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Kanye West Has Changed His Name
Kanye West has changed his name at age 41, and rather than adding a “Kardashian” to his moniker, the rapper has selected two letters from his name to go by and is dropping the rest. “The being formally (sic) known as Kanye West,” he tweeted Saturday night, ahead of his gig on Saturday Night Live. “I am YE.” Ye has been a longtime nickname, and he even chose it as the title of his June album, notes the Guardian.
But there’s also personal significance, notes People: “I believe YE is the most commonly used word in the Bible,” he said in June, when the album was released. “In the Bible it means ‘you.’ So I’m you, I’m us. It went from being Kanye, which means the only one, to being just YE—just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything. I’m just more a reflection of who we are.” Ye’s new album, Yandhi, dropped Saturday night; in it, he raps about “givin’ up my slave name.” Sky News has a list of more celebrities who’ve changed their names after years in the limelight.
via: http://www.newser.com/story/265313/kanye-west-has-changed-his-name.html
Serena Sings Topless— But for a Cause
Last month, Serena Williams was mad as hell. Now she’s adding a sweet lilt to The Divinyls’ classic “I Touch Myself” in a video she produced to increase breast cancer awareness, the Guardian reports. “Yes, this put me out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to do it because it’s an issue that affects all women of all colours, all around the world,” she captions the video on Instagram. Christina Joy Amphlett, The Divinyl’s lead singer, died of breast cancer in 2013.
Oh, and Williams is topless in the video. Not the first time, either: The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner wore her birthday suit for Vanity Fair in 2017 and the Pirelli Calendar in 2016, notes E! Online. She also laid down rap tracks in 2011 and appeared in Beyonce’s “Sorry” video five years later.
via: http://www.newser.com/story/265321/serena-sings-i-touch-myself-for-a-cause.html
Mom files federal lawsuit after son doesn’t make high school soccer team
A St. Louis mom is making a federal case over the fact that her son didn’t make the high school soccer team.
The unnamed woman, whose son is a junior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School– located in the most affluent section of the city– filed a lawsuit in federal court this week, claiming the coach’s decision discriminates against her child.
The boy, called John Doe in the Wednesday filing at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, played on the junior varsity team last year, and the suit claims he’s good enough to do so again
“[John] was right on the bubble of making the team this year and has some impressive attributes,” soccer coach Dave Aronberg told the family in an email, court papers show. “However, there were a few holes in his game including technical ability and game decision making that put him behind a number of kids.”
The school said players who don’t make varsity cannot go back to J.V., in order to allow younger students a chance to develop their skills.
In courtroom testimony, the coach said seven juniors cut from varsity weren’t good enough to play J.V. ball.
But the family claims both age and sex discrimination are at play, because those rules doesn’t apply to girl’s teams. “Female juniors get to play on the female junior varsity team, but male juniors don’t get to play on the male junior varsity,” said the family’s lawyer, who asked not to be named.
The junior varsity squad only has 18 active players, rather than the usual 25, the lawyer noted. So even if John Doe doesn’t get to start, he should be allowed on the team — because there is plenty of room, he told the Post.
“This was devastating to this kid. All he cares about is soccer.”
The family appealed to the school’s athletic director, and then to the superintendent, but both backed Aronberg, who could not immediately be reached for comment.
John Doe’s lawyer offered player performance ratings from other coaches that show that his client is better than some of the boys who made varsity, ranking 19th of the 36 players who tried out.
The suit aims to have the boy put back on the J.V. team. The judge will announce his decision Monday.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/09/29/mom-files-federal-lawsuit-after-son-doesnt-make-varsity-soccer-team/
Kanye West goes on a Trump rant from ‘SNL’ stage as show ends
The credits began to roll on “Saturday Night Live,” but musical guest Kanye West still had plenty to say.
After performing several songs on the show Saturday, the rapper went on a rant about President Trump as “SNL” went off the air.
West’s comments were captured by comedian and former “SNL” cast member Chris Rock, who posted a video on Instagram Stories from his verified account.
“I want to cry right now, black man in America, supposed to keep what you’re feeling inside right now,” West sang while wearing what appeared to be a “Make America Great Again” hat.
The musical artist has long drawn controversy for his vocal support of President Trump and other, inflammatory comments.
“There’s so many times I talk to like a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist,’” West said from the stage as other musicians, cast members and guests — including Saturday’s host, Adam Driver — stood behind him.
“Well, if I was concerned about racism I would’ve moved out of America a long time ago.”
West also said that the country needs to have “a dialogue and not a diatribe.” His speech was met with a mix of boos and cheers from the audience.
The rant followed a performance earlier in the show that had West, along with Lil Pump and Adele Givens, sing a new song, “I Love It,” while dressed as a bottle of sparkling water.
Those on social media found the musical performance worth watching but kind of bizarre.
“I’m watching Kanye on SNL and is it possible I inhaled some LSD,” tweeted Sopan Deb, a culture writer for the New York Times.
When contacted by CNN, NBC said it had no comment on West’s remarks.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/09/30/kanye-west-goes-on-a-trump-rant-from-snl-stage-as-show-ends/
Brother, 20, charged with murder after allegedly tossing 4-year-old boy from Brooklyn building
FLATLANDS, Brooklyn — The brother of a 4-year-old boy who was found dead outside a Brooklyn apartment early Saturday has been charged with murder, officials said.
Shawn Smith, 20, was charged with murder in the second degree hours after his little brother, Shimron Smith, was found outside their family apartment.
The four-year-old was found unconscious and unresponsive in the courtyard of an apartment building along Nostrand Avenue near Avenue J in Flatlands at about 3:30 a.m.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
Police believe the child’s older brother tossed him from the roof or from the family’s sixth-floor apartment. Neighbors say the older brother has a history of mental illness.
One building resident tells the Daily News that the brother seemed to be “a little off.” Other neighbors recall seeing the alleged killer aimlessly walking up and down the building steps.
Tacoma couple killed man hid his body so they could live in his house, records show
A Tacoma man desperate for somewhere he and his wife could live is accused of killing a man and hiding his body in a shed so the couple could move into the victim’s house near Renton.
Jeremy Shaw, 39, is charged with first-degree murder, residential burglary and arson in last week’s death of 67-year-old Steven Morphis. Shaw’s wife, Lorena, 37, is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance, residential burglary and arson.
Morphis was found Thursday in his shed with his wrists and ankles bound and his body wrapped in a comforter and tarp. A freshly dug hole resembling a grave was found at the base of a deck.
King County medical examiners said Morphis died from blunt force trauma to the head. His throat was cut as well.
Court documents give this account:
After Morphis’ body was discovered, investigators found his bank card was missing and somebody had tried to make a $4,100 payment to a Tacoma company. The company was registered to Jeremy Shaw.
A search of Shaw’s Tacoma home turned up the victim’s bank card, which had been shredded, and his driver’s license.
The victim’s car was found burned in a University Place parking lot.
When interviewed by detectives, Jeremy Shaw admitted to being at Morphis’ house to do an estimate for a possible job. He denied killing him, but said he did steal several items after finding the door unlocked.
Lorena Shaw told invesigators a different story.
She she her husband often uses methamphetamine and told her he approached Morphis at his home with a “military type petition” so he could obtain the victim’s signature and get a good look at the property, which isn’t visible from the road.
Prosecutors allege Jeremy Shaw pepper sprayed the victim, bashed him on the head and hid his body in the shed.
He then brought his wife to the property, telling her he’d found them a place to live.
Lorena Shaw “said that while at the house, Jeremy told her she couldn’t go in the garage — that she didn’t want to see what was in there,” records state.
She later said she assumed that meant Morphis was dead.