Raven-Symoné wouldn’t hire someone with a "black" name!

Former Disney star Raven-Symoné has once again sparked controversy in social media circles after claiming she would not hire anyone with a name that sounded “black.”
Symoné, who is African American, made the comment this week during a segment called “Are You Judged By Your Name?” which aired on “The View”, which she co-hosts. The conversation was inspired by a viral YouTube video that parodies stereotypical names for people of color.
The actress argued it’s not racist to treat people differently based on their names, saying “discriminatory” is a “better word” for it.
“I’m very discriminatory against the words like the ones they were saying in those names,” Symoné added. “I’m not going to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. That’s just not going to happen. I’m not going to hire you.”
Her statement received widespread condemnation on social media, with some users suggesting Symoné is a hypocrite since her own name is “ethnic”!

The polarizing “View” co-host, who has been at the center of several recent social media firestorms.
She was criticized earlier this year when she defended former Univision anchor Rodner Figueroa for a racially charged joke he made at Michelle Obama’s expense. Figueroa suggested that the first lady looks like she was in “the cast of ‘Planet of the Apes’.”
“I don’t think he was saying it racist,” said Symoné in Figueroa’s defense. “Not Michelle Obama. Michelle, don’t fire me from this right now, but some people do look like animals. Is that rude? I look like a bird … so can I be mad at somebody that calls me Toucan Sam?”
The former “Cosby Show” star was also ridiculed for telling talk show host Oprah Winfrey during a sit-down interview last year, that she rejected cultural labels like “gay” or “African American.” Amid the backlash, Symone issued a response: "I never said I wasn't black."

Read more at: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/raven-symone-wouldnt-hire-someone-black-name

"White Only" Signs Cover New York University!

 

A University at Buffalo student has sparked outrage and cries of racism after she put up "White Only" and "Black Only" signs on campus, hearkening back to the days of segregation.
Ashley Powell, 25, who is black, admitted to plastering the Jim Crow-esque signs near several bathrooms and water fountains in a dorm as an art project to express her struggles with being a minority in the U.S. and to "expose white privilege."
"I am in pain," the graduate student wrote in a lengthy explanation posted on Facebook and published by the UB student newspaper. "My art practice is a remnant of my suffering. White privilege and compliance only exacerbate my symptoms."
Powell said she hung up the signs to see how many white people would see the signs and do something about it, although she claims it was not a "social experiment."
"Today these signs may no longer exist, but the system that they once reinforced still does," she wrote. "Any white person who would walk past these signs without ripping them down shows a disturbing compliance with this system."
The signs, which Powell said were created with support from her professor and colleagues, caused a firestorm of controversy on campus. Students denounced the project as racist and a hate crime, ABC 27 reported.

"It brought up feelings of the past of a past that our generation has never seen which I think is why it was so shocking for us to see," Micah Oliver, president for the Black Student Union, told the news station.
"There was fear expressed, anger, disappointment — all of that," Oliver added.
Campus police removed the signs Wednesday. The university said in a statement that they were in fact part of an art project. It's unclear if the student faces any discipline.

 

"The University is continuing to review this matter through appropriate university policies and procedures," the statement said. Powell did not return calls for comment on Friday.
In her post, she apologized for inflicting pain but did not regret her actions.
"I apologize for the extreme trauma, fear, and actual hurt and pain these signs brought about. I apologize if you were hurt, but I do not apologize for what I did," Powell wrote.
The graduate art student, who was born in south Chicago, said she dealt with racism while she attended Southeast Missouri State University as an undergraduate.
"I was called a 'p---- monkey' on that campus," she wrote. "I was called a 'n----- b----."
"I have generational struggle and trauma in my family like many non-white people currently living in America," Powell added.

Read more at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/university-buffalo-student-hangs-white-signs-article-1.2366089

Fatal Plane Crash On Set Of New Tom Cruise Film Leaves Two Dead!

 

A small plane carrying crew members from a Tom Cruise movie crashed Friday in foggy and cloudy conditions in the Colombian mountains, killing two people aboard, including a prominent Hollywood stunt pilot.

The crew members had just wrapped up work on the new film "Mena," Universal Pictures said in a statement.

"On behalf of the production, our hearts and prayers go out to the crew members and their families at this difficult time," the statement said.

Killed were Hollywood stunt pilot Alan D. Purwin and Carlos Brel, according to Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority.

Purwin wrote about working with Cruise two weeks ago, saying on his Instagram page that he was "pushing the envelope in every way. Working on a super interesting, true story film with Tom Cruise."

Purwin and the other person killed in the crash were listed as pilots aboard the twin-propeller plane, the aviation authority said.

The only person to survive the crash was Jimmy Lee Garland, who suffered injuries to his legs, arms, face and chest, according to the authority and San Pedro de los Milagros Fire Department.

Garland was taken to Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital in Medellin and was in stable condition, according to fire and aviation officials.

Cruise and his representatives weren't immediately available for comment.

A 'pioneer' and 'committed philanthropist'

As a stunt pilot, Purwin provided dramatic aerial footage for TV and for films such as "Transformers," "Pearl Harbor," and "Pirates of the Caribbean," his company said.

 Two die when plane used for Tom Cruise movie crashes in Colombia

His Hollywood credits began in 1984 with the TV series "Airwolf," his company said.

"Alan was both a pioneer in the film industry and committed philanthropist," said CEO Steve Gatena of Shotover, where Purwin was chairman. The firm provides gyro-stabilized camera systems.

"His legacy includes many feats such as, conducting the first vital organ transplant mission in Los Angeles, supporting the first response rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and being the only American Hollywood movie pilot to fly throughout the People's Republic of China," Gatena said in a statement.

Purwin also appeared in cameo roles as a pilot in many productions, including the films "Jurassic World," "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Indecent Proposal."

The plane was owned by Heliblack LLC, which lists Purwin as an officer and registered agent, according to FAA and California records.

"There are no words that can express our heartache for we have lost one of the world's greatest helicopter pilots and one of aviation's greatest leaders," Gatena added in a statement.

Purwin's plane, an Aerostar Piper 60, crashed in the town of San Pedro de los Milagros in the region of Antioquia, the aviation authority said.

The plane departed the Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin, and the last contact was 3:22 p.m. local time Friday, the authority said.

The crash occurred between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Friday, said Carolina Sanchez Marin with the San Pedro de los Milagros Fire Department.

The plane could fit up to eight passengers, she said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, the authority said.

Starring Cruise, "Mena" is based on the life of drug pilot Adler Berriman "Barry" Seal, who's recruited by the CIA and "soon finds himself in charge of one the biggest covert CIA operations in the history of the United States that spawned the birth of the Medellin cartel and eventually almost brought down the Reagan White House with the Iran-Contra scandal," Cross Creek Pictures said.

As a drug smuggler turned informant, Barry Seal was eventually killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a federal report said his killing was carried out on behalf of the Medellin cartel. Three Colombian nationals were convicted in his killing and were sentenced to life without parole, according to news accounts.

 Read more at:  http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/12/americas/colombia-small-plane-crash/

McDonald’s Upside-Down Flag Seen As Reaction To 2012 Election Results

  Posted: November 7, 2012   

Brooke County, WV – A McDonald’s restaurant earned a fair share of controversy Wednesday when an American flag was shown to he hanging upside down early in the morning, thought initially to be a protest of the results of the 2012 election.

Many wondered whether or not the McDonald’s upside-down flag was a deliberate political message. Turns out, the upside-down flag wasn’t intentional disrespect, but rather a timely, accidental coincidence.
A local reporter for NEWS9  had called the McDonald’s restaurant earlier Wednesday to ask why the flag was flown upside-down, usually taken as a sign of distress. Reportedly, the employee who answered the phone said that the flag was flown that way on purpose.
Later, a person identifying herself as a manager of that particular McDonald’s called to clarify her employee’s comments.

“I just want to say: I am a manager at that McDonald’s. The flag was to be flown at half-staff as per McDonald’s Corporation. As for it being flown upside down–it was a complete and total accident. No one at our store would purposely fly the flag upside down. Our flag pole is actually broken, and we are unable to move the flag.”

Later, an email was sent to The Huffington Post for further clarification:

“Unfortunately, a flag cable broke and during the process of trying the fix the flag, it was inadvertently turned upside down. It wasn’t noticed that the flag was upside down until a customer inquired about it. We are working on fixing the flag right now. It’s important to note that this was an accident, not intentional.”

Reporters later returned to the scene and said that the flag pole had apparently been fixed.




Original post can be found at  http://www.inquisitr.com/391082/mcdonalds-upside-down-flag-seen-as-reaction-to-2012-election-results/