Marcy Borders, also known as 'Dust Lady', has died of stomach cancer at age 42.
(Photo: Yahoo News)
(FILES) This September 11, 2001 file photo shows Marcy Borders covered in dust as she takes refuge in an office building after one of the World Trade Center towers collapsed when commercial planes crashed into them in New York. US citizens were having breakfast before going to work when terrorists calmly boarded flights they will hijack and smash into New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA/FILES (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
The blogosphere is mourning the loss of Marcy Borders, 42, the woman referred to as ‘Dust Lady,’ after what would become an iconic photo of her taken by AFP photographer Stan Honda went “viral” during news coverage of the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. CNN‘s David Shortnell writes:
“Many remember the haunting photograph: A woman wearing business attire and pearls is covered head-to-toe in white dust, her hands held out helplessly before her, as she makes her way out of the World Trade Center’s damaged North Tower on September 11, 2001.
She survived that day, getting out before both towers of the trade center crumbled and killed 2,753 people in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.
But the woman in the photos, known to most as the ‘Dust Lady,’ died Tuesday, her family said. Marcy Borders was 42.
She had been battling stomach cancer since last year, daughter Noelle Borders told CNN.”
Universal Pictures' blockbuster, Straight Outta Compton, has grossed over $100 million in domestic theaters. (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
Universal Pictures’ blockbuster, Straight Outta Compton, has grossed over $100 million in domestic theaters. (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
The film Straight Outta Compton is making an impact that’s completely defying Hollywood’s expectations for black cinema’s influence on pop culture. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the riveting rags-to-riches saga of controversial West Coast hip hop group N.W.A. has held the top slot in the box office since its August 14 release, grossing well over $100 million in domestic receipts. Active users of social media customized memes on their profiles using the film’s block logo. N.W.A.’s founder and megaproducer Dr. Dre even came out of a 16-year hiatus, releasing his long-awaited third studio LP, Compton: A Soundtrack, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
One of Straight Outta Compton’s producers, domestic film sales agent Bill Straus, knew it would be a hit movie from the very beginning. Straus was a story editing executive at New Line Cinema in 2004 when the first draft of the script landed on his desk. Always looking for good stories framed around hip-hop culture, he told a few colleagues at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival that the story was amazing.
They cautioned an optimistic Straus that making a biopic about a hip-hop group was a waste of time. Several attempts had been made before to make the film. Straus ignored their feedback. “The opinion out there was an N.W.A. movie was great, but it was impossible,” says Straus via phone interview a week prior to Straight Outta Compton’s nationwide release. “There were places that passed on [Compton]. I knew that we were gonna sell it, but I was surprised that some places weren’t interested. We thought it was such a hot property.”
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, Straus was one of the few white kids in the area to witness hip-hop culture up close. He enrolled into USC Film School, becoming classmates with then unknown director, John Singleton. Straus became a production assistant on Singleton’s Oscar-nominated directorial debut, Boyz N The Hood, also the acting debut of N.W.A. member Ice Cube.
Even then, Straus knew Boyz N The Hood was something special whenever Singleton explained his vision. “It was an incredible thing to witness,” recalls Straus. “[John] has been a great friend throughout the years.”
Straight Outta Compton’s script underwent several rewrites over two years. Working out producer deals, getting all of the members and their estates on-board and music clearances took more time. The story evolved from focusing specifically on late member Eazy E. to becoming an inclusive reflection of all five group members. Once Straight Outta Compton started to come together around 2009, New Line, originally set to release Straight Outta Compton, was acquired by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. thought the hip-hop period piece was too costly to make, causing a brief halt during production. Due to the success of former N.W.A. member Ice Cube’s film, Ride Along, Universal Pictures agreed to carry Straight Outta Compton.
These instances are why Straus takes pride in being a film sales agent. His company, BGP Film, scouts young filmmakers at film festivals and sells their independent works to American distributors. Having sold his first screenplay at 23 to Sony and working his way up the ladder at New Line, Straus thinks major Hollywood studios not seeing the commercial potential of films featuring themes relating to people of color is a problem.
“On the studio side, there’s this prevalent wisdom out there that ‘urban’ films don’t sell foreign,” says Straus, “but there’s a definite audience for it.” Calling sales agents “pivotal players,” Straus adds that independent film distributors are more likely to consider films with African-American themes. Anytime Straus, a mainstay on the film festival circuit, takes on projects like Straight Outta Compton, he likes to give it his undivided attention.
He believes successful film agents know the value of quality over quantity and nurturing relationships. “Some great scripts are not great films,” he says. “A lot of sales agents go by volume. I try to be straight up with buyers and get clients as much attention as I can. It’s rare that I’m gonna take something out there that’s sloppy.”
Since Straight Outta Compton opened in over 3,000 theaters to massive critical and commercial acclaim, the film’s release reminds Straus why he remained involved with the project against all odds. Hoping to keep the momentum going, Straus, now living and running his business back in Brooklyn, is concentrating on continuing to spot incredible young filmmakers with vision.
He’s changing his company name from BGP Film to Bridge Independent. He is also currently working on a film project with the legendary b-boy dance collective Rock Steady Crew. The key to Straus’ success in the film industry, he says, is going on instincts. “It has really been an incredible process,” says Straus. “I’m very proud to have been there from the humble beginning. Film is a hard industry to break into. I’m ready to ride off into the sunset and get these great indie films made,” he adds. “I wanna see where some of these guys are in 10 years. That will be really gratifying, too.”
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Americans Anthony Sadler and Alex Skarlatos, along with friend Spencer Stone, thwarted the efforts of a terrorist on a high-speed train. (Screen Grab of CNN)
Faith Karimi of CNN is reporting three Americans Anthony Sadler, Alex Skarlatos, Spencer Stone along with a French National and Briton, subdued a would-be terrorist on a high-speed train traveling from Paris to Amsterdam. The three lifelong friends were traveling on vacation when the suspect boarded the train and cocked his AK-47. They were able to subdue the man, who kept pulling out weapons, including a box cutter, injuring Stone in the process. Skarlatos and Stone were off-duty U.S. military staff. Accolades from world leaders have poured in because it is believed the actions of the five men saved what would have more than likely been a massacre. The suspected gunman, Ayoub El Khazzani, is a Moroccan national, a senior European official said.
“Sadler, a senior at California State University in Sacramento, was on his first trip to Europe when terror struck. When his friends jumped the gunman and took him down, he and another passenger helped restrain him and ensure he stayed down.
‘The three of us beat up the guy,’ Sadler said. ‘In the process, Spencer gets slashed multiple times by the box cutter, and Alek takes the AK away.’
Sadler helped tie up the suspect then went to other train cars to reassure passengers, said Jean-Hugues Anglade, a French actor who was traveling with his family.
He ‘came running into our car, yelling that the shooter was overpowered by American soldiers on leave, that everything was fine,’ Anglade told French magazine Paris Match. ‘He reassured us, he looked for survival blankets and a first aid kit for two seriously injured people.’
It’ll be hard to top his first trip to Europe and his final year in college.
‘I’m just a college student, it’s my last year in college. I came to see my friends on my first trip in Europe and we stopped a terrorist, it’s kind of crazy,’ Sadler told CNN.
He urged people to be proactive during such situations. ‘The gunman would have been successful if my friends had not gotten up,’ he said.”
French President Francois Hollande bestowed the Legion of Honor on the five heroes, which is France’s highest honor.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 25: Comedic legend and media mogul Steve Harvey surprise 2015 Coca-Cola Pay It Forward winners during inaugural Coca-Cola Pay It Forwad Academy at Whole World Improv Theatre on July 25, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Coca-Cola)
Comedian, actor and entrepreneur Steve Harvey surprises 2015 Coca-Cola Pay It Forward winners during inaugural Coca-Cola Pay It Forward Academy at Whole World Improv Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Coca-Cola)
Comedian, actor and entrepreneur Steve Harvey truly embodies the adage to whom much is given, much is required. One of the hardest working people in show business, Harvey is the host of a self-titled Emmy award-winning daytime talk show and the long-running game show Family Feud. Inaddition to hosting and producing his nationally syndicated radio program The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Harvey is clearly reaping the benefits of his hard work and dedication to his craft. He loves enjoying the fruits of his labor, whether spending time with his wife Marjorie in one of his homes or experiencing something new, like an exotic vacation. Despite the ability to have anything his heart desires, Harvey’s greatest reward, he says, is seeing a kid’s face light up when he tells them their imagination is real.
“I don’t think small about anything,” says the former star of the sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. “I don’t care what it is. It makes no sense for me to get a house on the hill if I can’t tell somebody else how to get one. We need more of us to make it.”
Harvey recently sat before this year’s inaugural class of Coca-Cola’s Pay It Forward Academy to offer some words of encouragement. It’s the second time the 58-year-old Original King of Comedy and philanthropist has served as an ambassador for the entire program.
The no-nonsense, extroverted entertainer shared stories about his past working on an auto assembly line with Pay It Forward’s 22 participants. That’s where Harvey knew he had the gift of making people laugh. “Dreaming is more important than anything,” says Harvey. “Imagination is everything. It’s the preview to life’s coming attractions.”
Making solid eye contact with the participants and giving them advice unapologetically, Harvey explains why he takes pride in mentoring young men. “Manhood is hard,” says Harvey. “A boy without a male role model is like an explorer without a map. How do you get to manhood if another man don’t show you how to get there?”
Along with Pay It Forward, the best-selling author spearheaded other programs geared towards guiding young people down the right path. He developed Disney’s Dreamers Academy to promote career and vocational development. Harvey’s nonprofit, The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, hosts a four-day, three-night mentoring weekend for young men ages 13-18 years old. His wife produces a similar program for young women through her initiative, Girls Who Rule the World.
A lover of community, Harvey and his manager, Rushion McDonald, created the Neighborhood Awards (formerly the Hoodie Awards) to celebrate local individuals, businesses and organizations making a positive impact in their local communities. Using countless analogies and gut-busting anecdotes to further illustrate his points, Harvey believes the Pay It Forward program is one of several solutions that helps build youth’s confidence. He reiterates pursuing goals, further encouraging young people to apply their knowledge towards any endeavors they take on.
“I try to tell them something that they not gonna tell ‘em in church and that they cannot tell them at school,” asserts Harvey. “Schools do not teach you how to become successful. All you have to do is think different.”
A native of Cleveland, Harvey, a multiple NAACP Image award winner, learned the value of serving others from his mother, a Sunday school teacher. Having ongoing fame and success is what inspires the sharp dressed funny man to continue reaching back. “God blesses you to become a blessing,” says Harvey, the 2011 recipient of the BET award for “Humanitarian of the Year.” “The more people you help become successful, the more successful you become.”
“If I help a young person get his life together, when I go to God for my request, he hears me better.” Harvey seeks his personal mentorship and spiritual guidance from reading self-help literature and having ongoing conversations with Bishop T.D. Jakes. “We have real conversations without the mention of the scripture,” says Harvey. “We allow each other to be regular around each other.”
Being dedicated to his craft and having a strong work ethic are what help Harvey define his purpose. He is anticipating the release of a line of bacon and sausage in October. Harvey is also in talks to develop a primetime show with fellow comic and Emmy-winning daytime show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Harvey mentions time management as a key element for finding balance in his career. “I care about every single minute of the day,” he says. “If you like to sleep eight hours a day, you cannot be rich in the United States of America.” Another thing Harvey mentions that makes people successful is eliminating all drama and negative energy from their personal space.
“I removed all of the BS from my life,” says Harvey. “If you remove the BS from your life, you’ll be shocked at what you can accomplish.”
Harvey is extremely confident in how he breathes life into comedy, pointing out how his unique cadence has earned him a multimillion-dollar fortune. The common denominator between his stage persona and his philanthropic efforts is his selflessness. Grateful for all of his accomplishments and success, Harvey gives his praises to God for allowing him to be a vessel for his fans and the young people he cares so much about.
“God gotta use somebody to show off what he do,” says a tranquil Harvey. “God gotta show off his goodness and grace to somebody. All you have to do is volunteer.”
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
AllAfrica.com is reporting that Ghana is bringing 170 doctors from Cuba to help mitigate the deficiencies in health care due to a strike over wages and training. The author writes:
“Health Minister Alex Segbefia said on Wednesday that several people have died without proper emergency attention since the strike began early this month.
About 2,800 public sector doctors started withdrawing services to out-patient departments before extending the strike to emergency wards. Staff at the police and military hospitals that have remained open in the capital say they have been stretched thin as civilians come there for emdical services.
Flag of Cuba. (Photo: Google Images)
The government says the strike, led by the Ghana Medical Association Union, is illegal and that it will only negotiate when the medical staff, striking over perceived poor working conditions, return to work.
Segbefia said there is no set date for the Cuban doctors to arrive, but plans have begun.”
Ohio's first African-American congressman Louis Stokes dies at 90.
(Photo: Google Images)
Ohio’s first African-American congressman Louis Stokes dies at 90. (Photo: Google Images)
The world is mourning the loss of Congressman Louis Stokes, the first African-American congressman from Ohio, who passed away on Tuesday of this week. Stokes’ daughter Lori, an ABC News anchor in New York City, reported that the beloved figure died of lung and brain cancer at his home in a Cleveland suburb. Dennis Hevesi of the New York Times writes:
“Mr. Stokes, a Democrat, served in the House for 30 years starting in 1969, representing Ohio’s 21st Congressional District. Encompassing the east side of Cleveland and several suburbs and comprising a predominantly African-American population, the district was created in 1967 in response to a Supreme Court ruling in a case in which Mr. Stokes, then a civil rights lawyer, played a major role.
One of Mr. Stokes’s colleagues in that redistricting fight was his younger brother, Carl, who was the mayor of Cleveland from 1967 to 1971 and later became a television news anchor on WNBC in New York. He died in 1996.
Louis Stokes garnered national attention as the head of the House Select Committee on Assassinations, which after two years of investigations in the late 1970s concluded that the Kennedy and King killings may have involved conspiracies. But he thought that his most significant role was as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, which helps determine how federal dollars are spent.
‘It’s the only committee to be on,’ he once said. ‘All the rest is window dressing.’
As a committee member, Mr. Stokes steered funds toward housing and urban development projects, job placement programs and health clinics. As the chairman of the subcommittee dealing with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and several other agencies, he oversaw allocations of more than $90 billion a year.
Inadequate health care for minorities was a major concern of his, and he was an early advocate of federal intervention in the AIDS crisis, which was ravaging black communities in the 1990s. Interviewed for this obituary in 2011, Mr. Stokes said he was particularly proud of sponsoring legislation that established the Office of Minority Health as a permanent federal agency. ‘That started the real work of that office,’ he said.”
Stokes is survived by his wife Jay, three daughters, one son and seven grandchildren. He was 90-years-old.
"Boyz N the Hood" cast members Morris Chestnut, Cuba Gooding Jr., and O'shea 'Ice Cube' Jackson.
(Photo: Google Images)
NEW JACK CITY, Ice-T, Vanessa P. Williams, Wesley Snipes, 1991
The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has announced that it will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Boyz N the Hood(1991) and New Jack City (1991) with an all-star tribute and concert honoring the genre of Hip-Hop cinema.
“Hip-Hop has had a global impact on pop culture and influenced millions around the world,” says AAFCA President/co-founder, Gil Robertson. “And it’s impact on Hollywood has been a major game changer in front and behind the camera and at the box office,” he adds.
AAFCA also announced director John Singleton, producer Jeff Clanagan, New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis, Survivor’s Remorse Executive Producer/legendary athlete/humanitarian Lebron James and Plan B as recipients of 2016 AAFCA Special Achievement Awards.
“Our 2016 class of honorees merit special recognition for their consistent excellence in promoting the cinematic arts,” says Robertson. “Each of them are to be admired and AAFCA looks forward to paying tribute to their careers.”
AAFCA’s Special Achievement Awards will be presented during the group’s annual ceremony on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.
Established in 2003, AAFCA is the largest black film critics’ organization in the world, representing television, radio, print and online critics.
Photo of Queen Haley's tombstone defaced with the graffiti 'White Lives Matter.'
Photo: Google Images
Photo of Queen Haley’s tombstone defaced with the graffiti ‘White Lives Matter.’ Photo: Google Images
Tyler Whetstone of the Jackson Sun is reporting that the headstone of a relative of the celebrated author and historian Alex Haley has been defaced with racist graffiti. Whetstone writes:
“The tombstone of a relative of author Alex Haley was defaced in a cemetery in Savannah earlier this week, according to Savannah Police Chief Gary Will. Will said Queen Haley, a black woman and grandmother of Alex Haley, author of ‘Roots,’ had “White Lives Matter” spray painted on her tombstone in the past two or three days (story reported August 3).
According to Will, a professional cleaning company has been hired by the cemetery to clean the paint. They will clean it sometime this week and will add a protective coating so that if the tombstone is painted again it will come right off, he said. Will asked residents to respect the family’s privacy and to not try to clean the stone themselves.
Will said there is no indication as to why someone would do this.”
Chef Deborah VanTrece.
(Photo: Fred Spears Photography)
Chef Deborah VanTrece. (Photo: Courtesy of NBC/Universal)
Writing for The Huffington Post, The Burton Wire‘s founder & editor-in-chief spoke with Chef Deborah VanTrece about her time on NBC‘s game show meets culinary show Food Fighters. VanTrece who goes by the moniker “Chef Deb” shared her journey from flight attendant to caterer to chef and owner of her restaurant Twisted Soul Kitchen and Bar, located in Decatur, GA. Check out an excerpt from the story:
EXCERPT
I had the chance to catch up with Chef Deb at her bustling soul food fusion restaurant Twisted Soul in Decatur, GA. Chef Deb, who owns the restaurant with her wife Lorraine Lane, makes it a point to know her customers and her food, milling about to find out what works well. Lane is sort of a mad scientist of cocktails, working her magic behind the bar to create concoctions that compliment Chef Deb’s cuisine in an eclectic, welcoming space. Together, they create an atmosphere of family, food and twists on classic soul food cuisine like chicken and waffles, pimiento cheese grits with chicken sausage (Halal), black-eyed pea salsa, twisted soul salads and flash fried chicken wings in coconut gravy and jasmine rice. Chef Deb’s cuisine is now being featured on national television on Food Fighters. She talks choosing a career in food, Food Fighters and what’s next for her career trajectory.
NB: You were successful as a flight attendant. Why did you decide to pursue a career as a chef?
DV: At the time I was married to my former husband who played professional basketball overseas. I was working as a flight attendant and doing well, but then there was a strike. I felt vulnerable and realized that my livelihood was in someone else’s hands. I needed more control over my life, which is why I ultimately went to culinary school. I always loved food and travel and this was a great way to bring the two together and to be more in control of my life.
DV: Interestingly enough NBC called me. They were looking for a soul food chef and through their research found me. At first I didn’t believe it. I said, “This is who?” and “You want what?” I really didn’t believe them until they sent paperwork with a peacock on it. Then I knew it was real. I had a Skype interview and the next thing I knew, I was on my way to L.A.
NB: What has been your experience on Food Fighters?
DV: It is a positive show and has been very educational for me. As chefs, we sometimes get so caught up in our world that we forget what other chefs do, so it was nice to meet other chefs from all over. Being here in Atlanta, there are so many reality shows that focus on negative drama that it is overkill at this point. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of a positive show that shows a different side of people living in Atlanta.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 15: Rapper J. Cole attends J. Cole For Bally Cocktail at Bally Phipps Plaza on August 15, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Bally)
Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist J. Cole visits Bally’s Atlanta located in Phipps Plaza. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Cole, a Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist responsible for the critically acclaimed gold-selling LPs Cole World: The Sideline Story, Born Sinner and the platinum-certified 2014 Forest Hills Drive, partnered with the Swiss brand’s head designer, Pablo Coppola, to create a structured shoe made out of leather, suede and even python skin. Coming in seven colors, the “JC Hiker’s” stylish design is equipped with gripping arch support, waxed laces, silver hardware along the body and a jagged quadrilateral-shaped sole. The water resistant backpacks come in black and python.
The collaboration began when Cole visited Bally’s London offices over a year ago. The St. John’s University alumnus and Jay Z protégé under Roc Nation was looking through photo archives when he came across a black-and-white still of music legend Bob Marley wearing similar Bally hiking boots. Cole knew instantly that he wanted to venture into custom footwear.
As part of the collection, Bally released Off the Grid, a five-minute short film chronicling Cole’s visit to Jamaica as a means of escape from his fame, public persona and technology. This year alone, the rapper known for his autobiographical lyrics and narrative-style delivery sold out Madison Square Garden, gave a highly praised performance of “Be Free” on Late Night with David Letterman and visited both New York City and Ferguson, MO following the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
In a brief July 8 interview with New York Times, Cole gave slightly more insight about why he focused specifically on hiking boots and backpacks. He says:
“As I’m getting older, I’m learning more about what my true style actually is. Becoming more confident in what I like. And I love simplicity and comfort. Comfort is king. I feel at home in a pair of comfortable boots, and I always have a backpack with me. I keep my life in my backpack. Current books I’m reading, my notebook with all of my rhymes written inside and my laptop that holds all of the music I’m working on.”
Cole’s new venture with Bally extends the shoe brand’s presence in the hip-hop community. Since the late 1980s, Bally has been worn and mentioned by a host of names like Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, Jay Z, Raekwon the Chef, Nas, Nelly, Lil’ Wayne and Foxy Brown.
Cole’s involvement, on the other hand, allowed him to be involved in the creative process as opposed to simply namedropping. “I always had an interest in what goes into designing footwear,” says Cole. “Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself, and I got the chance to work with such a well-respected brand with a long history of making product of the highest quality.”
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
