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Thursday 23 June 2016

xecutive Order Extends LGBT Protections, Reinforces Privacy Measures

RALEIGH — Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday issued an executive order expanding equal employment and nondiscrimination rights of state employees to include sexual orientation and gender identification in an attempt to alleviate some of the fallout related to House Bill 2.
“Simply put, I have listened to the people of North Carolina,” McCrory said in a video announcing his executive order. “The people of North Carolina are entitled to both privacy and equality.”
The order affirms the restroom accommodation requirements found in H.B. 2: Multiple-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms, and shower facilities in Cabinet agencies must be designated for use based on the person’s biological sex. However, private businesses can set their own rules for those facilities. It also calls on Council of State agencies, the University of North Carolina and community college systems, and local governments to make reasonable attempts to provide single-occupancy restroom and changing facilities to respond to special circumstances.
For state employees, the order prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on “race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, genetic information, or disability.” It notes that private businesses, nonprofits, and local governments may establish their own nondiscrimination employment policies.
The executive order interprets House Bill 2 to allow private entities leasing state real property to control their own signage and use of such facilities. It calls on the General Assembly to restore the ability for people who believe they were fired illegally to sue for discrimination in state courts.
Reaction to the order was mixed.
“While Gov. McCrory’s executive order creates vital protections in public employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, it does not address the deep concerns we share with members of the business community and citizens across the state about the damaging impact of H.B. 2,” said Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC, a gay-rights advocacy group. “In fact, the order doubles down on the governor’s support for some of the most problematic provisions of H.B. 2.”
The ACLU of North Carolina, which has challenged the new law in court, also criticized McCrory.
“Gov. McCrory’s actions [Tuesday] are a poor effort to save face after his sweeping attacks on the LGBT community, and they fall far short of correcting the damage done when he signed into law the harmful House Bill 2, which stigmatizes and mandates discrimination against gay and transgender people,” said Sarah Preston, acting executive director. “With this executive order, LGBT individuals still lack legal protections from discrimination, and transgender people are still explicitly targeted by being forced to use the wrong restroom.”
Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, praised McCrory’s action.
“Gov. McCrory just put to rest the left’s lies about H.B. 2 and proved it allows private and public employers, nonprofits, and churches the ability to adopt nondiscrimination policies that are stronger than state and federal law,” Berger said. “But that fact is irrelevant to Roy Cooper and his left-wing political correctness mob with their agenda-driven allies in the liberal media, who will never stop trashing North Carolina until they achieve their goal of allowing any man into any women’s bathroom or locker room at any time simply by claiming to feel like a woman.”
Cooper, the state’s attorney general, is the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor. Cooper has come out against the new law and has refused to defend the law in court.
Dallas Woodhouse, state GOP executive director, criticized Cooper for failing to intervene on behalf of the state.
“Now that Gov. McCrory has signed an executive order expanding and affirming nondiscrimination policies for North Carolina state employees, the attorney general now has two choices: Come up with another excuse to not do his job, or stand up for North Carolina families and defend a common-sense law,” Woodhouse said.
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, also issued a statement praising the governor for issuing the order. “Private businesses are free to decide for themselves restroom, dressing room and nondiscrimination employment policies that best suit their business and employee needs without inconsistent mandates by cities and counties,” Moore said.
“[I]t is very unfortunate that the bathroom bill and the General Assembly’s actions have been unfairly reported and maligned by political activists. We remain confident that a factual analysis of what the bathroom bill does and does not do will reinforce that North Carolina is a great state in which to live and do business,” Moore added.
Tuesday’s executive order comes after a backlash from some businesses and organizations over the new law, which was passed on March 23 during a special one-day session of the General Assembly. McCrory signed the bill into law later that day.
Some businesses have canceled location or expansion plans, and said they based their decisions on the new law, which they considered discriminatory.
Lawmakers passed H.B. 2 after the Charlotte City Council adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance which, among other things, allowed transgendered people to use the bathroom of their choice at any business or public facility in the city.
McCrory said the Charlotte City Council went too far.
“This government overreach was a solution in search of a problem,” McCrory said. He said much of the outrage from the new state law was based on “misinformation,” “misinterpretation,” and “confusion.” He said that has brought “selective outrage” to the state.

Raleigh Chamber To ‘Study’ Financial Impact of H.B. 2

RALEIGH — Opponents of House Bill 2, popularly known as the “bathroom bill,” claim that the legislation has cost jobs in North Carolina, but it may have created at least one.
The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is advertising a new, part-time position for a person to research and analyze the economic impact of H.B. 2.
The bill, passed on March 23 in a one-day special session of the General Assembly, pre-empted a Charlotte city ordinance that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in such things as job discrimination and public accommodations, including restrooms and changing rooms. H.B. 2 nullified that ordinance, among other provisions.
“The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is seeking to fill a part-time, temporary position, 15 – 20 hours a week, for economic research and analysis on the economic impact of N.C. House Bill 2,” the ad states. The person getting the job will report directly to the chamber’s vice president of government affairs, Emily Atkinson, the chamber’s state government lobbyist, according to the ad, which ran on Upwork, an online job service catering to freelance writers, editors, and programmers.
When contacted to find out more about the project, Raleigh Chamber spokeswoman Vernessa Roberts said, “You have a job description. That’s all there is to say. The position is available.” Roberts would not answer any questions about the kind of  “research and analysis” the new position is expected to produce.
The job description listed the following responsibilities:
1) Data collection and analysis:
  • Review, clip and collect data from all news articles related to H.B. 2
  • Collect statements from business, organizations and associations that have made statements about H.B. 2
  • Collect financial impact data from businesses that choose to leave North Carolina, decrease their presence/business dealings in North Carolina, and/or choose not to consider North Carolina as a relocation or expansion destination
  • Log contacts from individuals that choose to not move to, vacation in, or take a job in North Carolina, or purchase goods and services from North Carolina businesses.
2) Creation of a financial impact report that can be shared with key decision makers and community leaders.  
Resumes are due by April 15.
Roy Cordato, the John Locke Foundation’s vice president of research and resident scholar, said the duties listed in the job description most likely would result in analysis that lacks intellectual rigor and is better suited for advocacy rather than scholarly insight.
“The questions addressed are completely one-sided. For example, if disposable income is not spent on a Bruce Springsteen concert that is canceled, where will it be spent and how might those other businesses benefit?,” Cordato asked. “If a business that is getting government subsidies like PayPal chooses not to invest in North Carolina, what benefits would come about as a result of taxpayer savings and as a result of the release of resources that the subsidized company is not using?”
Cordato added: “Of course this leaves aside the fact that none of this impact report would be based on hard data but instead on public statements and news clippings.”

Monday 14 December 2015

Bow Wow-Erica Mena Update: Rapper Slams Fiancée For Revealing Miscarriage News On Social Media


Bow Wow slams Erica Mena over miscarriage reveal
Rapper and actor Bow Wow (left) seemingly slammed his fiance Erica Mena (right) after she revealed on social media she suffered a miscarriage. Pictured: Bow Wow and Erica Mena at the "Furious 7" premiere in Hollywood on April 1, 2015. Photo: Getty Images
Bow Wow, real name Shad Moss, seemingly is upset his fiancée Erica Mena revealed their miscarriage news on social media. The 28-year-old rapper and "CSI: Cyber" star reportedly took to Instagram on Saturday to slam Mena for telling fans, via an Instagram post, that she had lost the baby.

Vibe reported Bow Wow eventually deleted the videos from his Instagram account. "First and foremost, I feel like telling your personal business on social media, I feel like that’s one of the lamest things you possibly do," Bow Wow said. "I feel like it’s attention seeking, especially when it’s news that happened five months ago. It’s not recent, it’s five months ago.”

He continued, “You don’t wait till now, do it when it happens. Five months ago, this ain’t nothing new.” Mena has not responded to the rapper's video.

Earlier this week, Mena shared she suffered a miscarriage while four months pregnant with the couple's first baby. Both Mena and Bow Wow have children from previous relationships. In a poem, she's since deleted, Mena wrote: "Though you lived in me only 4 months, you were loved so very much. I wish that I could hold you, I long to feel your touch. On that day, my world was ripped from under my feet. I pray that in another life, we get the chance to meet again.”

Bow Wow and Mena were plagued with breakup rumors last month after the actor ranted on Facebook about losing someone. “The worst feeling is when someone makes you feel special, then suddenly leaves you hanging and you have to act like you don’t care at all," Bow Wow wrote.

However, it seemed the couple squashed rumors of a split when Bow Wow shared an Instagram video last week of him reading a script for "CSI: Cyber" with the former "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star sitting on the couch next to him.

Bow Wow

Popular music at the turn of the millennium featured a plethora of teenage stars, and Lil Bow Wow was hip-hops unusally successful entrant in the teen pop competition. Lil Bow Wow packed shopping malls with young female fans after the 2000 release of his first album, Beware of Dog even though he was only four-foot seven inches tall and weighed a mere 85 pounds. His success has been attributed to both his personal charismahe reminded some observers of the young Michael Jacksonand to his purely musical talents. Lil Wow, observed Jason Birchmeier of the All Guide, miraculously raps better than most MCs industry despite his youth.

Lil Bow Wow was born Shad Gregory Moss on March 9, 1987, in Columbus, Ohio, and was raised in nearby Reynoldsburg. He was a middle child, a brother between two sisters. It didnt take long for his musical talents to surface. Hed pick up my kitchen utensils and combs and brushes and start rapping, his mother, Teresa Caldwell, told Jet. By the time he was three it was clear that Shad (the name still used by his friends) was something special, and his mother began to enter him in talent shows around the Columbus area. He began performing under the name of Kid Gangsta.

Met Snoop Doggy Dogg

In 1993, at the tender age of six, Kid Gangsta became Lil Bow Wow after he met rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg (later Snoop Dogg) at a Columbus concert during the latters The Chronic tour, and was invited on stage to perform. He reminded me of myself as a kidhis energy, his look, the older rapper told Jet. He was a little me. Instead of naming him Lil Dogg, I named him Lil Bow Wow.
Lil Bow Wow went on tour with Snoop Doggy Dogg as an opening act, and at that point the youngster went from being a novelty act to having a chance for major success as a child star.

That success didnt come right away, however, even though Lil Bow Wow made a guest appearance on Snoops wildly successful Doggystyle album. Lil Bow Wow, with backing from Snoop Doggy Dogg, signed a deal with Death Row Records, but the heavily gangster-oriented label was unsure of how to promote its pint-sized musical acquisition, and several recording sessions at Death Row came to nothing. But with his mother as his manager, Lil Bow Wow managed to maintain the semblance of a normal, well-grounded

At a Glance

Born Shad Gregory Moss on March 9, 1987, in Columbus, OH; son of Teresa Caldwell.
Career: Appeared on stage with Snoop Doggy Dogg, who gave him name Lil Bow Wow, 1993; toured with Snoop Doggy Dogg; signed by producer Jermaine Dupri to So So Der imprint of Sony label, 1997; released debut album, Beware of Dog, 2000; Doggy Bag, 2001; changed stage name to Bow Wow; starred in film Like Mike, 2002.

Addresses: Record Label Sony Music, 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022. Website

childhood. He remained a strong student in school, having won a junior-high-level award from the Ohio Interscholastic Writing League.

Lil Bow Wows contribution to the Doggystyle album was expletive-laced, but Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri envisioned a different path for the youngster and signed him to his So So Def label (an imprint of Sony) in 1997. Dupri explained to the Daily Telegraph (London), These days in rap, kids dont have any role models. I knew it was time for him to come out, because little girls from 11 to 16 dont have anyone they can claim as their own. Dupri began writing material for Lil Bow Wow that included no profanity at all.

Released Beware of Dog

With the hip-hop sections of CD stores featuring a sea of parental warning stickers, the move was a brilliant one. Lil Bow Wow immediately stood out from the crowd when Beware of Dog was released in September of 2000. Pictured on the cover with a boxer dog that looked genial rather than threatening, Lil Bow Wow was, in the words of an Entertainment Weekly critic, sunny and scrubbeda cherub in street braids. According to Birchmeier, the album delivers sure-fire pop rap: Bounce with Me is the sort of feel-good song destined to be a summer anthem.

By the summer of 2001, Lil Bow Wow was a teen sensation. When he undertook his Scream tour, accurately named in view of the reactions his appearances elicited from teenage girls, tickets for major venues sold out in less than an hour. The Evergreen Plaza shopping mall in Chicago had to be shut down for the day after girls fainted from excitement during a promotional Lil Bow Wow appearance. The rapper generally lapped up the attention, but occasionally seemed a bit overwhelmed. I really thought it was crazy, he told Jet.

Image Distributed on Book Cover

Bounce with Me gained added exposure from its inclusion on Dupris soundtrack for the Martin Lawrence film Big Mommas House, and Lil Bow Wows image appeared on a free promotional book cover given out to millions of students by the makers of the soft drink Dr. Pepper. The song landed the youngster in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest rapper to have a number one hit. He also performed with superstar Madonna at the beginning of the 2001 Grammy awards. With publicity like that, Lil Bow Wow was well placed to match the multimillion-copy sales of Beware of Dog with his next release, Doggy Bag. That album, released a week before Christmas in 2001, reportedly sold over a million copies by early February of 2002, and seemed well on its way to equaling or eclipsing the sales of its predecessor.

Lil Bow Wow, who has a pet box turtle named Snoop, moved in the usual rap-star fashion to diversify his activities in 2002. He prepared to launch a clothing line, Lil Bow Wear, and in the summer of that year made his first starring appearance on film in the family-oriented comedy Like Mike. The rapper played an orphan who finds a magic pair of athletic shoes that might once have belonged to basketball superstar Michael Jordan. The shoes turn him into an NBA superstar, and the five-foot-tall Bow Wow (he dropped the Lil in 2002) announced plans to play in the NBA himself.

That proclaimed ambition exemplified one of the keys to Bow Wows ongoing popularityhe has the gift of gab. I just always know what to think and what to say next, he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. On tour in the summer of 2002, when he was asked by that paper where he planned to be in five years, he responded, I dont know; I feel like Ive done everything. The only thing Im missing is a Grammy. Ive got the keys to five cities Ive never heard of. I have a street named after me. Ive accomplished more in the last five years than a lot of people. Despite that sentiment, it was obvious that raps child star displayed a quickness and ease that should allow him to continue to master new challenges.

Selected discography

Beware of Dog, Sony, 2000.
Doggy Bag, Columbia, 2001.

Selected filmography

All About the Benjamins, 2002.
Like Mike, 2002.

Sources

Periodicals

Baltimore Sun, July 4, 2002, p. E1.
Daily Telegraph (London), July 23, 2001, p. 13.
Entertainment Weekly, July 12, 2002, p. 55.
Jet, November 13, 2000, p. 14; June 4, 2001, p. 58; February 11, 2002, p. 56.
People, January 28, 2002, p. 37; July 22, 2002, p. 60.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 5, 2002, p. 24.
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 19, 2001, p. Night & Day-22.
Sports Illustrated, July 1, 2002, p. 28.
Toronto Sun, January 12, 2001, p. Pop Life-46.
Washington Post, June 30, 2002, p. G1; July 8, 2002, p. C14.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Erica Mena, Bow Wow Wedding Details: Everything You Need To Know About The Big Day

Rapper/actor Shad 'Bow Wow' Moss & former 'LHHNY’ star Erica Mena have been vague on the exact date of their wedding, but there's still info to break down.
Bow Wow & Erica Mena
(Photo : Getty Images)

Events Planner Preston Bailey Is Pretty Much A Big Deal


The buzz surrounding Mena and Moss' walk down the aisle has turned up to 11 since the announcement that famed events planner Preston Bailey would be coordinating the big wedding day. Let's be clear: Snagging the in-demand Preston, who has overseen shindigs by the superstar likes of Oprah Winfrey, Uma Thurman, Ivanka Trump and Catherine Zeta Jones, is a coup, according to public events professional Nicole Newsum, who has worked with actress Nia Long, model Bria Murphy and has represented such high profiled brands as L'Oréal and SoftSheen-Carson. "Preston Bailey is the go-to visionary to make any space elegant," she tells EnStars. "I've seen his work in person and it’s just immaculate. He's really known for his decor, his centerpieces, and floral work."
Newsum added that the Mena/Moss wedding watchers will be in for a treat. "If you want your wedding to be simple and traditional, Bailey can do that," she says. "If you want an over-the-top rock and roll feel, Bailey can do that as well. I remember going to his 50th birthday party. The energy and look of the event had a very island feel to it with dancing...very thematic and theatrical...a piece of art."

The Wedding Will NOT Take Place Down Under


Reports were rolling from the Twitterverse to mainstream entertainment sites and tabloid outlets that Mena and Moss would be holding their much talked about pending nuptials in Australia, of all places. But as EnStars posted on May 29th, reports of an Iggy Azalea destination wedding were pure fabrication, according to the Artist Formerly Known As Bow Wow. "Nah, I'm not getting married in Australia," Moss set the record straight to Hip Hollywood. "I'm going to Australia to get a bag, turn up, promote the record (his latest “Where You At”) promote CSI: Cyber; do what I do. And bring my [tail] back to America and continue doing what I do." So it seems like rumors of a Caribbean wedding may be true after all.

LHHNY's Yandy Won't Be Getting A Wedding Invite


There appears to be no love lost between Mena and former Love & Hip Hop New York co-star Yandy Smith. In an apparent jab at her reality-show-sister-in-spirit--who married soon-to-be incarcerated beau Mendeecees in a live wedding ceremony on VH1 this past Memorial Day--the future Mrs. Moss made it clear on social media that she would never go that route, posting the below tweet.

Bow Wow Film Festival coming to Beartooth

Dogblog note: Here's something you don't see often -- a film festival for dog lovers! The Beartooth Theaterpub is hosting the Bow Wow Film Festival at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. Check out the press release:
Bow Wow Film Festival Coming to Anchorage
At the Bearstooth Theaterpub
When: Saturday, September 12th at 10.30 am.
The Bow Wow Film Festival, under the direction of Susan Kelley, and in conjunction with WebEye Group Productions, producer of the highly successful Fly Fishing Film Tour, is excited to announce the 2015 Bow Wow Film Tour, featuring the irresistible personalities of lovable canines.
The Bow Wow Film Festival is a fun family time with a feature-length film composed of a series of short films highlighting dogs, dog antics and celebrating dog-human relationships.
The festival collaborates with animal rescues, humane societies, and not-for-profit organizations around Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, California, Texas, and more to raise funds and awareness for adoptable animals. The Anchorage show will benefit Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue.
The 2015 Bow Wow Film Festival kicked off last month to a sold-out, standing room only group of dog lovers in Boulder, Colorado, and has delighted audiences at every stop.
Tickets are $4 general admission and $5.50 reserved seating, on the day of show

Bow Wow And Erica Mena: Rapper Talks Making Sure He Never Got 'Caught Up' With Other Women Before Fiance [VIDEO]

James Harden's now epic situation has brought to light Bow Wow's old ways and he explained how he made sure he didn't get caught.
Bow Wow
Entertainer Bow Wow(Shad Moss) (Photo : Getty)
NBA star James Harden’s now epic slip up has lead to Bow Wow letting fans know how he used to treat women before getting engaged to reality star Erica Mena.
Erica Mena Still Livid With ‘Love & Hip Hop New York’ Producers
A woman took a snapshot of the Houston Rockets player sleeping in bed with her and put it online; only for it to go viral (and create a trending hashtag #WhenJamesHardenWakesUp). So Bow Wow took to his own Facebook to reveal why this would have never happened to him back in his playboy days.
“Yo i see y'all boys still young rich and DUMB. Now james is my boy but let me say this now. This is how i USE to do it its called ‘leaving no evidence’ if you was chilling w me my security takes phones and you signing papers. The rule is when she leaves she gets her phone back.”
Bow Wow Shows Off New BMW Erica Mena Bought Him, Tells Other Women To ‘Boss Up’
He said if there was a wrench thrown into the plan and the woman’s phone wasn’t taken, he would wait until she fell asleep to throw it under the bed.
“…so i KNOW im good and could sleep peacefully.”
He went on to diss guys for being “too comfy w/ [broads] yall dont know!” and commended “the ladies because most of us are just that rich and STUPID so y'all know how to get us.”
He said that he’s made the mistake and gotten “caught up too” back in his “rookie” days but learned from his errors.
“Ladies when y'all do stuff this, it ruins it for you because we NEVER calling you again.”
Check out his full rant below.
(Photo : Facebook.com/BowWow)

In the meantime, he’s turned in his player cards and is set to marry Mena later this month.
 
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