Wednesday, November 08, 2017

I Want To Know What Love Is



Thought that was a powerful performance by Diana Ross.


"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Wednesday, November 8, 2017.





"You Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross & the Supremes (Lynda Laurence and Sherrie Payne performing it with Diana on Oprah Winfrey's syndicated talk show) is one of the 19 number one pop songs (BILLBOARD US singles chart) that Diana Ross has sang on.  November 19th, she'll be on the live broadcast (ABC) of The American Music Awards to perform and to receive the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Motown Classic is issuing DIAMOND DIANA: THE LEGACY COLLECTION November 17th to note this monumental achievement.




  2 hours ago
Former Iraqi Kurdish president Masoud Barzani says the US knew Iraqi forces planned Kirkuk takeover
4 replies31 retweets17 likes
 
 
 


In Iraq, the Baghdad-based government is currently waging war on the Kurds.  Adla Massoud (NEWSWEEK) spoke with the former president of the KRG Massoud Barzani:

Many worry that tensions between Baghdad and Irbil could escalate into a new war. What do you think?
We hope the fighting and bloodshed will cease. Our policy is to seek dialogue, to seek peaceful ways for conflict resolution and conflict prevention with Iraq. If the international community and the coalition...genuinely want to prevent another armed conflict, they can. But if a battle erupts, it means they gave it the green light.

 Your opponents accuse you of holding the referendum for your own political gain. What do you say to them?
The decision to hold the referendum was made in 2014 by the election commission, by parliament. The decision was not a personal one, and at that time, it was a collective decision of all the political parties and all the institutions in Kurdistan. But because of ISIS, we postponed the date to hold the referendum. Later, when we did set the date, it was also a collective decision by all the political parties in Kurdistan.

Is Kurdish independence still possible?
What’s going on in [Kurdish territories]...is just temporary because nobody can change the identity of those areas. We are not going to recognize any forced demographic change. The identities of these areas are still Kurdish. We withdrew from many of the areas so as to prevent any kind of conflict and bloodshed. We wanted to prevent any kind of military confrontation to pave the way for dialogue.


September 25th, the KRG held a non-binding referendum to determine the will of the Kurdish people and over 92% of the voters voted for independence.


  19 hours ago
There is no reason to believe that the Iraqi government will not betray its indigenous citizens.
5 replies6 retweets13 likes






Sworesho is correct.

And that's the lesson here though the press ignores it just as they ignored Nouri al-Maliki's attacks when he was prime minister -- the same attacks that led to the rise of ISIS.

What Hayder al-Abadi (Nouri's replacement as prime minister) is getting away with is stunning.

He has used US weapons against the Kurds.

The law does not allow that.  US law does not allow that.  Per US law, all US troops should be out of Iraq and there should be no assistance military or financially.

It is against US law -- per treaties and the Leahy Amendment -- for the US to support a regime who attacks their own people.

It would appear that thugs like Hayder and Nouri can't be happy unless they are attacking others.


  20 hours ago
Iraq stops KRG medical supply, causing shortage for locals, IDPs
18 replies61 retweets147 likes
 
 
 




Under Nouri, the attacks were on the peaceful protesters at first.  Then journalists were attacked if they dared cover the protests.  Soon, he was deploying tanks to rival politicians homes.

It was a process and, as it unfolded, the press remained largely silent.

In fact, THE NEW YORK TIMES even defended the kidnapping of journalists from a public cafe and their subsequent torture by Iraqi forces.

So it wasn't just silence, it was also press applause.

Today, Hayder gets the applause non-stop from Patrick Cockburn of the so-called INDEPENDENT.

But what's taking place now sets the stage for what happens later.

Don't kid and don't come whining to me a year from now about how could you have known?

I think there were almost 40 e-mails from various US 'thinkers' and 'reporters' when Barack Obama finally turned on Nouri al-Maliki (summer 2014) with garbage about how they hadn't seen it.

It was there.

We charted it in real time.

By 2012, if you were still defending Nouri, you didn't know what the hell you were talking about.

Scotty Horton at ANTIWAR RADIO got it all twisted because he was under the impression Patrick Cockburn was an 'independent' voice.  He wasn't, he's not.  His hatred for the Kurds is only matched by his hatred -- his very well known hatred -- for Arabs.

A real news outlet would have pulled Cockburn off of Iraq a long time ago.  His reporting has always been biased and slanted.

But that doesn't make him very different from the bulk of his peers, does it?


Iraq is in serious trouble but you get b.s. 'reports' about how great the future is.

ISIS was not a root cause.  ISIS grew out of a root cause.

That's never been addressed so, no, the future for Iraq is not 'sunny' currently.


Stephen Braun (AP) reports:

Iraq’s highest-ranking Sunni leader said Tuesday the growing influence of Iranian-backed Shiite militias looms as the nation’s most pressing future security threat and called for bolstering U.S. military aid to Sunni forces.
In Washington for talks this week with Trump administration officials and congressional leaders, Iraqi Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi is hoping the administration will deliver on pledges to counter Iran’s growing influence inside Iraq and across the Middle East. 

Here for more on the call for US military aid.

Greg Walters (VICE) notes:

“As long as the militias’ interests align with Abadi’s, everything is fine,” Belkis Wille, senior Iraq researcher for Human Rights Watch, told VICE News. “But where they diverge, that’s when we might see significant instability — and situations where civilians are more likely to be targeted with impunity.”
The U.S. is hoping Abadi is the man to unite a deeply fractured Iraq, but questions remain about his ability to control the militias, a senior U.S. official told VICE News.
The group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashed al-Shaabi, is cause for serious concern, the senior U.S. official said. Formed in 2014 out of some 40, primarily Shia, militia groups, the PMF played a pivotal role in the fight against ISIS. But the formidable military force is also commonly linked to Iran, and doesn’t necessarily share the same long-term interests as Abadi or the U.S.
“The big concern that we have with regard to the Hashed al-Shaabi are those parts of the Hashed that may not be fully responsive to the orders of the prime minister,” the senior U.S. official said, on condition of anonymity in order to speak more freely.
Not having control of the militias could prove disastrous, particularly if rival military forces start fighting each other to stake claims in a country still shaking off ISIS.



It's worth noting that the Iraqi constitution forbids what's taking place.  The militias are outlawed.

Hayder can't control them.  He invited them in and now he can't do anything about them.

Sunny?

Stormy.

The fight against ISIS brought some temporary cohesion.

Temporary.

And now it's gone.

The real problems have not been addressed.

And now that the cohesion is gone, it's too late to start addressing them.


June 19, 2014, Barack said military alone would not solve the problems.  We agreed.  We applauded that.

But the US never got around to a diplomatic surge.


New content at THIRD:





The following community sites -- plus PACIFICA EVENING NEWS and LATINO USA  -- updated:

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Tuesday, November 07, 2017

Sam Smith, Diana Ross

I hope you caught  Kat's "Kat's Korner: Sam Smith delivers" -- I really love Sam Smith's album.  "Nothing Left For You" is a song that I've really been enjoying from the album the last few days.  There are so many great tracks.

"Scars" is also a great song -- hope that's the name.  I tend to give them names.  By the chorus.  I'm really not a lyric sheet type person.  I also only look at song titles on vinyl album covers, usually.

I'll probably check to see if Sam's THE THRILL OF IT ALL.

Also check out Ava and C.I.'s "TV: The gifted?" which addresses a serious topic -- a show from an alleged pedophile.


  10 hours ago
Diana Ross album covers 😍😍😍
 
5 replies32 retweets103 likes
 
 
 



The cover for the remixes (DIANA EXTENDED), that's from her VANITY FAIR cover shoot, isn't it?

I seem to remember her in the same outfit on the cover of VANITY FAIR right before WORKIN' OVERTIME was releaed.

I always liked the DIANA EXTENDED cover, that's one of my favorites.  After that?

Probably the cover of her first solo album, then EATEN ALIVE (which is above), diana (lowercase), THE BOSS and SWEPT AWAY.


"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Tuesday, November 7, 2017.




"I Hear A Symphony" by Diana Ross & the Supremes is one of the 19 number one pop songs (BILLBOARD US singles chart) that Diana Ross has sang on.  November 19th, she'll be on the live broadcast (ABC) of The American Music Awards to perform and to receive the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Motown Classic is issuing DIAMOND DIANA: THE LEGACY COLLECTION November 17th to note this monumental achievement.


Patty cock burn and he don't care, Patty cock burn and he don't care . . .

Yes, we're back to the always deceptive Patrick Cockburn who has utilized the Iraq War to fulfill his sexual fantasies of serving Iran.

He's back again.

With another ridiculous piece.

This one claims that the greatest threat to peace in Iraq is . . . Donald Trump's picking a fight with Iran.

We don't buy into every rumor about the government of Iran here.  We don't claim that Iran and Iraq should not have good relations.

But we also don't act as a love slave for Tehran.

Not because Tehran doesn't have nice qualities -- I'm sure they must have some -- but because adults should act a little more mature -- at the very least they should do so when in public.

Patrick Cockburn is the perv on Craig's List posting in the personals with his real name.

THE INDEPENDENT, his paper, is not.

It did not lead in coverage about the lies of the Iraq War -- before it started or since.  It did not hold Labour accountable.  Hell, it didn't even cover the Downing Street Memos.

For reasons known only to the increasingly pathetic family of Cockburns, Patrick's bound and determined to bring Donald Trump down.  (I'm sure Donald's more than capable of doing that himself without Patrick's help.)  So he's looking increasingly unhinged -- like his late brother Alexander when Alex would start talking about how global warming didn't exist and it was all a conspiracy and . . .


Patty emotes as only a drama queen like him can: "Fake facts!"

That's the opening statement of his so-called report.

He paints Kurds in a bad light.

He repeats the charges against them -- Hoshyar Zebari, specifically -- but doesn't get a response from them.

He also repeats a claim that Hoshyar lied in a Tweet about a photo.

Did he lie?

Patty, if you can stop applying your make up -- your next performance isn't for hours -- here's what you do.  You open up Google Chrome.  You got to Hoshar's Tweet.  You right click on the photo and choose the search option.

That will give you a visual listing of all the times that photo has been posted online.

Of course, if you did that, you might find out that the Shi'ite you had embedded yourself with was lying about Zebari and you certainly don't want that.

It is appalling how so many have been able to use their personal grudges throughout the Iraq War.

Fake news?

Paddy knows all about it.

THE INDEPENDENT was on stronger ground with this quickly published and now pulled story.

They should have pulled Paddy's nonsense and left the story up about the American that's being held -- at Donald Trump's orders -- in Iraq.


Though you'd never know it from Paddy's one-sided 'reporting,' the Baghdad-based government continues its persecution of the KRG.


Iraq cabinet plans to cut Kurdistan share in 2018 federal budgetIraq's cabinet proposed on Sunday to slash the Kurdish share of the country's revenue in the 2018 federal budget, a move that Kurdish officials said was aimed to further…
Profile image of authorReuters Top News
Nov 06, 2017




AP reports:

 Iraq’s highest-ranking Sunni is in Washington this week pleading for more military aid for his community’s militias, hoping the Trump administration will deliver on pledges to counter Iran’s growing power across the Middle East.
Osama al-Nujaifi is one of Iraq’s three vice presidents, and his brother heads a prominent Iraqi defense faction. Both have been represented in Washington by the same lobbyist employed last year by Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser. In February, Trump fired Flynn, who is now under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.


It's smart to make that request.

You never know when Hayder's going to return to again persecuting the Sunnis.

The Patrick Cockburn's weren't silent about Nouri al-Maliki.

They glorified Nouri.

They treated the thug like a hero.

But he was a thug -- just like Hayder al-Abadi.

And Hayder's attacking the Kurds now and getting away with it.  This will only strengthen the Kurds.  But the reality is he sees this as getting away with it.

The world press is encouraging him the same way they did Nouri.

They are culpable.


In other news . . .


  3 hours ago
“Caliph” craps himself and flees in a taxi. No glorious martyrdom for him, then. What a surprise.
32 replies154 retweets201 likes
 
 
 



Actually, I would assume the real news value in that would be that he's still alive -- crapping and all.

How many times has the US-led coalition claimed to have killed him?


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Monday, November 06, 2017

What would the face of music today be without Diana Ross?

A lot uglier, that's for damn sure.

Diana brought beauty to the top forty.

Diana brought glamor.

She didn't just prove that Black Is Beautiful (though she proved that as well), she proved that female singers in pop music could be as well.

Along with beauty, she brought energy.

So many were Connie Francis types -- maybe a gentle sway, if that.  Otherwise standing there like zombies.

Diana brought energy and movement.

She brought fun and so much more.

In terms of race, would we have Beyonce without Diana?

Or have had Whitney?

Probably not.

They wouldn't have had the cross over success without Diana braving the road.

Diana did that.

She was part of the Civil Rights age.  She was someone all Americans could identify with.


People need to grasp that in the midst of the British Invasion, Diana Ross was there charting.

That is a significant accomplish.

Only her group rivaled the Beatles for most number ones.

Think of band members who have gone on to have successful careers.

Yes, the Beatles all did.

But Mick Jagger's done a number of solo projects and they've not gone well.  So being in a huge group is no promise of later success.

In addition to Mick, none of the Beach Boys managed successful solo careers.

Diana did.  She had solo hits in the seventies, the eighties, the nineties and the '00s.

Paul McCartney really can't make the claim.

No one's done as well as Diana that's alive today.

That's why she was the most successful female artist of the 20th century -- check Guiness.

She is a legend.

This Lifetime Achievement Award is news.

Diana has more than earned it.

On music, be sure to check out Kat's "Kat's Korner: Sam Smith delivers" -- I love the new album.

"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Monday, November 6, 2017.  Carrying the load.




"Back In My Arms Again" by Diana Ross & the Supremes is one of the 19 number one pop songs (BILLBOARD US singles chart) that Diana Ross has sang on.  November 19th, she'll be on the live broadcast (ABC) of The American Music Awards to perform and to receive the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Motown (Classic) issued the following:

To coincide with entertainment superstar Diana Ross receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Music Awards on 19 November, Motown/UMe will release a new collection of some of the the legend’s best-loved hits, Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection, two days earlier.
The 15-song album features such giant singles as “Upside Down,” “Love Hangover,” “The Boss,” a nod to her years with the Supremes in “You Can’t Hurry Love” and her chart-topping duet with Lionel Richie, “Endless Love.” It also offers a new dance remix of her anthemic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
“I send this special gift to you all,” says Ms. Ross. “This collection of songs is from my heart to yours and I send my love and thanks and appreciation to you for my joyous amazing journey, it’s so much fun.” The American Music Awards show will pay tribute to Diana Ross’ achievements in, and lasting impact on, the worlds of music, film, television, fashion and popular culture.
Order Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection here.
The track listing for the album is as follows:
I’m Coming Out
More Today Than Yesterday
The Boss
It’s My House
Endless Love *
Upside Down
You Can’t Hurry Love **
Touch Me In The Morning
Love Hangover
Take Me Higher
It’s My Turn
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – The ANMHE ‘Diamond Diana’ Remix
* with Lionel Richie
** with The Supremes


In Friday's snapshot, we noted that Iraqi lawmakers were again trying (as they had in 2014) to lower the age of marriage for Iraqi girls to nine-years-old.

Is that a fun topic?

No, it's not.

But there are some topics that if women won't cover them, no one will.

Take Diana Ross.  She's had 19 number one hits on the pop chart in the US.

19.

Not eighteen.

Now that we're counting "We Are The World" (she's one of the soloists on the track) others will.  Someone has to get the ball rolling.  In addition, she has 11 other number ones beyond that (she's hit number one with other songs on other US charts and other international charts -- some might want to argue it's 13 because "The Boss" and "It's My House" and "No One Gets The Prize" all count as one number one hit on the 1979 US dance chart).

Diana Ross' award is a big deal.  Yes, Diana is a friend (as disclosed before) but this is a really big deal.  And were it Barbra Streisand, I think we'd be hearing about it every day.  Despite that Diana has been bigger on the singles chart than Barbra ever could dream of being, we're not getting the coverage of this that it deserves.

It's true of the proposed Iraqi law as well.  Since Friday, two more people have noted the new law -- both women.  We'll again note the KRG representative to the US.


  23 hours ago
If this becomes law, it will be a huge backward step for Iraq, a catastrophe for women and girls
63 replies363 retweets417 likes






Meanwhile Ahmed Rasheed (REUTERS) types, "Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court ruled on Monday that no region or province can secede, strengthening the government’s hand as it seeks to prevent a repeat of September’s Kurdish independence vote."

Big deal, the Baghdad based court -- one of the most corrupt in the world -- sided with the current prime minister.

What a shocker.

Others attempted to report it better -- including noting that there's no article in the Iraqi Constitution that allows for secession.

There's also no article in the Constitution that doesn't allow for it.

More to the point, Robert Ford's "America Never Understood Iraq: As the Kurdish crisis continues to spiral, a former diplomat laments a history of missed opportunities"  (THE ATLANTIC) notes:

From the beginning, the Kurdish negotiators in the constitution talks were nervous. Since the imposition of a no-fly zone in 1992 during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the Kurdish Region has had its own government, defended on the ground by its peshmerga fighters. In 2005, Barzani emphasized to us that the Kurdish Region ought to be able to choose independence, but would join the new Iraqi republic nonetheless. Largely at the Kurds’ insistence, the preamble to the Iraqi constitution states that the Iraqi people could “decide freely and by choice to unite our future.” In the negotiations, the Kurds stressed the inclusion of the word “freely.” They appreciated its implicit meaning: they chose freely to join Iraq, and they could choose freely to leave.


It's the preamble, not an article.

'Reporters' can be dense.

But they also tend to reward thuggery.

Has anyone in the press stood up to thug Hayder al-Abadi (his sash reads "prime minister of Iraq") since Ned Parker left Iraq?

No.

They're a bunch of spineless cowards, throwing flowers in his path, pretending he's reasoned.

We've seen this nonsense before -- when thug Nouri al-Maliki was prime minister.

Hayder's persecuting the Kurds.

I feel sorry for the individuals experiencing the persecution.

But I'm well aware this is how you create Kurdish independence.

Keep attacking them, Hayder, they'll rebel.

When that happens, don't be surprised if other groups rebel.

Many Sunnis have already been talking about secession.

REUTERS hasn't covered it but do they cover anything these days?

No, they just roll over and bare their bellies like cowering dogs.

AL-MONITOR's covered it.

All these years later and the western media still provides cover for the Iraq War via their own ingrained dishonesty.


Kat's "Kat's Korner: Sam Smith delivers" went up Sunday and we'll note Sam's "Pray" which was inspired by Iraq.








I'm young and I'm foolish, I've made bad decisions
I block out the news, turn my back on religion
Don't have no degree, I'm somewhat naive
I've made it this far on my own
But lately, that sh*t ain't been getting me higher
I lift up my head and the world is on fire
There's dread in my heart and fear in my bones
And I just don't know what to say
Maybe I'll pray, pray
Maybe I'll pray
I've never believed, and you know, but I'm gonna pray 
You won't find me in church (No) reading the bible (No)
I am still here and I'm still your disciple
I'm down on my knees, I'm begging you please
I'm broken, alone, and afraid
I'm not a saint, I'm more of a sinner
I don't wanna lose, but I fear for the winners
When I try to explain, the words run away
That's why I am stood here today
And I'm gonna pray, pray
Maybe I'll pray, pray for a glimmer of hope
Maybe I'll pray, pray
Maybe I'll pray
I've never believed, and you know that I'm gonna
Won't you call me?
Can we have a one-to-one, please?
Let's talk about freedom
Everyone prays in the end
Everyone prays in the end
Won't you call me?
Can we have a one-to-one, please?
Let's talk about freedom
Everyone prays in the end
Everyone prays in the end
Oh, and I'm gonna pray, I'm gonna pray
I'm gonna pray, pray for a glimmer of hope
Maybe I'll pray, pray
Maybe I'll pray
I've never believed, and you know, but I'm gonna pray
"Pray," written by Sam Smith, James Napier, Timoth Mosley, Darryl Pearson, Larrance Dopson, Jose A. Valasquez, appears on Sam's new album THE THRILL OF IT ALL



Benjamin Butterworth (UK PINK NEWS) reported in October:

Singer Sam Smith says his song-writing has been inspired by Iraq.
The Oscar-winning performer spent time in Mosul, northern Iraq, to learn about injustices in the world while penning his latest songs. 
“I spent five days in Mosul and came back ­embarrassed that I had known so little about the world and other people’s lives,” he told Billboard magazine.
Mosul has faced intense warfare in the past 18 months, with 40,000 feared dead as Islamic State and Iraqi Government battled for control of the city.
It was only on 9 July 2017 that the Iraqi Prime Minister arrived in Mosul to announce victory over IS.
Sam continued: “I went back to that great Nina Simone quote, that it is important to speak about the times you live in.
“I hadn’t done that; I’d just written a bunch of songs about love.
“So I wanted to write about how I’m now starting to open my eyes, at 25, to what is going on in the rest of the world, and that it’s not always pretty.”
Homosexuality is illegal and punishable with execution in the country, and it voted against a UN motion calling for an end to executing gay people just last week. 


[Jim note: I came in and added lyrics to "Pray."  A few friends of C.I. called up to ask "what's going on" -- noting "she seems pissed."  She is.  She's sick of doing the heavy lifting.  "Put The Bitch In Her Place (Ava and C.I.)," from last week, for example, resulted in five reviewers from other publications e-mailing her and Ava that they were wrong about the book.  As C.I. told one -- in a phone call, "Excuse the f**k out of me but you didn't even read the book.  You're saying COURT & SPARK is Joni's biggest album, based on the book.  But the book notes that BLUE has outsold COURT & SPARK.  I really don't need your sexism and ignorance passed off as insight.  You skimmed the book and you missed how offensive it was -- including how it blamed Joni for the miscarriage and then spent pages -- plural! -- on how her 'poor' husband wasn't aware this was an issue and that he needed to cancel his trip to Europe.  Yes, he f**king needed to cancel that.  And if he wasn't smart enough to get that, in his 30s, then he's not smart enough to be married."  Ava told another reviewer that he clearly hadn't read the book because he missed all the sexism the author hurled at Joni Mitchell.  And they're right, it's a really bad book.  So there's the heavy lifting there.  And they also did heavy lifting on their TV piece they wrote yesterday -- whose thrust is that the show never should have been put on the schedule.  Equally true, Diana is a friend and C.I. is legitimately ticked off -- and I'd say she's right to be -- by the lack of coverage going into this AMA broadcast.  She was screaming yesterday at a Universal exec -- they own Motown now -- that they'd issued no statement.  She said, "Apparently, you only issue a statement when someone dies!"  She notes that Motown Classic -- under Universal -- has issued a statement but Universal has nothing -- "and it gives the impression that your a f**king piece of s**t label that doesn't honor your past or your artist. Who the hell would want to sign with Universal after that?"  So, yes, C.I. is pissed.  :D  For a number of reasons -- probably at me as well because she and Ava wanted new content up at THIRD last night and it's still not up.]

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