#brooklyn democratic party

[worldlibertytv]

See Hakeem Jeffries Minority Leader, and many more Democratic Heavyweights from NY, attend Brooklyn Democratic Party Annual Gala at Giando on the Water, Brooklyn NY-2023 in WLTV Political Blogs @ https://www.worldlibertytv.org/party-chair-rodneyse-bichotte-hermelyn-presents-brooklyn-democratic-party-gala-2023/

[biglisbonnews]

The Brooklyn Democratic Party Is Being Sued by Its Landlord Over a broken lease and $82,000 in back rent. http://www.curbed.com/2023/03/brooklyn-democratic-party-landlord-lawsuit.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part

[thenewdemocratus]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: 'Donald Trump Meetings With Congressional Republicans Shameful'

Source:C-SPAN covering House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat, New York) weekly press briefing. Source:The New Democrat “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on former President Trump’s meetings with Congressional Republcans: “It was shameful and a complete embarrassment that my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues decided to welcome the insurrectionist and chief back to the capitol as a…

[probablyasocialecologist]

Thousands have hit the streets in NYC, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and dozens of other cities. A DC protest organized by Jewish activist groups drew thousands, and hundreds were later arrested, including two dozen Rabbis. An estimated 25,000 people showed up to a rally in Chicago. These events show no signs of stopping, with many more planned across the coming days. These actions have gone beyond marches, with protesters showing up at the offices and homes of politicians demanding a ceasefire. Six activists were arrested at a pro-Palestine rally outside the Boston office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). A large crowd demonstrated outside the Brooklyn home of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Jewish protesters showed up outside the Brentwood house of VP Kamala Harris. IfNotNow members have held sit-ins at the DC offices of Schumer, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA). Former staffers for Warren, Sanders, and Senator John Fetterman have publicly urged the lawmakers to back a ceasefire. On October 25, tens of thousands of students across more than 100 North American campuses united in a walkout to demand an immediate ceasefire, an end to unconditional support for Israel, and university divestment from the corporations funding the occupation of Palestine. On the night of October 27 Jewish activists shut down Grand Central Station, leading to the arrest of over 300 people. “This is bigger than we’ve ever seen,” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid told Mondoweiss. “This is the result of decades of work that we’ve put into this movement, and I think some of it is connected to the [George Floyd protests of 2020]. There was so much racial, social justice, anti-war building in that moment.

[...]

“The man broke my heart,” Palestinian-American comedian Maysoon Zayid told Politico on October 23, “I never in my life thought the empathizer-in-chief would sound the way he did. The Palestinians were given no humanity. Joe Biden should spend every breath he has condemning Israel’s genocide with the same zeal he condemned Hamas’ massacre of civilians, that same zeal. And we get nothing. 1,000 children are dead, and we get nothing.” “It’s really crazy to me that the Democratic party destroyed 20-years of worth of good will with Muslims and Arabs in just 2 weeks, losing an entire generation that was raised in the progressive coalition, possibly forever,” tweeted author and activist Eman Abdelhadi. “The rapidity of it, the finality–it’s astonishing.” “While Republican disregard for Muslim and Arab lives is clearly on display, some Muslim and Arab Americans also feel like the Democratic Party largely takes their vote for granted, though Democrats’ policies never reflect as much,” writes Dana El Kurd in The Nation. “One Arab American friend expressed to me that, at least under Republican administrations, ‘Arabs could find allies’ in their opposition.”

[mariacallous]

One of the whistleblowers during the first impeachment process against U.S. President Donald Trump, Democrat Eugene Vindman, has won the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia, the NYT wrote on Nov. 6.

His victory keeps the district in Democratic hands, sustaining the party's hopes of securing a majority in the House of Representatives, the journalists wrote.

He will replace Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the House, who decided to run for governor.

The 49-year-old Kyiv-born Vindman, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and lawyer, is the twin brother of Alexander Vindman. The brothers, born in 1975, lost their mother at age three and were brought to the United States by their father, settling in Brooklyn. Vindman has served as the Deputy Legal Advisor for the National Security Council since 2018.

Both Eugene and Alexander Vindman gained prominence for raising concerns about Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019. The conversation, in which Trump was accused of pressuring Zelenskyy to investigate then-political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter, led to the first impeachment trial. Following their whistleblower actions, both brothers faced dismissal, with Eugene reportedly experiencing retaliatory measures from Trump administration officials.

Donald Trump is the only U.S. president to have faced impeachment proceedings twice. The first process was initiated after a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in 2019, during which the then-president requested the resumption of an investigation into Burisma Holdings, Ukrainian oil and gas company, linked to Hunter Biden, the son of his political rival Joe Biden.

The 45th U.S. president was accused of pressuring Zelenskyy to obtain damaging information on Biden. The House of Representatives voted for impeachment, but the Senate acquitted him entirely.

On Jan. 13, 2021, the House of Representatives passed a resolution for impeachment again. The impeachment process was initiated after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, where Congress had gathered to certify Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The riots resulted in five deaths. On Feb. 13, the U.S. Senate did not support impeachment.

[whencyclopedia]

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American journalist and poet, best known for his collection of poems entitled Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855. He remains an influential figure in American literature, whose writings reflect how deeply affected he was by the times in which he lived: "Everything Whitman wrote centered around the notion of democracy" (Mead, 555).

Early Life

Walt Whitman was born on 31 May 1819 in a small village on Long Island, New York. His parents were Walter Whitman Sr. of English descent and Louisa Van Velsor of Dutch-Quaker descent. Both were descended from early settlers on Long Island. Whitman Jr. was the second child and second son. Walt Sr. was a farmer who used his carpentry skills during the city's building boom by moving the family to Brooklyn in 1823. According to Whitman Jr., his father was "always of democratic and heretical tendencies" (Kaplan, 56). Whitman's parents gave him a basic understanding of political liberalism and deistic faith shaped by the teaching of Quakerism. Whitman remained a lifelong liberal.

After leaving school at the age of eleven, he found work at a law firm and doctor's office. Despite little formal education, Whitman was a voracious reader, and aside from the works of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), he read 19th-century novels, English Romantic poetry, European classics, and the New Testament. By the age of twelve, he was working in the printing office of a newspaper, the Long Island Patriot, and contributing pieces for publication. He would leave the Patriot, an organ for the Democratic Party, and work at the Star, a Whig newspaper. By the age of 15, he was contributing poems to the Manhattan newspaper The Mirror. In the 1840s, there were between 15 and 20 newspapers in New York – Whitman would work for many of them as either a contributor or editor. At the Patriot and the Star, he had learned the printer trade, a compositor or journeyman printer. But when his family returned to Long Island, he did not; he was on his own, spending his free time at the theater and debating societies. When two fires disrupted the printing industry in 1835, Whitman was forced to return to his family, but despite the hardships, he would not give up his desire to write.

Continue reading...

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress representing Bedford-Stuyvesant 12th district, and the first African American woman to seek the nomination for president of the United States, was born in Brooklyn, NY, on this date November 30, 1924.

She graduated from Brooklyn Girls’ High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she won prizes on the debate team. Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she replied that she faced a “double handicap” as both Black and female.

Her motto and title of her autobiography—Unbought and Unbossed—illustrates her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Discrimination followed Chisholm’s quest for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates, and after taking legal action, was permitted to make just one speech. Still, students, women, and minorities followed the “Chisholm Trail.” She entered 12 primaries and garnered 152 of the delegates’ votes (10% of the total)—despite an under-financed campaign and contentiousness from the predominantly male Congressional Black Caucus.

Of her legacy, Chisholm said, “I want to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.”

“Make you co-op-erate with the rhythm, that is what I give em, Reagan is the Pres but I voted for Shirley Chisholm.” - Biz Markie

CARTER™️ Magazine

[beardedmrbean]

New York City officials are reacting to a bombshell new report by The Post that shows an alarming 58,626 migrants with felony records or facing criminal charges are freely roaming the Big Apple, with some 670,000 in total across the country.

Out of the 759,218 illegal border-crossers who now call the five boroughs home, 7.7% were either previously convicted of crimes or had criminal charges pending, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data.

But instead of rounding up and deporting tens of thousands of known criminals, critics say the city has rolled out the red carpet with its asylum policies, providing free lodgings, money for food and even one-way plane tickets anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, politicians told The Post they’re reaching their breaking point with the generous giveaways and lax enforcement taking place under NYC’s sanctuary city policies, and laying blame at the feet of state and federal officials.

“Kathy Hochul said she’d be the first one to call ICE if a migrant broke the law — she has over 58,000 phone calls to make,” Rep. Mike Lawler — who’s weighing a run for governor — told The Post.

“Kathy Hochul must immediately end New York’s sanctuary state status and fully cooperate with ICE to ensure the safety and well being of all New Yorkers.”

Hochul, for her part, stood by existing policies in the Empire State.

“Governor Hochul will continue enforcing State policy, which protects law-abiding immigrants while ensuring violent criminals are held accountable,” spokesperson Avi Small said.

Mayor Eric Adams has frequently called for sanctuary city rules to be loosened so migrants “suspected” of serious crimes could be turned over to ICE.

However, Hizzoner has thrown his hands up claiming he lacks the political support of the City Council that would be needed to change the controversial laws that prohibit NYC law enforcement from cooperating with immigration officials’ investigations.

“The number of migrant criminals is astronomical and frightening,” said New York Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar, a Dyker Heights, Brooklyn resident.

He said “enough of this crap” about New York’s sanctuary rules that coddle criminals and refuse to cooperate with the feds.

“Sanctuary policies are counterproductive and make New York and America unsafe. We need to end this insanity of the Biden years. New York City and New York State have propped up these failed policies,” he told The Post.

This sentiment wasn’t limited to those on the right politically.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat whose district encompasses parts of Nassau County and Queens, was forthright about the problem and seemed amenable to working with Trump and incoming border czar Tom Homan to solve it.

“I support the deportation of criminals and will work with the incoming administration to accomplish that goal. We must also secure the border, fix the broken asylum system and modernize the legal immigration system,” he told The Post.

The burden of the status quo is being unevenly borne by members of the NYPD, who have grappled with the sudden influx of unknown migrants — some with violent criminal histories — flooding city streets.

“The majority of the people we arrest. It’s even more frustrating because a lot of them are repeat offenders and they just get let out of jail to commit more crimes and victimize the hard-working people who live in the area,” a Queens cop told The Post.

But migrants themselves shared a different story.

A migrant man who sells food outside The Roosevelt Hotel — which has been turned into a shelter for asylum-seekers costing the city hundreds of millions of dollars — declined to give his name, but said from his perspective the new arrivals get a bad rap.

“There are thousands of people in this city and thousands of them commit crimes. There are many migrants who commit crimes too, but anything bad that happens here they blame it on the migrants,” he said, claiming he and his cohorts are often turned into “scapegoats.”

[ausetkmt]

Black women have made important contributions to the United States throughout its history. However, they are not always recognized for their efforts, with some remaining anonymous and others becoming famous for their achievements. In the face of gender and racial bias, Black women have broken barriers, challenged the status quo, and fought for equal rights for all. The accomplishments of Black female historical figures in politics, science, the arts, and more continue to impact society.

Marian Anderson (Feb. 27, 1897–April 8, 1993)

Underwood Archives / Getty Images

Contralto Marian Anderson is considered one of the most important singers of the 20th century. Known for her impressive three-octave vocal range, she performed widely in the U.S. and Europe, beginning in the 1920s. She was invited to perform at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1936, the first African American so honored. Three years later, after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Anderson to sing at a Washington, D.C. gathering, the Roosevelts invited her to perform on the steps of the Lincon Memorial.

Anderson continued to sing professionally until the 1960s when she became involved in politics and civil rights issues. Among her many honors, Anderson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.

Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875–May 18, 1955)

PhotoQuest / Getty Images

Mary McLeod Bethune was an African American educator and civil rights leader best known for her work co-founding the Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. Born into a sharecropping family in South Carolina, the young Bethune had a zest for learning from her earliest days. After stints teaching in Georgia, she and her husband moved to Florida and eventually settled in Jacksonville. There, she founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute in 1904 to provide education for Black girls. It merged with the Cookman Institute for Men in 1923, and Bethune served as president for the next two decades.

A passionate philanthropist, Bethune also led civil rights organizations and advised Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt on African American issues. In addition, President Harry Truman invited her to attend the founding convention of the United Nations; she was the only African American delegate to attend.

Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924–Jan. 1, 2005)

Don Hogan Charles / Getty Images

Shirley Chisholm is best known for her 1972 bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination; she was the first Black woman to make this attempt in a major political party. However, she had been active in state and national politics for more than a decade and had represented parts of Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly from 1965 to 1968. She became the first Black woman to serve in Congress in 1968. During her tenure, she co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Chisholm left Washington in 1983 and devoted the rest of her life to civil rights and women's issues.

Althea Gibson (Aug. 25, 1927–Sept. 28, 2003)

Reg Speller / Getty Images

Althea Gibson started playing tennis as a child in New York City, winning her first tennis tournament at age 15. She dominated the American Tennis Association circuit, reserved for Black players, for more than a decade. In 1950, Gibson broke the tennis color barrier at Forest Hills Country Club (site of the U.S. Open); the following year, she became the first African American to play at Wimbledon in Great Britain. Gibson continued to excel at the sport, winning both amateur and professional titles through the early 1960s.

Dorothy Height (March 24, 1912–April 20, 2010)

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Dorothy Height has been described as the godmother of the women's movement because of her work for gender equality. For four decades, she led the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW )and was a leading figure in the 1963 March on Washington. Height began her career as an educator in New York City, where her work caught the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt. Beginning in 1957, she led the NCNW and also advised the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.

Rosa Parks (Feb. 4, 1913–Oct. 24, 2005)

Underwood Archives / Getty Images

Rosa Parks became active in the Alabama civil rights movement after marrying activist Raymond Parks in 1932. She joined the Montgomery, Alabama, chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1943 and was involved in much of the planning that went into the famous bus boycott that began the following decade. Parks is best known for her December 1, 1955, arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a White rider. That incident sparked the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott, which eventually desegregated that city's public transit. Parks and her family moved to Detroit in 1957, and she remained active in civil rights until her death.

Augusta Savage (Feb. 29, 1892–March 26, 1962)

Archive Photos / Sherman Oaks Antique Mall / Getty Images

Augusta Savage displayed an artistic aptitude from her youngest days. Encouraged to develop her talent, she enrolled in New York City's Cooper Union to study art. She earned her first commission, a sculpture of civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, from the New York library system in 1921, and several other commissions followed. Despite meager resources, she continued working through the Great Depression, making sculptures of several notable Black people, including Frederick Douglass and W. C. Handy. Her best-known work, "The Harp," was featured at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, but it was destroyed after the fair ended.

Harriet Tubman (1822–March 20, 1913)

Library of Congress

Enslaved from birth in Maryland, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. The year after she arrived in Philadelphia, Tubman returned to Maryland to free her family members. Over the next 12 years, she returned nearly 20 times, helping more than 300 enslaved Black people escape bondage by ushering them along the Underground Railroad. The "railroad" was the nickname for a secret route that enslaved Black people used to flee the South for anti-slavery states in the North and to Canada. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, a scout, and a spy for Union forces. After the war, she worked to establish schools for formerly enslaved people in South Carolina. In her later years, Tubman also became involved in women's rights causes.

Phillis Wheatley (May 8, 1753–Dec. 5, 1784)

Culture Club/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Born in Africa, Phillis Wheatley came to the U.S. at age 8, when she was captured and sold into enslavement. John Wheatley, the Boston man who enslaved her, was impressed by Phillis' intellect and interest in learning, and he and his wife taught her to read and write. The Wheatleys allowed Phillis time to pursue her studies, which led her to develop an interest in poetry writing. A poem she published in 1767 earned her much acclaim. Six years later, her first volume of poems was published in London, and she became known in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The Revolutionary War disrupted Wheatley's writing, however, and she was not widely published after it ended.

Charlotte Ray (Jan. 13, 1850–Jan. 4, 1911)

Charlotte Ray has the distinction of being the first African American woman lawyer in the United States and the first woman admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia. Her father, active in New York City's Black community, made sure his young daughter was well educated; she received her law degree from Howard University in 1872 and was admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar shortly afterward. Both her race and gender proved to be obstacles in her professional career, and she eventually became a teacher in New York City instead. 

[simplyclary]

You've Got Great Taste: Taylor Zakhar Perez's Fashionable Characters

This entry is the sort of sequel to the first TZP lookbook. This will focus on four of Taylor's characters, mainly Alex Claremont-Diaz from Red, White and Royal Blue, Marco Peña from The Kissing Booth 2 & 3 as well as Dustin from 1Up and Shane from Minx.

To be completely honest, Taylor has the ability to turn even the plainest combo of a t-shirt and jeans into a freaking masterpiece. Hence, most of the looks in this lookbook will be the more casual but still fashionable side (as compared to the first part where the fits are more on the dressy and preppy side).

The order of characters would be Alex, Marco, Dustin and Shane. Similar to the first lookbook entry, this will just be a compilation of photos plus a personal commentary.

The [cover] photo posted above is a photo of Alex Claremont-Diaz after he addressed the crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn, New York and he is seen wearing a gray-blue suit combo, paired nicely with his signature black bracelet and watch. This is one of the many varieties of suit and tie outfits Taylor wears in the movie, especially when Alex is seen attending formal events.

I honestly have no idea what to comment about a suit and tie combo other than he looks good in it (Taylor looks good in any outfit, I'm not kidding!) and it makes him look like someone you should respect and listen to, which I do in every occasion anyway.

There will also be breakers in between each character that will serve as pauses so that it will not be just photos with paragraphs. Take it as chapters, if you will.

Get some drinks, grab some snacks and let's get re-acquainted with the fashion senses of the First Son of the US, the MVP, the gaming world's IT boy and the world's first firefighter model ;)

One of Alex's looks is already featured above so let's start with the First Son [of our hearts], shall we?

The First Son of the US Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz

Before I say anything else, I would like to admit that I can hear this photo loud and clear because like y'all, I have seen the movie more than 10 times.

Anyway, this is Alex in the coffee shop when he is called by Miguel for a quick chat. He is wearing a denim ensemble composed of a plain white shirt topped with a denim button down with folded sleeves paired with denim jeans and white sneakers. He finished the outfit with his usual accessories (black bracelet, watch and key necklace).

I want to say that this outfit combo is the definition of casual. It's a very chill outfit that one can find in most stores. Considering Alex is a law student, this look is also something a student can just put on for a regular day at school which is practical and I love that.

I would also like to add that this is my most favorite Alex look in the entire movie, like the simplicity of the outfit combined with his charm just makes a perfect combination for me. I'm still kind of mad though that Henry did not see Alex in this outfit because dang, Alex was oozing with hotness and handsomeness.

I'll be honest for a second, if I were invited to Alex's New Years' party and he shows up wearing this, I wouldn't be able to look away similar to the guests because how would I be able to when he looks this gorgeous?

To continue, this is a more dressy Alex look. This was his outfit for the New Years' Party. He was wearing a black button-down with a satin (I think?) navy green blazer with leafy print and black pants and shoes. This is also a memorable outfit because this was the outfit he was wearing when he and Henry shared their first kiss, which adds to the romantic factor.

Alex definitely pulled this look off and he was definitely the eye candy of his own party. I do not blame the guests for staring at him in this outfit because he looks so good. I also think that this outfit was the right balance of fit and loose, which is perfect for dancing the night away at a party, which I love.

On a more practical note, I think the material of his blazer is not suited for the chilly winter night because I observed in the scene when he went out to find Henry, he was raising his shoulders to his ears and his hands were in his pockets so his blazer might not have been super effective against the winter chill.

Other than that, this was definitely a good outfit to welcome in a year that was filled with first kisses, missed phone calls, a lot of romance, leaked emails and a win on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ahhh, this look was a super close second favorite of mine. This navy blue blazer with a black inner shirt and pants combo is the perfect smart casual look of Alex when he was strolling the streets of Paris with Henry. It's also one of those outfits that fits Taylor's figure so well and I love that.

I also love the fact that this is one of the first outfits that Taylor wore as Alex, considering that their Paris cafe scene was the first scene he and Nick shot as Alex and Henry.

Also, Alex not wearing a button-up shirt during this was a good idea because if you know the scene that comes after this casual stroll, you know that Henry had a hard time removing his shirt because of the "rigid" buttons so Alex had to step in and help him undo his shirt then. I just love the idea that Alex probably had an easier time removing his clothes than Henry but that's not the point I'm making here. Let's just proceed.

Awww, look at Alex all smiling and happy and looking all cute with his cowboy hat.

This look is something that I can see people wearing for a night out in a bar somewhere where you and your friends have drinks, do karaoke and have fun. A simple printed button-down shirt with denim jeans is such a chill combo and can be worn on any occasion. Alex pairing the outfit with a cowboy hat really gives off the full Texas vibe and that is so cute.

Add the fact that the print on Alex's shirt is lipstick marks, which I find cute and it honestly adds to the romantic aspect and kind of symbolizes Alex's romantic soul and love for Henry because this is the scene where he is the definition of the heart eyes emoji and has the realization that he is in love with Henry.

This is the perfect outfit for a night out with friends and lovers alike. Just hope you won't get your heart broken eventually.

This photo of Alex/Taylor is screaming "Let's take a photo doing peace signs before I get reprimanded by the president who is also my mom for causing an international scandal". That is just a hilarious concept to think about.

Anyway, Alex in a leather jacket with a black shirt paired with jeans? The temperature in the room just went a little up. Something about a leather jacket simply screams badass to me and there's nothing wrong with that.

I like to think that having the jacket on is practical because the Oval Office might be chilly so Alex might have really needed the jacket. It also gives off like a rebellious son vibe, which is Alex in a way so that's fitting.

This photo is just too cute so I might just leave you with that and move on to the next look.

Alex in a gray sweater and jeans combo is the winter look inspiration we all need.

This outfit combo is just the perfect winter outfit to keep him warm and cozy. Also his puppy-like face in this scene adds an extra level of cute. Like you just want to hug him while he tells you all about his Texas strategy memo.

This outfit is a perfect ensemble when you just want to stay in your house during the winter months and set up a warm fire, make a glass of hot chocolate with marshmallows, curl up with a book and enjoy your holiday. Unless you're like Alex who likes to work, even during the holidays (I don't blame you if you are like Alex, I actually admire that!).

Do admit that you can hear what Alex says in this scene loud and clear. Like be honest with yourselves.

This outfit is what Alex wears when he arrives at Kensington Palace during the weekend where he is supposed to do damage control with Henry. He is wearing a black tank top under a printed unbuttoned button down with jeans and his usual accessories. This look is definitely the opposite of Henry's look during this scene. Like Alex's look was casual while Henry's look was dressy.

Now, this is not what I would personally pick for a visit to a royal palace but hey, Alex was immediately sent there so I couldn't blame him for not having enough time to go over his clothing options so I guess this look would have to do.

Awww, look at Alex leaning against a wall looking at Henry talking to a kid [probably about Star Wars] in the children's hospital. Sparks were starting to fly.

This look was a very clean look. Like the pristine white button-down shirt with the blazer and slacks combo was just giving off immaculate vibes. It's not the formal suit and tie business look but it is a good alternative. Also, it makes Alex presentable enough and not intimidating for the children which is lovely.

You can never go wrong with a button-down and blazer combo for a visit to the children's hospital. Maybe spray a bit of your favorite perfume (Santal 33, in Alex's case) and you're good to go.

That's it for Alex's part of the lookbook, folks. I did not include all of his outfits because he has numerous looks in the movie and this would read like a novel if I were to include all of them. Just know that like Taylor, Alex is a fashionable character, no matter how casual or dressy his looks are.

Now, let's go back in time a bit and head to Los Angeles Country Day High School and visit our one and only MVP, Marco Valentin Peña.

The MVP Marco Valentin Peña

He's so cute in this photo, I can't help but swoon!!

Anyway, Marco is one of Taylor's characters who has the most casual looks. Understandably so, because he's a high school student so casual is the way to go.

This is one of the plainest outfits he had in The Kissing Booth 2 but he just wears it so nicely and it fits him so well. It's a simple combo of a burgundy t-shirt with jeans and black sneakers. Marco is also one to accessorize with jewelry so in almost every look, he has a couple of bracelets on, a chain necklace and a ring on his right pinky finger.

This casual look is one of my favorite looks of Marco in the movie, and it is perfect for a casual day out at the arcade where you can just play pool or dance away at the DDM machine with friends and schoolmates.

Oh, if only every guy in high school looks as good as Marco? He is truly a high school heartthrob.

Also, he makes a simple school uniform composed of a light blue button up shirt and a tie worn a little bit loose look good. Like what else can I say? Who can blame all the students swooning over him in class?

I would also like to add that a bomber jacket is a good addition to the uniform look because it gives the uniform a sense of stylishness which I like. It might also be chilly in the classroom which is a reason why he has a jacket on, which is good for practical reasons.

I no longer know what else to comment about this look other than the fact that he makes a student uniform look good so let's just proceed to the next MVP look

Moonshot...

This outfit, composed of a silver inner long-sleeved top with a black waistcoat-like vest and flowy black pants with sneakers is a good option for a dance tournament. It's simple but the silver of the inner top is like a glow in the dark-type material and therefore gives a slight shimmer effect.

Marco looked good in this outfit. He was definitely shining like a moon during a dark night. Add the fact that he is a good dancer and the way the lights bounce off the silver of his shirt gives it an extra glow.

This was also more of the simpler costumes compared to those of the other contestants in the tournament, so I love that idea because first off, it's a dance contest and not a fashion show so people will focus more on the moves rather than the looks. Hence, Marco and Elle's moonlight-like outfit combo was a good choice.

He [and Elle] won the competition, but it came at a price of a little heartbreak. I only wish Elle gave him a portion of the cash prize to compensate for the practice time he allotted [and the heartbreak] but I won't dive into that because that's a whole another topic.

Now, who wouldn't want to listen to a little serenade on the street, especially if the person singing is as handsome and talented as Marco? Add a little acoustic feel with the guitar? Uhmm, yes please! I would definitely not pass on that.

Anyway, his outfit here is composed of a printed open button-down shirt, a white tank top and jeans paired with his usual accessories. The look is giving very street performer vibes and I like it. It's very chill and casual and perfect for a little concert on the sidewalk.

I have nothing more to add to that other than the fact that now, I want to rewatch TKB 2 just to hear him sing, so I'll probably do that when I'm done with this. For now, let's move on to one more MVP look.

Look at those beautiful eyes and that soft expression. I would honestly pass out if he looks at me like this.

Anyway, moving on....

As I stated in the previous lookbook, something about Taylor in dark outfits gives me the butterflies. Like I love him in other colors, but something about him in dark colors just ups the whole fashion experience for me. In this look, he is wearing a black inner tank top underneath a black shirt with green accents and jeans paired with his signature accessories.

Another super casual everyday outfit one can wear for a night out with friends at the arcade where you play and dance to your heart's content. Or like Marco and Elle, doing dance rehearsals for an upcoming tournament. Again, casual and practical all in one.

I would like to add that after their rehearsal, he and Elle rides on the ferris wheel and then sits by the sand on the beach. At the beach scene, Marco puts on a jungle green jacket and I think that is a practical choice because it might be cold where they're at, considering they're by Santa Monica Pier. A little bit of a sea breeze could fill the air with a little chill, so it's always good to have a jacket on hand.

That is it for the looks of MVP himself. He has so many looks in both TKB 2 and 3 and most of them are the definition of casual and practical and I love that.

Now, let's play some e-sports at the fictional Barrett University from "1Up". Pick your team though, either the Barrett Betas or the Barrett 8-Bits..

Barrett University Betas Gamer Boy Dustin

Before I proceed to comment on a couple of Dustin's looks, I would just like to say that I dislike Taylor's character here because I do not agree with his POVs, but I can't deny Dustin's charm. Amid opposing POVs, I like to admit that his charm is something I'm not immune to. To put it simply, I dislike his sexist opinions in the movie, but I can't deny he's a charming douche, so there you go.

Why so serious, Dustin? Afraid to lose to a bunch of gals? LOL.

The Beta gaming jersey is the outfit he mostly wears in the movie. Like a golden-yellow Beta gaming uniform paired with joggers and rubber shoes is the perfect gaming outfit. The outfit plus the headphones is really giving gamer vibes, which is what Dustin is so there's nothing more to say about that.

Gaming is not my thing but from what I've watched, I think that a gaming jersey plus joggers is the go-to combo of every gamer out there so there you go. Maybe with the accuracy of the gaming outfit, the costume department definitely hit the spot.

This outfit is sponsored by Puma.....(I'm just kidding!)

Knowing that this part of the movie takes place in the winter, having Dustin in a navy blue jacket Puma jacket with green accents over a dark blue inner shirt was a good move. It's a simple look that is enough to protect you from the chill of winter.

The sword was just an added bonus and its one job was to simply further my wishes of having Taylor in an action movie or fantasy story with sword-fighting but I'm gonna leave you with that. I'm actually manifesting it to come true but no rush here.

That's it for our gamer boy Dustin. Not a lot of looks to comment on, mainly because he mostly wears his yellow gaming jersey so there's that aspect to it, but hey, you take what you get.

With that, let's go back to the 70s and meet up with a certain firefighter that goes by the name of Shane Brody.

The 70s Firefighter Shane Brody

For Shane, it'll only be a couple of looks again because I don't want explicit content on my blog, okay? I would also like to preface that at the time I'm writing this, I haven't seen Minx. I have my reasons of holding off on watching the series but I did find a couple of looks that I want to include in this so here you go.

Shane may be the hottest firefighter I have ever seen. He's supposed to put out fires but why does it seem like he's adding fuel to the flame?

Let's move on before I ramble something else...

What do I comment about a firefighter outfit from the 70s? Maybe at the time, it was practical and it seemed easy to layer protective gear over it. Again, Taylor with the dark colors, that's an automatic plus in my book.

He could model a standard firefighter outfit and people would buy them just because he's the model, I'm not even kidding.

I could not say anymore than that.

Before commenting on the overall outfit (at least what's visible to me from this picture), I would like to comment that his hairstyle in this series reminds me of Vision's hair in WandaVision episode 3. Oddly enough, that episode took place in the 70s so I guess having long hair for men was a thing in the 70s. I honestly have no idea.

Another similarity that I found between Shane's look here and most of Vision's look in the said episode of WandaVision is the long collar on the shirts. Again, I guess it was a thing in the 70s. So historically, I guess it's accurate.

I also love the mix of blues in Shane's shirt in the photo. Like the combo of a light blue collar and the darker blue shirt is a good contrast to my eyes. Very appealing, as it were. A mix of dark and light, which is always good to see.

No Further Comments..

That's it for the lookbook of Taylor Zakhar Perez's characters [so far]. I did not include all of his characters, as you can see. This is as long as a novella already and I did not want to lengthen it further as I do not want to bore you guys.

For sure, Taylor will play a lot more characters in the upcoming years. One thought that occurred to me as I was writing this TZP character lookbook was if Taylor himself has a say on the outfit choices of his characters, considering that fashion sustainability is very important to him. Guess I'll never know.

Writing this 2-part lookbook commentary is tiring but fun. It gave my inner fashion enthusiast a reason to come out and give opinions about the looks of one of my most favorite people in the world. I may have sounded redundant in some comments but hey, you take what you get from me.

Feel free to share with me your favorite looks from Taylor's characters or from Taylor himself if you wish to. To be honest, when it comes to the outfits of Taylor's characters and his outfits in general, I can't really say much because he makes everything look so good. That's just how he is and I can't do anything about it.

I'll end the lookbook here. Congratulations if you've read until the end since it's a lengthy one. All my love! 💙✌️

[starstuffandalotofcoffee]

I threw down pretty heavily with SURJ this year, and also wasn't particularly happy with their post-election analysis. I'm not necessarily looking to move orgs, but I'm curious what the takes on the WFP/Move On call were. I'm in the contacting them to see if I can get the recording, but I'd also love to get your deeper opinion.

the recording of the mass call is here (I couldn't recall the coalition name while drafting that post and was in a rush to get to something and probably should have waited). I will admit I was not in like, a great headspace to remember details, and I had to drop off early, but I have signed up for my local meeting which is tomorrow (check your area! there's links on the same page). It focused a lot more on community building and tangible plans put in place and a lot less about Our Fellow White Women coming from educated lefty white women in Brooklyn who only have access to other educated lefty white women in Brooklyn. I also think that it did contain some useful post-mortems. I do not think it's correct to say Democrats made all of the right choices over the past 4 years but the issue is less "we have abandoned the working class" and much more "messaging is fucked, a lot of programs move too slowly, and we should have prosecuted Trump much more quickly." Like, more generally, I think that capitalism is a massive problem and is a major factor why we're at where we're at. but SURJ felt like, well, Very Online Leftists who are like "under late stage capitalism we are all fucked" and when you ask "ok what should we do about it" they're like "stop capitalism" and when you're like "ok what are the actionable steps" they're like "CAPITALISM BAD". Or to put it another way, to reference the Daniel Hunter 10 steps article, it felt all very public angsting, no action. And perhaps it was just that that call was Wednesday Night and Worth Fighting For was Thursday and they'd had another day to pause and grieve and breathe but the former just made me feel like they were wallowing and the latter was the first thing that made me feel better that wasn't pure distraction.

also: Judith LeBlanc was a smart choice. I feel better today for having gone to my synagogue and talked to old left-leaning Jewish people. I think you need to spend time with people who can say "the steps backward are unacceptable, and also, I have gone forward once and I will keep doing it and I know the work might not be done in my or your lifetime and we still do it." I also think it's a key point in coalition building to have the former head of the Communist Party given an equal platform as Jamie Raskin and Pramila Jayapal and Leah Greenberg. (I also found Ash-Lee Henderson to be a fantastic host/moderator here; again, I think SURJ's mission isn't inherently bad in theory but it really does turn into a lot of Liberal Urbanite White Woman (and sometimes men) self-flagellation. Like...you should not make women of color do the work, but you should fucking listen to them instead of talking forever about how bad and sorry you are about other white women.)

[darkmaga-returns]

Lawsuit Alleges Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Raped 10-Year-Old Boy.

A new lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs accuses the music mogul of the rape of a 10-year-old boy at a Manhattan hotel in 2005. The plaintiff, represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, claims he was drugged and assaulted by Combs during a visit to New York intended to advance his budding music career.

Allegations detail a disturbing series of events, claiming Combs coerced the boy with promises of fame followed by a drug-laced drink. After the drink took effect, the lawsuit states that Combs sexually assaulted the boy and threatened him to remain silent.

The lawsuit is part of a slew of recent legal actions against Combs, including claims that he raped a 17-year-old in 2008. These cases add to the list of allegations against Combs, including previous accusations involving minors.

Combs, currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, faces charges including sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs was arrested on September 16 and denied pre-trial release twice, with bail set at $50 million. His upcoming criminal trial is scheduled for May 2025, where he could potentially face life imprisonment if convicted.

So far, well over 120 individuals have made accusations against Combs. A hotline set up for others to report their own accusations received over 15,000 calls.

Combs is also linked to the Democratic party through Ben Meiselas, co-founder of the far-left MeidasTouch Network. Celebrity attorney Kenny Meiselas, the father of Ben Meiselas, had been employed by Combs. He also helped his son get an internship at Combs’s record label, which led to work with Hillary Clinton.

The Biden-Harris White House has described the MeidasTouch Network as its “front lines” against President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

When a new traffic light was cause for a big celebration: Brooklyn Democratic Party leader John H McCooey, Mayor Jimmy Walker, and Brooklyn Borough President James J. Byrne lead the parade marking the start of the new traffic light at Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, May 10, 1929.

Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

[thenewdemocratus]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: 'You Better Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself'

Source:CSPAN U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat, New York) giving a short but very powerful speech in response to U.S. Representative Byron Donalds (Republican, New York) Source:The New Democrat “Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL): “It has come to my attention that a so-called leader has made the factually inaccurate statement that Black folks were better…

[lboogie1906]

DeRay Mckesson (July 9, 1985) has emerged as a key 21st-century civil rights activist and educator. His documentation of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri following the unjust murder of Michael Brown solidified his role as a leader in the national Black Lives Matter movement.

He was born in West Baltimore. His father, Calvin Mckesson, and great-grandmother raised him and his sister. He was a community organizer and the Chairman of Youth As Resources. He served as president of his class and was active in student government. He graduated from Bowdoin College with a BA in Government and Legal Studies. Teach for America gave him the start of his career with a position as an elementary school educator in Brooklyn.

He traveled to Ferguson to join the protests following the murder of Michael Brown by local police officers. He had spent all of his days off with people from Ferguson and other suburbs demanding justice. Utilizing his social media accounts, he provided insightful live reports of the unrest. The nation relied on his real-time updates for news regarding the protests. He co-launched “Mapping Police Violence”.

He spoke at the GLAAD Gala about his life experiences as a gay African American man and urged LGBTQ+ individuals to “come out of the quiet” to fully embrace their identities. He announced his candidacy for the Baltimore mayor election (2016). He finished sixth in the Democratic Party primary.

After the shooting of Alton Sterling, went to the city, and was arrested during a protest while live-streaming the event. Charges against him were dropped, and he and other activists met with President Barack Obama to discuss friction between African American communities and police officers.

He has traveled the country to take action against injustices towards marginalized communities. He’s the host of the “Pod Save the People” podcast and continues to serve as an engaged advocate, educator, and leader. He published his first book On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[mariacallous]

The tragedy of New York Mayor Eric Adams, who’s facing a dizzying number of investigations targeting him and his inner circle, was foreseeable. Indeed, it was foreseen. 

“We all know you’ve been investigated for corruption everywhere you’ve gone,” a rival candidate said to the then-Brooklyn borough president during a mayoral debate in 2021. “You’ve achieved the rare trifecta of corruption investigations.”

That didn’t deter Democratic voters, and Adams — an ex-cop and native son of the city who ran on his biography and a promise to restore public safety after crime rates and fears shot up during the pandemic — eked out a victory in the party’s closed primary, which made him a sure thing to be the city’s 110th mayor and just its second Black one. 

nce that was official, Adams proclaimed himself the “future” and the “face of the new Democratic Party.” He also started publicly partying all night at clubs, sometimes with felonious friends, when he wasn’t talking about how God had told him 30 years ago he’d be the mayor in 2022 and should share that good news with the world — something he’d never publicly mentioned before winning the election. 

The new mayor immediately brought in a crew of cronies with sullied records, including a deputy mayor for public safety overseeing the NYPD, Phil Banks, who’d abruptly retired as the chief of department in 2014. 

Banks left that post about a year before it came out that he’d been an unindicted co-conspirator in a case involving two guys who went to prison for bribing the previous mayor. One of them testified they’d treated the police chief to plane trips around the world and the services of a prostitute when they weren’t smoking cigars and storing their diamonds in the chief’s office at One Police Plaza. 

Banks, who’s denied any wrongdoing but says he regrets the association, had his home hit and his phones seized in the FBI’s synchronized early-morning raids last week. Again, he said through an attorney he’s done nothing wrong. 

Those raids, though, are a sign that this new probe is far enough along for prosecutors to go public with it — and get a federal judge to sign off on their concerns that the deputy mayor for public safety and the police commissioner might destroy evidence if given the opportunity. 

Last week’s raids were reportedly distinct from earlier raids of top Adams allies in two previously reported probes being conducted by two different federal prosecutors, who both needed sign-off from Justice Department bosses in Washington, D.C., to go after the mayor of America’s biggest city. 

There’s the ongoing investigation into Adams’ travel and ties to Turkey, along with campaign cash that appears tied to the Turkish government. And the ongoing investigation into Adams’ travels and ties to China, along with campaign cash given through secret donors. The mayor had his cellphone seized by FBI agents last year as part of that case. 

And now two new investigations that appear to be about influence schemes involving Adams’ appointees at the highest levels of his police department and administration steering public money to family members.

In just three years, Adams has bested his old corruption probe trifecta: There are now four separate, though possibly overlapping, federal investigations targeting his inner circle and the mayor himself.

No one has been charged with any wrongdoing in those investigations, and Adams says he always follows the law while asking the public to respect the process and withhold judgment. 

New Yorkers might know more soon, as the feds have already impaneled at least one grand jury. With the city’s primary next June, prosecutors are up against long-standing Justice Department guidelines about not having cases interfere with elections.

But New Yorkers are already rendering a verdict in the court of public opinion. Adams at the end of last year hit the lowest approval rating ever recorded for a New York mayor as voters have been choking on all this smoke, also including the corruption trial of his former buildings commissioner, the guilty pleas from members of a crew including another ex-cop and old friend of the mayor’s for their own straw-donor scheme involving his campaign, and the guilty plea of a Chinese billionaire who also sneaked money into his campaign, as well as those of other American politicians. 

Tim Pearson, another ex-cop and old friend of Adams’ who now runs a shadowy new mayoral oversight agency, also had his phones seized by the FBI last week. Pearson has been accused in multiple civil suits of ruining the career of a police officer who wouldn’t sleep with him and the supervisors who tried to protect her while hunting for “crumbs” of his own from city contracts. Taxpayers are covering his legal bills at the mayor’s behest and over the objections of the city’s former top lawyer, who was then pushed out. 

So many of Adams’ problems seem to involve the gap between his mantra of “stay focused and grind” and his need to swagger and test limits. 

Polling shows New Yorkers still like much of his agenda but don’t like him or how he’s executing it. He keeps repeating “crime is down” but not saying down from when or how much, and the data is mixed and most New Yorkers don’t really believe him. 

It hasn’t helped that Adams’ police department is increasingly unhinged in its public communications, with one reporter at the cop-friendly New York Post getting attacked this week as a “f---ing scumbag” and the official NYPD account even giving me the wannabe Trump-y nickname “Harry ‘Deceitful’ Siegel” earlier this year. 

No wonder Democratic challengers are lining up to take on Adams next year, assuming he’s still there, in what would be the first contested primary against a Democratic incumbent since David Dinkins upset Ed Koch in 1989. 

Asked at a news conference Tuesday what he would do if he were indicted, Adams said he intended to remain as mayor and run for re-election before adding that he wouldn’t engage with hypotheticals.

The tragedy of Eric Adams is that he’s done this to himself.