing spots for Old Spice in the past.

Disney ($DIS) is the boom or bust pick of this year’s ad challenge.  While the company hasn’t officially committed to buying ad time, there are rumors circulating that they might drop a preview of their upcoming Star Wars blockbuster “The Last Jedi”, which would be a total game-changer.

Contenders

Pepsi ($PEP) is introducing Lifewtr brand with John Legend’s version of “Love Me Now”, which could tip the scales in their favor, despite not running a Doritos ad this year.  Pepsi Zero Sugar is also getting in the game by sponsoring the halftime show.  You read that right.  The Pepsi Zero Sugar halftime show.

Coca-Cola ($KO) is going old-school, bringing back some of their classic, beloved commercials for Coke and Sprite brands.  At least that’s what they’re claiming right now.  We think a surprise could be in the works.

Volkswagen ($VLKAY) is taking a slightly political, serious approach to their commercial with a well-made spot focused on progress and women’s rights.  If they pull it off, “touching” could prevail over “funny”.

Kraft Heinz ($KHC) might just win the ad challenge down at the wire – without even buying an ad!  Their “Smunday” petition is getting steam on the internet.  By giving employees the day off on Monday, and pushing for it to be a national holiday, Kraft is sure to win over some loyal fans!

Long shots

Godaddy ($GDDY) can’t be counted out of the mix.  They always bring some cutting edge humor, and this year they’ve got some internet joke “easter eggs” hidden in the ad that could get some buzz.  With Victoria’s Secret (owned by $LB) out of the mix this year, Godaddy could be missing an opportunity to bring sexy back.

Honda Motor ($HMC) is featuring celebrity yearbook photos.

Wix.com ($WIX) is using a 30 second spot during the game to bring attention to a full campaign consisting of multiple short films.  It’s a big gamble that is already producing millions of YouTube views.

Nintendo ($NTDOY) is back to big game status after their impressive Pokémon Go revival and could be one to watch.

That’s a wrap!

We’re hoping the “Big Sunday Night Football Game that shall remain nameless in print” is a barn-burner, but we’re even more excited to see who wins the TD Ameritrade Ad Challenge this year.

Follow LikeFolio and Nicole Sherrod on Twitter through the big game to find out which companies rise to the top…and which big spends are a flop.

[teddyjamswing]

Gordon Chambers - Bygones

Album : Love Stories (2007)

Label : Dome

Catalog No. : DOMECD 80

Written by : J. Barnes, Sherrod Barnes

Produced by Gordon Chambers