Missy Elliott becomes first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Missy Elliott is officially the hottest ’round.
The “Get Ur Freak On” artist made history Saturday, becoming the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The official announcement was made on “CBS This Morning,” which featured Hall of Fame Chairman Nile Rodgers. Elliott is also the third rapper to be inducted.
“It’s amazing. To me, it’s important to have equality. I’ve written with a lot of women songwriters, but not nearly enough. That’s sort of my secret goal — I want to have more women songwriters,” Rodgers said on air, adding that Elliott was “one of my favorite writers of all time.”
Elliott shared her excitement on Twitter by congratulating the other inducted songwriters, who are Dallas Austin, Tom T. Hall, John Prine, Jack Tempchin and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens).
“I AM SO HUMBLY GRATEFUL to now be inducted,” Elliot tweeted.
The Hall of Fame’s 50th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner is scheduled for June 13 in New York.
‘A groundbreaking solo superstar’
The Songwriters Hall of Fame website described Elliott as “one of the most significant female artists in contemporary music history” who is a “groundbreaking solo superstar.”
A Portsmouth, Virginia, native, Elliott’s debut album, “Supa Dupa Fly,” was released in 1997, the Hall of Fame said. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the singles “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Sock It 2 Me,” “Hit Em Wit Da Hee” and “Beep Me 911.”
Her third album, “Miss E…So Addictive,” released in 2001, saw the release of the hit “Get Ur Freak On.” The song won Elliott her first Grammy for best rap solo performance.
The song “Work It,” featured on Elliott’s fourth album “Under Construction,” made history by spending 10 weeks at the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Elliott has a long list of songwriter credits, the Hall of Fame says, that include songs for Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah and Jennifer Hudson.
She also performed at Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 and teamed up with other female artists for the song “This Is For My Girls” as part of Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn initiative.
Woman dies after being forced to live in freezing hut while on her period
A mother and her two young sons died in a freezing hut after she was exiled from her home for being on her period under a backward Nepalese tradition.
Amba Bohara, 35, was found curled up next to her sons, aged just seven and nine, in the tiny shed next to their home yesterday morning.
The desperate mom tried to keep her children warm by lighting a fire but all three tragically died from smoke inhalation, officials said.
She had been exiled from her home while on her period under a Hindu tradition called Chhaupadi, which deems women to be “impure” during the natural cycle.
Authorities are now deliberating whether to press charges against the family over the horrifying deaths.
Bohara had spent the day feeding her family’s cattle and gathering firewood before taking her children to the hut as she began her period on Tuesday night.
But the next morning her sister-in-law noticed smoke billowing from the door as she brought Amba a cup of tea, the New York Times reports.
She opened the door to a tragic sight – Amba and her sons with foam spewing from their mouths and their clothes charred by fire.
Amba’s husband, a manual laborer in the village, said: “This has broken my heart.”
It’s not clear why the children accompanied their mother into the hut, which barely enough space for three people.
Investigators have since arrived at Budhinanda village, which is located about 250 miles northwest of the capital, Katmandu.
The bodies were sent for post mortem examination in a nearby town and the Bajura District chief administrator Chetraj Baral said he is consulting with government lawyers to determine if charges will be made.
He added that the government will send officials to educate residents about the practice, which was banned by the Supreme Court in 2005.
A new law criminalized the forced exile of menstruating women last year, with violators facing up to three months behind bars or a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees ($29).
Mom scoops up her own intestines after C-section scar splits
A new mom was left cradling her own intestines after her C-section scar burst open five days following birth.
First-time mom Mel Bremner, 38, bent down to pick up the shampoo in the shower when she saw her guts spill out.
She hobbled to the sofa with the help of partner Aidan Johnson, 40, who covered her with a towel while the paramedics rushed to their home.
Bremner — who admits she has a high pain threshold — posed for a photo while they waited, before being airlifted to the hospital.
She shared the photo with parenting site ChannelMum.com in a bid to dispel the myth that C-sections are “easy” and encourage moms to heed advice to take it easy after the major surgery.
Bremner, a hotel waitress, said: “When I look at that photo I remember sitting there and my stomach and insides were literally in my hands.
“It was all gurgling around and moving. It was awful.
“I was sitting there thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’m holding my intestines.’
“It was quite creepy.
“Everyone was asking me ‘what have you been doing?’ but I wasn’t doing anything I shouldn’t have — I was just having a shower.
“People think that C-section is the easy way out. It’s really not.
“It’s major surgery, but they don’t tell you that at the time. They just tell you ‘take it easy’ and away you go home.
“I think after giving birth you are sort of expected to get up and get on with it.
“People are always telling you to take it easy but you just say ‘I’m fine.’”
Bremner had an emergency C-section on Dec. 9, 2011, after she was overdue, and she wasn’t dilating despite medical intervention.
The procedure at Dr. Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, Scotland, seemed to go smoothly, and she was soon home with daughter Nadie, and partner Johnson, an offshore engineering consultant.
She said her surgery wound dressing was inspected before she left the hospital, and she was deemed well enough to leave.
er partner noticed two “white blobs” in the middle of the wound four days after the birth — now thought to be fat — but they didn’t suspect anything was wrong.
A day later she was in the shower when she noticed something was wrong.
“I had only been in for a couple of minutes and I bent down to get the shampoo,” she said.
“I don’t remember if I felt it happen or saw it happen first, but my intestines were slipping out of my stomach.
“I put my hands underneath to catch it.
“I realized if I shouted out it would put pressure on my stomach, and that if I shout it will all fall out, so I was just trying to call out calmly to Aidan.”
He calmly led her from the shower to the sofa in the living room, propped up her feet and fetched a towel to cover her while calling for an ambulance.
She said the pair contemplated covering her with plastic wrap, but waited for paramedics who then called the air ambulance to take her to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“I don’t think the woman on the end of the phone believed him really,” she said.
“I was sat there holding my insides the whole time. I daren’t move my hands.”
She had surgery and after a couple of days in the hospital was home again.
The couple said the C-section consultant later speculated he had cut the end of the thread too short while stitching her up, or not tied the knot tight enough.
Bremner later had daughters Allie, now 4, and Robyn, now 3, by C-section, despite the traumatic experience with Nadie, now 7.
She added: “If Aidan had panicked I think I would have too, but he was brilliant and calm.
A spokesperson for Dr. Gray’s Hospital declined to comment.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/01/11/mom-scoops-up-her-own-intestines-after-c-section-scar-splits/
Emails reveal Louis C.K. may have given Sarma Melngailis an STD
Seems like even disgraced comedian Louis C.K. fell under fraudster restaurateur Sarma Melngailis’ spell.
In a series of emails between the two in 2012 Louis C.K. pines for the chef, telling her in one March note that, “My brain has thoughts about you in it. Somewhere between 27 and 93 ¹/₂.”
The emails were part of a trove of documents provided to The Post that included sexual text messages between Melngailis and her high-powered defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman.
But things turned slightly less romantic in one June when the funnyman defends himself against having potentially passed along an STD to Melngailis.
The chef emailed him on June 17 regarding a previous email outburst, stating that she was “upset and freaked out.”
Louis C.K. responded: “hey. I understand you’re upset. This kind of s–t is tough. I never swore that I was clean. I told you I may or may not have given this to you. I’m sorry if I did. If you gave it to me, it’s okay. We all share the current human bloodstream, which includes this kind of stuff. I should have worn a condom, you should have made me, we should have a lot of things. we are human,” he wrote.
“Our generation has this stuff. the next generation will all be inocculated and will have sex with electric glass penises and digital vaginas and they’ll get software viruses instead. It’s part of life.”
Later on he tells Melngailis that he accepts his responsibility “for our chemistry and exchange,” and wonders whether anyone is “clean” nowadays.
“I’ve been told the same thing, that there’s no good tests for guys and even that condoms don’t stop s–t. i don’t know. It’s a mess. I hope you’re okay. i think you will be. And I am sorry. …I still look back tenderly and happily on our time together. And that night. It was really wonderful, even though it never happened again and it seemed to be sort of a stopping point for us, unfortunately.”
Louis C.K. could not be reached for comment and Melngailis declined to speak with The Post.
via: https://pagesix.com/2019/01/12/emails-reveal-louis-c-k-may-have-given-sarma-melngailis-an-std/
Costco is now selling a 27-pound bucket with a 20-year shelf life
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Calling all mac-and-cheese lovers! Costco has given you the greatest gift.
The wholesale store is taking steps to make sure you never have to worry about running out of mac-and-cheese. They are now selling the delicacy in a 27-pound tub, according to People.
The Chef’s Banquet Macaroni and Cheese Storage Bucket holds 180 servings of pasta favorite. People reports that inside the six-gallon container are separate pouches of elbow pasta and cheddar cheese sauce.
The tub sells for $89.99, which is about $2 a serving, and reportedly has a shelf life of 20 years.
In fact, due to its significant shelf life, Costco has listed the product under “all emergency foods” on the store’s website.
This isn’t the first food that Costco has supersized this month. Just last week they announced that they are selling a seven pound tub of Nutella as well.
Philadelphia Man Allegedly Killed with Single Punch After Asking Dog Owner to Put Leash on Pet
What started as an evening walk with his fiancée and dog ended in tragedy for a Philadelphia man who died after he asked another dog owner to put his dog on a leash, according to police reports obtained by multiple outlets.
On Saturday, Drew Justice, his fiancée and their Shih Tzu went for a walk in Gold Star Park. Witnesses told police Justice was attacked when he asked another dog owner to put a leash on his pet, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“He was scared” of the dog, resident Anthony Barosso told NBC10.
The owner allegedly punched the 38-year-old in the face in response, forcing him to fall backwards and hit his head, according to local station CBS3, citing police reports.
Justice was taken to a local hospital, the Inquirer reports. He succumbed to his injuries later that night, according to a police news release obtained by PEOPLE. He lived across the street from the South Philadelphia park, according to the Inquirer.
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office announced that Justice died of blunt force trauma, the paper reports.
“I just don’t understand why someone would be so filled with rage to hit someone over something so insignificant,” a neighbor told CBS3.
On Monday, his alleged attacker, Matthew Oropeza, 24, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, terroristic threats, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, the news release states.
A witness described the attack to CBS3: “Everything happened quickly. There was no grand argument or dramatic scuffle,” the unidentified woman said. “Just several lives crossing at what has proven to be an irrevocably tragic moment in time.”
It is unclear whether Oropeza has an attorney or has entered a plea.
Those with information regarding the incident are urged to call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-8477.
Utah Teen Participating in Viral ‘Bird Box Challenge’ Crashes While Blindfolded
A teen participating in the latest viral challenge led to a crash on a street in Layton, Utah, police said this week.
The Layton Police Department tweeted two photos of the crash, which they said occurred Monday.
“Bird Box Challenge while driving… predictable result,” the department stated. “This happened on Monday as a result of the driver covering her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway.”
There were no injuries reported in connection with the crash, KTLA sister station KSTU in Salt Lake City reported.
The “Bird Box Challenge” takes its name from a recent Netflix movie “Bird Box,” in which the characters must remain blindfolded.
Kansas woman makes $80 an hour to cuddle with complete strangers
LAWRENCE, Kan. – A woman in Kansas is getting paid to cuddle with people.
Robin Marie is a ‘professional cuddler.’ She provides a safe place for clients to receive platonic touch while also setting boundaries.
“I really believe in the power of touch and how it can heal people,” Marie told WDAF. “It can be as simple as me sitting on the couch just sitting next to someone. It can be holding hands with someone all the way to we’re laying horizontal on the bed and we are spooning.”
Marie got involved with therapeutic touch a few years ago after realizing she was touch-deprived.
“I wasn’t dating for a few years, and I saw a massage therapist in Kansas City and told her I realized the only time I was getting touched was when I got a massage,” she explained.
It took her three to four months to receive her certification as a “professional cuddler” from an online site called Cuddlist.
“There is a training process that you go through and practicum as well, and then you get certified by going through an evaluation with a specially-trained cuddlist,” she said.
Marie now has about 30 clients, ranging in age from 20-75 years old, and she charges $80 an hour.
“It’s really an opportunity for people to be able to explore how they would like to experience platonic touch for themselves,” Marie said. “It’s comforting, nurturing, soothing and, again, platonic.”
The sessions take place at a neutral home, and her clients must agree to the code of conduct, provide a copy of the driver’s license and participate in a video chat pre-screening before meeting in person.
“The baseline agreement that I have with every client is if either of us are ever uncomfortable, we agree to speak up and say something,” Marie said.
She said professional cuddling can help people feel more comfortable in their skin and, most importantly, connect with another person.
“That is something touch those for us through oxytocin release and neurotransmitter release. It really helps you feel connected and in touch with another human being when nothing else does.”
On Tuesday, Amy Thompson experienced her first professional cuddling session with Marie. The 27-year-old believes this kind of contact can help with understanding consent, especially in the #MeToo era.
“There’s this huge consent crisis where people don’t know how to explicitly communicate with each other and being a safe space like with what Robin does could be extraordinarily beneficial to myself and others,” Thompson said.
Marie admits therapeutic touch may not be for for everyone, but she thinks – with time – it won’t be as unconventional as it’s presently considered.
“It’s not going to be that long, maybe another 10 years or so, where it will be, ‘Oh yeah, that person’s a cuddler,’ like you say ‘That person’s a massage therapist,’ and I really look forward to that.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/01/10/this-woman-is-a-professional-cuddler-getting-paid-for-platonic-touch/
Man who raped dying teen gets less than 3 years in prison
LYNNWOOD, Wash. – A Washington state man will spend less than three years in prison after drugging and raping an 18-year-old girl as she died of an overdose, a sentence the victim’s mother called “a joke,” according to KCPQ.
Brian Valera, 20, was sentenced Thursday for giving 18-year-old Alyssa Noceda drugs, raping her, then trying to hide her body after she died.
Alyssa’s mother, Gina Pierson, told KCPQ she feels anything but a sense of justice after the man responsible for her daughter’s death will spend less time in prison than a car thief.
“She was a very outgoing person, bubbly, smart, beautiful,” according to Pierson, who said she’ll never forget the happiness in her daughter’s eyes. “Just an overall great human being.”
Alyssa Noceda died last February of a drug overdose at a party. On Thursday, Brian Varela, the man prosecutors say was responsible for her death, was sentenced for his crimes.
“I’m heartbroken,” said Pierson. “She deserves justice and she’s not receiving it.”
Police say it happened inside a mobile home near Martha Lake. Court documents say Noceda used marijuana and snorted prescription drugs Valera shared with her – but she soon lost consciousness, and her lips turned blue.
Court documents say Valera sent pictures and text messages to his friends saying she had passed out and that he had had sex with her, but he never called first responders for help.
“She died from an acute combined overdose of fentanyl and a generic for Xanax,” said Pierson.
One of Valera’s friends eventually called police, and when they searched his home days later they found Noceda’s body stuffed into a crate.
Valera was sentenced to less than three years in prison for second degree manslaughter, third degree rape and unlawful disposal of remains.
“He chose not to do anything. He knew what was going on, he made that obvious in the text message and the photos he sent to his friends,” said Pierson. “He knew every single thing that was going on with her and he chose to do nothing. There were no mistakes in there.”
Valera could have called for help and avoided drug possession charges thanks to the state’s Good Samaritan law. Instead, court records say he raped his victim, tried to conceal his DNA evidence on her body and planned to bury her in a hole near Marysville.
Noceda’s mother says she hopes lawmakers pay attention to this case – and change state law to make sure other offenders face harsher punishments for similar crimes.
“I’m just appalled. It’s a joke. A slap on the wrist for taking someone’s life and violating another human being,” she said.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/11/19/its-a-joke-man-who-raped-dying-teen-gets-less-than-3-years-in-prison/
Man reportedly ate woman’s pet fish, later sent gross picture with caption ‘found your fish’
BATON ROUGE, La. – A man who allegedly ate a woman’s fish in her dorm room at LSU and later sent her a picture of his feces has been arrested.
The incident occurred on October 22, 2016, after LSU took on Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium, according to WBRZ.
21-year-old Maxwell Taffin, who was 18-years-old at the time of the incident, has been booked on one charge of cruelty to animals and one charge of improper telephone communications, according to WBRZ.
Taffin and two of his friends to stayed in one of the trio’s ex-girlfriend’s dorm room after the Ole Miss game.
When she returned to her room, Taffin reportedly said “check your fish tank” as he left.
The victim noticed Bumba, her pet Siamese fighting fish was missing, and soon received a text message showing feces in a toilet.
The photo was captioned “found your fish.”
When questioned by LSU police, Taffin reportedly said “Yeah, I’ll be honest with you. I ate [the victim’s] fish,” according to WBRZ.
Taffin told police “a lot of people” use his phone, which isn’t password protected.
LSU police issued a criminal summons for Taffin, but he failed to appear, leading to his arrest on January 8th.