Category Archives: Rock on-Peace Out

Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody (High Quality) – YouTube

Merry Christmas to all who are missing someone or just thinking about the ones you love. Dream on…

Passenger says Muslims protect Christians in Islamist attack on Kenyan bus | Reuters

Somali Islamist militants sprayed a Kenyan bus with bullets on Monday, killing two people, but a passenger said he and fellow Muslims defied demands from the attackers to help identify Christians traveling with them.The attack took place in Mandera, in northeast Kenya. A year ago, al Shabaab gunmen stormed a Nairobi-bound bus in the same area and killed 28 non-Muslim passengers execution-style.Abdi Mohamud Abdi, a Muslim who was among the passengers in Monday’s incident, told Reuters that more than 10 al Shabaab militants boarded the bus and ordered the Muslim passengers to split away from the Christians, but they refused.”We even gave some non-Muslims our religious attire to wear in the bus so that they would not be identified easily. We stuck together tightly,” he said.”The militants threatened to shoot us but we still refused and protected our brothers and sisters. Finally they gave up and left but warned that they would be back,” he said.In previous attacks, al Shabaab has often killed both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Source: Passenger says Muslims protect Christians in Islamist attack on Kenyan bus | Reuters

Spain is set to change but exactly how?

Socialists could team up with Podemos and Ciudadanos in a three-way “coalition of losers” similar to an outcome that happened in Portugal last month. Also possible for the Socialists is an alliance with Podemos plus smaller regional parties that won just a few seats – not requiring the support of Ciudadanos.”It looks like a Socialist government,” said Federico Santi, a London-based analyst with the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy.”Reaching a deal between the Socialists, Ciudadanos and Podemos is not going to be straightforward. … But if the alternative is leaving the country without a government, the pressure will be on the parties.”Podemos and Ciudadanos both gained strength by portraying the Popular Party and the Socialists as out-of-touch behemoths run by politicians who care more about maintaining their own power than citizens’ needs.

Source: News from The Associated Press

Thousands attend ′pro-democracy′ demonstrations in Poland | News | DW.COM | 19.12.2015

Tens of thousands of Poles have rallied across the country to protest the country’s new right-wing government and its tightening grip on power. The central rally in Warsaw was interrupted early due to a bomb threat.

Politicians and artists, as well as former anti-communist dissidents, joined the protests held in around 20 Polish cities on Saturday.

Locals protested the government’s bid to install five of its alleged supporters in the 15-member Constitutional Tribunal.

“The ruling party is going to destroy the Constitutional Tribunal,” said blogger and activist Marcin Skubiszewski, protesting at the central rally in Warsaw.

Source: Thousands attend ′pro-democracy′ demonstrations in Poland | News | DW.COM | 19.12.2015

The Rise and Rise of Misty Copeland – The New York Times

Cherry Peace stood, feet firmly planted, at the stage door of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in October. She was waiting for Misty Copeland, who had just wrapped up a matinee performance of Paul Taylor’s “Company B” at the American Ballet Theater, to kick off her toe shoes and exit.

There was no sign of Ms. Copeland, but Ms. Peace, 52, a writer who had traveled from Reno, Nev., expressly to see her, stayed rooted to the spot, hoping, if not for an autograph, at least for a glimpse of her idol.“When you get older,” she said, “there are certain things you want to do. Seeing Misty Copeland was on my bucket list.”

Source: The Rise and Rise of Misty Copeland – The New York Times

QUICK HIT: MEET MISS JAMAICA, THE FIRST EVER MISS WORLD PAGEANT CONTESTANT WITH LOCS

Black hair politics can get messy. Not even little Black girls are granted immunity from the scrutiny of classist expectations about the way their hair should look. At school our hair can get us in trouble. And as an adult, our hair can get us fired from our jobs. Even the United States army has a say so in which Black styles are appropriate. Within a system that has standardized whiteness by way of devaluing and erasing Black aesthetics, locs (a shortened and less derogatory form of the word ‘dreadlocks’) are on the “no” list of hairstyles, for the army and beyond. Locs are often branded as unprofessional, dirty, criminal, and unattractive, especially for women.The feminine beauty standards that dominate the pageant world also reflect a bias towards whiteness, especially in regards to hair. So it’s a big deal to know that Dr. Sanneta Myrie, Miss Jamaica, is the first ever competitor to don locs for this 64 year old competition. She says “I lock my hair because I identify with it. I am very much rooted in that Afro-centric nature, where we as Jamaicans are rooted. It’s my expression.” Read more about Miss Jamaica World and her platforms below!

Source: QUICK HIT: MEET MISS JAMAICA, THE FIRST EVER MISS WORLD PAGEANT CONTESTANT WITH LOCS

Edward Norton Launches CrowdRise Campaign For Syrian Refugee – Look to the Stars

Earlier this week, Norton was moved to tears upon reading the story of an unnamed man, referred to as “The Scientist” who speaks openly about losing his wife, his home, his personal belongings, and fleeing his village.“I saw the story and was so compelled by it. This man has suffered profound loss that would crush the spirit of many people and yet he still passionately wants a chance to contribute positively to the world. I thought the President’s words were so apt, ’You’re part of what makes America great.’ I wanted to do something to echo that sentiment,” said Norton. “If we don’t welcome people like this into our communities and empower his dream of making an impact with his life, then we’re not the country we tell ourselves we are.”

Source: Edward Norton Launches CrowdRise Campaign For Syrian Refugee – Look to the Stars

Being an American Has Never Meant Giving Up Who You Are | whitehouse.gov

America is not one creed or color, one dish or accent; it is a collection of people, three hundred million strong, each with their own tales of migration and adaptation. Being an American has never meant giving up who you are to become something else. It means using the sum of your parts to establish communities, build your livelihood, reimagine your identity, and grow your dreams. It means that even though there are imperfections in the immigration experience, they are always eclipsed by the overwhelming sense of possibility that makes our nation great.It also means that an automotive engineer and his wife can proudly pledge their allegiance to this country, and that their daughter, who once looked up at planes in the sky in Karachi, can now look out onto the White House lawn and thank her parents for their pursuit of the American Dream.Asra NajamPresidential Writer

Source: Being an American Has Never Meant Giving Up Who You Are | whitehouse.gov

We’re Getting A Rare “Full Cold Moon” On Christmas Night: Gothamist

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, December’s full moon is called a Full Cold Moon—”it is the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark.” They also claim that “if a snowstorm begins when the moon is young, it will cease at moonrise.” They have no predictions for what will happen when we’re experiencing springtime temperatures during a Full Cold Moon, however, so we’re in uncharted waters with this one.

Source: We’re Getting A Rare “Full Cold Moon” On Christmas Night: Gothamist