‘Thought I Made It Obvious’ Lil Nas X Seemingly Comes Out As Gay On Last Day Of Pride Month

WATCH VIDEO: Where Are The Central Park 5 Now?

Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Kharey Wise were just teens when they were coerced into confessing to a rape they didn’t commit.

The “Central Park 5” case was one of the most publicized of the 1980s: five teens were falsely accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park and it would take years before they were exonerated.

Now, 30 years later, Ava DuVernay’s new four-part Netflix film “When They See Us” has prompted a reexamination of how the teens, mere boys, became victims of a vicious and false narrative that landed them behind bars. 

Trisha Meili was a 28-year-old investment banker out for a jog in Central Park on April 19, 1989. She was attacked by a serial rapist, Matias Reyes, but that wouldn’t be proven until years later following his confession from prison. Reyes, who was later convicted of raping multiple other women including a pregnant victim he also killed, hit Meili in the back of the head with a tree branch. He then dragged her off the jogging path and into the woods where he violently raped her, beat her with a rock, tied up with her own shirt and left her for dead.

Investigators chose to focus on a large group of mostly African-American boys who happened to be in the park around the same time of the rape. People had made 911 calls to police that night regarding groups of teens harassing people in the park.

As “When They See Us” shows, investigators honed in on five boys in particular: Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Kharey Wise. They all maintained their innocence and said they were coerced into confessing. The new series depicts the boys as confused, thinking that they could go home if they told police what they wanted to hear. The DNA found at the scene did not match any of theirs. Meili testified twice during the trial, under the identity “the Central Park Jogger,” and stated she didn’t remember the attack.

The boys, who came to be known as the “Central Park 5,” were sentenced to between seven and 13 years in prison for the attack. Their case became highly publicized and sensationalized, so much so that even Donald Trump weighed in on it. The five were exonerated in 2002 after Reyes confessed. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau withdrew all charges against the boys, by then men, and their convictions were vacated. Wise, who was still in prison, was released.

In 2014, the city of New York settled with the five wrongly convicted men for $40 million. Additionally they filed a $52 million lawsuit for extra damages, a suit that is still reportedly ongoing. Three of the members, Salaam, Richardson and Santana were given honorary diplomas from their former high schools in 2017, according to the New York Times.

So where are the “Central Park 5” now and how are they doing individually?

Raymond Santana

After spending five years behind bars, he is now the father of a teen daughter, according to “When They See Us.” He lives in Georgia but still appears to have strong ties to where he grew up. He founded his own apparel company called Park Madison NYC. Some of the apparel features the names of the “Central Park 5.” Musical artist Nas sports the gear in one of the company’s posts. One of the shirts even features a mugshot of himself. A post of that shirt states, “I created this shirt and called it the ‘Raymond Santana Tribute Tee’ because I wanted to recognize the ups and downs, the road I traveled, to become the man that I am today.”

Santana has pushed for criminal justice reforms in New York, including trying to mandate that all interrogations be recorded, according to AM New York.

Kevin Richardson

After five and a half years behind bars, Richardson is now married and the father of two daughters, whom he lives with in New Jersey. He travels to speak about his experience and advocates for changes in the system, according to the Innocence Project.

“There was such a media frenzy, during that time . . . we were physically scared to come outside,” he recounted during a 2017 talk.  He and Salaam talked about wrongful convictions and criminal justice reform at a Fashion Institute of Technology talk the same year.

Antron McCray

After six years behind bars, McCray is married and a proud father of six. He lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the first of the five to leave New York City, according to “When They See Us.”

He has mostly stayed out of the spotlight. However in May, he did an interview with The New York Times, “I’m damaged, you know? I know I need help. But I feel like I’m too old to get help now. I’m 45 years old, so I’m just focused on my kids. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do. I just stay busy. I stay in the gym. I ride my motorcycle. But it eats me up every day. Eats me alive. My wife is trying to get me help but I keep refusing. That’s just where I’m at right now. I don’t know what to do.”

He also told the publication he still struggles with complicated feelings towards his father, Bobby McCray, who testified in 1990 that he instructed his 16-year-old son to confess to a crime he knew he didn’t do.

Yusef Salaam

After spending seven years behind bars, Salaam also now resides in Georgia, where he lives with his wife and 10 children. He does public speaking, focusing on pushing for policy change in the criminal justice system. His website, Yusef Speaks, states that he “has traveled all around the United States and the Caribbean to deliver influential lectures and facilitate insightful conversations as he continues to touch lives and raise important questions about race and class, the failings of our criminal justice system, legal protections for vulnerable juveniles, and fundamental human rights.”

Salaam is a published poet and has been the recipient of several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016 and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Anointed by God Ministries Alliance & Seminary in 2014.

“Determined to educate the public, Yusef eagerly shares his story with others. In speaking out against injustice, he conveys the importance of continuing one’s education—whether formal or otherwise,” his site states. “He also touches on the effects of incarceration and the disenfranchisement of economically disadvantaged people and its devastating impact on both their families and the community at large.”

Kharey Wise

Wise was the eldest of the five and appeared to have been given the worst “deal” out of all of them. Because he was 16, he could be interrogated without a guardian present and, as the new Netflix series depicts, he may have been coerced the most. He may have also been particularly vulnerable, despite being the oldest.  In Sarah Burns’ 2011 book “The Central Park Five: The Untold Story Behind One Of New York City’s Most Infamous Crimes,” she wrote that he “had hearing problems from an early age, and a learning disability that limited his achievement in school.” Plus, he wasn’t even a suspect to begin with. He only went down to the station, as the series depicts, to support his friend Salaam. He spent most of his 14 years behind bars in adult facilities, including the infamously rough Rikers Island.

After he was released, Wise changed his first name from Kharey to Korey. He is the only member of the five who chose to stay in New York City. He both established and funded the Korey Wise Innocence Project at Colorado Law School which offers pro-bono legal counsel to wrongfully convicted people.

“You can forgive, but you won’t forget,” Wise in the 2012 Central Park Five documentary. “You won’t forget what you lost. No money could bring that time back. No money could bring the life that was missing or the time that was taken away.”

source

The post WATCH VIDEO: Where Are The Central Park 5 Now? appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/watch-video-where-are-the-central-park-5-now/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=watch-video-where-are-the-central-park-5-now

Woman Was Arrested For Turning In Her Husband’s Guns After He Was Charged With Abusing Her!

Woman Was Arrested For Turning In Her Husband’s Guns After He Was Charged With Abusing Her!

A 33-year-old woman from Lakeland, Florida, was arrested for trying to turn her estranged husband’s firearms in to the police after he’d been charged with domestic violence and attempting to run her over with his car.

Courtney Irby was charged with two counts of grand theft of a firearm and one count of armed burglary last week. She spent five days in jail.

According to an affidavit obtained by BF News, Courtney collected all of her estranged husband Joseph Irby’s firearms at his home while he was under police custody, and brought them into the Lakeland Police Department.

When an officer questioned Courtney about how she obtained the guns, she told him, “Well, he was arrested yesterday for trying to run me over with his car, and he is now in jail. So I went to his apartment since he is in jail and I searched his apartment for the guns I knew he had and I took them.”

The officer, Brent Behrens, stated that he proceeded to question her to confirm that she entered Joseph’s home without his permission. “So you are telling me you committed an armed burglary?” he said.

“Yes I am, but he wasn’t going to turn them in so I am doing it,” she then responded, according to Behrens. Courtney proceeded to tell Behrens that she has a temporary injunction against her ex, and that she knew he would not turn in his firearms himself — as reportedly mandated by a judge’s orders.

According to Joseph’s arrest record from the day prior on June 14, Courtney told an officer of the Bartow Police Department that her husband was repeatedly “ramming” his car into hers, and eventually off the road. She said she was “in fear for her life.” Behrens stated that on June 15, he “determined [Courtney] committed the Act of Armed Burglary” when she admitted to retrieving the guns from her ex’s residence, and charged and booked her at Polk County Jail.

Woman Was Arrested For Turning In Her Husband’s Guns After He Was Charged With Abusing Her!

The affidavit stated that Behrens contacted Joseph following his arrest of his wife. Joseph said he wanted to pursue charges as she “did not have permission to enter his dwelling and remove his firearms.”

Online and across the country, Courtney’s story has drawn confused and contentious reactions from citizens and lawmakers. Specifically, people are angry the Lakeland Police Department chose to arrest Courtney without consideration of other critical factors for her actions.

@LakelandPD Who was supposed to turn in the firearms in the #CourtneyIrby case? Did you expect her abusive husband, with a violent and aggressive record, to go to his apartment alone, get his guns, and bring them to you? I hope you realize this is absurd.

— Salt Mine (@SaltMine10) June 22, 2019

Some are demanding they drop the charges against her.

@LakelandChamber Why would any decent person with a choice spend their hard earned money in a town where the cops value a violent man’s gun stash over a woman’s safety? Tell @LakelandPD to drop the charges against #CourtneyIrby.

— Randy Childs (@RandyMathHippie) June 21, 2019

After hearing about what happened, Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) spoke out in support of Courtney and her decision. “I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and empowering our survivors to ask for help — not arrest them,” she tweeted on Tuesday.

I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and empowering our survivors to ask for help — not arrest them. https://t.co/qWyCyIpDdS

— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) June 25, 2019

source

The post Woman Was Arrested For Turning In Her Husband’s Guns After He Was Charged With Abusing Her! appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/woman-was-arrested-for-turning-in-her-husbands-guns-after-he-was-charged-with-abusing-her/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=woman-was-arrested-for-turning-in-her-husbands-guns-after-he-was-charged-with-abusing-her

50 Cent Claims Rotimi Owes Him Money: ‘I Want to Punch This N***a Nose’ (UPDATE)

UPDATED 5/29 AT 4:00 pm EST: After being ambushed by 50 Cent, actor Rotimi has taken to social media to clear the air regarding the rapper’s claims that he owes him money.

In a video uploaded to his Instagram, Rotimi insists that he doesn’t owe 50 Cent any cash.

“I feel like I need to address this. N****s calling me saying I owe 50 money, 50 saying I owe him money. I don’t owe 50 Cent any money,” Rotimi said before listing out his recent accomplishment. “Why now? Why wait until Walk With Me is no. 1 on the charts? Why would you wait until my project is no. 1 on the R&B charts to bring something up like this? I don’t owe you bread.

Yet, 50 states otherwise. Shortly after Rotimi’s post went public, 50 Cent added a video to his account where he gave more information on the alleged debt.

“You do owe me money,” 50 said in caption. “My man you owe a outstanding balance of $300,000 now WALK WITH ME to the bank. That’s right. You owe me 300,000 thousand… You no. 1. Now, you can pay me my money.”

See original story below

Since morphing into “FOFTY” 50 Cent has become worse than the IRS. The rapper has dedicated a good portion of his time to tracking down people that owe him various amounts of money and using his social media presence to bully them into paying back their debt. Now, it appears the FOFTY has found a new target as he claims Power star Rotimi has his bread. POST CONTINUES BELOW

Like his other victims, 50 took to Instagram on Wednesday where he gave the entertainer a deadline to cough up the cash.

“Man fuck all that I want my money by Monday,” 50 captioned a video of Rotimi promoting his new album. “Cash n***a where the bag at.”

Of course, this was just the beginning of 50’s tirade. In the following posts, the rapper referenced the success of Rotimi’s album as proof the singer has the bread to pay him back.

“I want to punch this n***a nose [Rotimi] got the #1 RNB album time to pay me on gang,” Fif wrote before continuing to use Rotimi’s album as fuel for his beef. 

“Walk with you, yeah I’m a walk with you to the bank,” 50 captioned a picture of the album’s cover art. “I need to see that bag.”POST CONTINUES BELOW

Although 50 has yet to detail the nature of Rotimi’s debt, he did explain that the entertainer gave him “some” of the money. But, it seems like FOFTY wants all his bread back now that Rotimi’s album is a success.

Unlike 50’s previous squabbles with actors Jackie Long and Teairra Mari, Rotimi has yet to respond to Fif’s antics. Yet if history is a good indicator, Rotimi will likely explain the source of their issues and pay the rapper back before the banks close on Monday. 

Source

The post 50 Cent Claims Rotimi Owes Him Money: ‘I Want to Punch This N***a Nose’ (UPDATE) appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/50-cent-claims-rotimi-owes-him-money-i-want-to-punch-this-na-nose-update/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=50-cent-claims-rotimi-owes-him-money-i-want-to-punch-this-na-nose-update

A Mom And Her Son Had Graduation Ceremonies On The Same Day. So One University Surprised The Mom After She Skipped Hers.

A touching moment coordinated by two university heads to confer a mom’s degree at her son’s graduation ceremony has gone viral across social media after one school, Central Michigan University, captured the moment and shared it on Facebook over the weekend. Stephan Wilson and his mom, Sharonda, both graduated from two separate universities in Michigan this year. However, their ceremonies fell on the same day. Stephan graduated with a degree in fine arts in musical theater from Central Michigan University. Sharonda was also scheduled to graduate that same Saturday with a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University. Sharonda decided to skip her own graduation so she could attend Stephan’s. A spokesperson for CMU told BuzzFeed News that the school’s president, Bob Davies, learned about this unfortunate circumstance after a friend of Stephan’s made mention of it the morning of the graduation. “One of Stephan’s friends works in President Davies’ office as a student worker,” said Ari Harris, the assistant communications director for the university. “She saw a post on Stephan’s Facebook page about Mrs. Wilson skipping her ceremony in order to watch Stephan walk.” Davies then placed a call to David Eisler, the president of Ferris State University. Together, the two university heads surprised both Stephan and his mom by presenting Sharonda with her own graduation cap, and a mini ceremony, during Stephan’s graduation.

“On behalf of president Eisler and Ferris State trustees … please move your tassel from your right to your left,” Davies announced to Sharonda as the crowd erupted in applause. Her son cheered on his mom next to her. In a statement provided to BuzzFeed News, Davies said he wanted to make sure the Wilsons both got “the chance to celebrate together as a family” as it was a “milestone achievement.” “The commencement ceremony is a celebration of student achievement and it acknowledges the passion, dedication and enthusiasm required to earn a college degree,” he said. “Sharonda and Stephan both put in the long hours and hard work, and they deserved the chance to celebrate together as a family.”

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Stephan for comment. However, the school said the new graduate may be slow to respond because following the ceremony he immediately “jumped on a bus with the CMU School of Music Chamber Singers to begin a multi-state musical tour.”

Central Michigan University provided BuzzFeed News with a statement on his behalf, in which he thanked both schools. “Earning our college degrees has been an incredible journey for both my mom and I, and it was a blessing to stand beside her and celebrate together. I’m so thankful to President Davies and President Eisler for making this such a special moment for us,” said Stephan. BuzzFeed News has also reached out to Sharonda for comment.

Source: http://bit.ly/2DY5Mgi

The post A Mom And Her Son Had Graduation Ceremonies On The Same Day. So One University Surprised The Mom After She Skipped Hers. appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/a-mom-and-her-son-had-graduation-ceremonies-on-the-same-day-so-one-university-surprised-the-mom-after-she-skipped-hers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-mom-and-her-son-had-graduation-ceremonies-on-the-same-day-so-one-university-surprised-the-mom-after-she-skipped-hers

Iggy Azalea Topless Pics Leak then Rapper Deletes All Social Media Accounts

“I feel blind sided, embarrassed, violated, angry, sad, and million other things,” says the rapper, who intends to press charges!

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Recording artist Iggy Azalea attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Martin Bandier at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Iggy Azalea came back from a brief social media hiatus on Monday, issuing a statement on Twitter regarding some topless photos of her that leaked online over the weekend, only to disappear from social media again moments later.

The 28-year-old Australian rapper, who’s real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, suspended her Instagram and Twitter accounts on Monday, one day after partially nude photos from a GQ photo shoot with her were leaked online. She reactivated her Twitter account hours later to issue a statement on the leak before deleting the account again minutes later.

In the statement, Azalea said she plans to press criminal charges against the person or persons responsible for the leak.

“I feel blind sided, embarrassed, violated, angry, sad, and million other things. Not solely because I did not consent to this, but because of the vile way people have reacted,” Azalea said in a statement posted to Twitter. “The outright wicked things people say is overwhelming and makes me feel like throwing up.

“I fully intend to find out where the leak originated from and pressing criminal charges in regards to this,” she continued. “It’s important to me that someone actually be held accountable for their actions and the way it impacts my life.”

Representatives for Azalea did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.

The photos, Azalea said, were from a 2016 GQ cover shoot. “There was no reason for anyone to have kept the outtakes from the shoot,” she said.

The leak of Azalea’s photos joins a string of others female celebrities who’ve had similar problems, such as Jennifer Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Leslie Jones and Kate Upton, among others.

It also comes as the artist prepares to release her second studio album “In My Defense.” Azalea, who also appeared in Universal Pictures’ “Furious 7,” released the first single, “Sally Walker,” from the album in March and a second single titled “Started” earlier this month.

The “Fancy” rapper’s new album, the follow up to her 2014 breakthrough album “The New Classic,” is expected to come out in June.

Source: bit.ly/30SyCc7

The post Iggy Azalea Topless Pics Leak then Rapper Deletes All Social Media Accounts appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/iggy-azalea-topless-pics-leak-then-rapper-to-deletes-all-social-media-accounts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=iggy-azalea-topless-pics-leak-then-rapper-to-deletes-all-social-media-accounts

A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say

A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say

A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say. Investigators with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office at the scene of a double killing in Metairie, La., on Tuesday.CreditMichael Democker/The Times-Picayune, via Associated Press

Investigators with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office at the scene of a double killing in Metairie, La., on Tuesday.CreditCreditMichael Democker/The Times-Picayune, via Associated Press

A Louisiana man has been accused of fatally shooting three people in a neighborhood just outside New Orleans this week in what appeared to be random attacks, the authorities said Wednesday, adding that he was also a suspect in a killing in the city earlier this month.

The suspect, Sean Barrette, 22, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Metairie, a community just west of New Orleans where the three killings took place, said Joseph P. Lopinto, the sheriff for Jefferson Parish.

“This was a subject that went around and was shooting indiscriminately,” Sheriff Lopinto said at a news conference on Wednesday. “We’re talking about random victims. We’ve not been able to identify any connection between the victims and the suspect himself.”

The killings in Metairie took place on Monday and Tuesday. The police were able to home in on Mr. Barrette after they found his cellphone near the scene of the first shooting, the authorities said.

Every Friday, get an exclusive look at how one of the week’s biggest news stories on “The Daily” podcast came together.SIGN UP

On Wednesday, Mr. Barrette was being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder and two counts of obstruction of justice.

“We don’t really have a motive,” Sheriff Lopinto said. He added that Mr. Barrette “has had a history of mental problems. Recently, he had two physician emergency committals, one being in December of 2018 and another one in April of 2019.”

Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, said in an email that there was “nothing to indicate race was a motivating factor.” In Metairie, two of the victims were Hispanic and one was white; in New Orleans, the victim was black. Mr. Barrette is white.

The first shooting victim this week, Isai Cadalzo, 22, was found in his car in Metairie on Monday night.

On Tuesday afternoon, reports of another shooting came in. Two men in a vehicle in Metairie had been killed: Manuel Caronia, 45, and Nicky Robeau, 57. Witnesses told the authorities that a tan sport-utility vehicle had been involved.

As the authorities investigated, they found links to a fatal shooting that had taken place in New Orleans on June 6. The victim was identified as Bruce Reed, 61. Witnesses at the time had reported seeing a tan sport-utility vehicle, and the casings found in New Orleans matched the ones found after the Metairie shootings, Sheriff Lopinto said.Sean Barrette, 22, a resident of Metairie, La., is being held in jail in connection with three killings this week. He’s also a suspect in a June 6 killing in New Orleans.CreditJefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, via Associated Press

A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say

Sean Barrette, 22, a resident of Metairie, La., is being held in jail in connection with three killings this week. He’s also a suspect in a June 6 killing in New Orleans.CreditJefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, via Associated Press

Calls to the New Orleans Police Department on Wednesday evening were not immediately returned.

As the authorities were surveilling Mr. Barrette’s residence in Metairie on Tuesday, he arrived in a tan sport-utility vehicle.

“Our SWAT team was activated and used to take Barrette into custody without incident,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “After obtaining warrants for the vehicle and residence, we were able to recover forensic evidence that links Barrette to both incidents.”

Included in that evidence was a handgun — a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson — that the authorities found at the bottom of Mr. Barrette’s laundry basket.

A lawyer for Mr. Barrette declined to comment but said that a bond and preliminary examination hearing was set for July 10.

Melissa Ann Romero, a daughter of Mr. Robeau, one of the victims, said her father, a truck driver, was a “fun-loving man. Hard-working man. Dedicated to his family. Didn’t do anything wrong.”

She added that she was thankful to the authorities who tracked down Mr. Barrette. “I did think they did a good job at apprehending the suspect and getting him as fast as they did,” she said.

Metairie, which sits on the northeastern edge of Jefferson Parish, is about 15 minutes from downtown New Orleans.

“It basically serves as a business district,” Terrie Birkel, the vice president of the Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in an interview on Wednesday. “A lot of commerce. Many corporations are located within the ZIP code of Metairie.”

Ms. Birkel described the area as busy. “It’s a very highly trafficked area,” she said. “That area is a mix of residential, commercial businesses, auto dealerships, as well as schools. Very large, diverse area.”

Homicides in the Jefferson Parish area are on the decline. There were 44 homicides in 2016, 31 in 2017 and 24 in 2018, according to crime statistics from the sheriff’s office. The most recent data shows there were 12 homicides in the first four months of 2019.

Captain Rivarde of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said this case — with three killed, apparently randomly, in two days — was rare.

“We’re probably the largest law enforcement agency in Louisiana, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say

source

The post A Louisiana Man Killed 3 ‘Random Victims’ in Two Days, Authorities Say appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/a-louisiana-man-killed-3-random-victims-in-two-days-authorities-say/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-louisiana-man-killed-3-random-victims-in-two-days-authorities-say

Toys ‘R’ Us, Back From the Dead, Will Open U.S. Stores in 2019

KINGSTON, MA – MARCH 15: The exterior of the Toys R Us store in Kingston, MA is pictured on March 15, 2018. The company is declaring bankruptcy and closing all of its stores.

Maybe American kids will only have to live through one Christmas without Toys “R” Us.

About a year after shuttering U.S. operations, the remnant of the defunct toy chain is set to return this holiday season by opening about a half dozen U.S. stores and an e-commerce site, according to people familiar with the matter.

Richard Barry, a former Toys “R” Us executive who is now CEO of new entity Tru Kids Inc., has been pitching his vision to reincarnate the chain to toymakers, including at an industry conference this week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.

The stores are slated to be about 10,000-square feet, roughly a third of the size of the brand’s big-box outlets that closed last year, the people said. The locations will also have more experiences, like play areas. The startup costs could be minimized with a consignment inventory model in which toymakers ship goods but don’t get paid until consumers buy them, some of the people said.

A spokeswoman for Tru Kids said the company wasn’t ready to publicly share details on its U.S. strategy.

New Rivals

It remains to be seen how much of a boost the retailer’s comeback will provide the toy industry, including giants such as Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc. The original Toys “R” Us, the only national toy chain, left a huge holewhen it went under. It had been generating about $7 billion in sales a year in the U.S. through more than 700 locations, including the Babies “R” Us brand.

Walmart Inc., Target Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. have swooped in to fill the void. They have all expanded toy assortments and marketing, including a printed toy catalog from Amazon. Other non-traditional chains jumped into the category, including grocery stores and Party City Holdco Inc.

There is also a question of how many toymakers will do business with the new Toys “R” Us after many lost money when the former company announced liquidation in March 2018, just months after filing for bankruptcy.

MGA on Board

MGA Entertainment Inc., one of the best-performing toymakers in the world, is already on board to sell at the re-imagined Toys “R” Us shops, said Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian, who said he has been pitched the plan. His company’s properties include Little Tikes, L.O.L. Surprise! and Bratz dolls.

“This market needs a self-standing toy store, that’s for sure,” Larian said in an interview. “We will sell them inventory.”

Related: Tears ‘R’ Us: The World’s Biggest Toy Store Didn’t Have to Die

During the chain’s bankruptcy, lenders led by Solus Alternative Asset Management and Angelo Gordon took control of the company’s assets. After results didn’t improve, they opted to shutter operations in the U.S. Units in Australia and other regions also closed, with divisions in Asia and Canada acquired by new owners.

This group tried to sell the intellectual property, but opted to keep it to garner a better return. As owners of the intellectual property, they have been collecting licensing and other fees from the units still operating and selling them private-label goods. The lenders then formed Tru Kids with the goal of reviving the brand in the U.S. and other regions it exited. It has since hired several industry veterans and signed a deal to bring Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us back to Australia through a partner.

source

The post Toys ‘R’ Us, Back From the Dead, Will Open U.S. Stores in 2019 appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/toys-r-us-back-from-the-dead-will-open-u-s-stores-in-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=toys-r-us-back-from-the-dead-will-open-u-s-stores-in-2019

There may be a copy of Wikipedia somewhere on the moon. Here’s how to help find it.

If you’ve ever worried that humanity will ever wipe itself out so completely that they’ll be no record of our civilization for aliens to discover, you can now rest (somewhat) easy.

Even if we blow everything on Earth to smithereens tomorrow, there will likely still be a library of 30,000 books, 5,000 languages, plus a complete copy of Wikipedia, somewhere on the moon. 

The only problem: We don’t know exactly where. 

The library is a project of the Arch Foundation, the same company that gave Elon Musk a test copy of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy to put aboard his spacebound Tesla Roadster. 

The Arch Lunar Library contains 100GB, or 30 million pages of text and pictures, literally embedded in 25 nickel disks in the tiniest type you can possibly imagine. You don’t need anything more specialized than a microscope to read it, and the etchings should survive for billions of years. 

This library was supposed to be delivered to the surface of the moon — specifically, the Sea of Serenity — by Israel’s Beresheet Mission last week. The bad news: After a glitch that turned its engine off and on again at the worst possible moment, the Beresheet lander smashed into the moon at 300 miles per hour.

The good news: Those disks were designed to be indestructible. And the Arch Foundation is all but certain its payload survived the crash.

The landing was a little bumpier than expected, but airplane black boxes survive stronger impacts, and our disc is less breakable. Small, light objects, like our 100 gram library, do better in impacts. It was probably thrown a few km away – a 30 million page frisbee on the moon.

— Arch Mission Foundation (@archmission) April 12, 2019

“We have either installed the first library on the moon,” says Arch Mission co-founder Nova Spivack, “or we have installed the first archaeological ruins of early human attempts to build a library on the moon.”

Some other items in that library for future alien archeologists to pore over: David Copperfield’s magic secrets, the Bible, an Israeli time capsule, and a queso recipe from a cafe in Texas. 

The Foundation isn’t giving up on its lost moon library — and it wants your help in locating it. Spivack’s team has put together an open Google Doc with all the technical specs of the library alongside all details of the crash provided by SpaceIL, the Israeli nonprofit behind Beresheet. (SpaceIL collaborated with aerospace manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries and Israel Space Agency, Israel’s NASA, on the lander.)

It’s a math problem, basically, though one unlike any you ever encountered in school: If a spacecraft carrying a 100 gram object crashes on the moon at 300 miles an hour, how far away will that object land? 

As the saying goes, “never let a crash on the moon get in the way of a great treasure hunt”

— Nova Spivack (@novaspivack) April 14, 2019

Already one aerospace engineer has suggested that the impact crater should be large enough for the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to spot — though it’s unlikely to be able to pick out anything as tiny as the little library that could. 

SpaceIL has already announced that a second Beresheet mission will be attempted, perhaps with another library on board.  In the meantime, as Spivack notes, “when you look at the Moon from now on, realize there is a lost library there containing Wikipedia, 30,000 books, 5,000 languages, and the history of the world.”

Not to mention a recipe for some pretty good queso.

Source: http://bit.ly/2ZO3BFn

The post There may be a copy of Wikipedia somewhere on the moon. Here’s how to help find it. appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/there-may-be-a-copy-of-wikipedia-somewhere-on-the-moon-heres-how-to-help-find-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=there-may-be-a-copy-of-wikipedia-somewhere-on-the-moon-heres-how-to-help-find-it

Celebrities Who Were Arrested in 2019

The tabloids and gossip blogs run on drama like what celebrity got arrested today. Those stories sell copies and get clicks, perhaps because high paid PR teams keep the stars’ lives looking so perfect, the public is fascinated with – and maybe just a little happy about – stories of famous people in jail. Drug charges, assault, disorderly conduct, and stories of more horrible celebrity crimes can land celebrities in jail. And once they’re there, celebrity jail photos and recent celebrity arrests are bound to get a lot of attention.  In 2019, who went to prison even though they’re rich and famous? What big celebrity arrests 2019 stole the headlines, and what celebrities are currently jail?

With all the scandals and scorching hot current celebrity events out there, it can be hard to keep up with the news about recently arrested celebrities. Stories of celebrities who have been arrested fade out of the headlines fast once a new scandal arises. Every celebrity in jail of 2019 is documented below. And, if you’re curious if any of these celebs are repeat offenders, check out this list of celebrity arrests of 2018.

Kodak Black

Photo: David Cabrera/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Rapper Kodak Black was arrested April 17, 2019 on charges of criminal possession of a weapon – a felony – and marijuana possession – a misdemeanor. Fans surrounded Black’s tour bus in anger after waiting hours to learn his show at The House of Blues in Boston was canceled the night of his arrest. The following morning, news broke that Black and his entourage were taken into custody at the US/Canadian border.

Black was released on a $20,000 cash bond.

Julian Assange

Photo:  Cancillería del Ecuador/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and charged with conspiring to commit computer intrusion. The charge was filed in March 2018 but the federal grand jury case had been kept under seal until his arrest on April 11, 2019, after the Westminster Magistrates’ Court found him guilty of failing to surrender to court. The UK has yet to decide if it will extradite Assange, who faces up to five years in US prison if convicted.

The charge relates to the 2010 release of American files documenting the slaying of civilians and journalists. Former Army intelligence specialist Chelsea Manning was convicted of leaking those files and sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013. Her sentence was commuted by President Barak Obama in 2017 and she returned to prison in March 2019, held on contempt of court for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.see more on Julian Assange

Boosie Badazz

Photo: Metaweb (FB)/Fair use

On April 8, 2019, Boosie Badazz was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, schedule I narcotics, possession of marijuana, and failure to maintain lane. The rapper, who was born Toreence Hatch Jr. and formerly known as Lil’ Boosie, allegedly swerved in and out of the lane while driving a white Dodge Charger in Newnan, Georgia. When pulled over, the Sgt. Jeff Bugg of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office reported that he noticed a strong marijuana smell coming from the vehicle.

The passenger, Antonio Allen, was identified as Boosie’s bodyguard and also arrested and charged. The pair were held at the Coweta County Jail while the charges were pending.

Michael Avenatti

Photo: The Circus – YouTube/Wikipedia Commons/CC BY 3.0

On March 25, 2019, Michael Avenatti was arrested on charges of extortion. The celebrity lawyer, known for formerly representing actress Stormy Daniels, was arrested for allegedly attempting to extort nearly $25 million from Nike. It was reported that Avenatti had information regarding a scandal involving high school and college basketball. The morning of the 25th, Avenatti tweeted that “This criminal conduct reaches the highest levels of Nike and involves some of the biggest names in college basketball.”

The previous week, according to the criminal complaint, Avenatti had approached Nike and offered to withhold the information he had, in exchange for both a payment to a client of his and that he and another person be retained by the global shoe company.

Michael Madsen

Photo: Metaweb (FB)/CC-BY-SA

Actor Michael Madsen was arrested on March 24, 2019, for driving under the influence. Madsen was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after his Land Rover struck a pole in Malibu, California, according to the report.

Madsen’s bail was set at $15,000, and he was released from jail the next day. The Reservoir Dogs and Hateful Eight actor has previously entered court-ordered rehab in 2012.

June Shannon

Photo: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo/TLC

June Shannon was arrested on March 13, 2019, in Macon County, Alabama, on possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia charges. Best known as “Mama June,” from the shows Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Mama June: From Not to Hot, she was arrested after a reported fight with her boyfriend Geno Doak, who was also arrested.

Neither Shannon’s rep nor the spokesperson for District Attorney’s Office of Macon County could provide further details.see more on June Shannon

Lori Loughlin

Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Full House and former Hallmark Channel actress Lori Loughlin was indicted for taking part in a large college admissions fraud scheme and was one of over a dozen arrested on March 12, 2019. The parents involved in the scheme allegedly manipulated records, cheated on entrance exams, or paid for those services to secure their children places in elite colleges. The money for the scheme was funneled through a charity.

According to the indictment, Loughlin paid $500,000 to secure her two daughters a place as recruits on the USC crew team, though neither played the sport, padding their extracurricular activity records. Along with the other parents involved, Loughlin is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. On March 14, 2019, Crown Media Family Networks – which include the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries – released a statement that they would no longer be working with Loughlin and had halted the development of all productions involving the actress. On March 15, it was rumored that Loughlin’s character, Aunt Becky, would not be written into the upcoming fifth season of the Netflix series Fuller House.

Felicity Huffman

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Actress Felicity Huffman was one of over a dozen indicted and arrested on March 12, 2019, for taking part in a large college admissions fraud scheme. Allegedly the parents involved in the scheme either participated in the cheating and record falsifying aspect, while others paid for it. The money for the scheme was funneled through a charity.

According to the indictment, Huffman paid for someone to take the SAT test for her oldest daughter, paying $15,000 for the service. Along with the other parents involved, Huffman is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. Huffman’s husband, William H. Macy, is not mentioned by name in the indictment.

Conor McGregor

Photo: via Tumblr

The evening of March 12, 2019, Conor McGregor was arrested by the Miami Beach police for allegedly breaking a fan’s phone after they tried to take a picture of him with it outside of a nightclub. According to the arrest report, the Mixed Martial Arts fighter knocked the phone out of the fan’s hand before stomping on it multiple times and walking away with it. McGregor was released on $12,500 bond shortly after being charged with one count of strong-arm robbery and one count of criminal mischeif of $1,000 or more.

After being released, McGregor posted an update on his Instagram with the caption “Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on.”see more on Conor McGregor

R. Kelly

Photo: Earl Gibson/Getty Images

After turning himself in on February 22, 2019, rapper R. Kelly was arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The charges stem from four different women, according to the records three of them were underage when their interactions with Kelly occurred.

Kelly’s bond was set at $1 million dollars. The terms of his bond also state that the rapper must surrender his passport and have no contact with anyone under age 18.

Almost two weeks later on March 6, 2019, Kelly was arrested in Chicago for failing to pay his ex-wife Drea Kelly child support. The rapper and singer owes $161,633 to Drea, who he shares three children with.

Joey Gaydos

Photo: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office

Former School of Rock actor, Joey Gaydos Jr. was arrested four times in five weeks in Florida for allegedly stealing guitars and an amplifier.According to police, Gaydos would ask to try out the guitars and then simply walk out of the store with them without paying, swapping them at pawn shops for cash. The total amount stolen is enough for Gaydos to be charged with felony larceny and grand theft. TMZ first reported the arrests shortly after midnight, March 3, 2019.

Though he made his mark as a child actor, Gaydos did not appear in any other films, focusing instead on music. When he was booked into the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office on February 14, 2019, for one of his arrests, his occupation was listed as “musician.”see more on Joey Gaydos

Jussie Smollett

Photo: via Tumblr

Empire actor Jussie Smollett was arrested on suspicion of filing a false report February 20, 2019, following the investigation into an alleged attack on January 29, 2019. Chicago police have stated that the actor paid $3,500 to two men to stage the attack. Smollett’s bail hearing will be the same day.

A cast member on Empire, Smollett’s scenes on upcoming episodes of the popular Fox drama have been reduced. The Chicago police claim Smollett staged the alleged attack as a bargaining chip for his salary. Early on January 29, 2019, actor Jussie Smollett checked himself into the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and reported that he had been attacked and called slurs related to his race and for being gay. Over the next month, different accounts and issues with the case began to unfold, revealing inconsistencies and problems with Smollett’s story and casting doubt on how or if it truly occurred.

YNW Melly

Photo: ynwmelly/Instagram

Rapper YNW Melly was arrested February 13, 2019 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Broward County Florida. The rising Florida rap star, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, was ordered to remain in jail without bond. The charges are related to the slayings of two of the rapper’s friends, who were victims of a drive-by-shooting in December 2018.

A statement was posted on YNW Melly’s official Instagram account on February 13, 2019, which clarified he was turning himself in, adding “I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice.. unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me.”

Jordan Klepper

Photo: NYTVF/flickr/CC-BY-ND 2.0

Comedian and former Daily Show correspondent, Jordan Klepper, was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 12, 2019. Klepper was filming a segment for his new show, Klepper, at the Board of Regents meeting in the Georgia Capitol Building. When asked to leave, Klepper and those he was with did not leave and the group was arrested for criminal trespassing.

The next day, Klepper posted an image of his arrest on his Instagram. In the caption, he said “Places like Freedom University are fighting the good fight. I was honored to stand with them and the other community faith leaders, teachers and protestors.”

21 Savage

Photo: via Tumblr

The rapper 21 Savage, whose birth name is Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 3, 2019. Although Abraham-Joseph has long been associated with and rapped about his upbringing in Atlanta, ICE stated that the rapper was is a citizen of the United Kingdom who overstayed his visa in July 2006.

Saying that 21 Savage is a role model to young people, his lawer Dina LaPolt, is working to release Abraham-Joseph from custody.

Bow Wow

Photo: Metaweb (FB)/CC-BY

Rapper Bow Wow as arrested and charged with battery on February 2, 2019. He allegedly got into an altercation in Atlanta with his girlfriend, ending with both members of the altercation under arrest and sustaining injury. No information regarding bail or court date for either party was available from Fulton County Jail, where the two were detained.

Gina Kirschenheiter

Photo: Gina Kirschenheiter/Twitter

Gina Kirschenheiter, one of the cast members of Real Housewives of Orange County, was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department on in the early morning of February 1, 2019. Allegedly arrested for driving under the influence, Kirschenheiter was released around noon the same day.

Kirschenheiter’s court date is set for February 28, 2019. Filming for season 14 of Real Housewives of Orange County is expected to begin soon.

Ryan Edwards

Photo: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

Star of Teen Mom OG, Ryan Edwards, was arrested and booked into the Hamilton County Jail on January 23, 2019, for “theft of services under $1,000” for allegedly walking out of a bar without paying his bill in December 2018. Held on $500 bond, Edwards was also arrested on possession of heroin, for which he is held with no bond.

Edwards was sentenced and arrested twice in 2018 for breaking probation of a herioin charge. His court date is set for February 6, 2019.

Chris Brown

Photo: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

Chris Brown and two other unidentified people have been detained in Paris on charges of aggravated rape and multiple narcotics offenses. The French magazine Closer reported that Brown was placed in police custody on January 21, 2019, based on the statement of an unnamed womanregarding his actions the night of January 15-16. He was released without charge by French police and the investigation is continuing.

Brown has most recently been in jail on a felony battery charge in April 2017. On January 22nd, Brown’s attorney Raphael Chiche stated on Twitter that the singer would be filing a slander suit against the woman who made the statement.

Chris Hansen

Photo: NBC

The former Dateline reporter and host of To Catch A Predator, Chris Hansen, turned himself in to the Stamford Police in Conneticut on January 15, 2019. The former NBC reporter had allegedly bounced checks and failed to pay for almost $13,000 worth of promotional materials. After writing a check that bounced in September 2017 for the mugs, t-shirts, and decals he had ordered from a Stamford merchant on delivery, Hansen again wrote a check that bounced in April 2018.

After turning himself in, Hansen was released on a signed promise to appear in court.see more on Chris Hansen

The post Celebrities Who Were Arrested in 2019 appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress http://nosytalk.com/celebrities-who-were-arrested-in-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrities-who-were-arrested-in-2019

Bushwick Bill Of The Geto Boys Dies At 52!

Bushwick Bill Of The Geto Boys Dies At 52!

Legendary Houston rapper Bushwick Bill, a founding member of the iconic Geto Boys, died Sunday night at the age of 52 after a brief fight with cancer. The diminutive hip-hop luminary from the genre’s golden age announced last month that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rolling Stone confirmed the death late Sunday night after a day of confusing reports over whether Bushwick Bill had actually died.

“Bushwick Bill passed away peacefully this evening at 9:35 p.m. He was surrounded by his immediate family,” his publicist, Dawn P., told Rolling Stone. “There were incorrect previous reports that he had passed away this morning. We are looking into doing a public memorial at a later date. His family appreciates all of the prayers and support and are asking for privacy at this time.”

That announcement came hours after fellow Geto Boys founder Scarface’s Instagram post Sunday morning saying “RIP Bushwick Bill” seemed to imply that he had died.

That turned out to not be the case, Dawn P. told the Associated Press Sunday afternoon, saying that the rapper was on a ventilator at a Colorado hospital at the time.

Scarface’s post was consequently deleted as other reports quickly came out saying Bushwick Bill had not yet died. It was unclear what exactly led Scarface to post that tragic announcement.

Bushwick Bill, whose real name is Richard Stephen Shaw and was born with dwarfism, told TMZ in early May that doctors said, “‘We see a mass on your pancreas and we can’t understand because it’s not alcohol, it’s not sugar, it’s not diabetes — they went through all kind of stuff. Finally, by February they said it was stage four pancreatic cancer.”

He continued, “And I’m like, ‘Stage 4? I’ve been getting tested and they said it was just a mass but it was benign. And I’m like, ‘Does benign mean it could be cancer?’ And they were like, ‘It’s just a mass with no purpose.’ So it was crazy to find out that pancreatic cancer is undetected until it’s in the fourth or fifth state.”

He said he didn’t fear death, “It’s not like I’m afraid of dying. I know what it’s like on the other side. That’s not what it’s really about. It’s about life and loving life. I just want people to be aware so that when they set dreams or goals, they’re healthy enough to fulfill and live.” Bushwick Bill reportedly leaves behind four children.

Pancreatic cancer has long targeted Black people, but even more vexing was the fact that so little is known about it, including what causes it. The statistics for pancreatic cancer victims along racial lines are damning, with a lopsided number of Black people being diagnosed with the ailment. Scientists haven’t determined what causes pancreatic cancer, and treatment options are limited, according to the American Cancer Society. However, there were several risk factors that physicians have concluded were linked to pancreatic cancer, including tobacco use and being overweight or obese.

However, cancer has been proven to be more deadly for Black people, with that fact being resoundingly true for pancreatic cancer patients, statistics have shown since around 1970, when pancreatic cancer trends began reversing themselves along racial lines.

“In white men, pancreatic cancer death rates decreased by 0.7% per year from 1970 to 1995 and then increased by 0.4% per year through 2009,” according to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “In contrast, the rates among blacks increased between 1970 and the late 1980s (women) or early 1990s (men).”

The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine took it a step further and found through clinical research that the “incidence of pancreatic cancer is 50 – 90% higher in African Americans than in any other racial group in the United States. Not only is pancreatic cancer more common among African Americans, but African Americans also have the poorest prognosis of any racial group because they often are diagnosed with advanced, and therefore, inoperable cancer.”

The Geto Boys is most known for the hip-hop classic song, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” See the classic video below:

source

The post Bushwick Bill Of The Geto Boys Dies At 52! appeared first on NosyTalk.

from WordPress https://nosytalk.com/bushwick-bill-of-the-geto-boys-dies-at-52/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bushwick-bill-of-the-geto-boys-dies-at-52