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I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica.

So here’s my note to the White House. In every slideshow, talking point, speech and blog post, in addition to the facts and figures and compelling personal stories of citizens wronged by Big Insurance, close with this appeal:

“If Congress passes this legislation, Rush Limbaugh will leave the country for good. That’s change you can believe in.”

Hey — I’m kinda pleasantly surprised Lucas is taking the time to use actual black men in his new movie. Why not just use a green screen, find just a few brown people, reproduce them using Industrial Light & Magic special effects and paint them all blue or something? (Sorry, obligatory dig at Avatar’s bizarre sci-fi racial politics).

Lucasfilms is based here in California. If you live in the Bay Area, here’s a way for you to pay tribute personally to the mighty Tuskegee Airmen (and make a little bread plus get a free haircut at the same time). Wanna be in the movies? Keep reading below, unless you are bald…

(Thanks Sean Dugar for the tip.)

Beau Bonneau Casting in San Francisco is currently working on a George Lucas Film “Red Tails” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrance Howard. This is a story about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American Combat Squadron in WWII in the 1940’s.

Seeking Non-union African American males for extra work to portray pilots and ground crew.
Age Range: 18-35. Height requirement: 5′7″- 6′1″. Waist requirement: 31-34. Must be fit and in shape. Also must have hair on head. Because bald heads were not the trend in the 1940’s, we are not looking for bald heads.

IMPORTANT: Everyone is required to go to a wardrobe fitting in San Rafael, prior to the shoot and all men will be receiving military haircuts at the fitting. You will receive an additional $10 for the haircut and one quarter check for the fitting.

Shoot location will be in Sonoma. You must have your own transportation.

Regarding shoot date: Wed. March 24. Must be avail early morning to late evening, without conflicts.

Movie shoots may last 10-12 hours or more. We never know the start time or exact location until the day/evening before. Saying you’re available means without interruption, from Very Early Morning to Late-Night. If selected, the non-union film extra rate is California minimum wage: $64.00 for up to
8 hours and overtime applies after 8 hours. This rate is set by production, not Beau Bonneau Casting.

* For proof of citizenship, all extras must have either a current passport or 2 pieces of id: a valid photo ID or drivers license with either a social security card or original birth certificate to bring to set, or you cannot be employed by production.

If you are interested and completely available please submit asap to
info@beaubonneaucasting.com
Please include First and Last name and Red Tails in subject line
1. 2 telephone contact numbers
2. Height, weight, Jacket size, shirt size: neck/sleeve, Pant size: waist/inseam, Shoe size
3. 2 current photos: One close up and full standing view. (no professional photos, simple digital
photos please.

Beau Bonneau Casting
www.beaubonneaucasting.com

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As you go through your day, don’t forget JJP.

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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As you begin a new week, don’t forget JJP.

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Writer Geoffrey Fletcher holds out his best adapted screenplay Oscar for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” at the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood March 7, 2010.
——-REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Geoffrey Shawn Fletcher is the award-winning screenwriter of “Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire and received an Oscar for Writing (Adapted Screenplay) from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 7, 2010. He is the first African American to win in this category.

Ross Williams (R) and Elinor Burkett pose with their best documentary short subject Oscars for “Music by Prudence” at the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood March 7, 2010.
—–REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

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First Lady Michelle Obama Appears On The Simpsons (well, sort of)
Posted by: Audiegrl

In a brand new episode of the hit cartoon series, First Lady Michelle Obama will be seen traveling to fictional Springfield to meet the local school children. The upcoming episode entitled “Stealing First Base” will air on Sunday, March 21st (8:00-8:30 pm ET/PT) on FOX.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Angela Bassett

Award-winning actress Angela Bassett will provide the voice of Mrs. Obama. Bassett has become well-known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, perhaps most prominently as singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What’s Love Got to Do with It, as well as her portrayal of Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and Panther, Rosa Parks in the The Rosa Parks Story, Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine in the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream and Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace’s mother Voletta Wallace in the film Notorious.

During the new episode Lisa Simpson’s classmates ostracize her for being an straight “A” student, and the First Lady comes to her defense. After being cast out by her friends, Lisa is thrilled when she gets a chance to meet the President’s wife. Ultimately, Mrs. Obama helps Lisa discover the joys of being an overachiever.

Coolest.thing.ever.

After calling on Congress for a straight up-or-down vote on health care legislation, President Obama took time to outline the immediate benefits consumers can expect from pending health care reform in this week’s video address. You might notice that this is the second time the President has used his Weekly Address to list the benefits that will take place this year under health reform legislation. The President first outlined immediate protections on January 9, 2010 after the Senate passed its version of the reform bill. You can view that post here.

The president also discussed the danger of failing to enact reform and reiterated his stance that those who like their current insurance plans can keep them.

Here is a list of immediate benefits that President Obama says will kick in once health reform is passed this year:

• Tax credits for small business owners to purchase health care insurance.
• Thousands of uninsured Americans with preexisting conditions will be able to buy insurance coverage.
• Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny coverage to children with preexisting health conditions.
• This legislation will prevent insurance companies from dropping individuals when they get sick.
• All new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventative care to their customers.
• No more life-time or restrictive annual limits on the type of care an individual may receive.
• Young adults will be able to stay on their parent’s insurance policy up until the age of 26.
• This legislation will create an independent appeals process for anyone who feels that they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company.
• Senior citizens who fall into the “doughnut hole” will receive $250 to help them pay for their prescriptions.

But what if Congress fails to act? The president addressed that too:

“If we let this opportunity pass for another year or another decade or another generation, more Americans will lose their families’ health insurance if they switch jobs or lose their jobs. More small businesses will be forced to choose between health care and hiring. More insurance companies will raise premiums and deny coverage. And the rising cost of Medicare and Medicaid will sink our government deeper and deeper into debt. I don’t accept that future for the United States of America.”

Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, took questions about reform. Here’s the video:

Snow blankets the White House grounds during a blizzard February 6, 2010.
——Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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President Obama addresses Black Methodists

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Some people wonder why we do what we do. If there was EVER any doubt why we are passionate, why we soapbox, why we criticize, why we insist, and why we are a family, this is the reason.

Man, this makes my ENTIRE YEAR!

The entire senior class at Chicago’s only public all-male, all-African-American high school has been accepted to four-year colleges. At last count, the 107 seniors had earned spots at 72 schools across the nation.

Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman surprised students at an all-school assembly at Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Englewood this morning to congratulate them. It’s the first graduating class at Urban Prep since it opened its doors in 2006.

The school enforces a strict uniform of black blazers, khaki pants and red ties — with one exception. After a student receives the news he was accepted into college, he swaps his red tie for a red and gold one at an assembly.

The last 13 students received their college ties today, to thunderous applause.

Ask Rayvaughn Hines what college he was accepted to and he’ll answer with a question.

“Do you want me to name them all?”

…

The achievement might not merit a mayoral visit at one of the city’s elite, selective enrollment high schools. But Urban Prep, a charter school that enrolls using a lottery in one of the city’s more troubled neighborhoods, faced difficult odds. Only 4 percent of this year’s senior class read at grade level as freshmen, according to Tim King, the school’s CEO.

“I never had a doubt that we would achieve this goal,” King said. “Every single person we hired knew from the day one that this is what we do: We get our kids into college.”

…

Normally, it takes senior Jerry Hinds two buses and 45 minutes to get home from school. On Dec. 11, the day University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana was to post his admission decisions online at 5 p.m., he asked a friend to drive him home.

He went into his bedroom, told his well-wishing mother this was something he had to do alone, closed the door and logged in.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” he remembers screaming. His mother, who didn’t dare stray far, burst in and began crying.

That night he made more than 30 phone calls, at times shouting “I got in” on his cell phone and home phone at the same time.

“We’re breaking barriers,” he said. “And that feels great.”

Full article (and pic) at Chicago Tribune.

God is Good.

Check it out:

“Of course, healthcare reform is a double-edged sword for Wellpoint shares. Should reform fail, Wellpoint would be a primary beneficiary.”

That comes from the first page of the Cowen Co.’s assessment (pdf) of Wellpoint stock in 2010 and beyond.

The argument is simple: Wellpoint’s business model is uncommonly concentrated in the individual and small-group markets. Those are the exact markets that health-care reform will drastically change. Those are the markets where people get rejected for preexisting conditions, where insurers spend 30 cents of every premium dollar on administration and where rate hikes are volatile and constant.

Health-care reform wants to change all of that, and if it does, Wellpoint’s business model will be changed, too.

The bill will force Wellpoint to spend at least 80 cents of every premium dollar on medical care for its customers, and it means that regulators aren’t likely to let Wellpoint jack prices up by 25 percent with no warning or reason. It also means that Wellpoint is not spending that much of premiums on medical care and is not keeping its rates under control now.

As you know, I’ve said many times that I believe “socialism” has become a dogwhistle code word on the right for “niggers”. Recall that the revered Martin Luther King was widely called a socialist in his lifetime. Steele and his staff are willing to capitalize on certain people’s fear of a black president just to line their wallet. Does it get any more cynical than that? It’s fascinating that the RNC reacted to the deck’s exposure not with pride but with shame: racism is never pretty to see and their slip is showing.

Ben Smith does a great job with this story over at Politico AND has the entertaining slide deck available for your review. I’d suggest reading the whole post because it highlights who’s left in the Republican party: either fearful small donors or greedy, selfish, angry large donors. They got caught red-handed but if the RNC increasingly needs small donors and those donors are “reactionary”, “visceral” and motivated by “Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration”. So despite the denials, expect to see GOP tacit (or overt) encouragement of the likes of Palin, Beck & Limbaugh who can whip their reactionary audiences into a fearfilled froth – because it drives donations. The dark side of this behavior is clear when you consider the violent, fatal attacks — all within one year — on the U.S. Holocaust Museum, the IRS in Texas and now the Pentagon (where I’m guessing we’ll soon learn that the reportedly “well-dressed” John Patrick Bedell held strong right wing views) from embittered right wingers. It’s got to stop — I’d encourage Steele to abandon this track and seek to compete with the Dems without resorting to stoking cloaked racist fears.

Let mama fix you a plate from Politico (emphasis mine):

The presentation explains the Republican fundraising in simple terms.

“What can you sell when you do not have the White House, the House, or the Senate…?” it asks.

The answer: “Save the country from trending toward Socialism!”

Manipulating donors with crude caricatures and playing on their fears is hardly unique to Republicans or to the RNC – Democrats raised millions off George W. Bush in similar terms – but rarely is it practiced in such cartoonish terms.

One page, headed “The Evil Empire,” pictures Obama as the Joker from Batman, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid are depicted as Cruella DeVille and Scooby Doo, respectively.

[...]

The RNC reacted with alarm to a question about it Thursday, emailing major donors to warn them of a reporter’s question, and distancing Steele from its contents.

“The document was used for a fundraising presentation Chairman Steele did not attend, nor had he seen the document,” RNC Communications Director Doug Heye said in an email. “Fundraising documents are often controversial.”

The most unusual section of the presentation is a set of six slides headed “RNC Marketing 101.” The presentation divides fundraising into two traditional categories, direct marketing and major donors, and lays out the details of how to approach each group.

“Obviously, the Chairman disagrees with the language and finds the use of such imagery to be unacceptable. It will not be used by the Republican National Committee – in any capacity – in the future,” Heye said.

The small donors who are the targets of direct marketing are described under the heading “Visceral Giving.” Their motivations are listed as “fear;” “Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration;” and “Reactionary.”

Major donors, by contrast, are treated in a column headed “Calculated Giving.” Their motivations include: “Peer to Peer Pressure”; “access”; and “Ego-Driven.”

The slide also allows that donors may have more honorable motives, including “Patriotic Duty.”

A major Republican donor described the state of the RNC’s relationship with major donors as “disastrous,” with veteran givers beginning to abandon the committee, which is becoming increasingly reliant on small donors.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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TGIF and spend some of it at JJP.

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President Obama Presents National Humanities Medals

Pulitzer Prize-winner Annette Gordon-Reed, whose research first brought to light Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings.

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We need your help. The time is now. Here’s a special alert from Color of Change:

Last week, President Obama gave Republicans one last chance to cooperate on health care reform. They said no.

Now Senate Democrats are moving forward alone — it’s the right thing to do.

The public wants Congress to pass the popular public health insurance option,¹ which would force insurance companies to compete and drive down costs. A majority of ColorOfChange members like you recently told us that their top priority is improving access to quality and affordable health care. The public option is one of the best ways to reach that goal.

As of yesterday, 30 senators have committed to voting “yes” on a public option² — but we need to reach 51 votes.

At least one of your senators hasn’t said if they’ll vote for a public option. Can you call today and ask them to support it? Click here to get started:

http://whipcongress.com

Senators like Joe Lieberman killed a public option in 2009 by putting up procedural roadblocks that require a 60-vote super-majority to overcome. But Democrats have recently turned to a procedure called “reconciliation” which allows bills to be passed with a simple majority.

Thanks to the leadership of our friends at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo Action, calls have been flooding into senate offices — and they’re listening. Just yesterday, five new senators announced their support, and your call to Congress can keep the momentum going.

Passing the public option is possible. But senators need to hear from us today.

Please call your senators today and ask them to support the public option. Click here to get started:

http://whipcongress.com

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

The First Lady Talks About Food Deserts

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