#cece clinton

[desertgloom]

"I'm Charlie, I'm a creative writing major at Willow Creek University, and I'm going to try to write my first novel while we're here." "That's amazing! I'm Charlene but y'all can call me Cece. I'm from Chestnut Ridge, and I'm trying to decide between sculpture and painting. I guess I'll figure it out this semester." "Nice to meet you guys! I'm Grace. I'm a photography major, born and raised in San Myshuno, and I'm on track to graduate early if I can finish two different projects while I'm here." "I'm from San Myshuno!" "Really? Where?" "You know the Spice Market..."

[reveriescope]

Floating Magnolia

Trigger Warnings: mention of sexual abuse

Seungcheol as Clinton Zhāo. Kiku as Yara Zhāo. Jeonghan as Arial. Seokmin as Kala. Wonwoo as Silas.

Special mention: Lee Chan as Micah, Xiaoting as Naradia Zhāo.

---

Begitu membuka mata, Clinton adalah orang pertama yang dilihat Natyara. Adik laki-laki yang hanya berjarak satu tahun di bawahnya itu merebahkan diri di sofa bed tak nyaman sibuk dengan ponsel di tangan.

Clinton, pasti sengaja membawanya ke rumah sakit di mana keluarga Zhāo bukan menjadi naratama. Syukur dirasa kala menyadari adiknya itu mengindahkan ucapan Yara sebelum ia hilang sadar. 

"Didi," panggil Yara sambil mengangkat tubuhnya untuk duduk.

"Ce, should I call the doctor?" Clinton bangkit untuk menghampiri ranjangnya. 

Yara menggeleng. Bibirnya yang masih pucat melafalkan kalimat dengan lirih, "Air aja, please?" 

Dengan cekatan Clinton membuka botol air mineral dan meletakkan sedotan agar kakaknya itu bisa minum dengan lebih mudah. Begitu botol air sudah berpindah tangan, Clinton mengamati orang yang sudah dikenalnya seumur hidup itu. 

Yara melirik ke lengan kiri Clinton yang terbuka. Ada plester bekas donor menempel di sana. Golongan darah mereka sama, sehingga Yara masih terselamatkan.

"Thanks, Didi. I owe you world." Yara merebahkan dirinya lagi usai menelan beberapa teguk air.

Clinton terdiam sejenak sebelum akhirnya bertanya, "Whose baby? That Wang guy?" 

"Padahal kamu bisa nebak itu Xavier." Yara terkekeh pelan. 

Yang lebih muda mendengus seraya menempelkan punggung pada sandaran kursi. "Dilihat dari karakternya, nope. Tell me it's the older Wang?"

Perempuan itu tidak menjawab, hanya memamerkan ekspresi tidak terbaca. Yara seolah sibuk dengan pemikirannya sendiri sekaligus diselimuti emosi tak terkatakan. 

Diamnya Yara mengundang frustrasi bersarang di benak Clinton. Lelaki itu melipat tangan di depan dada, mencoba menerka apa yang ada di pikiran kakak perempuannya.

"Ce," kata Clinton pada akhirnya. "That's your body, your choice and your temple. Tapi kalau sampai buat kamu hampir mati seperti ini rasanya gue berhak tahu." 

Yara menoleh ke arah Clinton lalu tersenyum penuh arti. "I can't afford bad publicity for our family's sake," tuturnya. 

Citra sebagai pemain violin dan anak konglomerat otomatis membuatnya bak selebriti. Semua orang seolah ingin tahu kegiatan apa hari ini, produk perawatan mana lagi yang dipakai. Kabar Natyara Zhāo alias Natyara Oetomo sekarat akibat aborsi akan menghebohkan banyak pihak.

"Do you have to play that perfect first born all the time while it costs your life, Sister?" 

"Clinton, katamu Cece hampir mati. And now you're in a heated debate with a dying person."

Ketika Yara memanggil nama depannya alih-alih Didi, saatnya Clinton menutup mulut. Percuma saja membuatnya jujur jika kakaknya itu memilih untuk bersikap kepala batu. 

"Naik darah aku lama-lama, Ce." Clinton beranjak dari kursinya, "I'll send someone here. Jangan dikerjain."

Yara mengangkat tangannya yang dipasangi infus, sebuah bahasa tubuh yang menandakan ia tidak berencana bermain-main dengan suruhan Clinton.

Belum juga Clinton mencapai pintu, suara Yara kembali terdengar.

"If you're really curious why can't I tell you who's the father it's just because I'm not sure..." ucapan Yara terpotong sejenak sebelum ia melanjutkan, "...which one."

"What kind of life you live, actually?" Clinton, kali ini benar-benar naik darah dan hampir meledak saat mendengar pengakuan kakaknya berikutnya. 

"It wasn't consensual, Didi. History repeats. You'll end up killed if you touch them."

"You know, Ce. All I do is to protect you and Meimei. So I can't let this pass." 

---

Bagaimana kakak perempuannya itu bisa tetap tenang ketika memberitahu hak mengerikan telah terjadi? Clinton tidak habis pikir. 

"Kupikir Cece tidak waras." Clinton mengusap wajahnya sebelum 

Arial yang semula bermaksud membiarkan Clinton mondar-mandir kini meminta pemuda itu duduk usai menuang Crown Royal untuknya. Mereka ada di di Arctic Lounge, tempat pertemuan yang letaknya lantai rahasia Tranquiloft Hotel Jakarta milik Zen Point Group yang dipimpin keluarga Clinton.

"Mereka pikir mengakui pelecehan itu memalukan. Apalagi Cece kena dua kali. Dan lebih dari sekadar pelecehan." Arial berusaha lebih hati-hati dalam pemilihan kalimatnya untuk didengar Clinton.

"Dia bukan orang yang nggak bisa melawan,” sergah Clinton. Meski masih gusar, kini Clinton terlihat lebih relaks usai meneguk wiski.

"Biar begitu, dia korban. Kita nggak pernah tau apa yang ada di pikiran dia dan perasaan dia. Aksi dia atau perasaan dia nggak ada urusan sama penilaian lo."

Rupanya ucapan Arial terlalu tajam untuk dicerna Clinton, sehingga ia hanya menanggapinya dengan tawa sarkastik. "Jadi ini yang lo dapet dari peliharaan sebanyak itu," komentarnya.

Arial hanya mengangkat bahu sebelum mengusulkan, "Lebih baik lo kirim Silas."

"Udah sinting ya kalian? Buat apa bikin dia ke-trigger cuma gara-gara Cece-nya Clinton. Nggak!" Kala yang sepanjang waktu terdiam di kursi dekat jendela mendadak terdengar suaranya.

"Tapi yang paling bisa berempati ke masalah ini cuma dia, dan cuma dia yang bisa jaga sikap."

Terkadang Clinton lupa, Arial selalu punya jalan keluar dari segala situasi. Terlepas dari seberapa peliknya yang mereka lalui. 

---

Natyara memandang Silas sebelum mulai menyendok bubur. Sedari tadi suasana tenang, Silas tidak banyak berbicara jika tidak ditanya. Sosoknya memancarkan energi tenang, lain halnya dengan anak-anak buah Clinton lain.

"Kamu pasti tahu aku di sini karena keguguran." Gumam Yara usai menelan makanannya. 

Silas tidak merespons apapun, melainkan hanya memandangi Yara penuh tanya. Melihat pemuda itu, Yara tersenyum tipis menyadari apa yang mungkin diketahui Silas. 

"Iya, I killed my baby." Sambil mengaduk-aduk bubur tak beraturan. 

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Menurut lo, dia akan berterima kasih that I don’t have to send them here or that they will despise my act?" 

Hening setelahnya. Beberapa menit berikutnya, Yara meletakkan sendok tanda ia sudah selesai makan. Setelah perempuan itu menggunakan sapu tangan, Silas menyingkirkan alat makan dari hadapan Yara. 

"Nona-"

"Yara atau Cece, samain aja sama Micah," potongnya. 

Micah yang dimaksud Yara adalah pengawal pribadi adik bungsunya, Naradia. Atas kedekatan mereka, Micah juga memanggil Yara dengan sebutan "Cece" sama seperti siapapun yang lebih muda daripada dirinya di keluarga.

"Apapun yang bawa Cece ke keputusan ini, itu semua bukan salah Cece," ujar Silas. "Or else, Cece akan bawa trauma dan sulit menyayangi anak itu."

Yara diam seribu bahasa, tatapannya lurus ke depan. Sejurus kemudian perempuan itu menghembuskan napas panjang lalu menyandarkan punggung di bantal yang sudah disusun. 

"Silas... kamu bisa main catur? Tolong besok temani aku main itu."

( to be continued? )

[tags-ohara]

Top 5 TV Shows

Top 5 Fictional ships or couples

Top 5 Fictional friendships

Top 5 Artists / Musicians / Singers

Top 5 Actors / Actresses

top 5 tv shows: brooklyn nine nine, new girl, modern family, chicago fire, how to get away with murder

top 5 ships: brettsey, fexi, peraltiago, schmece, olicity

top 5 fictional friendships: casey/severide, sylvie/stella, cece/winston, jake/charles, sylvie/violet

top five artists/musicians/singers: selena gomez, taylor swift, shawn mendes, olivia o’brien, julia michaels (special mentions: kehlani, sabrina carpenter, tate mcrae, clinton kane)

top 5 actors/actresses: i don’t really have any favourites tbh? but if i had to choose some i would say violas davis, obv selena, zendaya

[pinkrabbitsbythenational]

i’m watching new girl season 7 and they threw cece’s daughter a feminist themed birthday party and they really. they really put hillary clinton’s photo up next to frida kahlo huh.

[ladyhistorypod]

Episode 16: Ms. Conceptions

Sources:

Bra Burning

Time

Carol Hanish (dot) org

Further learning: Florynce Kennedy (Harvard), NPR, BBC

Harriet Tubman

Time

National Women’s History Museum

National Parks Service

History Channel

Smithsonian Magazine

Monica Lewinsky

The Clinton Affair

CNN

News 24

Further learning: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (YouTube), Vanity Fair

Attributions: Commercial for Playtex Cross Your Heart Bra, Railway to Freedom, Pure T Saxophone Sample by Stan Rams

Click below for a transcript of this episode!

Alana: Yeah my sister is here. Erika: It’s me I’m here. Haley: I can't believe you’re both sitting in the goddamn closet. Sure the acoustics are better but you could’ve cleaned it up. Alana: The whole point is that the clothes do the soundproofing. Lexi: This is high end professional podcasting. Haley: What do you study, because this is like how I’m gonna judge you now. Erika: I'm a television radio film major. Alana: But I'm the one with the podcast. Haley We like this. She can stay. I was ready for you to say like– Erika: I really like TV. I really like movies, so I decided to make a career out of it. Lexi: That would have been me if I'd had balls. Except then I went to another pointless moneyless career so what's the deal? Alana: What are we doing? Lexi: Well, I don't have a sister. No just kidding, I have three thousand five hundred and two sisters. Actually I think that number's been updated since I memorized it because it's been a whole semester and there are new sisters. Alana you tell them what you think about my sisters. Alana: Every single time Lexi talks about a sister, I always think… she'll be like oh my sister Kate… Lexi you don’t have a sister. Haley: I completely agree but she doesn't say, or she went through this phase where she didn't say the people's names. She’d be like one of my sisters blah blah blah. And that will lead into like my next– like the other banter because I have a motherfucking story for you. Lexi: Okay, I love it. What about your sister Haley? Haley: Lou Lou? She's about to graduate from NYU and she's like writing a thesis right now and internally I'm just so happy that she has to like write this because I need her to feel this type of pain. Erika: That's sisterhood. Haley: I needed her to like feel this type of… Because for some reason I feel like her undergraduate time has just flown the freak by and she studied abroad three different times and I always feel like study abroad is always like some bullshit thing from like all the times for GW kids that come back and they're like well it's not graded you just have to pass the class. Lexi: All my friends who studied abroad in Korea and my sisters who studied abroad in Korea just like drunk and… Drank? Drank. Just drunk drank the whole time. Haley: Because she was out of like NYU London or NYU Madrid or NYU Abu Dhabi. Lexi: So it's like real classes from your school. Haley: I think so, yeah. Erika: Yeah that’s how it is for Syracuse. Alana: Yeah. Erika: Two of my roommates in– when I was in London last semester were from GW and we all– it was me and two other girls from Syracuse and two girls from GW and all the Syracuse girls were like are you kidding me. Like, are you for real? Because I was taking classes for my major and for my minors and they were just like well we're gonna mess around we're gonna like not try on this paper because we need a C. Lexi: Yeah. GW’s like go for the experience. Alana: Let’s talk about brothers for a sec. Lexi is the only one who has a brother. Lexi: Yes. I am the only one who's experienced the brother and let me tell you… Erika: I always wanted one. Alana: Okay well fuck off. Erika: I wanted an older one– Alana, louder: Okay fuck off! Erika: An older than you one. Like an old, old one. Haley: My sister’s like I wish I had an older brother and I'm like okay I didn't want you either. Erika: I didn’t mean it like that! Haley: I wanted to be a child so fucking badly. Erika: She wanted to be an only child. Alana: I was supposed to be an only child. Lexi: I literally cried. I locked myself in the bathroom and cried. [INTRO MUSIC] Alana: Hello and welcome to Lady History; the good, the bad, and the ugly ladies you missed in history class. Back on Zoom is Lexi. Lexi, what’s something you wish people knew about your field? Lexi: I guess I'll say about archaeology. I wish people knew that archaeologists do not dig up dinosaurs. Alana: And my other zoom companion is Haley. Haley, what's something most people incorrectly assume about you? Haley: Did you really fucking set me up for that one? Everyone thinks I'm gay. Alana: And if I'm a little echo-y today it's because we have a very special guest. My sister Dave is here. Dave, what's your actual name and why do I call you Dave? Erika: My name is Erika. It’s not Dave. The Dave joke started because way back really really long ago there was a Staples commercial for like a one man running his own business. Alana: The tagline was in a small business it's all you. Erika: right so with all Dave and it was just a bunch of Dave's around the office. Like one guy was like making copies, one was walking around with papers or whatever. Then it’s just like hey Dave, how you doing Dave, how's it going Dave and we thought that was so funny. Alana: Uproariously funny. Erika: I remember like crying on the couch laughing for like twenty minutes. Alana: And I'm Alana and it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that wax is the part of the candle that burns. Haley: So I thought of this in the shower where all my great thoughts come but since we're doing misconceptions– I did not have a misconception of Alana, but my first impression of Lexi was the furthest thing from Lexi possible. Lexi: What? I've never heard this before. Haley: I never accurately told the story– or like actually told this story to anyone. I like kept it in, but secretly chuckle from time to time. So like our group of friends didn't have Lexi immediately. Like I knew Cece and Kelsie from class, and I knew Cece from freshman year even. This is like second semester sophomore year so I kind of knew Alana. But for Lexi, I just knew Lexi from this one guy who we won't mention– we just won’t mention they're not important– and our lovely Holly. And Holly described Lexi as a girl from like rural Pennsylvania who was like really smart. Like I was ready for a fun loving friend because Holly's great and like I trusted Holly on personality like recommendations and just life choices to an extent. And I was like cool great let's meet this gal, we're all going to be like taking this one class together. Let's rock and roll. And then Lexi comes in, she's wearing like this bird– you were definitely wearing a skirt, like a long flowy skirt and had some sort of animal bird or whatever on your shirt or like on you. Speaker 0: And literally within five minutes you were talking about your sisters. I'm in my head thinking oh crap do we have like another nineteen kids and counting? Like who the fuck is this girl? Alana: Oh my god. Haley: Because like I called out Lexi, fifty fifty she may not say like sorority sister. But she may not even say like her sister's name. Like enter sorority sister name but using my sister and then… But at this point, she also used the phrase also commonly use and does commonly use is one of my sisters. So she said “one of my sisters,” “and other sisters,” “so a group of my sisters are hanging out.” So I was like this did this whole family just fucking come to GW? Speaker 0: Like either we have like Weasley but in reverse of like six girls and one bro, or like nineteen kids and counting coming on in. And I… Straight three weeks at least I was trying to figure Lexi out because I knew I was going to instantly love her but I was like scared to get like deep dive in like all her siblings. Lexi: So you thought I was like from a rural Pennsylvanian Amish family with thirty kids? Haley: Literally.

[Archival Audio of a 1960s bra commercial] Lexi: In my opinion, this is the biggest misconception in modern women's history because even I believed it until very much into my adulthood of so far my adulthood. And I was definitely told this in a history class in high school as being true, the lie. So we'll get right into it. The Women's Liberation Movement of the sixties and seventies granted women many rights, reforming policies surrounding work, education, and medicine. So overall, pretty good move. Today, the efforts of mid century feminists are often lumped into other stories and are not granted their own lesson plans in schools or their own sections of museums. Instead, stories like the suffrage movement are rehashed time and again and the more modern efforts of women fighting for equality are brushed aside. I mean even we are guilty of this, covering many more suffragists than twentieth century feminists so in keeping with our mission– Alana: Hold on. Lexi: Yeah? Alana: This is episode sixteen. Lexi: Yeah. Alana: There haven’t been many episodes! We haven’t had a chance to talk about twentieth century feminists! Lexi: Valid. So the story I'm about to tell you it's just a small piece of the larger movement, but considering someone could start an entire podcast series covering just the events of this movement and probably go on for like five seasons, who knows, I think it does make the most sense to give a small snippet of the efforts of these women here on our show, and maybe in the future we can cover other snippets as they relate to other things we're doing, so stay tuned. In 1968, a group of women gathered to protest the Miss America pageant. You know, we all know Miss America, women come from each state and I think also territories now, they get together they compete and one becomes Miss America. Carol Hanisch, whose name I might be saying wrong so please correct me if you know, the feminist scholar and activist who coined the phrase “the personal is political” conceived the protest as a way of bringing the Women's Liberation Movement to the mainstream. The pageant itself had a tradition of using white single childless women's beauty to make money, which is not exactly a very cash money thing to do or a very feminist thing to do. Actually it is a super cash money thing to do because it makes a lot of money. Alana, singing: Capitalism Lexi: Yes. So Carol and her fellow activists of the New York Radical Women organization decided the pageant was the perfect institution for them to protest. Women of all political backgrounds were invited to join in the protest which took place on the Atlantic City boardwalk outside the pageant venue, and the pageant venue was one of the Atlantic City casinos, so they were just on the boardwalk outside of it. And they had a permit, and they were doing it with permission, just in case anyone tries to come at them about that. They did have a permit for a protest on the boardwalk. These women rejected the idea of the massive air quotes ideal woman perpetuated by the Miss America pageant. Reporters arrived at the scene. The women spoke only to other women who were reporters and refused to speak to reporters who were men. The women issued a document to everyone in attendance outlining the ten reasons they decided to protest Miss America. One such reason was the fact that women of color had never won and a Black contestant had never even been allowed to participate, so the feminists believed the pageant was racist and they were calling out it as a racist institution. And we love to see intersectional feminism, so this is why that's the specific reason I wanted to point out. The women were also protesting the consumerism promoted by the event which was fueled by corporate sponsorships. They protested it as a symbol of military industrial complex, asserting that Miss America's role in entertaining troops made her a death mascot, you know those are just a few. Protesters also engaged in performance art. One protester Florynce “Flo” Kennedy, a Black woman who worked as a reproductive rights lawyer, chained herself to a doll depicting Miss America, invoking metaphors of enslavement. In an interview she said “the Atlantic City action is comparable to peeing on an expensive rug at a polite cocktail party. The Man never expects that kind of protest, and very often that's the one that really gets him uptight.” And she means the Man like capital M The Man, just in case that wasn't clear. Side note, five years later Flo hosted what she called a “pee in” at Harvard University to protest the lack of women's restrooms on the campus because women had to walk out of one of their academic buildings into another when they needed to pee, so I think Flo had a thing for peeing on rich people’s shit. And that's a mood because she just went into the quad and she just had people poor jars of yellow liquid which may or may not have been pee down the steps and that was the demonstration, so… Alana: I like that her name is Flo. Lexi: It's a very fun name. I love it. I like that her name is Flo and she's doing all of this like… (Laughing) Lexi: The women’s work. Simultaneously, women across the country in support the movement boycotted companies who were sponsoring the pageant. So this wasn't just contained to the New York Radical Women, it involves lots of people. Yet, the iconic image of the protest is the “Freedom Trash Can” and you might see pictures of this around on the interwebs it's like a barrel, a can, and it says “Freedom Trash Can” painted on the side. Protesters filled it with objects of oppression such as girdles, bras, wigs, fake eyelashes, hair curlers and homemaking magazines- so like “Country Woman” and “Women’s Day” and that kind of stuff. Then, they lit it on fire. Just kidding. Nothing was set on fire. No burning, no fire, not even the tiny candle, not even a tiny spark, no one pulled out a lighter. They just filled up a trash can and presumably took all the stuff out of the trash can after they were done. It was performance art. That's literally it. But this powerful, falsified visual leads to a myth that perpetuates to this day, of feminists gathering around, burning their bras as if they're participating in some sort of religious ceremony. It was a perfect visual to sell to the American people; don't support these radical angry women, who run around braless, unshaven, burning their undergarments, and worshipping like witches. Frustrated men argued that by burning their beauty products the protesters were making themselves less appealing to men, which is a hot take no one gives a shit about. So, the truth is a group of a few hundred women in Atlantic City in 1968 threw their bras and other items in the trash. They tossed away objects representative of consumerism and oppression, the two things they were protesting. The myth of bra burning lives as an anti-feminist propaganda piece, boiling a strong political and intellectual movement down to a visual of air quotes “Nasty Women,” a stereotype that continues to this day and myth even young women believe until learning the truth because it's literally taught in schools and exists in some textbooks that you can still buy. According to many historians, this protest event ushered in mainstream second wave feminism. The next day just down the boardwalk the first Miss Black America competition was held, which Oprah would go on to compete in in 1971 as Miss Tennessee. Just a few months later, Carol expressed that she regretted protesting Miss America saying “one of the biggest mistakes of the whole pageant was our anti-womanism...Miss America and all beautiful women came off as our enemy instead of our sisters who suffer with us.” The fight continues today. Yes all women. Alana: We love that, acknowledging mistakes. We love intersectional feminism. We love including all kinds of women in the feminism. Lexi: And since all the pictures are copyright, I can't put them on our Instagram but they are in the articles, so please go enjoy. They’re fantastic pictures of the performance art. Haley: When you started talking, I was having such flashbacks to like middle school/high school. The women around me, and I won't name names in case they ever listen to this, but just like their attitude towards how I and other budding females should act and like dress. Alana: I totally was that feminist bitch in high school. Everyone was like going to parties and I was like no one wants to fuck you when you're that feminist bitch. [Archival Audio: Railway to Freedom] Haley: This next story on Lady History, we're gonna be talking about Harriet Tubman and for a brief content warning topics like slavery, racism, and violence will be discussed. Alright friends bear with me because I've been very sick, not the coronas, no fever or whatever, just exhaustion, isolation dust hitting my asthma, and I've just been in the pits. So, anywho, when creating like the master spreadsheet of ladies that we had Harriet Tubman was on this list, but I think I switched her around… Alana: Who recommended Harriet Tubman? Haley: Excellent question, it was your sister Erika. I actually moved Harriet Tubman, so I had her originally, I think it was one of the earlier episodes, it was definitely before this episode. Yes I had her for heroines but I was gonna move her down the list because I wanted to do Selena. And then Erika was like let's do Harriet Tubman so I was like sweet, had some notes on her already, got sick, decided to do a radical change because I love testing out different methods of storytelling. I love narrations and for Harriet I think this would be a good opportunity to like pick a new style because she is very well known but mainly because of slavery, her being an enslaved human being, and then quote the conductor of the Underground Railroad where– where she was given the nickname “Moses of her people” because of all the people she helped. I would say ninety percent of the time, there's some article or book that I read and that's kind of like my aha moment of what I want to shape a full on story around, besides doing like our usual intros. So I found that article and it's kind of like… It’s got me going I kind of liked doing it that research way even though I'm sweaty and tired but my eyeballs still were like we're sweaty and tired but we like this article. So cracking open this history book to 1820 Maryland where Harriet Tubman was born, and we don't know her exact age so she may have also been born in 1822 if your ears are perking up and being like this lady got her dates wrong. So I didn't know this and this was kind of like one of my misconceptions for Harriet Tubman, but her name is not actually Harriet Tubman, or like the name her parents gave her, like birth name was Araminta Ross and I just love the name Araminta, like I think that's just a lovely name, you could have some stellar nicknames. And besides the point, we're gonna go back to just some deep dark history and by the age of five she was quote “rented” by her quote “owners” as a quote “domestic servant.” I'm gonna be using a lot of quotes because I really hate some of the terms used across some sources and just that's also a misconception for history is that you have to use X. Y. Z. term, like yes they should be taught in the sense of vocabulary, but like we don't… I don't want to be teaching five year olds or like elementary school kids that like… “rented by her owners.” Talk about the dichotomy but I don't I don't know it makes me– Lexi: Kidnapped by the people who enslaved her. Haley: Yeah, yes. I like that way more. And by age twelve we see her resistance to slavery blossom because she intervened a fight/quarrel/scuffle between very bad slave owner and a man who was trying to like escape slavery, and she kind of like came on in. So that was one of the many moments where she was like “I'm standing up for myself, I'm standing up for others, slavery is very very bad.” So now you get to the article because of course, of course, and it ties into also the movie Harriet that came out, starring Cynthia Erivo as Harriet. This was actually the first movie dedicated solely to this American icon. So like that was also a surprise to me. This Time Magazine opinion piece by Erica Armstrong Dunbar was ran exactly a year ago, when also the movie Harriet came out, and of course it's in the show notes, and it's called The True Story of Harriet Tubman Shows That Sometimes Running is Brave as Fighting. There are a lot of little misconceptions like the Underground Railroad wasn't actually a railroad, that's a big one I see many times. Also with the movie Harriet, I watched half of it, it's on HBO. So like every biopic… it's not a documentary, people are acting. Like I'm obviously people who are way more in depth into the American Civil War, Harriet Tubman history than I am will be like this misconception, this inconsistency. I'm gonna be– I'm gonna agree with you. So I'll just come out right there and say it like when you have actors portraying a character and just movies like this, they have to add some sprinkle of fiction. However, what this article really talks about is that how we have this whole misconception that fight or flight. So if you fight your battles, you’re coming up to a quarrel or scuffle and you fight them, you're seen as brave. You are seen as like this alpha human, alpha wolf. If you flee, if you fly, with your little wings, you are seen as like a coward, and that's just not true of Harriet Tubman because she literally ran away, but that was like the brave thing she could do. Also with this misconception, what the article also kind of nodded to was like if you're running into battle… like that’s still brave. Like that’s seen as heroic. But running towards like another route… because like it wasn't like if you left the South, you passed like northern Maryland, going into like up past the Mason Dixon line you were like Scot free. It wasn’t like this magical like utopia. You're running away from one battle into another battle. It was not black and white for this, so like her running away was not running away from the situation and that was like one misconception I never really thought about but after reading this article, reading more about Harriet it's like oh, that's a hundred percent true. And then the last misconception was how I perceived her as like an elusive person. Like I truly thought that the reason why we have pictures of Harriet Tubman was that she got caught, not in a great way. Like she got caught and like she had to like weasel her way out like but she was still free and like when she was free it was– she was just free because she happened to be in like the northern part and not like the part where she could go back to being a slave. I'm explaining this horribly wrong but this is me trying to remember back to like early middle school/late elementary school history. So like I– and this was also a misconception for just history, and I thought it was more like if you were a bad important, we would have a picture to remember your face. So that was kind of like I knew Harriet Tubman was like the hero and the good guy in this whole scenario, like I thought the reason why she was photographed and talked about was because she got caught and didn't want to be in the public eye. That is not necessarily true; she was an elusive person who tried to keep to herself, however she did do speaking engagements. Like she would talk about like her life in the North and then go back into the shadows and just like taking time away from society. And I don't know if she I can't like find out like what she did talk about the talks, like specifically, but I know that in the speaking engagements she obviously condemned slavery, and she would also condemned like the lawmakers, and like for the lawmakers who condemned slavery but didn't do anything about it she was still like you're not as good at like– you're not good or better… or you’re not better, you're still doing a shitty job. And in the end, she made twelve to thirteen trips to Maryland rescuing nearly seventy people and by doing that each of those trips she was breaking federal law each and every time. [Saxophone music because Lexi thought it would be funny] Alana: This is the first time we're covering someone who is still like active in the world, and I'm very nervous, but I’m gonna do my best. So this story it has a content warning for sexual assault and a brief mention of suicide that I'll note when it comes up so just in case sexual assault isn't triggering for you but maybe suicide is I will let you know when to hit that skippy boi. So I am talking about Monica Lewinsky, who was born July 23, 1973 that makes her a Leo. A lot of my notes come from the 2018 so kind of recent docuseries called The Clinton Affair, which I watched all of it, I binged it, it was exhausting. It features Monica herself actually and so in further reading I have included a Vanity Fair article that she wrote about why she decided to participate. One of the reasons was that she really liked that so many women were involved, whereas until that point a lot of the biographies of Bill Clinton and like the books about that whole time were written by men and she was like oh this is really cool that a lot of women are so heavily involved so she agreed to participate in the docuseries and I thought that was really cool of her. So after she graduated college, we're going back in time to 1995, she graduated college, and she had initially wanted to get a PhD in forensic psychology but she didn't score high enough on one section of the GRE. She was very interested in where psychology and the law kind of meet, but she wasn't really into politics. But also she like didn't know what to do since she wasn't going into a PhD program. She had a family friend who had done the White House summer internship, he put in a good word for her, and so she got the summer internship for the summer of 1995. At one point she had a conversation with one of the other interns who was like “oh, isn’t President Clinton so handsome” and she was like “no.” But then they were in the same room together and he was hypnotically charismatic and she developed like a celebrity crush kind of on him. There were a couple of flirtatious interactions during the internship but nothing like serious. She had been hired full time after the internship was over and so that's when the affair began, in November of 1995. Except here's the thing, 1996 was an election year, and Clinton was running for reelection. This would have been, and ended up being, very scandalous and could have cost him his reelection. So she was transferred to the Pentagon with the promise that she'd be back at the White House when the election was over. Except then the election was over and Monica was still at the Pentagon. She made a joke about how she was so underqualified to be at the Pentagon but there she was. She confided in her colleague named Linda Tripp, and what is the first thing that this bitch Linda Tripp does? She calls a literary agent and starts taping their conversations. I would like to note that Linda Tripp did not participate in the docuseries; she also died in April, but as previously mentioned this docuseries came out two years ago. So that timeline doesn’t work. I don't know if they asked her but I feel like… The literary agent participated. Let me take a second and put all of this in context. There was an ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton by a woman named Paula Jones who said that he assaulted her when he was governor of Arkansas and there were a lot of other accusers involved. So calling it The Lewinsky Scandal– as it kind of has been– is bad, but you also can't really call it The Clinton Scandal because there are just too many of them. There was this thing called like Whitewater about banking that I didn't really understand… it's fine. I'll touch back on that at the end. And so someone leaked to Ken Starr, who was the investigator, that President Clinton was having a– currently having an affair with a young intern. On January 16, 1998 the FBI like held her in custody at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City. They didn't really arrest her, but they also– it was pretty clear that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere. They teased her for wanting her to call her mom, and then manipulated her into not calling her lawyer, and lied about an immunity deal. And this is the suicide mention, so maybe skip forward fifteen seconds. She was so distraught and scared that she thought the only way to protect her loved ones and the president was to jump out the window. Like that was a serious thought she had. There was some back and forth between Ken Starr, who sucks, just objectively– I guess not to Ken Starr and his family, but he's the worst. So there's some back and forth between him and Monica's lawyers if she can have an immunity deal or not and she finally gets one in writing in July of 1998. The lawyers in the docuseries said that they probably wouldn't have charged her with anything anyway. Frustration noises. Part of the immunity deal was answering very specific and very detailed questions about the nature of the sex that they had had directly to Ken Starr and she was very uncomfortable and so she made a chart, and wrote it all down instead of saying it. Later Starr said that he didn't want the president getting asked pornographic questions. Except hold the fucking phone, there’s a horrible relatively new thing out there called the internet. And in September, the House Judiciary Committee releases the Starr Report on the internet. And this is where we get to the horrible way that late night shows and the news treated Monica Lewinsky. She was slutshamed, she became a caricature, all of the late night shows have their go at her, and just say horrible things. Fuck Jay Leno, all my homies hate Jay Leno. He was the worst of them and has yet to apologize and even called for like civility to return to late night TV and I was like MM. Also fuck Bill Maher, I hate Bill Maher, not just because of this but also in general, sorry Dad, I hate him. But Bill Clinton, President Clinton, had encouraged Monica to lie during the Jones investigation and that was what came up and caused the impeachment trial. Not the assaults, not the affair, the quote “obstruction of justice.” Fun fact for my fellow DC friends, my favorite place in the whole world Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe which is now just Kramers and that makes me feel weird, is kind of tangentially involved in this because Monica bought a book on phone sex from them and the investigation subpoenad those records. Lexi: Are you kidding me? Alana: I am not kidding you. Lexi: I guess the point is for twenty five years young women in DC have been going to Kramer's and buying suspicious books. Alana: Totally! So could all of this have been avoided if Bill Clinton was just honest the first time he was asked because there was like years and years of denying this, and if he just said he had an inappropriate relationship with her? Maybe. Monica probably would have still been ridiculed and slutshamed though, but I guess certain semen stained dresses would not have come to light. For context there's this very famous blue dress that Monica wore during one of their encounters that had Bill Clinton’s semen on it. Fun fact, Linda Tripp encouraged her not to wash the dress. On the tape of that conversation Tripp says that she just has this nagging feeling that it'll come up later. Also all the women who accused Bill Clinton in the nineties of sexual misconduct went on to support Trump in 2016. Lexi: Like, like advocate– like publicly tell people? Alana: Yeah. There's this whole panel of them. He did– in 2016 he did a whole panel with all of Bill Clinton's accusers because that was relevant to Hillary’s run, I guess. Lexi: Did he pay them for that? Alana: I don't know. Lexi: Or they just really– they just– they hated him so much they had to just yeet HIllary? Alana: I mean the alternative title for this is “The Way in Which Bill Clinton is Democratic Donald Trump.” If you, if you're not seeing parallels…  Like I watched this in 2018 I was like oh my god… Or, I watched it now but that it took place in 2018. Haley: I've trick or treated at Bill and Hill's house. I've met them on various occasions, we grew up in– I grew up in Chappaqua, New York and that's the town they live in. Alana: My cousin has prayed with Jared and Ivanka because they're Jewish. So Monica today is a goddamn delight. She's so much fun. She is an anti bullying and anti public shaming activist. Her Twitter bio includes “rap song muse” which is hilarious because according to a John Oliver piece from 2019, which I have linked in the show notes because he is also a goddamn delight, her name is featured in 193 rap songs as of 2019. There was this Twitter meme a while ago that was “what pop culture thing ruined your first name” and she was like “am I even allowed to play?” If you want to know more, I do recommend The Clinton Affair docuseries, but maybe don't binge it like I did. You might want some time to recover. It also has snippets of info about the other Clinton scandals, like Hillary's involvement in one of them, a little bit about Hillary, how Newt Gingrich and his Republican Party pretty much single handedly made politics the vitriolic cesspit that is and definitely made space for Trumpism to rise, an actual right wing conspiracy and a lot of things that I just couldn't cover because we're only talking about Monica and we don't have a lot of time. Basically, society was shitty to Monica Lewinsky and we have a lot of repenting to do and we should do better. I say that like I wasn't literally born in 1998, like right in the middle of all this, but like in general we need to call bad people on their shit and believe survivors. Lexi: You can find this podcast on Twitter and Instagram at LadyHistoryPod. Our show notes and a transcript of this episode will be on ladyhistorypod dot tumblr dot com. If you like the show, leave us a review, or tell your friends, and if you don't like the show, keep it to yourself. Alana: Our logo is by Alexia Ibarra you can find her on Twitter and Instagram at LexiBDraws. Our theme music is by me, GarageBand, and Amelia Earhart. Lexi is doing the editing. You will not see us, and we will not see you, but you will hear us, next time, on Lady History. [OUTRO MUSIC] Haley: Next week on Lady History, you'll see Alana crap herself because we have such a special guest. Alana: I have a burger waiting for me. Lexi: Go. We love you. Haley: Bye. Lexi: We’ll talk later. Okay bye.

[kippen-goodman-stan]

50 days of Andi Mack

Season 1 Episode 2: Outside the Box

Buffy and Cyrus freaking out over Jonah Beck was worrying but so precious at the same time

Buffy saying"I know you Andi Mack, you're dying inside, you just don't want us to see it" was honestly such a mood

The learning games at dinner time actually looked unironically fun. I wish my family would do this!

Andis weird awkward laugh when Jonah touched her wrist is so me whenever I try to talk to my crush

Cyrus trying to talk to Jonah and mouthing "Jonah Beck" reminded me why I was a hardcore Jyrus shipper

Apparently Jonah has "that Bill Clinton charm"? OK then..

Buffy and Andi fangirling over Amber is the best thing oml

Buffy and Cyrus thinking there was a secret baby and Andis reaction was friggin hilarious😂

Bex said that Cece looked into her box and saw something she didn't want to see... What was it??? I actually really want to know

How did I never notice that adorable moment with Jonah and Gus? "I did it for you Jonah!" "And you made me proud"

DOCIOUS MAGOCIOUS

The Ambi staredown was so dramatic I love it!

[coghive]

Singer/Actress Gia Wyre Debut Ep “Meant to Be” (Out Now)

MIAMI, FLORIDA An award-winning singer and noted actress Gia Wyre releases her long-awaited debut EP MEANT TO BE today on all digital music retail platforms. The 6 track EP is fueled by her current radio single “It’s On The Way,” which is co-written by Gia Wyre, J. Tyrone Hilton, and Angela Moss Poole. Produced by Poole and Raymond Darius Jackson, the song is currently trending in the Top 20 on the Billboard Gospel Indicator chart. “It’s On The Way” is the follow-up to her rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” (2020), on which she collaborated along with her son TP Mill. Gia released her debut single “Better Plan” in 2018. A native of Miami, Florida, Gia began her professional career at the age of 10 when she performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. Known across the nation as the “Songbird” Gia ventured into acting in the year 2000-2003, with the stage play touring production “If These Hips Could Talk” starring alongside Billie D. Williams and Tichina Arnold. She then worked alongside Kim Fields and Aaron Hall in “I’ll Always Love My Momma,” co-starred with Clifton Powell, Demetria McKinney, Robin Givens, and Angela Winbush in “Church Girl” (2010), and the gospel stage play “Psycwhard” (2012) alongside Terrell Carter. She makes her motion picture film debut this year in the movie “The Couples Trip.” With over 30 years serving in ministry as a minister of music, Gia has shared the stage with many gospel greats including BeBe & CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, and Fred Hammond to name a few. She’s been featured in Gospel Today magazine, and Sister 2 Sister magazine and also performed for former President Bill Clinton. Described as uplifting, funny, soul-stirring, and anointed, Gia’s sultry style of singing has touched hearts around the country. Download or stream MEANT TO BE here: https://rmglinks.com/meanttobe https://open.spotify.com/album/5K9AcmYfbCW0GwX79TDgeb?si=86da09bf15e3422f Read the full article

[desertgloom]

[reveriescope]

Someone in Denial Phase

Sesak di dalam sana memaksa Mahesa undur diri sementara waktu. Ingin hirup udara segar, katanya. Mahesa bukan tidak menyadari tatapan heran 12 orang yang lain.

Begitu tiba di atap gedung, Mahesa menarik napas panjang. Setidaknya udara berpolusi di sekitarnya jauh lebih baik daripada suasana di dalam sana. Satu ruangan dengan Ethan Jiang meski situasi mereka bukan ada di spektrum ideal menimbulkan jengah bersarang di dada. 

Setidaknya langit muram Jakarta tidak akan berdusta padanya. Jika di atmosfer sebelah sini sekeruh dosa para penghuninya. 

Siku Mahesa bersandar di teralis. Matanya menangkap puluhan  pencakar langit di depan sana. Kota ini terus tumbuh, pikirnya. 

Hingarnya tidak semenakjubkan Makau, tapi baginya Jakarta tak ubahnya rumah. Tempat kembali dari segala intrik laku Clinton Zhāo dan Arcturus atau yang akrab disebut Tim Arc. Barangkali Arctic bukanlah organisasi resmi, namun ikatan itu nyata untuk tujuan beragam.

Tugas Mahesa sederhana, menemukan siapapun yang sekiranya bisa menjadi tangan panjang mereka. Di luar itu semua, ia memperdagangkan manusia yang ingin menjual dirinya demi hidup nyaman. 

"Tuan Putri lo udah pulang?" Mahesa bertanya ketika menyadari sosok Micah tiba beberapa langkah di belakangnya.

Detik berikutnya, Micah mengambil tempat di sisi kirinya. "Sama Cece," jawabnya singkat.

Tuan Putri yang dimaksud adalah adik Clinton, Naradia Celestine. Sedangkan Cece adalah Natyara Cordélia, si sulung keluarga Zhāo yang dilayani Micah. Pemuda itu bertugas memastikan keamanan mereka, terutama Naradia atau yang akrab dipanggil Cissy dari nama tengahnya.

Yang lebih dulu datang ditawari rokok, namun menolak. Tak butuh waktu lama asap rokok mulai menyelubungi mereka berdua dengan cara yang begitu samar. Menularkan aroma tembakau terbakar bersama pemanis artifisial pada si pasif.

Micah hendak menanyakan jalaran tensi antara Mahesa dan Red di dalam tadi, namun ia terpaksa menahan lidahnya.

"Si tolol Nicho," buka Micah begitu tembakaunya habis. "Barusan ada anak training ngira Paris as the leader lagi. Sekarang di dalem dia sibuk adu panco apalah gitu."

Baiklah, obrolan ringan biasa dimulai dengan gosip. Tidak ada salahnya membicarakan ketololan kawan sejawat, menurut Micah.

"Yeah, anak itu pinter bikin segalanya terkesan main-main," Tawa lolos dari mulut Mahesa usai mencerna informasi trivial barusan. 

Micah mengangguk sebelum melanjutkan, "Kalo gue, pinter apa?"

Mendengar ucapan Micah, Mahesa menoleh. Semburat kemerahan mewarnai wajah yang lebih muda; pertanda ia menelan terlalu banyak alkohol. Micah terbiasa terkendali, bahkan di saat mabuk, itulah yang terbersit di pikirannya.

"Lo pinter menahan diri," jawab Mahesa sambil mendekatkan wajahnya ke arah Micah. "Kayak sekarang."

"Lo tau gue menahan diri untuk apa," gumam Micah tanpa menjauhkan wajahnya dari Mahes. 

Kini jarak wajah mereka hanya dalam hitungan senti, jika terpeleset saja bibir keduanya bisa saling singgung. Namun posisi yang barangkali canggung untuk orang lain ini justru membungkam mereka. 

Mahes mencoba menerjemahkan maksud tatapan Micah. Di sisi lain, yang lebih muda berusaha untuk tetap di tempatnya. 

"Bukan cuma gue yang menahan diri. Tapi lo juga," ujar Micah.

Sambil menghela napas; yang juga ikut dirasakan Micah, yang lebih tua mengatakan, "Untuk alasan yang berbeda?" 

Sebagai jawaban, Micah hanya mengangguk sebelum berikutnya bibirnya menumpahkan fakta. Mahes jelas tidak akan suka, tapi apa boleh buat? Bukan gaya Micah untuk 

mempercantik ucapannya. 

"Di dalam sana tadi, lo menahan diri untuk nggak cukup dekat dengan Red atau menjauh. Lo juga nahan diri untuk nggak menyanggah kalimat Red. Kebiasaan lo habis ada argumen sama itu orang 'kan begitu." Micah menutup kalimatnya sambil mengangkat bahu. 

Satu sudut bibir Mahesa terangkat, namun segera turun atas ucapan Micah selanjutnya.

"Lo terlalu terpengaruh sama kehadiran Red, makin lama makin jelas. Apapun yang dia lakukan lo bereaksi, sekalipun lo nggak setuju respons lo makin transparan. Gue hampir salah paham mengira lo jatuh cinta sama dia."

Dikuliti bocah, pikir Mahes. "But I'm not," elaknya sebelum memalingkan wajah ke depan. 

"Meskipun lo berdua bungkam ada perjanjian apa, tapi gue lihat dengan jelas itu bikin lo makin punya ikatan sama dia, Mahes," ujar Micah, separo menyanggah. 

Alih-alih menjawab Micah, tangan Mahes beristirahat di tengkuk yang lebih muda. Sepersekian detik kemudian, Mahes menempelkan jidat mereka.

“Jangan terlalu tertarik sama gue, Dik. Nggak ada untungnya buat lo,” gumam Mahes sambil mengelus tengkuk Micah perlahan. “Sekali pun lo peduli. Sungguh, berurusan sama gue nggak bawa kebaikan untuk hidup lo.”

Micah memutar bola matanya sebelum meletakkan kedua tangan di antara rahang dan leher Mahesa. Mata mereka bersirobok, menghantarkan emosi satu sama lain. 

“Satu, gue bukan adik lo. Dua, gue nggak minta dijual kalau itu bisa bikin lo lebih tenang. Kalau lo masih menyalahkan diri sendiri soal Viktor waktu itu, lo lihat sekarang dia punya kehidupan lebih baik. Dia seneng, dia punya Kala, dia punya kita.” 

Mahesa tahu jika ia membalas kalimat panjang kali lebar barusan, ia akan lebih emosional. Sehingga apa yang dikatakan setelah ini, memicu perdebatan baru. 

“Lo juga menahan diri, Micah. Sebegitu ingin lo cium gue?” goda Mahesa sambil menyeringai. 

“Ah, sialan lo.” Micah menarik diri hingga posisi mereka tidak serekat tadi. 

Baru Micah hendak menggerutu, tawa Mahesa menghentikannya. Sambil menyunggingkan senyum usai berhasil membuat yang lebih tua tertawa, Micah menarik keluar rokoknya dari saku celana. Setelah menyulut sebatang lagi, ia melemparkan pandangan ke lanskap kota Jakarta. 

“Tapi gue masih bisa kasih ini.”

Detik berikutnya, lengan Mahesa melingkar di pundak Micah yang sibuk menghisap tembakau. Lengan kirinya kini diusap-usap tangan Mahesa. Hangatnya enggan membuat Micah layangkan protes. 

“Gini doang si pak bos juga bisa,” komentar Micah pada akhirnya.

Sejurus kemudian, Mahesa menempelkan kepalanya pada Micah. Meski suasana di sekitar mereka hangat, keduanya menyadari ada yang mengganjal dari kedekatan ini. Muaranya ada pada Mahesa. 

“Lo harus bahagia, Micah, dan itu bukan sama gue. Tuhan tau, gue paling nggak bisa untuk itu,” ujar Mahesa.

Micah hendak mendebat, lagi-lagi urung. Pilihan berakhir pada diam sembari menikmati kehangatan yang dipinjamkan Mahesa sejenak. Anehnya, Micah tidak menyangsikan betapa tulus Mahesa membagi sedikit panas tubuh dengannya yang barangkali diselipkan sejumput emosi. 

Mereka tidak berbicara apa-apa lagi setelahnya, hanya membiarkan malam bergulir di kungkungan lengan satu sama lain

— fin.

** as a part of Arctics universe. **

[blackkudos]

Marc Lamont Hill

Marc Lamont Hill (born December 17, 1978) is an American academic, journalist, author, activist, and television personality. He is a Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the original host of the television show Our World with Black Enterprise and hosts the online Internet-based HuffPost Live. He is also a BET News correspondent and a CNN political commentator. Hill also hosts VH1 Live!

Life and career

From 2005 to 2009, Hill was a professor of urban education and American studies at Temple University. In the fall of 2009, Hill joined the faculty of Teachers College, Columbia University as an associate professor of education. He left Teachers College in 2014 to join the faculty at Morehouse College as Distinguished Professor of African American Studies.

Hill worked as a political contributor for the Fox News Channel from 2007 to 2009, when he was fired. During this time, he appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, Huckabee, and Hannity. Prior to Fox, Hill was a commentator on CNN and MSNBC, as well as Court TV, where he was a weekly contributor to the Star Jones talk show. In August 2010, he replaced Ed Gordon as host of the syndicated television show Our World with Black Enterprise. In May 2012, he joined Huffington Post as a host of HuffPost Live.

Education

After graduating from Carver High School, a public school in Philadelphia, Hill attended Morehouse College, a private liberal arts college, but says he spent his time "hanging out and getting in trouble", and dropped out of Morehouse when he was a freshman. He finished his undergraduate studies at Temple University, where he received his B.S. in education and Spanish in 2000, and he later earned a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

Activism

Hill is a social justice activist and organizer. He is a founding board member of My5th, a non-profit organization aiming to educate youth about their legal rights and responsibilities. In 2001, he started a literacy project that uses hip-hop culture to increase school engagement and reading skills among high school students. He also organizes and teaches adult literacy courses for high school dropouts in Philadelphia and Camden. Hill also works with the ACLU Drug Reform Project, focusing on drug informant policy. Hill was named one of America's top 30 black leaders under 30 years old by Ebony magazine.

In addition, Hill works with African-American and Latino youth. Hill publicly argued for the release of Genarlow Wilson and Shaquanda Cotton. In the Cotton case, Hill organized an internet letter writing campaign. Hill urged the public to write to District Attorney David McDade to express concerns about his desire to appeal the court's decision to void the sentence of Genarlow Wilson. In May 2013, an article by Hill for Ebony.com entitled "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?" won the GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article."

Commenting on the air on CNN with Larry Elder, as well as on Twitter, Hill asserted that "Every 28 hours, an unarmed black person is killed by police." The claim went viral after police killed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York. Hill later corrected his statement, after Politifact had indicated that his statement was not correct.

Hill expressed support for the Green Party in the 2016 US Presidential election. Of candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, he stated, "I would rather have Trump be president for four years and build a real left-wing movement that can get us what we deserve as a people, than to let Hillary be president and we stay locked in the same space where we don't get what we want".

Books

Hill, Marc Lamont (2016). Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781-5011-2494-5. 

Hill, Marc Lamont (and Mumia Abu-Jamal) (2012). The Classroom and The Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America. Third World Press. ISBN 0-8837-8337-1. 

Hill, Marc Lamont (2009). Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity. Teachers College Press. ISBN 0-8077-4960-5. 

Hill, Marc Lamont (2007). Media, Learning, and Sites of Possibility (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies). Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN 0-8204-8656-6. 

Wikipedia

[trumpstersandconservatives-blog]

Some of the Globalist Intites

Global Corporations and Banks

Sunlight Funding - https://sunlightfoundation.com/about/funding/

30 gifts $250 or less

55 gifts under $250

118 gifts under $250

404 gifts under $250

1674 gifts under $250

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Alan A. Fischer

Amanda Milstein

Anita M. Antenucci

Anne Welsh McNulty

Ariel Myers

Armeane M. Choksi

Artifex Software, Inc.

Atlantic Philanthropies

Azavea Inc.

Bank of America

BeeKeeper Group, LLC

Benevity Community Impact Fund

Bernie Loves CeCe Trust

Bloomberg Family Foundations Inc.

Blue State Digital LLC

Blum Family Foundation

Capitol.Net

Cards Against Humanity, LLC

Chang K. Park Foundation

Chad J. Fitzgerald

Christopher D. Carroll

Christopher Halligan

Conrad Cafritz

Cord Blomquist, ReadyMadeWeb LLC

craigslist Charitable Fund

CRESA Partners of Greater Washington

Cutts Foundation

David Bonderman

David S. Joerg

David Suisman

Deborah Rudolph

Dianne Adelberg

Domenico and Eleanor De Sole

Don Pollak

Dr. & Mrs. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.

e.Republic, Inc.

Elbaz Family Foundation

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.

Esther Dyson

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Fund

Ford Foundation

Frank Beckman, Jr.

Five gifts of $250 or less

Frederick Matsen

Fuller Foundation, Volgenau Family Fund

Gerson and Barbara Bakar

Global Integrity

Google

Greg Bell

Gustavo Esquivel

Harnisch Family Foundation

Internet Archive

James and Theodore Pedas Family Foundation, Inc.

James Clark

James G. Hart Foundation

Jason May

Jeffrey Braemer

Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Jonathan Allan and Jennifer Soros

Joshua Tauberer

Justin Buell

Kaphan Foundation

Karl Channell

Kathrine Kang

Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism

Kobayashi Family Foundation

Lance Sealey

Land and Ping Wayland

LaSalle D. Leffall

Laura and John Arnold Foundation

Lawrence Lessig

Lederer Foundation, Inc.

Lee Serota

Leonard Simon Clow

Lisa and Gregory Stanger Charitable Foundation

Marc Bendick Jr.

Mark Cuban

Matthew Regan and Yoon-Young Lee

May Family Foundation

Mertz Gilmore Foundation

Michael Bloomburg

Michael Jones

Michael Shoeberl

Michael R. Klein

Microsoft Corporation

Mike Klein

Miles Curtain Laws Robinson

Minnesota Historical Society

M & M Foundation

National Priorities Project Inc.

N. Colin Lind

Nicholas Grandy

Nicholas J. Klein

NIHCM Foundation Journalism and Research Award

Northern Trust Company

Omidyar Network

Online Searches, LLC

Open Society Foundations

Open Society Institute

O’Reilly Media, Inc.

Pact, Inc.

Palantir Technologies Inc.

Per Dutton

Peter Gottesman, CRESA Partners

Pew Charitable Trusts

Poynter Institute

Randall Leeds

Raymond C. Clevenger, III

Rebecca Reis

Reid Hoffman

Richard M. Tanner - Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund

Rita Allen Foundation

Robert L. Miller

Robert Mercer

Robert Newton

Robert S. Grimes, Esq.

Robert Newton

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Ross & Moncure, Inc.

ProPublica

Sage Foundation, Inc.

San Francisco Foundation

Schwab Charitable Fund

Scott Crabtree

Seattle Foundation, Washienko/Mathieu Family Fund

Shel Kaphan

Simon Tong

Smart Family Foundation

Springcreek Advisors, LLC

Springcreek Foundation

SRA International, Inc.

Stanton and Susan Sloane

Stanton Foundation

Stephen Case Foundation

Stephen Kunkel

Steve Lipscomb

Steven Shane and Dale Hower

Stuart Marshall Bloch and Julia Chang Bloch

Sue Gardner

Sunil Pail and Michelle Odom Foundation

Tax Foundation

Thomas Osborn Stair and Lucy H. Caldwell-Stair

Thornburg Foundation

TransAmerica

Transparency International – Russia

United Way of the Bay Area

US Embassy, Kosovo

UX Pin

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Peter Stair Fund

Warren H. Haber

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

World Bank Group

World Wide Web Foundation

W. Robert Grafton ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Clinton Foundation Dark Money - https://sunlightfoundation.com/2015/12/01/super-pacs-dark-money-and-the-hillary-clinton-campaign-part-1/

Ready for Hillary PAC (hybrid super PAC) Ready PAC (hybrid super PAC, formerly Ready for Hillary) Hillary for America (candidate PAC) Priorities USA Action (super PAC) Correct the Record (super PAC) American Bridge 21st Century (super PAC) American Bridge 21st Century Foundation (501(c)(4)) American Independent Institute (501(c)(4)) Media Matters (501(c)(3)) The Bonner Group ----------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.conservativeblog.org/amyridenour/2011/2/23/soros-funded-sunlight-foundation-slings-mud-hits-soros-funde.html

Gaddafi Charitable and Development Foundation

[investmart007]

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa | Avenatti pitch in Iowa: 'When they go low ... we hit harder'

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/eFTFOp

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa | Avenatti pitch in Iowa: 'When they go low ... we hit harder'

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Michael Avenatti, the self-styled provocateur taking on the president for porn actress Stormy Daniels, has told Iowa Democrats that the party needs a bare-knuckle fighter to take back the White House.

It’s a role he is considering filling himself.

In a political scene unthinkable just months ago, Avenatti was the closing speaker at the Democratic Wing Ding in Clear Lake, Iowa, a traditional stop for presidential hopefuls. His remarks came after a tour through the early-voting state that included a visit to the state fair and meetings with key Democratic officials.

“What I fear for this Democratic Party that I love is that we have a tendency to bring nail clippers to gunfights,” Avenatti told an enthusiastic crowd in the Surf Ballroom and Museum. “Tonight I want to suggest a different course. I believe that the Democratic Party must be a party that fights fire with fire.”

He added, “When they go low, I say we hit harder.” It was a twist on former first lady Michelle Obama’s declaration at the 2016 Democratic Convention: “When they go low, we go high.”

In an interview, Avenatti said: “At that point in time, for what she was speaking about, I think that was the right message. But as we sit here now, that approach clearly will not work.”

Known for his combative cable news appearances, Avenatti offered a relatively traditional political address that stressed his record as a self-made businessman, an advocate for underdogs and a formidable foe to President Donald Trump. He stressed his support for Medicare for all and “sensible gun control.” He also dubbed Trump a “con man” and his presidency a “dumpster fire.”

He even made a few Iowa references — for example, mentioning a John Deere tractor.

Organizers of the Wing Ding — which has drawn heavy hitters like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in past years — said he boosted ticket sales.

Avenatti said his visit to the state fair included a stop at the butter cow — a cow sculpted in butter — two pork chops on a stick and plenty of conversation with people who recognized him and encouraged him to keep going. He strolled the fairgrounds drinking beer from a plastic cup and traded a gray suit for a blue gingham long-sleeved shirt and jeans, the typical dress code of a visiting politician.

“I’ve learned that the people of Iowa are fairly receptive to me and receptive to my message,” said Avenatti, who plans to visit early-voting New Hampshire in the next few weeks and will return to Iowa.

Novelty candidates are nothing new to politically savvy Iowans. Indeed, Trump — who did not win the Republican caucuses but did win the state in the 2016 general election — was a reality star before he took to the campaign trail. Wing Ding Chairman Randy Black said Avenatti could have a similar effect, noting: “You have Trump, who opened up doors for people who never entered a political arena before. Michael Avenatti has done the same thing.”

The similarities between Avenatti and his chosen nemesis don’t stop there. Like Trump, Avenatti is a brash political outsider with a natural talent for cable television news, a blistering Twitter feed and a knack for a catchy slogan. He has turned those tools against Trump as he represents Daniels and a growing list of critical clients.

Avenatti shared the stage Friday with Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, Maryland Rep. John Delaney and businessman Andrew Yang. Many top-tier prospects — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens.

Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — are avoiding Iowa so far.

Amid his growing profile, Avenatti continues to represent Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. She has said she had sex with Trump in 2006, months after his third wife gave birth to their son, but Trump has denied it. Days before the 2016 presidential election, Daniels was paid $130,000 to stay silent in a deal handled by Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. She is suing to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement.

Asked if Daniels would support his presidential bid, Avenatti said, “I think that she’s very supportive of the idea.”

Avenatti’s reach has extended. In recent weeks, he has protested Trump in London, accepted an award in Denver and visited children in New York who had been separated from their parents at the U.S. border. He expects to devote more time to Democratic Party events in the coming weeks.

Asked about a potential Avenatti bid, CeCe Ibson, 54, a Democratic activist from Des Moines, was cautious, saying she wanted to hear from him but stressing that “it’s very early.”

Beverly and Dru Carlson of Kansas City, Kansas, said they don’t usually attend political events, but they drove 5½ hours to see Avenatti.

“I wanted to see him in person because I think he might be president one day,” said Beverly Carlson, 66.

Her husband, 64, added, “I think it’s going to take somebody like him to beat Trump.”

By CATHERINE LUCEY ,  Associated Press

[bostonlibrarycrawl]

#4: Dudley

The Dudley branch (in Dudley Square, Roxbury) jumped up to the top of our list when I learned it’s scheduled to close for renovations on November 17, 2017, reopening in 2020. It wasn’t until we got there that I considered the irony of reviewing a library that there is probably no chance you will ever visit in its current form.

Travel notes: This library is about 3.7 miles from our house, and an easy half-hour trip on the #23 bus.

Teresa’s rating: Vintage. Guys, 1978 called and it wants its cement-and-glass-block cube of a library back. The inside is one large square room, with well-worn carpet and industrial red shelving and a sort of baby pit(?) in the children’s area. It was incredibly quiet (for a library!) on Saturday morning.

Reese’s rating: 10/10 total sleeper hit. Was not awake at any point in this library.

Teresa’s book: Though it sounds like the title of a twee literary novel, The All New Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores is actually just what it says it is, a picture word book for grownups (”drywall screws, deck screw, multi-material screw, lag screw, timber screw”). Apparently I’m having some trouble keeping this to one book per person, so I also got El Deafo, a graphic memoir about the author’s hearing impairment. I’ve been interested in reading it since I heard the Cece Bell interviewed on the parenting podcast The Longest Shortest Time. And I renewed my library card, which was about to expire.

Reese’s book: No Te Metas los Dedos en la Nariz! My high-school Spanish leads me to believe that this is a didactic text about not sticking your fingers in the noses of various animals, complete with holes for not sticking your fingers in. My sophisticated sense of humor leads me to believe this is very funny.

Nearby attractions: Dudley Square gets major cool points for a surprise (to me) indie bookstore! Frugal Bookstore drew me in with a stack of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Hillary Clinton’s new books in the window. 

Dudley Cafe has an excellent breakfast sandwich (eggs, cheese, and meat, plus spinach and spicy house sauce, on brioche), comfy chairs (the kind that make me wonder why I don’t have a comfy nursing chair at home), cool events (open mics, write night) and partnerships (youth and community programs, farmers and food producers), and the opportunity to eavesdrop on a rehash of last night’s house meeting (hipster co-opers, I hope you get your corn-syrup-free bread). 

While waiting for the bookstore to open, we also checked out the “Torrent Six” firehouse, the new Daily Table location (coming soon!), the Black Market popup (not open this weekend), and the Goodwill mothership.

[desertgloom]

[fullofevents]

New Event has been published on http://fullofevents.com/hawaii/event/winter-pops-with-guest-pianistconductor-david-benoit-2/

Winter Pops with Guest Pianist/Conductor, David Benoit

Sunday, Feb 19, 2017 – 3:00 PM

David Benoit began his career as a music director and conductor for Lainie Kazan in 1976 before moving on to similar roles with singer/actresses Ann-Margret and Connie Stevens.

For three decades he has reigned supreme as one the founding fathers of contemporary jazz. David has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and received three GRAMMY® nominations in the categories of Best Contemporary Jazz Performance for “Every Step of the Way” (1989), Best Large Ensemble Performance for GRP All-Star Big Band (1996), and Best Instrumental Composition for “Dad’s Room.”

In 2010, Benoit received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards, and he’s worked with an impressive potpourri of musicians, including the Rippingtons, Emily Remler, Alphonse Mouzon, Dave Koz, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, Cece Winans, and Brian McKnight.

Benoit has performed at the White House for three U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush, Sr. He is also the music director for the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Asia America Youth Orchestra.

Local favorite vocalist and sister-in-law, Angela, Benoit, will be featured in several songs. Besides some of Benoit’s original pieces, the music of Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland and more will provide a marvelous afternoon of live music.

Tickets: $20, $35, $45, $55; Half-price students 18 & under (plus applicable fees)

Patrons who purchase tickets to all four shows in the Maui Pops series (12/4; 1/22; 2/19; & 3/19) will receive a 10% discount off each ticket price except $15 seats. Student discount does not apply to $20 seats. http://www.mauiarts.org

#hawaii #events #fullofevents

[desertgloom]