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Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

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Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

After a grand jury moved not to indict Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson for the Aug. 9 shooting and killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, protests erupted into chaos in the town. Dozens of buildings were reportedly set ablaze, with heavy gunfire sounding through the streets late into the night.

St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch started reading the grand jury decision around 8:15 p.m. local time, and just after the announcement, the St. Louis Dispatch reports, protesters remained "relatively peaceful." Some began to flank the lanes of Interstate 44, eventually blocking all traffic.

Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

KSDK reports "the protest took a turn when police brought out riot gear." Police "eventually lobbed tear gas from inside armored vehicles to disperse crowds," KMOV reports. As protests and fires continued through the night, heavy gunfire from automatic weapons could be heard amongst the larger crowds of protesters.http://gawker.com/ferguson-prote...

Ferguson police reportedly arrested 29 people last night and several businesses were seen being looted and many more were on fire. Local hospitals confirmed to the St. Louis Dispatch admitting at least 13 with injuries, including two with gunshot wounds.

Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

Asst. Fire Chief Steve Fair of the Ferguson Fire Department told KSDK that firefighters battled "approximately 25 structure fires," but the department struggled to contain flames with heavy gunfire in the streets. "Not just a little bit of gunfire, a lot of gunfire," Fair told the station. From KMOV:

Several North County businesses we set on fire, including many that were looted in August protests. Some of the businesses burned include a Walgreens store, a Little Caesars, Beauty Town, JC Wireless, O'Reilly Auto Parts and an Auto Zone. Later in the night, a Conoco gas station was set on fire and several cars on a nearby auto lot were burned.

"What I've seen tonight is probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August, and that's truly unfortunate," St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters at a press conference just after 1:30 a.m. local time.http://gawker.com/don-lemon-live...

"I don't think we were underprepared," Belmar went on. "But I'll be honest with you, unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here, I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community."http://gawker.com/obamas-sad-def...

Soon after the press conference, around 2 a.m., the St. Louis Dispatch reports, "at least five busloads" of buses carrying Missouri National Guard troops rolled into the town at Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's behest.

Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

The timing of the announcement of the grand jury's decision has come into question: Local authorities had moved for a daytime reveal to avoid the violent protests Ferguson saw in August, but "asked about the timing," the New York Times reports," Nixon said "it had been the choice of Mr. McCulloch."

Benjamin Crump, Michael Brown's family's lawyer, told the Times that they will be pursuing other legal options. "They don't trust this prosecutor; they never did from the beginning," Crump told the paper. "And they are going to try to see if they can do something to get some positive change out of this because they understand this system needs to be changed."

Flames, Chaos, and Heavy Gunfire in Ferguson After Grand Jury Decision

Michael Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden, the Times reports, was standing with the crowd outside the police station when McCulloch made the announcement that the grand jury will not indict Wilson.

"They wrong!" she screamed, pointing at the police officers lined up outside the station. "Y'all know y'all wrong!"

[Images via AP]


Bad Americans Can't Stop Weeping Over This Messed-Up Convenience Store

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People kept posting this Vine in the comments on posts about the grand jury's decision not to charge Darren Wilson in shooting of Michael Brown, because it seemed to them, on a horrible night in America, that it makes a sad and important point. And it does.

The point it makes is that there are people in this country so depraved that they think images of some spilled bags of chips somehow trump the slaying of an unarmed teenager. These are the descendents of the people who understood the tragedy of Do the Right Thing to be the destruction of Sal's Famous rather than the death of Radio Raheem. The sight of property damage and merchandise scattered on the floor moves them in some way that the sight of a young body left in a pool of blood in the street does not.

Thus we see the priorities of a certain segment of America. Parents, be warned: Instead of a dangerous hoodie, send your teenagers out draped in racks of Funyuns and Coke Zero, and this country will pity them and want vengeance on anyone who might harm them. If only poor Trayvon Martin had been carrying a few cases of Skittles and iced tea, rather than single portions.

So here's your Vine, so you can stop posting it. Yes, indeed, it is too bad the rioters hit this poor man's store. If only Michael Brown had been a 7-Eleven, you might have been outraged over his demise, too.

Killer Mike on Ferguson: "It Is Us Against the Motherfucking Machine"

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At a show last night in St. Louis, Mo., rapper Killer Mike, who is on tour with El-P to promote their second Run the Jewels mixtape, took to the microphone to speak openly and heartbreakingly about the Ferguson verdict from last night.

"I knew it was coming and I knew when Eric Holder resigned, I knew it wasn't going to be good." Killer Mike spoke through tears as he said, "I have a twenty-year-old son and a twelve-year-old son and I am so afraid for them."

"When I stood in front of my wife and I hugged and I cried like a baby, and I said 'These motherfuckers got me today.'" As Mike goes on, the crowd cheers in support:

"It is about poverty, it is about greed, it is about the war machine."

[h/t Dorian Lynskey]

Richard Cohen Is a Real Man, Unlike All You Rapists

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Richard Cohen Is a Real Man, Unlike All You Rapists

Richard Cohen is a dotty old racist newspaper columnist with the Washington Post and one of the worst professional opinion writers in America. More importantly: he's a man. A real man.

Richard Cohen, who is a supporter of the rapist Roman Polanski and who publicly pooh-poohed the Steubenville rape case and who was once reprimanded by his own paper for sexually harassing a female aide, hates rape. Hates the stuff! What gives him such a powerful aversion to rape? The fact that he is, not to put too fine a point on it, a man. A real man.

Where are the men?

I am talking about men who live by a certain code, who know that rape is repugnant, that gang rape is vile and that so-called men who do these things are criminals. I am talking at the moment of the frat boys at the University of Virginia who are accused of raping a young woman. But I am also talking of all those who knew what was happening — at the time or afterward. They are not men, either.

There's code. A man code. A real man code, which reads "Do not rape, and write shitty newspaper columns as a profession." How did Richard Cohen become such an expert?

I have been a columnist for many years now. I write on a variety of topics, some of them requiring prodigious amounts of research. But I have been a man all my life, and I don't have to Google anything about that.

Born that way son. Can bloggers somehow be faulted for the lack of real men today?

Is this old-fashioned? Have I just geezered my way into irrelevance? Am I going to hear from the gaggle of bloggers circling, like vultures, for the one errant phrase? Will I be told that I just don't get it ? Well, I don't. When I hear President Obama suggest that 1 in 5 college women is a victim of sexual assault, I just don't get it. Who are these creeps who rape? Why do other men put up with such behavior?

Who are all these flipping rapists????? Not cool!!

Golden Retriever Crushes German Shepherd in a Spaghetti-Eating Contest

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Someone decided to introduce dogs to the depraved human pastime of competitive eating, and naturally, they're very good at it. (Have you met dogs? They've been practicing for this their whole lives.)

But some dogs have an easier time Lady-and-the-Tramping an entire bowl of spaghetti than others. This young Golden Retriever is basically the Joey Chestnut of slurping pasta, but his older German Shepherd pal is no Kobayashi. (Unless you're referring to the time Kobayashi lost a hot dog battle to a tiny hamster.)

This has been today's news from the exciting world of sport.

[h/t Digg]

Bill Cosby Leaked Daughter's Drug Abuse to Kill Sex Scandal: Source

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Bill Cosby Leaked Daughter's Drug Abuse to Kill Sex Scandal: Source

If a report by Page Six is to be believed, the perceived insidiousness of Bill Cosby has been given a new layer. A source tells Richard Johnson that Cosby, desperate to kill a National Enquirer story about his alleged "swinging with Sammy Davis Jr. and some showgirls in Las Vegas," gave the tabloid information on his daughter Erinn's drug problems.http://defamer.gawker.com/the-wrap-issue...

A former Enquirer reporter told Page Six that the tabloid had a story planned about Cosby's alleged sexual escapades for the summer of 1989:

Contacted by the Enquirer for comment, Cosby apparently handed the weekly a story about his then-23-year-old daughter Erinn's battle with drug and alcohol abuse instead.

"My editor told me that daddy Cosby was the source. He ratted out his flesh and blood," said my source.

Cosby was quoted in the flattering story as saying, "Deep down inside, she knows we love her."

http://gawker.com/bill-cosby-is-...

Erinn Cosby, then 23, was struggling with drug and alcohol problems, and at the time accused Mike Tyson of having sexually assaulted her in his New Jersey home. Bill Cosby demanded both seek treatment; Erinn was estranged from the family until her brother Ennis' death in 1997.

[Image via AP]

Teen Girl Arrested for Running High School Prostitution Ring On Facebook

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Teen Girl Arrested for Running High School Prostitution Ring On Facebook

A 17-year-old Florida girl was arrested Friday for human trafficking after the Venice police department began investigating a high school prostitution ring organized on Facebook. The girl arranged at least one act of prostitution that involved a 15-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man, according to cops.

WTSP reports that John Mosher, 21, was arrested after the alleged act of prostitution took place. Cops say Mosher paid $40 and a bottle of alcohol to have sex with a 15-year-old girl. The girl told police she met Mosher at a community pool shed, and when she tried to back out of the deal, he forced her.

The alleged 17-year-old ringleader colluded with another high school student on Facebook to organize meetings like Mosher's, according to cops. In one of the exchanges, the alleged ringleader wrote:

Why pimp out old hoes when I have fresh young hoes I can give up for money? As long as I'm getting paid I'm trafficking all these (expletive deleted).

Police say her plan involved charging $50 for oral sex and $100 for sex with a virgin.

The case was brought to law enforcement's attention by four girls at Venice High School, which neighbors the alleged ringleader's Riverview High School. The girls told cops that the alleged ringleader and another teen boy tried to recruit them to join the ring.

WTSP reports that police will make another arrest in the case today.

[Photo via WTSP]

Deadspin Video: Bad Things Happening To TV Reporters In Ferguson | Gizmodo The Worst Airport In Amer


Elizabeth Warren opposes President Obama's nomination of a career Wall Street banker as new under se

Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow Reunite, Curse Wildly at Each Other

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Jennifer Aniston, delightful secret genius, is promoting Horrible Bosses 2 at the same time that Lisa Kudrow is making her comeback in The Comeback. Jimmy Kimmel spotted a chance to get the two Friends back together (again) and have them sling the foulest curse words they could think of.

You might assume Kudrow has the edge here, but Aniston will surprise you. I don't want to give too much away, but she opens with "dicklicker" and doesn't look back 'til she gets to "cunt sandwich."

Hopefully HBO picks up Golden Friends, because The One Where They Call Each Other Cockface might be too salty for network TV.

[h/t Uproxx]

The Adult's Guide to Finding Drugs When You're Home for the Holidays

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The Adult's Guide to Finding Drugs When You're Home for the Holidays

If you're old and no longer in touch with your high school buddies, there's one obvious problem with coming home for the holidays: You don't know where to buy drugs anymore. Fear not. We can get through this, together.

Finding drugs in a place where you have no networks is a skill. Some people are born with it—natural drug-finders with easy manners and pinpoint radars. Some people need to learn. For the latter category, this is your guide.

Ask a Teen

If you have teenage siblings or cousins, you should ask them where they get their drugs—or, even better, if they'll sell you an appropriate amount from their stashes. Don't be embarrassed that you don't know the right slang words. Offer to buy them some beer in exchange.

Raid Your Parents' Stash

When everyone is downstairs arguing about Obama, sneak up to your parents' bathroom and check the drawers and medicine cabinet. Odds are you'll find something good there. If your parents have recently undergone surgery or suffer from anxiety (possibly induced by the sudden homecoming of their drug addict child), those odds are even better. Check for generic labels: lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), oxycodone (duh), any compound that contains "amphetamine." If you're unsure of what a certain pill is, mail it to me c/o Gawker Media, 210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012. Don't forget: In a pinch, you can chug a whole bottle of Robitussin.

Bring Drugs With You

If you're traveling by car, train, or bus, just toss the baggie somewhere deep in your bag. If you're traveling by plane and feeling paranoid stuff it into a shampoo bottle.

Talk to Your Weed-Smoking Uncle

Even if you don't have any younger siblings or cousins, you probably have an uncle who smokes weed. Find a way to bring it up in conversation, see if you'll hook you up. Because he is also old and likely has troubles of his own finding drugs, he may be sympathetic. It's also possible he'll have a prescription for Vicodin due to a bad back or something. Watch out, though: he might snitch on you to your mom. Or, worse, you might be obligated to smoke with him.

A Bar

Tip well, order at least two drinks, and ask your bartender directly.

White Guy with Dreads

We don't usually advocate stereotyping, but you know what category of person always has drugs or knows where to find them? White dudes with dreads. Offer to go on a grocery run and use the opportunity to find a white guy with dreads hanging out downtown or at the local shopping plaza. Ask to bum a cigarette and strike up a conversation. At an appropriate moment, tell him you're looking for drugs. Note that this same method can be used, with lower rates of success, with the skaters and punks hanging out downtown.

Facebook

If you're still Facebook friends with most of the kids you went to high school with, there's a decent chance one of them can hook you up. Write a status update and use the button next to "post" to limit to people you went to high school with. Or use Facebook's graph search: "people I went to high school with who work at Long John Silver's" or "my friends who like the band Tool."

Consult Yelp

This is not a great idea, but it's certainly an idea. This Yelp page suggests buying drugs at the Gold Room, which used to be an infamous strip club but is now a regular overpriced club owned by the boyfriend of my high school friend's younger sister. I often see pictures of them on Facebook flying places in a private jet. What a world!

Steal Weed From Cindy's Parents

This is my step-mom's suggestion, but I don't know her friend Cindy.

The Wendy's Parking Lot Near My High School

I used to buy weed in the parking lot of the Wendy's near my high school in Sandy Springs, Ga., but it's closed now. Sad, but there's no reason to dwell—let's move on.

The Parking Lot Behind the Perimeter Pointe Movie Theater

Back in the early 2000s, you could go to parking lot behind the Perimeter Pointe movie theater in Dunwoody to buy your drugs. Sketchy dudes in JNCO's sold weed and various pills. My friend Kyle occasionally sold pot brownies there. It was a wonderful time to be alive. Are there still sketchy dudes there on Friday nights, selling drugs? Maybe. Worth checking out, at least.

The Parking Lot of the CVS Near My High School

If the Wendy's parking lot was too crowded, sometimes we'd meet in the parking lot of the CVS, which overlooked the Wendy's parking lot. The parking lot is still there and probably a good place to buy drugs. Ask around until someone helps, but do not ask a cop.

The Parking Lot Near the Houston's Off West Paces Ferry

One time I bought weed from a high school acquaintance and some of his friends in this parking lot. It's still there but I'm pretty sure they ripped me off, so I'd look elsewhere if I were you.

Call Tim

If he's home, he probably knows someone.

Please share your own drug buying strategies in the comments below, or if you have ones for suburban Atlanta, email them to taylor@gawker.com.

[Illustration by Jim Cooke]

Gotham Fall Finale Gives Us an Oddly Sexy Alfred Pennyworth

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Last night, Gotham wrapped up its freshman half-season by mixing highbrow with lowbrow and fully utilizing an oddly sexually-magnetic Alfred Pennyworth.

Ten episodes in, a lot has been written about this show. Unnecessary, prologue with no stakes, yada yada. Despite avoiding the cardinal sin of being duller than a bag of clipped toenails (like, say, the CW's The Flash) the joke has been that it's a fine show for people who don't like Batman, or good television with many holding the show's very premise against it. What is interesting about Baby Bruce Wayne? Why are so many villains being shoved down our throats? Pshaw, are we really supposed to believe that Catwoman happened to witness the Waynes' murder?

The bottom line is that yes, you are. Like its most similar predecessor Smallville, Gotham isn't concerned with catching up to the underwear figurehead that you know. (Heck, that was a universe in which Clark Kent had fully established the Justice League before ever putting on the cape.) The Batman Gotham will give birth to is likewise neither Nolan's nor Nick Dunne's upcoming interpretation.

Anyone who has evereven glanced through a comic shop window is perfectly fine with this. With so many adaptations wrestling their way onto our screens, big and small, it was only a matter of time before concurrent versions of iconic characters appeared. It's an alternate universe, everything is fine; calm down.

This particular episode, "Lovecraft," revolves around a high-heeled assassin and her goons crashing Wayne Manor with orders to eliminate murder witness Selina Kyle. The Moonrise Kingdom take on the overly literal but oddly likeable Bruce Wayne and Selina is generally effective, and carries none of the creepy undertone you might expect given their whip-and-latex-catsuit inspiration. (Although, Selina's goggles continue to infuriate me. Is she a fucking Digimon trainer?)

Last night gave us their first kiss, Bruce Wayne's first half-chub, as well as his first suicidal impulse to leap from a rooftop instead of contacting the proper authorities. As cynical as I tend to be about romances, this one works for me.

Gotham Fall Finale Gives Us an Oddly Sexy Alfred Pennyworth

This episode also reunites us with street urchin (and Poison-to-be) Ivy, played as that middle school girl with behavioral issues who probably eats her own hair. January 2015 is set to position James Gordon at Arkham Asylum, which should introduce us to a whole new slew of thinly-veiled adaptations: Look forward to a pale shaved head boy who keeps his room very chilly and carries a locket of his girlfriend; a blonde psychoanalyst intern attracted to bad boys with an unnatural love of puddin'; and a bodybuilder with a scale-like skin rash. The possibilities are endless!

That said, the show still hasn't fully found its footing. For one thing, the younger actors seem to be the only ones capable of exhibiting any form of restraint, as every actor over the age of 20 seems to snort a crooked line of cocaine before each take. Forget Jada Pinkett Smith, the most cartoonish of them all remains Donal Logue's "everycop" Harvey Bullock: "Damn it, Alfred, save your cheese, I can beat the truth out of this kid with a roll of quarters!" is one of his milder deliveries to date.

Still, the city of Gotham remains one of the most visually appealing playgrounds on network T,V and breakout character Oswald Cobblepot has altogether lost his "This Guy Becomes Penguin" sheen, adding to the show's steady pace towards narrative legitimacy. Gotham is very, very far from perfect, but if the chatter kept you away, next year's new status quo for Gordon might be the perfect time for you to give it another shot.

  • To quote my girlfriend, who bravely binged the past four episodes with me last night: "What's with Alfred's raw sexual magnetism in this?" I don't know, babe. I do not know. But it's there and it's real.
  • Gotham-est Thing on Last Night's Gotham:
    The trained assassin sent for Selina Kyle randomly cutting into the corpse of the Wayne Manor landscaper she just killed to lightly dab some of his chest cavity blood on her forehead... in order to appear to have been in a car accident. Why? Because this is goddamn Gotham, that's why.

Morning After is a new home for television discussion online, brought to you by Gawker. Follow @GawkerMA and read more about it here.

Cool Pope Disses the Hell Out of Europe

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Cool Pope Disses the Hell Out of Europe

Cool Pope "Francis," the pope that even atheists and commies can mistakenly like, went to Europe yesterday and dissed the hell out of it. Cool Pope Francis is the last true battle rapper.

In a speech to the European Parliament yesterday, Cool Pope called the whole dang continent of Europe "elderly and haggard." Damn. Then he basically called all the old ass European countries a bunch of decrepit ass selfish bastards. Damn.

This loneliness has become more acute as a result of the economic crisis, whose effects continue to have tragic consequences for the life of society. In recent years, as the European Union has expanded, there has been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful. In many quarters we encounter a general impression of weariness and aging, of a Europe which is now a "grandmother", no longer fertile and vibrant. As a result, the great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions.

Grandmothers... damn.

[Cool Pope like "My chain hang down to my dick/ my piece bang glass tables": AP]

'80s Yearbook Photo Proves Paul Rudd Never Aged, He Just Got a Haircut

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'80s Yearbook Photo Proves Paul Rudd Never Aged, He Just Got a Haircut

"Hey, that's a pretty handsome photo of Karl Myers," you're probably saying to yourself right about now. "Wait a minute, is that popular and easygoing comedic actor Paul Rudd in some sort of long-but-not-exactly flowing wig?"

A reasonable guess, dear reader, but nay. That is Paul Rudd's actual hair, circa the 1980s. The process of human aging slowed to a crawl for Rudd while at the University of Kansas, but he periodically gets his hair cut for roles or to create the illusion that he doesn't live inside a sexy temporal anomaly.

Nice guy, that Rudd.

[h/t Vulture]

Kristin Cavallari Says Men Can Talk Shit About Sports But Women Can't

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Kristin Cavallari Says Men Can Talk Shit About Sports But Women Can't

The Hills' old resident bad gal Kristin Cavallari married Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler last year. Given this arrangement, she now gets shit on Twitter every time Cutler performs poorly on the field. But Kristin is particularly offended when women—especially mothers—harass her.

After the Bears came back to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Kristin tweeted this:

Classic K-Cav sass! We love it. But of course, as anyone who spent years stirring up shit on reality TV knows, the tweet only emboldened her haters.

Kris responded to the new wave of trolls by calling out MOTHERS who refuse to conform to gender norms and just be CLASSY, god.

Kristin even called out the bio of one of her female haters, but then thought better of it and deleted the tweet.

Kristin Cavallari Says Men Can Talk Shit About Sports But Women Can't

She attempted to explain why she's so put off by shit-talking women, specifically, but the reason for her bias remains unclear.

Maybe it's because Kristin herself has been shit-talking other women professionally since high school.

[Photo via Getty]


History Repeats Itself: Scenes from New York's Ferguson Protests

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History Repeats Itself: Scenes from New York's Ferguson Protests

It was hard to discern who among the throngs crowding the sidewalks last night was in Midtown for justice and who was there for vacation.

At 44th Street at around 10 p.m., a group of British tourists exited Toys 'R Us with several bags in their hands, walking uptown. Two blocks north, there was a collected rally against police brutality and racism, spurred by a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The protest had started at Union Square with a luminous sign that read "Black lives matter" and marched the 20 blocks north and west to the city's busiest thoroughfare. The tourists, typically, looked confused.

Between fifty and a hundred people were participating in the protest under the lights of Times Square marquee, most holding signs that read "END WHITE PRIVILEGE," "BLACK LIVES MATTER," "WE WANT RESPECT," and "POLICE BRUTALITY IS A DEADLY FORCE." At one point, as the group chanted "No justice, no peace, no racist police," a white man in a long-sleeve black t-shirt started yelling back, "But it's only white people! Why is it only white people?"

It wasn't only white people, as the three black teenage girls next to me pointed out to each other. It also wasn't the point, they said. One of the three told me she thought the lack of indictment for Darren Wilson was "disgusting," but expected. The chants, accompanied by a bongo beat and claps, continued and grew in dissonance.

History Repeats Itself: Scenes from New York's Ferguson Protests

Seventh Avenue was barricaded by NYPD officers and tourists taking photos from the sidewalk. A couple stood a distance away from the rally and took a selfie with the group to their behind. The officers, stone-faced and bored, faced the crowd. While previously protestors had gathered into a swelling circle that turned inward, with the strong encouragement of the rapper Q-Tip, who had shown up unnoticed, the crowd turned toward the officers, screaming defiantly:

"NYPD / KKK / HOW MANY LIVES HAVE YOU STOLE TODAY?"

The line of cops appeared unfazed as the crushing crowd began to move out onto Seventh Avenue and back downtown. On the way south, I noticed a white bearded man with an Anonymous mask propped on his head with a sign at his feet that said, "END WHITE PRIVILEGE."

The march downtown grew and more voices joined. From the tail end to the start, the rally must have been hundreds of people strong; Q-Tip, who had been instigating the march back south, was screaming at the top of his lungs: "HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT." More people recognized him and the volume of the chants grew as protestors walked down Seventh Avenue, back from where they came.

One photographer glided by on a skateboard, snapping photos as he went. A group of three women linked arms, joining in a call and response: "Whose streets?" "Our streets." The mass grew larger. A man who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo was running around with a gallon bottle of water asking if anyone wanted some.

It was only when the rally turned onto 23rd Street that the situation grew somewhat precarious. Cars hadn't been prepared for the oncoming protestors, and responded, naturally, by coming to a complete standstill. All of 23rd Street, and then Sixth Avenue, began to look like post-apocalyptic New York. The rally politely stepped around cars and their video-recording passengers and continued onward downtown. When it turned onto Fifth Avenue, windows in millionaire high-rises began to light up. In one apartment near Tenth Street, I caught a glimpse of a man in a t-shirt and shorts watching the protest from his dark living room. Several other apartment owners huddled out over window terraces. It was nearing midnight, but the determination for justice had not and would not be quieted.

History Repeats Itself: Scenes from New York's Ferguson Protests

Uptown, simultaneously, protestors were getting arrested and jostled by police as they took over RFK Bridge. In this leg of the rally, Times Square had been shut down, then all of Seventh Avenue, and eventually Fifth Avenue, where the march carried its heartbeat into Washington Square Park and through the arch.

A woman named J.D. was walking beside me, and for a second we talked about the unseasonably warm weather, a small reprieve for our shouting voices. We were both covered in sweat and heading toward City Hall.

J.D., who lives in Harlem, had come down from 42nd Street, where she worked. She had listened to the result in the kitchen at her job, praying that it could be different.

"History repeats itself," she said. She listed the names of every black person killed in America in the past year alone. Every time she named another innocent and recounted the circumstances under which they were killed, she remembered one more. "Oh did you hear about the man shot in the dark stairwell?" she said. "Or the young boy who was playing with a toy gun?"

"His poor mother," she added.

The parade continued to march, and voices all around us yelled over and over, "Hands up, don't shoot / hands up, don't shoot / hands up, don't shoot."

History Repeats Itself: Scenes from New York's Ferguson Protests

[Photo/Video by Dayna Evans/AP]

Docu-Series Dirty 30 Offers Modern Outlook on Living with HIV/AIDS

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Docu-Series Dirty 30 Offers Modern Outlook on Living with HIV/AIDS

According to the Center for Disease Control, blacks account for almost 50 percent of all new HIV infections among adults and children in the U.S. It is a staggering statistic when you consider blacks represent less than 13 percent of the entire population. Globally, living with HIV and AIDS is a debilitating reality for 35 million people, and an everyday existence for someone you possibly know and love. But the face of the disease today—predominantly black men and women, and "men who like to have sex with men"—has become a matter discussed with less frequency. With that in mind, director Hannelore Williams set out to present a fuller, more vibrant picture of the epidemic thirty years since the virus was first identified.

The result was Dirty 30, a 10-part docu-series that will debut on YouTube on December 1st. Williams, who studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, has previously admitted that the series is for "people who don't want to talk about HIV" and hopes episodes—which range from motherhood and digital love to humor and coping—will reach viewers on a personal level. Our conversation appears below.

This docu-series is an incredibly brave undertaking—what sparked it?

Hannelore Williams: There were a few things that happened at the same time. I can't help but think of what it takes to start a fire in the woods, for example. I decided to volunteer with artsINSIDEOUT at a shelter for mothers and children affected by HIV and AIDS, Nkosi's Haven in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before I went, I thought I'd do some research on HIV to make sure I wasn't objectifying people with my camera. I didn't want to contribute to any stereotypical images of African children with AIDS. Then it hit me; my sister's father passed from complications of AIDS a few years back and we never spoke about it. I think the first time we did was when I interviewed her for Dirty 30. At the same time I was newly single—which meant getting back out there. Through research I found that my demographic—black women—is the highest rising new cases of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. I was stunned. When I looked up films to watch, I didn't feel I could personally relate to the content that was out there. All those factors came together and I had to keep going.

You've said that your intention is to show HIV/AIDS through a different lens; do people still have misconceptions about the disease?

I can't speak for "people"; we all come from different places and have different opinions. It's also hard to say that about HIV because there are varying opinions on where we are even within the field. I explore that in the "AIDS Inc" episode. From my experience filming this series, we need to look more at the social causes effecting the spread of this virus. That's what I know to be true across the board.

Here's an example, let's look at our prison system. Your mind first goes to sex, but let's look at the fact that people in prison are shooting up drugs with shared needles. This is a huge issue within the prison system here in the U.S. and abroad. People are also having sex in prison without condoms. Together, these factors present a clear breading ground for HIV. We could go on to discuss which populations are imprisoned at higher rates—black men. Google it, the information is out there.

Having traveled the world and spoken with so many people, what does the face of the epidemic look like in 2014—both globally and in the U.S.?

Women are the majority of people infected with HIV globally. People of color are the majority of the infected, that's in the U.S. and abroad. Here in the U.S., gay men—actually it's Men Who Have Sex With Men, because not all MSMs identify themselves as gay—still make up the majority of those diagnosed. Black and Latino men to be specific. Having said that, these same groups suffer the most when it comes to stigma—with or without HIV.

Did most people—those affected and those who work in the field—have a hopeful outlook?

Hope is a beautiful thing; it's also a hard thing to measure. HIV and AIDS is very layered—where are we looking for hope? Hope that people will get tested more regularly without feeling ashamed? Hope that the pharmaceutical industry will make drugs more affordable and accessible? Hope that there's more support for drug addicts? Hope that more comfortable condoms will hit the market? Hope of a cure? You might have hope in one or two of these places, but probably not all.

In Episode 4 we're introduced to Kia, who's 23 and has had HIV her entire life, but she still grapples with very human issues—dating, the fear of being dismissed or unwanted, the desire to feel sexy and empowered. Kia hasn't let HIV consume her life. Did you find that to be true with most people you spoke with?

Yes, many people who are infected with HIV, it's not their biggest concern in life. HIV, whether they choose to treat it or not, becomes yet another facet to their life. That is, unless you have an AIDS diagnosis and are sick with an opportunistic infection. Then it will become a—if not the—major focus. Which still happens, everyday, around the world.

Kia has an interesting story. Her mother died of the disease, and Kia, who was born HIV positive, didn't start taking medicine until she was a teenager. Why was her story important to tell?

You rarely hear the personal story of someone who was born positive or someone that was infected at an early age. The youths in this pandemic need to hear the stories of others that have gone through what they are going through to help them navigate what's already a challenging time, coming of age, with the added burden of being HIV positive. Also, she talks about the pain of loosing a parent to this virus, which personally, I wanted to share with my sister.

What was the most difficult aspect of filming this series?

It depends on the stage. Pre-production, the hardest part was figuring out the concept. I didn't want to make another AIDS doc. Production, was traveling alone—for the most part—with all this heavy equipment strapped to my back and asking strangers to trust me with their personal stories. Post-production, was the months and months of work to edit the series while freelancing at the same time so I could keep the old rent paid.

Who is this docu-series for?

My target audience for Dirty 30 is young people of color around the world. HIV can infect anyone of any race, age, or sex. So truly this series is for anyone who wants to know the reality of where we are with HIV and AIDS today.

So what are you hoping viewers take away from Dirty 30?

That HIV is closer to you than you think, it's not some other person out there that HIV is looking for, some bad person out there who deserves HIV. It's not even a matter of good or bad, it's about looking at your behaviors and your preconceived notions and just getting over it. Shit happens, so get tested.

Dirty 30 premieres December 1st on YouTube. Watch it here.

[Photo by Tara Jacoby; image via Dirty 30's Facebook page]

Here's What To Do If Your Holiday Flight Is Canceled Or Delayed

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Here's What To Do If Your Holiday Flight Is Canceled Or Delayed

It's Thanksgiving week — one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. And like many other years, there's a massive storm on the doorstep of the nation's northeast major hub airports that could send everyone's plans right to hell. But to help you be prepared, here are some of your options to get back on track.

Divide And Conquer

When a flight is canceled, the first thing many people do is jump right in line at the customer service podium at the gate from which they were flying. And while the frazzled customer service agent working there will be able to help you at some point, you have other options.

Any customer service agent at any gate can help you. Their computers are all networked. If you see an empty line, or a shorter line, get in it. Here's an even better idea — if you're traveling with a few other family members on the same reservation, disperse each person to a different line, then have them text the group when they get to the front of the line.

Here's What To Do If Your Holiday Flight Is Canceled Or Delayed

(AP photo)

If you're flying solo, you still have other options. First, find the shortest line and get in it. Your best option is always to talk to somebody there at the airport, because they're right in front on you, living the same nightmare, and they want to get you out of their face as quickly as possible. Once you're standing in line, call the reservation line for your airline. If they answer the phone before you get to the front of the line, you win.

You Can Get Information Online, But You Won't Get Help

Pretty much every airline is on Twitter these days, but I don't recommend depending on their help in a timely manner. Twitter feeds are managed by the communications folks, not reservations. So if they aren't already running on autopilot for the holiday, they're going to have to contact the same people you're trying to get ahold of on the phone. Getting a helpful response via Twitter will probably take even longer than standing in line at the airport. Do check your airline's Twitter before going to the airport, because (if they're good at what they do) they should be posting information regarding operational delays.

How To Avoid Getting Stranded

The day of your flight, check the status of your flight on your airline's website. If it's showing a delay, get to the airport as if it's not delayed. I can't stress this enough. DO NOT factor the delay into your arrival time at the airport. I've seen countless incidents of where a delayed flight has all of a sudden bounced back to its original departure time, or at the least, a shorter delay. The airline can swap in another plane on your route, or that ground stop may suddenly be cleared. It happens all the time. If you plan the delay into your airport commute, your flight is long gone by the time you get to your gate, and it's not the airline's fault.

Here's What To Do If Your Holiday Flight Is Canceled Or Delayed

The FAA's delay information site covers the country's largest airports.

Perhaps it's sunny and warm where you live? Stay there! Just kidding. But it's a smart idea to check the weather where you'll be flying to, or even the weather along your route, because that can also effect the timeliness of your flight. My favorite weather site is Weather Underground, because you can access real-time info from weather stations. You can also check the FAA's Delay Information site, which is also updated constantly. It shows weather disruptions as well as those one-off incidents like a fire in an Air Traffic Control center.

Don't Freak Out

Cancelations can and will happen. Nobody likes them. If your flight does get canceled, don't take out your frustration on the person behind the counter. For one, they're a lot less likely to give you what you want when you're yelling. If you're super aggressive, or smell like the booze you've been pounding during the delay, they can have you escorted out of the airport and you won't be flying anywhere.

This holiday season, take a Shakespearean approach to your travel and remember "To be, or not to be." To be late to the airport, is not to be at Grandma's house for the family feast.

Here's the First Full Trailer for Jurassic World Starring Chris Pratt

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The 20-second Jurassic World teaser released last week was notable for its lack of the one thing everyone really wanted to see: Chris Pratt. We didn't get a glimpse of our Star-Lord and savior until the last of its 20 seconds.

This first official trailer delivers the goods, though: It's all Pratt, all the time. (Except for the time it's about an unseen, genetically modified, man-eating dinosaur that has of course escaped and now threatens to kill anything that moves didn't you science geniuses learn anything from previous failed attempts at dinosaur-resurrection theme parks I mean geez obviously someone was going to get hurt GOSH. Deep breath.)

It also sneaks in a few callbacks to the original Jurassic Park: "She's a highly intelligent animal" is the new "clever girl," kids are hiding in the shadows from dinosaurs, and we have to evacuate the island!

Jurassic World opens June 12, 2015. In other Chris Pratt news, Chris Pratt is going to be a Cowboy Ninja Viking. (No, seriously.)

[h/t Polygon]

College Buys $219,000 Table

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College Buys $219,000 Table

Administrators at New Jersey's Kean University have purchased a $219,000 conference table.

Some members of the student body are upset.

However, a Kean spokesperson says that "the table should be viewed as a 'conferencing center' because it includes electronic equipment, storage for the equipment and lighting, and is more than the conference table itself."

New Jersey's Kean University has been selected as the new headquarters of Cobra Command.

[Photo via Kean University]

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