Ylvis, the Norwegian comedy group who went viral earlier this fall with “The Fox,” are back with a follow-up single and music video titled … “Massachusetts.” The video dishes out fun facts about the Bay State and makes a commentary about homophobia (we think) before devolving into utter, albeit catchy, nonsense. Check out the latest Ylvis viral hit below! Ylvis – Massachusetts You can’t exactly take these guys at face value based on the absurdity of their infamous answer to the eternal question ” What Does the Fox Say ?” In this case, though, their facts mostly check out: “It’s the 14th biggest state!” – True, based on population “Just four hours from New York!” – True, if you drive from Boston to NYC and hit the inevitable traffic (other parts of the state are closer) “Home of JF Kenneday!” – True, albeit spelled wrong (on purpose, we assume), as the late 35th President hailed from Brookline, Mass. “1620! The pilgrims came to town! Mayflower!” – True, true and true. “Home of Nelson Mandela!” – That’s just false. Between this song and the seven-time World Series champion Red Sox kicking off the quest for #8 in the World Series tonight … big day for Massachusetts!
When the checks stop coming in… A pair of New Jersey gym teachers are out of their jobs after being overheard disparaging black students during a locker room conversation. According to NJ.com reports : Two Mount Olive physical education teachers have lost their jobs and been stripped of their tenure following racial remarks the two made about African-American students last year, according to the state education commissioner. Two Mount Olive teachers were brought up on administrative charges last year after they allegedly made derogatory racial comments about African-American students. Brigitte Geiger and Sharon Jones were brought up on six administrative charges by Larrie Reynolds, the superintendent, on March 23, 2012 for unbecoming conduct and other charges based on a conversation they had in the locker room on March 2, 2012 that was overheard by two students, according to the Office of Administrative Law records. Administrative Law Judge Tiffany Williams, who heard the initial case, said in her ruling this past July one of the students told school officials that Jones said, “Yeah those Negroes think they are tough (expletive),” to which Geiger replied “Yeah, that’s all they are, just a bunch of Negroes, Negroes, Negroes.” The other student’s account in the decision was similar, but had more profanity. Both students provided handwritten accounts of the events to school officials, according to court records. In her decision, Williams said “both Geiger and Jones’ own testimony revealed frustrations with a group of African-American students at the school, which tends to lend credence to the credibility of the complaining students.” Williams, who only ruled on the charge of unbecoming conduct, dismissed the pair for their conduct, “including their lack of contrition.” Reynolds said the pair, who had been on administrative leave since September, were officially terminated on Oct. 8. “It’s unfortunate that it occurred,” Reynolds said. “We wish the employees the very best in the future. We have an obligation to our students and staff to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct. We take that seriously, and unfortunately, in some cases, it warrants action like this. This was an unfortunate incident and we had to do what we thought was right.” Geiger, a Flanders resident, was the head field hockey coach at the time of the incident and had served as a teacher for 28 years. Jones was a teacher for 30 years. The commissioner’s decision has also been submitted to the state Board of Examiners for action against Geiger and Jones’ teaching certificates. SMH. Well at least they didn’t call them the N-word but this is bad enough. SMH. We’d imagine that after working as teachers for 28 years these two probably got away with saying far worse things before this convo was overheard! Shutterstock Continue reading →
We see Dancing With The Stars in Kyrie’s future… Kyrie Irving Of The Cleveland Cavaliers Dances For School Children In Africa Via FTWUSAToday Kyrie Irving, the reigning NBA rookie of the year, of course has moves on the court. And off the court? As he demonstrated in this recently-uploaded video filmed during his trip through South Africa, he has some foot skills too. The video was filmed during Irving’s trip to South Africa with UNICEF last month. He visited schools and participated in educational activities with students in primary and secondary school. “Even with the challenges they face, it was inspiring to see how much the kids want to learn and how hard the teachers are working,” he said in a statement. “I saw first-hand how early childhood education and school sports activities are making a difference in these kids’ lives.” Nothin’ wrong with bringin’ a smile to kids faces, way to go Kyrie. Image via YouTube
Can we all agree that Mississippi is the epitome of the land that got left behind ? Via NY Daily News reports : Jagjeet Singh, 49, a trucker from California, was driving through the Magnolia State when he was pulled over for driving with a flat tire in Pike County on Jan. 16, according to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Singh was taken to a weigh station operated by the state’s Department of Transportation, where he says cops ordered him to turn over his “kirpan,” a 3-inch ceremonial blade that all Sikh men traditionally carry in their waistbands, the ACLU said. “Contending, wrongly, that his kirpan was illegal, the DOT officer demanded that Mr. Singh turn it over,” the ACLU wrote in the complaint filed Wednesday. The letter said that Singh tried to explain that the blade was a sacred talisman, and even showed the officers videos on his phone that explained the Sikh faith. “In response, however, the officers laughed at him and mocked his religious beliefs,” the letter read. “One officer declared that all Sikhs are depraved and ‘terrorists.’” Singh was arrested for refusing to obey a command, because he would not turn over the kirpan. “The officers’ shameful treatment of Mr. Singh was an abuse of their authority and a betrayal of the public’s trust that law enforcement officials will carry out their duties free from prejudice,” said Bear Atwood, a lawyer for the Mississippi office of the ACLU. “The fact that officers may be unfamiliar with Sikhism or other minority relitions does not give them license to harass and degrade members of th public who follow these faiths.” It gets worse though. When Singh made a court appearance in March over the charge the judge was just as IGNORANT as the backwards azz onetime officers. As he waited for his attorney in the back of the courtroom, four officers approached him and told him that Judge Aubrey Rimes had ordered them to kick him out if he did not remove his turban, Atwood said. “Moreover, they told Mr. Singh that Judge Rimes would punish him if he failed to remove the headdress,” Atwood wrote in a statement. Singh’s attorney went to the judge’s chambers, where his orders were allegedly repeated. “He further stated that Mr. Singh would not be allowed to re-enter the courtroom unless he removed ‘that rag’ from his head and threatened to call Mr. Singh last on the docket if he continued to wear the religious headdress,” Atwood said. Because Singh refused to remove the turban and violate his religious beliefs, he was forced to wait several hours before he was allowed in the courtroom to plead guilty and agree to pay a fine. Jared Ravencraft, a DOT spokesman, confirmed the arrest, but would not comment any further on the alleged incident. The ACLU said it wanted to see action taken on behalf of the state’s DOT and the Mississippi Judicial Commission, which investigates complaints of ethics violations by jurists. We’re gonna need the good ole boys of Mississippi to catch up with modern times. Ignorance is not acceptable. Photo Courtesy ACLU
Poor woman . Woman Shamed By Doctor For Hickey This is a damn shame in 2013. According to Raw Story A Texas woman who was shamed by her doctor for having a hickey and wanting birth control says she is now forced to drive four hours to a Planned Parenthood clinic for health care due to the state’s new anti-abortion laws. Athena Mason told KUT that her first visit to the doctor as a student at Texas A&M was awkward. “I had a hickey and the doctor was just like, you shouldn’t be doing that,” she recalled. “I’m like, ‘It’s a hickey, it’s nothing major.’ But I got a big lecture. [He said] my boyfriend was abusive and all of these things. And then I asked for birth control. I did not hear the end of that. So I said never mind, I’ll go somewhere else.” Mason started using the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan. But that facility is one of four women’s health service providers that closed in August after the state passed new regulations restricting abortions. So Mason now drives four hours to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin for health care. Since when do doctors give moral lectures to their patients? Actually the bigger issue may be the public health crisis some of these states are creating by closing affordable health care facilities. SMH.
California To Raise Minimum Wage To $10 An Hour Must be nice. According to ABC News: California workers may soon have the highest minimum wage levels in the country after a bill approving a raise from $8 to $10 within three years passed the state legislature. The hike, to be implemented in two separate $1 increments, is the state’s first in six years, and comes amid fast food industry strikes across the nation following a year-long campaign by unions and workers to raise federal wage floors to $15. The bill, which eased through the state Senate 26 votes to 11 Thursday, and passed the Assembly a few hours later, 51-25, was backed by Democrats who said it would help workers pull through the effects of the recession and stimulate the economy by promoting spending among workers. Gov. Jerry Brown called bill AB 10 an overdue piece of legislation that would help working class families, while Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, the bill’s Senate floor manager, said raising the state’s minimum wage level was “a moral imperative.” “It simply gives hardworking Californians the dignity and respect to provide for their families with their own hard-earned wages,” said Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, who brought the bill before his Assembly colleagues. But Republican lawmakers opposed the bill, saying the 25 percent minimum wage increase would hurt business and cut jobs. “This is a classic example with how out-of-touch state leaders are,” said Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, compared raising tobacco costs to discourage smoking with the newly implemented wage standards, saying: “If you make something more expensive, people will buy less of it.” Industry associations have also opposed the bill. The California Chamber of Commerce denounced it as “a job killer,” while the California Restaurant Association said it was a “blow to small businesses” and a political knee-jerk move by the governor after it appeared that the issue had been shelved for the year. “Brown suddenly became aggressively interested in addressing minimum wage with labor unions in an attempt to avoid their threat of putting the issue on the ballot in 2014,” the CRA said on its website. Although the federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 an hour, tipped employees often earn less than that. Under current federal requirements, employees are only obliged to be paid $2.13 an hour in direct wages if tips and commissions bridge the rest of gap. More than 15 million American workers earn the national minimum wage, which calculated over a 40-hour, 52-week working year, equals $15,080. This figure sits $50 below the federal poverty line for a family of two and compares with a median national salary of $40,350. Thoughts?? Continue reading →
The other day, we rounded up a couple of our amazing, and I mean amazing stepGIRLS and got them to pose with our favorite bicycle, which happens to be an amazing State Bicycle Co bike… State Bicycle Co is a company, that if you know bikes, you will know, make some of the most stylish bicycles around that will get you noticed…which is really what you should want. Like these: You know the kind of bicycle that will get any girl excited to ride with you, even if you don’t have a car, because they just have that much cool… I find bicycles highly erotic. I love girls on bicycles, girls next to bicycles, sniffing bicycle seats when they are still warm after a babe happens park her bike next to me on a hot summer day….creeping on some panty shots when the wind blows bicycyle riding babes and their skirts the right way…so it was only natural to get our stepGIRLS half naked and next to a bike….and shit is HOT HOT HOT. You can find the perfect bike for yourself at StateBicycle.com , they are as low as $389 + Free Shipping… Even better, every State Bicycle Co. model is limited edition, so you can be sure that the bike you buy will be unique. Because we did this shoot, State Bicycle Co has decided to offer, Exclusive for Drunken Stepfather readers, 10% off your order now until July 31st. Use coupon code: drunkstate at check out. To get yourself a bike, and we suggest you do, cuz they are awesome and chicks dig em… CLICK HERE
Somewhereinamerica Hov is still very rich… Dame Dash Hit With Two Million Dollar Tax Lien Via TMZ reports: Damon Dash probably wishes he still had Jay-Z on speed dial … because the cesspool of debt he’s wading in just got worse … he’s been slapped with a $2.8 MILLION TAX BILL. Dash — who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear with Jay — has been open about the fact that he’s drowning in debt … despite the fact that at one time he was half-king of a multi-million-dollar business. Now, his financial problems have worsened. Uncle Sam filed a federal tax lien against Dash, claiming he needs to cough up some un-paid tax cash for the years 2005 and 2011. The breakdown: 2005: $2,614,918.10 2011: $187,544.20 Grand total: $2,802,262.30 … i.e. a whole lotta cheddar. The 2005 bill is clearly larger … which makes sense considering Hov and Dash parted ways back in 2004 — meaning in 2005, he was probably still raking in some major-taxable bucks. 2011 … not so much. FYI — Dash has said he owes millions in back taxes to the State of NY and NJ and claims he’s lost multiple properties to foreclosure. Maybe this is why Dame is trying to get back in Jay’s good graces … Continue reading →
This is ridiculous. Legislation Attacks Abortion According to Raw Story Legislation to ban Islamic law in North Carolina now also contains a number of anti-abortion measures, potentially closing all but one abortion clinic in the state. “This attempted sneak attack on women’s reproductive rights is absolutely shameful,” Sarah Preston of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina said Tuesday. “Issues as vital and personal as access to comprehensive health care and doctor-patient relationships deserve to be debated in an open, public process – not hastily pushed through without notice and under the cover of night during a holiday week.” House Bill 695 originally sought to prohibit courts from using Sharia and other foreign laws in family law proceedings. The North Carolina Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday unexpectedly tacked on six anti-abortion measures late in the afternoon and sent the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) said she was “appalled” by Republicans’ attempt to use “procedural tricks” to ram the anti-abortion measures through the state Senate. The legislation would now allow any health care provider to opt out of providing abortion-related services, prohibit health plans offered through federal health care exchanges from offering abortion coverage, outlaw sex-selection abortions, require doctors to stay in the room during the entire abortion procedure, force abortion clinics to obtain patient-transfer agreements with local hospitals, and mandate that abortion clinics meet the same stringent standards as outpatient surgical centers. “These loathsome restrictions and the deceitful method through which the Senate tried to pass them are an obvious effort to not simply prevent women in North Carolina from having comprehensive access to much-needed health care, but to not even give them an opportunity to weigh in on legislation that will have wide-ranging impacts on women and doctors all across our state,” Preston added. Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Morganton) told the News & Observer that abortion clinics should be regulated the same way as surgical centers. Just one clinic in the state currently meets that standard, which includes regulations on corridor widths and room sizes, among many others. “The politicians who responsible for this backdoor maneuvering have taken seriously the rising tide of activists gathering weekly outside the General Assembly to oppose anti-choice legislation. Unfortunately, the lesson they’ve taken is that the best way to accomplish their goals is to hide their maneuvers from the public,” said Suzanne Buckley of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. Do you think closing the majority of abortion facilities will force women to seek extreme ways to get rid of unwanted children? Continue reading →
Hooray for same-sex marriage . Same-Sex Marriage To Resume In California According to CNN The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that same-sex marriages can resume in California, a move that the Supreme Court paved the way for on Wednesday. Three judges on the appeals court made it possible for local governments to issue marriage certificates for gay and lesbian couples with a few words: “The stay in the above matter is dissolved effective immediately.” Very soon after, California Attorney General Kamala Harris was already at San Francisco’s city hall marrying couples, according to her office. “I am thrilled that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted its stay to allow same-sex couples to legally marry in California,” Harris said in a statement. “Gay and lesbian couples have waited so long for this day and for their fundamental right to marry. Finally, their loving relationships are as legitimate and legal as any other.” California’s Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage in May 2008, ruling that the state’s constitution gives “this basic civil right to (marry to) all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.” But months later, 52% of voters backed Proposition 8 to once again restrict marriages so that they can only be between a man and a woman. The measure put gay and lesbian marriages on hold in the state, but a federal appeals court later rule Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal of that federal court ruling on jurisdictional grounds. That meant that Friday’s news — and the resumption of same-sex marriages in the Golden State — was expected, even if the timing wasn’t fully known. This is great news, but more needs to be done for gay people’s rights in this country. Gay rights are civil rights.
