Macklemore Tries To Call Out Miley Cyrus For "White Privilege" After Exploiting Gay And Hip Hop Community

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Growing Up (Sloane"s Song) feat. Ed Sheeran

Macklemores 2013 gay rights anthem Same Love didnt hit the heart of the LGBT community. Instead, it stabbed the hearts of a community that has been trying to work for decades to overcome discrimination. The LGBT community was thrown an exploitative, money-making insult by an act who probably never cared about the rights of the LGBT community.

In August of 2013, DeathandTaxes published an article out about why the song was so controversial and it had nothing to do with conservatives being angry.

In the wake of Macklemores win at the Video Music Awards, openly-gay New York City rapper Le1F took to Twitter to unleash a string of rather hefty accusations at the emcee, implying that Macklemore used his song Same Love to try and make money off of the same-s*x controversy.

As Grammy time came around in early 2014, the controversy continued. Gay Twitter lambasted Macklemore for his gay rights effort.

@macklemore is the @vanillaice of today. Any idiot with a producer, a pop song formula, and a hot topic like gay rights can go platinum.

Perspective (@333biz) January 27, 2014

Macklemore is the worst for his gay and black culture appropriation.

Tone Thugs (@toni_latigra) January 27, 2014

Same Love is one of the most condescending songs to ever hit the airwaves. We have a straight white boy telling the gay community how he thought he was gay, because he could draw, and that he couldnt be gay because he is good at little league.

Then, Macklemore did something unforgivable well, at least to older gay men. He used Madonna, a woman who fought for gay rights in the 1980s and 1990s when the LGBT community was treated less than kindly, in his performance of the song at the 2014 Grammy Awards. It is known as one of her worst performances to date and, unfortunately, made people think Madonna was also exploiting the gay community without understanding her history with the gay community.

Madonna survived, but thats hard to say about Macklemore, who has became a joke ever since he won his Grammy Awards that year. Many thought Kendrick Lamar deserved the Grammys instead. Macklemore has been accused of exploiting the Hip Hop community even before the 2014 Grammy Awards, which produced a massive backlash.

The LGBT community has been dealt with so many blows over the years. In 2013, they had to deal with Macklemore. [Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]Macklemore has a new album coming out on February 26 called This Unruly Mess Ive Made. Perhaps, since his popularity has decreased, he has released a new song called White Privilege II, which hypocritically blames Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea for cultural appropriation. Macklemore thinks that bashing other artists will help his cause. He is wrong, especially since Miley Cyrus is a legitimate member of the LGBT community and has done something with her power and privilege.

Spencer Kornhaber of the Atlantic says while Macklemore bashing Miley Cyrus and others in his new song may mean well, but its also insufferable.

The fact that his lyrics are so basic, forgoing metaphor or ambiguity or impressionism, certainly accounts for a big part of his wide appeal. But it also accounts for why many other listeners (ahem) feel pandered to, exhausted by, and/or vaguely embarrassed by his songs.

Kornhaber adds the narrative that Macklemore is trying to convey is more like an op-ed that tells you what exactly to think. Instead, the songs narrative should require more interpretation to help it stick in our minds. In any case, Macklemore has been fried on Twitter and it not only by Miley Cyrus fans.

Macklemore has got to be the worst. This guy does so much pandering to stay relevant. Awful. Just go into politics with your fake activism.

Josh Caudill (@JoshuaCaudill85) January 22, 2016

Macklemore has yet to respond to the backlash against his song and Miley Cyrus has yet to respond to being part of the song. Based on Macklemores past, h**l probably say that people dont like the song because they are racist, not because its actually a terrible song.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2731038/madonna-lgbt-rights-and-hip-hop-exploiter-macklemore-tries-to-call-out-miley-cyrus-for-white-privilege/

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Roos Foods Takes Responsibility for 2014 Listeria Outbreak

What Is Listeria?

A company that lost its food facility registration almost two years ago after Mexican-style cheeses it produced and distributed were blamed for a 2014 outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes pleaded guilty on Friday to food adulteration in a federal court in Delaware.

Since its registration was pulled on March 11, 2014, Delawares Roos Foods Inc. has been been shut down as companies without food facility registrations cannot distribute food products. On Friday, the company and its principals, Ana A. Roos and Virginia Mejia, agreed in a consent decree of permanent injunction to plead guilty.

In early 2014, Roos Foods distributed several varieties of ready-to-eat cheeses, including ricotta, quest fresco and fresh cheese curd through sales and distribution to wholesale customers in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Both a criminal charge and civil complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) allege that the Roos cheeses distributed in interstate commerce were associated with Listeria outbreak the sickened five adults and three newborns in Maryland and California. Those who became ill said they ate the soft or semi-soft cheeses in the month before they were sickened.

Listeria monocytogenes was isolated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from the cheeses manufactured by Roos Foods. An FDA inspection of the Roos Foods facility in Kenton, Del., found the companys cheese products were adulterated because they were prepared, packed or held in insanitary conditions where they may have become contaminated with filth and rendered injurious to health.

FDA found Roos was in violations of numerous monitoring and sanitation regulations, including roof leaks, and surfaces on walls, floors and ceilings that were uncleanable. Environmental samples turned up Listeria monocytogenes on a dozen different surfaces inside the plant.

The FDA will not tolerate food companies that fail to provide adequate safeguards and place the public health at risk by producing and shipping contaminated products, said Howard Sklamberg, the agencys deputy commissioner for global regulatory operations and policy. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to use the full force of our justice system against those that place profits over the health and safety of American consumers.

Both DOJs Consumer Protection Branch and U.S. attorneys for the District of Delaware were involved in the bringing the action against Roos Foods.

If they want to re-open, Roos Foods and its principals have agreed to a long list of conditions that are baked into the consent degree. These include obtaining support from independent laboratories and experts to, among other things, write a plan for remedial action for dealing with Listeria.

Also, if Roos Foods re-opens, it must allow FDA to make unannounced inspections at any time, and bear the costs of those visits.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)

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Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/01/roos-foods-admits-role-in-2014-listeria-outbreak/

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Rockets Acquire Josh Smith: The Canary in the Coalmine

Corey Brewer on Josh Smith"s return to Rockets

The Houston Rockets reacquired Josh Smith. In the basketball equivalent of Donald Trumps proposal to make someone else build you a wall for free to insult the builder, the Rockets showed its possible. Houston sent the draft rights to Marty Leunen (A long forgotten foreign stashed asset, like a Swiss bank account or buried war treasure) to Los Angeles for Josh Smith. What makes this deal sweeter? LA is paying the balance of Smiths salary.

This move jettisons an asset the Rockets were never going to use for a player they should have never let walk for absolutely no cost. Further, rumblings of Dwight Howard leaving Houston due to a lack of fit and issues raised by James Hardens, lets call it less than stellar, commitment to the game should be assuaged by this acquisition. The Smith-Howard combo, after all, is what saved the Rockets against the Clippers last year.

Smith comes to the Rockets after leaving last year to seek out greater minutes. During his time in LA hes played 11 fewer minutes per game and averages 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 points less per game. As expected, Smiths renewed confidence, reportedly, led to a great deal of butting heads in the Clippers locker room. His return to Houston comes at a time when the Rockets have jettisoned their players coach, have called multiple player meetings and have shown some signs of tumult among each other. Smith could either gel the locker room or cause its final destruction.

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I would hedge towards the locker room finally settling down. Smiths relationship with the players and his ability to help the team defend should solidify the team. This move will impact the Capela/Howard pairing, however, in that you cannot place three players with no range on the court at the same time. Expect to see Smith as the starter next to Howard or as the first player off the bench to replace Capela.

Speaking of replacements, the Rockets acquisition of Josh Smith should serve as a signal on multiple fronts.

Personnel-wise Smith is a win-now move. Les Alexander expected the team to compete for a title this year after the Western Conference Finals trip. Smiths role on the team places him in competition with Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrel, and Clint Capela. Of that group, Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas have to be considered movable. Clint Capela has earned his spot on the roster. Dekker stretches the floor and Harrel is a long-term developmental prospect similar to Kenneth Faried. Arguably, the youngest on the roster are the safest.

The following appraisal is going to come with a lot of ifs, but work with me here. Smith returns to Houston on a one-year minimum salary deal. The salary cap explodes next year. If Smith gets the team to gel and the Rockets return to last years form, he could easily parlay that into a longer-term deal. This, undoubtedly, will play into the Dwight Howard decision at the end of the season. Further, this move suggests that Morey acknowledges that retention is an important aspect of a competent and successful Rockets team. What does this matter, though?

A team with Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Trevor Ariza needs a coach who instills discipline and instills defense. As much as it pains me to concede ground on the Tom Thibodeau or Jeff Van Gundy conversation, these coaches are defensive minded disciplinarians. Van Gundy, in particular, is personable to earn buy-in and affection from his players even players as willingly obtuse as Josh Smith. The Rockets will be searching for a win-now coach in the offseason and defense will most likely be a central criterion to the choice.

Ultimately, the Rockets are heading towards the trade deadline and making their moves early. This is a good thing. Josh Smith is a signpost towards good things for the organization, both on the floor and in management. Expect to see the team stabilize and actually earn your viewership rather than take it for granted.

Stick with us here at House of Houston for all your Rockets coverage.

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Source: http://houseofhouston.com/2016/01/22/rockets-acquire-josh-smith-canary-coalmine/

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East-leading Cavs fire David Blatt as coach in second season

David Blatt fired as Cleveland Cavaliers coach - Full Press Conference! - 01.22.2016

AP 9:57 p.m. EST January 22, 2016

(Photo: The Associated Press)

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) Even after wins, and there were a bunch of them, the Cavaliers didn"t celebrate. Everything was too easy for them, way too easy.

Loaded with talent, they"re lacking chemistry and cohesion. A championship roster without championship heart.

David Blatt took the fall.

The second-year coach, who guided the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2015 and had them sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings this season, was shockingly fired on Friday by general manager David Griffin.

Griffin didn"t think the title-chasing Cavaliers were handling prosperity, expectations or acting like a championship team under Blatt, who was 83-40 in less than two seasons. Griffin saw a team going in the wrong direction.

"Sometimes you can win games in this league in the regular season and get worse," Griffin said at a hastily-arranged news conference at the team"s practice facility. "We were regressing over a period of time. I"m in our locker room a lot, and I knew that there"s just a disconnect there right now. There"s a lack of spirit and connectedness that I just couldn"t accept. And frankly, halfway through the season, I think we have the time to right the ship.

"I know that sounds crazy when we"re sitting with a 30-11 record. I understand that. But we were 30-11 with a schedule that was reasonably easy. And I"m judging a lot more than wins and losses."

Griffin said he did not consult superstar LeBron James, who never seemed comfortable with Blatt in charge, or any of Cleveland"s other players.

"This is my decision, this is our basketball staff"s decision," said Griffin, who released Blatt just days after an embarrassing home loss to Golden State. "I"m not taking a poll; my job is to lead a franchise and to lead an organization to where it needs to go. I"m in the locker room. I"ve done this for a long time and I know what it"s supposed to feel like. I didn"t need to ask questions."

Griffin did meet with owner Dan Gilbert, who supported the move to fire his third coach in four seasons.

"Over the course of my business career I have learned that sometimes the hardest thing to do is also the right thing to do," Gilbert said.

Blatt"s firing stunned Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, president of National Basketball Coaches Association.

"It"s just a real shocker," Carlisle said. "I"ve gotten to know David in the last year and a half since he came over. He"s one of the greatest coaches in European history. The ironic thing about all this is that he adjusted and adapted to the NBA game in my opinion, much quicker than any of us ever could have adjusted and adapted to the European game. He did a tremendous job just from a strategic standpoint. If you look at his record, this is bizarre."

Lue, who was hired as the team"s associate head coach shortly after Blatt came to Cleveland and was the highest-paid assistant in the league, will make his debut Saturday night when the Cavs host the Chicago Bulls. Griffin stressed that Lue is not an interim coach and said the team is discussing a contract with him.

"He has the pulse of our team," he said.

As social networks hummed with speculation and opinion about James" role in Blatt"s removal, Griffin dismissed the notion that the four-time league MVP is a "coach killer."

"LeBron doesn"t run this organization," Griffin said. "LeBron is about this organization. This narrative that somehow we"re taking direction from him, it"s just not fair. It"s not fair to him, in particular, but frankly, it"s kind of not fair to me and our group anymore. I know what something that"s not right looks like and I believe this was the right decision to make and it"s very possible that it"s the wrong decision to make. You may hear that from our players. They don"t have to like it. They have to respect that this is what we"re trying to do."

Griffin said the home loss to the Warriors was not a "last straw" for Blatt. Before and after Cleveland"s win on Thursday over the Los Angeles Clippers, Blatt said he was bothered by criticism directed at him and his team.

Blatt seemed to be adjusting to the NBA game following his well-documented struggles in 2015 James" first season back in Cleveland. One of the most successful coaches in European history, Blatt was feeling good about the way his team was performing amid overwhelming expectations. However, there was a discord he couldn"t seem to fix.

His rapport with James was a running saga last season as the Cavs got off to a disappointing 19-20 start. However, the two seemed to work through their differences and the Cavs won the Eastern Conference title before losing to the Warriors in the Finals, where they played without injured All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Following Thursday night"s win over the Clippers, Blatt, who had defended his team amid recent criticism, shared a moment with James at his corner locker. The pair shared a smile, an innocent exchange without any hint of forthcoming change.

A day later, they"re on separate paths.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2016/01/22/ap-source-cavaliers-fire-coach-david-blatt-in-second-season/79188954/

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Canadian officials investigating 4-month Listeria outbreak

Listeria infections in humans

UPDATE:Canadian officials believe there is a link with a U.S. outbreak that has been traced to Dole Food Co. bagged salads and leafy greens, but they are waiting for final lab results, according to media reports.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with federal and provincial public health partners to investigate an outbreak ofListeria monocytogenesinfections in five provinces.

To date, the source of this outbreak has not been confirmed. However prepackaged leafy greens, salad blends, and salad kits are food items being investigated.

Epidemiological evidence has confirmed seven cases ofListeria monocytogenesacrossfive provinces related to this outbreak: Ontario 3, Quebec 1, New Brunswick 1, Prince Edward Island 1 and Newfoundland and Labrador 1.

All cases have been hospitalized, and one person has died, however it has not been determined ifListeriacontributed to the cause of death, according to the public alert from the health agency.

Onset of the illnesses began September 2015 and continued into early January. The majority of cases , 71 percent, are female, with an average age of 81 years. All cases have been hospitalized, and one person has died, however it has not been determined ifListeriacontributed to the cause of death.

Listeriais a type of bacteria that can be found in food, soil, plants, sewage and other places in nature, according to health officials. Eating food withListeriaon it can cause a serious disease, called listeriosis, in high-risk groups. People can get listeriosis by eating meat, fish, dairy products, plants or vegetables contaminated with Listeria.

Some people face a higher risk of becoming sick withListeriathan others. Those who are at highest risk of serious illness include pregnant women and their unborn/newborn children, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.

Public health officials recommend high-risk individuals follow safe food handling practices and avoid high risk food items such as:

• uncooked meat and vegetables including pre-packaged leafy greens;
• unpasteurized raw milk and cheeses and other food made from unpasteurized milk;
• ready-to-eat meats such as hot dogs, pt and deli meats; and
• refrigerated smoked seafood and fish.

Many people are exposed toListeria, but only a few will actually develop listeriosis. Mild symptoms may include:

• fever
• muscle aches
• nausea
• diarrhea

Severe symptoms may include:

• headache
• poor coordination
• seizures
• neck stiffness

In the milder form of the disease, symptoms can start the following day after consuming a product withListeria. For the more serious form of the disease, the incubation period is generally much longer; on average about 21 days, but can be up to 70 days after exposure.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)

Food Safety News

Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/01/122720/

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Why the Cavaliers Fired David Blatt

Cavaliers Fire David Blatt! | Is This The Answer?
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June 21, 2014: The Cleveland Cavaliers hire David Blatt at their new head coach.

July 11, 2014: LeBron James announces he is leaving the Miami Heat to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That timeline says it all. Why is David Blatt no longer the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite leading the Cavs to the NBA Finals a year ago, and guiding the team, which has played without star point guard Kyrie Irving much of the season, to a 30-11 record, best in the Eastern Conference? Why is one of the NBAs All-Star coaches now out of a job?

He wasnt hired to coach LeBron James.

Its no secret: superstars rule the NBA. And before the LeBron finger-wagging begins, all the groaning about how spoiled millionaires have usurped all the authority grows louder, consider: the NBA is a great meritocracy, really. Those that deserve the power have it. One player alone can radically alter a teams fortunes. Its not like that in baseball, where an ace starting pitcher gets the ball every five days, or a top hitter steps to the plate once, before eight other teammates cycle through. Or in football, which is a violent, chaotic chessboard, often beyond the control of even the most gilded quarterback arm. In basketball, just give it to your LeBron James. Every possession if you must. The Cavs were 33-49 before LeBrons return. They were 53-29 in 2014-2015. No offense against Kevin Love, the other All-Star whom Cleveland acquired in the summer of 2014. LeBron James saved the team. So why shouldnt he call the shots?

The Cavs hired Blatt, a respected tactician who coached several teams to championships in Europe, but never worked in the NBA, for a rebuilding job. It was an innovative choice: maybe Clevelands young players could learn from a skilled teacher. But just a few weeks later, the best player on the planet landed in Blatts lap. If LeBron arrived in Cleveland first, theres not a chance that Blatt, with no NBA playing or coaching experience, gets the Cavs job.

So it was an odd fit from the start. Despite Clevelands success, cracks in their relationship showed up in plain sight. Remember when LeBron announced, after a playoff game, that he changed one of Blatts plays? Most players downplay their influence in the huddle; with Blatt, James trumpeted his power.

Blatts not blameless. He preached ball movement and offensive flow in Europe. With James and Love, two players with gifted court vision and passing abilities, on the same team, hoop purists thought the Cavs would play beautiful ball. But too often, the Cavs were stagnant. For an aesthetic kick, fans knew to watch the Warriors and Spurs.

He never figured out how to incorporate Love, whos regressed, into the gameplan on a consistent basis. Thats a shame. In the Blatt era, Love will be remembered as a wasted asset. Whether or not James has resisted giving Love a bigger role is irrelevant at this point. Blatt was the coach. If an All-Star flounders, its on him.

So despite the odd timing the Cavs have won 8 of their last 10 games, Cleveland beat a strong LA Clippers team on national television last night, and Blatt has to cancel his All-Star plans Blatts firing isnt entirely unexpected. And its not totally unfair. Still, while were on the subject of the NBA meritocracy: just take a look at Blatts record. The Cavs just fired someone who won 67% of his regular season games, in his first NBA coaching job. A man who came within two games of snapping Clevelands 51-year pro sports championship drought, despite injuries to both Irving and Love.

If the Cavs dont top this accomplishment this season? Its no longer on Blatt. Thats impossible at this point.

Its on LeBron.

Source: http://time.com/4191152/david-blatt-cavaliers-fired-lebron-james/

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"The Boy And The World" Is A Beautiful, Heavy Political Parable

The Boy Official Trailer #2 (2016) - Lauren Cohan Horror Movie HD

With a gorgeous and evolving animation aesthetic that includes lush, crayon-drawn jungle landscapes and dada-like collages of animal machines, The Boy and his World is at once a vivid reflection on childhood and a sobering parable of economic disparities. The colorful and complex world created by Brazilian director Al Abreu is dazzling and varied enough to keep the attention of both kids and adults, even if the work is sometimes difficult to follow, has no intelligible dialogue, and is a bit ham-handed in its politics.

The central character is a nameless and charming stick-figure boy with two lines for eyes and rosy scribbles for cheeks. The kid is on a quest to find his father, whos recently left the family farm in the kaleidoscopic countryside to work in the city. As such, the story moves as if on train tracks from the organic and sunny grasslands to increasingly abstract and dark urban areas. Through his adventure, the boy explores plantations and textile plants, markets and slums, and befriends a musician, an old laborer and a little dog. Along with the films joyous soundtrack of flute music and Brazilian hip-hop, these friendships offer bits of humor and warmth in Abreus rather tragic story.

Indeed, it doesnt take long to see that the world here is marked by inequality and economic forces that threaten the natural world, human communities and genuine creativity. And the ones responsible for sucking the soul out of the world look quite a bit like Americans. They are depicted as a society that literally floats above the rest of the world in high-tech bubbles, beaming up whatever resources they want. Their symbol is the eagle, and their agents replace poor workers with machines and even help to suppress the revolts of the righteous people.

And the political commentary here isnt exactly subtle. At the climax, in fact, the animation is just replaced by grainy footage of forests being bulldozed and rivers being flooded with waste. Perhaps because Abreu has partially aimed his film at children, he really wants viewers to know that our Earth is on fire and being destroyed by greed and foolish notions of economic progress.

But even as Abreu jackhammers all this in, he also pulls off a clever trick. I wont say what it is, but the realization forces us to see the film as both about the development of society and power structures, as well as the development of individuals. Were eventually asked to question why it is people turn from courageous and joyful children to beaten-down husks of human beings. What is it about our society that does this? What should we change? What can we do? The answers, Abreu suggests, lie in the sanctuary of childhood, of getting back to something like a state of nature, and making more music. And whether or not one might agree with Abreus diagnosis or ideas, its impossible to argue that they arent beautifully presented here.

The Boy and the World is playing at the St. Anthony Main Theatre.

Source: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/01/22/the-boy-and-the-world-is-a-beautiful-heavy-political-parable/

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