President Obama: ‘If I was a Lions fan I’d be pretty aggravated’

Riding the fumes of a wildly controversial call, the Dallas Cowboys squeaked by the Detroit Lions and are set to play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the second round of the playoffs.

To all of you smoldering Lions fans at home, President Barack Obama wants you to know that he feels your pain.

Obama watched the Lions clinging to that 20-17 lead like a piece of driftwood in the fourth quarter. He saw when the flag was thrown on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens for pass interference on Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew. He saw Dez Bryant argue the call. He was stunned, just like the rest of us when the flag was picked back up.

From The Detroit News:

“[I can’t] remember a circumstance in which a good call by one of the refs is argued about by an opposing player of the other team with his helmet off on the field, which in and of itself is supposed to be a penalty. The call is announced and then reversed without explanation. I haven’t seen that before — so I will leave it up to the experts to make the judgment as to why that happened — but I can tell you if I was a Lions fan I’d be pretty aggravated.”

If nothing else, take solace in the fact that President Obama feels your pain, Lions fans. To a point anyway. The President is a known Bears fan, and they missed out on the playoffs with a losing record. So he feels bad, but not that bad.

“You guys were in a lot better position than we were,” President Obama said. “I’d love to have your defense right now.”

President Obama: ‘If I was a Lions fan I’d be pretty aggravated’

U.S. Credit Cards Tackle Fraud With Embedded Chips, But No PINs

This year, there will be an important change in the way Americans use their credit cards. More banks will be issuing cards with small computer chips, a move they say will protect against credit card fraud.

But banks are stopping short of another step that will make credit card usage even safer. And a lot of retailers aren’t too happy about it.

Americans use their credit cards a lot, and most of the cards they use operate the same way. The credit card is swiped through a machine, and the machine reads the customer’s personal information, which is stored in a magnetic strip on the back.

The problem, says Kevin Yuann of the Website NerdWallet, is that this magnetic strip is really easy for criminals to access.

“The Target breach, for example, or the Home Depot breach, someone skimmed all that card data and then printed out fraudulent cards,” Yuann says.

Now U.S. credit card companies are moving to cards encoded with small chips, which have long been used overseas. Yuann says fraud will become a lot harder to pull off.

“That type of fraud won’t be able to occur because the chip prevents someone from emulating a card that way,” he says.

The U.S. has been slow to accept chip-encoded cards until now because most retailers didn’t have the machines that could read them, and they didn’t want to pay for them. But later this year, retailers that don’t accept cards with chips will be responsible for any fraud that occurs as a result.

So the retail industry invested billions of dollars to buy the new technology. But Mallory Duncan of the National Retail Federation says the new cards won’t be as safe as they could be. He blames the big banks.

“It’s really disappointing to see that after all of the hacks that have occurred, the banks are only willing to take the steps to protect the banks and not the full protection we need,” Duncan says.

As anyone who’s traveled to Europe lately knows, using a credit card overseas usually requires entering a PIN just like you do with your bank card in the U.S. But the U.S. banks that issue credit cards didn’t want to ask their customers to do that. So customers will just be required to provide their signature, which is the way they do now for the most part.

“Most credit card users in the United States, in fact the vast, vast majority of them, are not accustomed to using a PIN within a credit environment, so I think that that’s something that was central to the decision of the credit card issuers,” says Doug Johnson, a senior vice president of payments and cybersecurity policy for the American Bankers Association.

In essence, U.S. consumers aren’t used to punching in a PIN when they buy something with their credit cards. Yuann says credit card companies did marketing studies and found out that requiring PINs would actually turn off U.S. customers.

“The banks want to make sure that cardholders use their card, and so they want to make it as easy for the cardholder,” Yuann says. “And so until they see adoption of PIN across the system, no bank wants to be the only one with a PIN-only-enabled credit card.”

But requiring PINs would make credit cards even safer — a lot safer, in fact. Bank industry officials brush aside this concern, saying this is all a temporary problem.

There’s a new generation of credit cards coming that won’t use numbers at all, not even account numbers. Until then, they say the new chip-encoded cards will provide an extra level of security, even if they don’t go as far as a lot of retailers would like.

Jon Jones tests positive for cocaine

Breaking: Jon Jones tests positive for cocaine, enters drug rehab following UFC 182 win over Daniel Cormier

In a shocking announcement just days after his eighth-straight title defense, the UFC light heavyweight champion has entered a drug-treatment facility.

We finally found the one fighter who poses a legitimate threat to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“Bones” tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, in a random drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) back on Dec. 4, 2014.

Since the NSAC follows the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) policies and benzoylecgonine is not on the out-of-competition banned substance list, a punishment could not be levied against Jones and he was permitted to compete.

Jones passed a second test prior to his UFC 182 victory over Daniel Cormier last Saturday night (Jan. 3, 2015) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has since entered a drug rehabilitation facility.

Yahoo! Sports initially reported the news and has the champ’s statement:

“With the support of my family, I have entered into a drug treatment facility. I want to apologize to my fiancée, my children, as well as my mother, father, and brothers for the mistake that I made. I also want to apologize to the UFC, my coaches, my sponsors and equally important to my fans. I am taking this treatment program very seriously. Therefore, at this time my family and I would appreciate privacy.”

The NSAC chairman, Francisco Aguilar, said he is “pleased that Mr. Jones is addressing this issue and seeking help for his problem.”

The UFC has released the following statement via UFC.com on the matter:

“We support UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ decision to enter a drug treatment facility to address his recent issue. While we are disappointed in the failed test, we applaud him for making this decision to enter a drug treatment facility. Jon is a strong, courageous fighter inside the Octagon, and we expect him to fight this issue with the same poise and diligence. We commend him on his decision, and look forward to him emerging from this program a better man as a result.”

After defeating the previously unbeaten Cormier at UFC 182 to begin the new year — in which he said he would prove he is the best ever — this is undoubtedly a huge setback for the light heavyweight champion, especially after working so hard to erase the memory of his run-in with the law back in 2012.

Expect more on this developing story in the coming days.

http://www.mmamania.com/2015/1/6/7505243/breaking-jon-jones-tests-positive-cocaine-enters-rehab-following-ufc-182-win-daniel-cormier-mma

United and Allied Van Lines: Americans Fled Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan in 2014

According to reports by two major moving companies, Americans are moving out Northeast and Midwest states and fleeing to warmer and more affordable South and Southwest states.

 

The 47th Allied Van Lines reported that Illinois topped the list of states people are moving away from with 1,372 net moves, followed by Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and New Jersey. The states have remained in the top five since 2010, Allied Van Lines said.

 

United Van Lines released its 38th Annual National Movers Study last Friday. The state of Oregon holds on to its title as “Top Moving Destination” while the Northeast loses residents for the third consecutive year, according to the company.

New Jersey, New York, Illinois, North Dakota and West Virginia represented the states United Van Lines clients exited the most last year.

United reported Oregon was the top destination for its clients, followed by South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont and Florida. Noting 38 percent of its clients moving to Oregon were going for a new job — while 29 percent moved for retirement.

 

Allied reported their clients were most likely to move to Texas, Florida, Arizona, South Carolina and Colorado. The most popular destinations were pretty much, except the number of moves has increased with California, Oregon and Washington state showing the greatest increases for inbound moves.

 

From United Van Lines Study:

 

Those are the key findings from United Van Lines’ 38th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers’ migration patterns state-to-state during the course of the past year. The study found that Oregon is the top moving destination of 2014, with 66 percent of moves to and from the state being inbound — that’s a nearly 5 percent increase of inbound moves compared to 2013. Arriving at No. 2 on the list was South Carolina (61 percent inbound), followed closely in third by its northern neighbor, North Carolina (61 percent).

 

The District of Columbia, which held the top spot on the inbound list from 2008 to 2012 and ranked fourth last year, fell to No. 7 this year with 57 percent inbound moves. New additions to the 2014 top inbound list include Vermont (59 percent), Oklahoma (57 percent) and Idaho (56 percent).

 

The Northeast is experiencing a moving deficit with New Jersey (65 percent outbound), New York (64 percent) and Connecticut (57 percent) making the list of top outbound states for the third consecutive year.

From Allied Van Lines Study:

 

Biggest Movers in 2014
California maintained its status as Most Mobile State, with more than 14,000 moves conducted by Allied Van Lines that featured California as its departure or destination state. With a jump to the positive side of the list, California earned a spot on the inbound state list, coming in 15th, after being the 7th outbound state in 2013. Other big movers included Washington, moving from the 19th outbound to 6th inbound.

“Other than a few big changes, most states remained relatively stable,” said Lesli Bertoli, general manager and vice president of Allied Van Lines. “While we’ve seen an increase in the number of moves overall, trends demonstrate a heavy movement toward warm-weather, retirement-friendly states.”

The states with the biggest drops in magnet status include Minnesota, moving from 22nd most outbound to 11th outbound, and both Arkansas and Delaware, which each dropped eight positions.

“This year marked a significant increase in the number of moves for Allied, up more than 8 percent over last year,” said Bertoli. “With more than 73,000 moves in North America, this is the largest number of moves for Allied since the start of the recession in 2008.”

Outbound States

This year’s survey shuffles the deck of the top five outbound states again, as the same states have claimed that position since 2010. Illinois claims the title as the top outbound state (1,372 net outbound moves), followed by Pennsylvania (1,127 net outbound moves). New York (847 net outbound moves) and Michigan (846 net outbound moves) were almost tied in 3rd and 4th position, and New Jersey took the 5th most outbound title with 744 net outbound moves.

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2015/01/united-allied-van-lines-americans-fled-illinois-pennsylvania-new-york-michigan-2014/

Watch the First ‘Ant-Man’ Trailer

The Paul Rudd superhero film hits theaters July 17

Here’s your best look at Ant-Man yet.

Marvel debut footage of Paul Rudd superhero film during ABC’s premiere of ABC’s Agent Carter Tuesday night.

The film, directed by Peyton Reed, is set to hit theaters on July 17. There’s more Marvel teasers to come. New Avengers: Age of Ultron footage is set to debut during college football on ESPN on Jan 12.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/video-ant-man-trailer-debuts-761235

Agent Charles King Exits WME to Launch Multicultural Media Firm (Exclusive)

One of Hollywood’s most powerful black agents is making a new start. Charles King is leaving William Morris Endeavor to form MACRO, a startup that will focus on developing content for multicultural audiences.

With an unspecified “eight figures” in funding, Los Angeles-based MACRO initially will focus on developing and distributing feature films, TV series and digital content targeting African-American, Latino and multicultural markets.

King, 45, whose clients have included Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, tells The Hollywood Reporter that MACRO’s goal is to focus on audiences that have long been underserved by the traditional entertainment industry. “I’ve been sitting in these rooms for the last 15 years. The studios aren’t focused on it; the packagers aren’t focused on it,” he says. “There’s a huge void and a huge opportunity.”

He points to the lack of capital available to minority-focused filmmakers and says he’s looking to change that with MACRO, which will leverage crowdfunding platforms and co-financing to target films that range from “artistically inclined independents” in the $1 million to $3 million budget range up to $20 million projects. He points to films such as Barbershop, The Butler and Ride Along as examples of the types of projects he hopes to produce. “The one underlying theme is ‘premium,’ ” he says. “I’m looking for artistic integrity.”

King already has lined up projects from filmmakers Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow). Both were represented by King at WME and say they jumped at the opportunity to continue to work with him in a new capacity.

Brewer notes that it’s been difficult to sell his films, which feature predominantly African-American casts, but that King helped open doors for him. “Charles has never been afraid of obstacles,” says Brewer. “He puts in the work. I think that’s what’s going to be exciting about MACRO. He has a vision, but he also knows how to execute it.”

Adds Coogler, “I’ve had the experience of not seeing people who look like me in the movies. I think society benefits from more diverse representation in the media, so MACRO is incredibly exciting and cutting-edge.”

King, who has helped fund more than a dozen startups as a part-time angel investor, also has ambitions to expand MACRO to include investing in and incubating new technologies and lifestyle brands. In addition, he is exploring setting up a multichannel network that would curate content for multicultural audiences. He points to Russell Simmons‘ All Def Digital and Latino-focused MiTu as examples of MCNs making strides in that arena, but says the marketplace is hungry for more of that content.

“There’s a need, there’s a void,” he says. “If you have a cohesive plan that’s going to connect the dots between traditional and these new platforms, there is a very robust opportunity for content creators.”

King has brought on advisors including Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos and Citibank head of corporate and investment banking Raymond McGuire to help him with the company’s long-term ambitions. He is also in the process of assembling a team of film, television and digital executives.

The first African-American partner at WME, King built a client roster that also included M. Night Shyamalan and Janelle Monae. (WME will continue to represent his clients.) But King says he’s always had an eye for starting his own media firm and now the timing is right.

“There is a need for a vehicle like this,” he says. “It will make a statement and provide an outlet. I want it to blaze a road for others to follow much like what I’ve done already in the agency world.”

“Charles’ terrific relationships and entrepreneurial approach make him perfectly suited for his new venture,” said WME co-CEO Patrick Whitesell. Added co-CEO Ari Emanuel, “We have had an incredible run together and look forward to working with him in his next chapter.”

Josh Grode of Irell & Manella structured the financing for MACRO. Kenneth Deutsch of Latham & Watkins and Sean Monroe of O’Melveny & Myers represented MACRO and King in the transaction.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/agent-charles-king-exits-wme-761010

Al Sharpton’s Shakedown Revenue Model is Bad for Black People

Over the weekend, the New York Post published an article detailing Rev. Al Sharpton’s shakedown revenue model:

Sharpton targeted American Honda in 2003 for not hiring enough African-Americans in management positions.

“We support those that support us,” Sharpton wrote to the company. “We cannot be silent while African-Americans spend hard-earned dollars with a company that does not hire, promote or do business with us in a statistically significant manner.”

Two months later, car company leaders met with Sharpton, and Honda began to sponsor NAN’s events. The protests stopped.

….

Sharpton landed a gig as a $25,000-a-year adviser to Pepsi after he threatened a consumer boycott of the soda company in 1998, saying its ads did not portray African-Americans. He held the position until 2007.

Pay close attention. This isn’t just about Rev. Al Sharpton taking kickbacks. Kickbacks are one thing, but nowhere in this story does it indicate that Sharpton actually forced these companies to change their diversity practices. Neither does it imply that Sharpton ever engaged in actions that aided black people who’ve been discriminated against by these companies.

Although Sharpton blustered about only supporting companies that “support us”, he allegedly ended his fight for justice after Honda’s checks started rolling in.

This sort of pay to play shakedown doesn’t do anything to end discrimination in the workplace. As a matter of fact, it exacerbates workplace racism, since Sharpton’s involvement gives the company cover, making it appear as though they are seriously committed to diversity, but where’s the proof of that? What were Honda’s diversity numbers prior to Sharpton’s involvement versus after the protests? Have blacks within the company benefited from Sharpton’s intervention? Access to that data could give us a clue as to what Sharpton achieved, but I doubt it’ll ever be made available to the public.

This is what happens when a community replaces substantive action with symbolic protest moments. Protests can be the first step in a push for systemic change, but the end game is legislative (or judicial) since that’s the only way to force the hand of company executives, since they have absolutely no economic incentive to implement nondiscriminatory and anti-nepotism hiring practices.

For the most part, however, we don’t engage in movement politics anymore, preferring instead the politics of spectacle, where one man leads a protest, and success is achieved after a company admits its mistake and writes a check to that one man. It is callous, subversive, and intentional…and Al Sharpton’s at the heart of it.

As long as Black America’s favorite street preacher is at the forefront of race issues in this country, distracting us away from real change and preferring instead a Vaudevillian display of performative politics, the Black Community will remain immersed in rhetoric, while the Latino and LGBT communities move even further ahead with their goals since they have real advocates with legislative agendas in mind.

When President Obama chose Sharpton as his go-to guy in the black community, we all should’ve recoiled at the disrespect of that choice. We didn’t. It’s not too late to right that wrong.

http://breakingbrown.com/2015/01/al-sharptons-shakedown-revenue-model-is-bad-for-black-people/

Georgia Man Wins $25,000 Settlement After Cop’s Lie Got Him Arrested

The Albany Herald reports that Richard Hayes was arrested after a shooting he was not involved with. Hayes, who was only 17 when he was arrested in 2009 in connection with the shooting assault of James Green, was taken into custody even though no one present at the incident said Hayes was involved in the shooting.

Although no one pointed to Hayes as the shooter, an arrest warrant written by investigator Charles Flowers stated that the accused  “did walk in the 2200 blk (sic) of S. Madison St. with Antonio Williams while he (Williams) shot an unknown caliber handgun at James Green (Gangsta Disciple),” the Herald reports.

Hayes filed a complaint in 2013 alleging that he’d been arrested without probable cause, and claimed false arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

James Finkelstein, attorney for Richard Hayes, confirmed that his client reached a $25,000 settlement with the city. Finkelstein also told The Herald that Green was shot at but not hit.

http://breakingbrown.com/2015/01/georgia-man-wins-25000-settlement-after-cops-lie-got-him-arrested/

Harvard Profs Who Supported Obamacare Outraged They Have to Pay More for Obamacare

For a good two years, it was uncommon to read an article on Obamacare without seeing the words “Harvard professor” describing someone advocating for it, which makes this new development rather ironic: the Harvard faculty is in an uproar after learning that they would have to bear additional health insurance costs created due to Obamacare.

The university, which boasts an endowment worth $36.4 billion, unveiled its new policies for 2015 in their recent faculty handbook. According to the New York Times, this change outraged numerous faculty members. “I don’t understand why a university with Harvard’s incredible resources would do this,” sociology professor Mary C. Waters told the Times. “What is the crisis?”

Unsurprisingly, their new plan is similarly structured to the plans most employees receive today, though its multibillion-dollar endowment certainly makes it more generous As the Times describes their new plan:

The university is adopting standard features of most employer-sponsored health plans: Employees will now pay deductibles and a share of the costs, known as coinsurance, for hospitalization, surgery and certain advanced diagnostic tests. The plan has an annual deductible of $250 per individual and $750 for a family. For a doctor’s office visit, the charge is $20. For most other services, patients will pay 10 percent of the cost until they reach the out-of-pocket limit of $1,500 for an individual and $4,500 for a family.

Previously, Harvard employees paid a portion of insurance premiums and had low out-of-pocket costs when they received care.

Michael E. Chernew, a health economist and the chairman of the university benefits committee, which recommended the new approach, acknowledged that “with these changes, employees will often pay more for care at the point of service.” In part, he said, “that is intended because patient cost-sharing is proven to reduce overall spending.”

Other Harvard economists, especially ones who publicly advocated on behalf of Obamacare, defended the increases, calling them a high upfront cost that would have long-term benefits. “Cost-sharing, if done appropriately, can slow the growth of health spending,” Dr. Alan Garber, Harvard’s provost and a physician/health economist, told the Times. “We need to be prepared for the very real possibility that health expenditure growth will take off again.”

[New York Times]
[Image via Shutterstock]

Harvard Profs Who Supported Obamacare Outraged They Have to Pay More for Obamacare