Cam Newton loves the kids! And now he’ll be starring in his own Nickelodeon series to help make their dreams come true. The Carolina Panthers quarterback’s show will be called I Wanna Be, according to The Stashed.
The show’s all about giving back and giving kids a chance, and that’s why Cam sign on as executive producer.
“Time in the spotlight has made me realize the importance of creating positive messages to inspire the next generation,” Newton said in a statement. “I’m very passionate about mentoring young people, and this show will be the perfect opportunity to help talented kids get the chance to pursue their dreams. And to be able to do it all on Nickelodeon – a network I grew up watching – is extremely exciting.”
IT’S FALL! FOOTBALL, COOL WEATHER, TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY AND TAILGATING TIME!! CHECK OUT GUY TORRY AND STEVE WILSON AT THE STARDOME COMEDY CLUB!!
DON”T MISS…THIS WEEKEND…
**HEAVY WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – DEONTAY WILDER VS JOHANN DUHAUPAS plus Omar Figueroa Jr. vs Antonio DeMarco at the Legacy Arena, 6 p.m.
Saturday. This is a great moment in Alabama. History in the Making…right here in Birmingham with premier Boxing champions and boxing at its best.
AND… if you love to laugh….
**GUY TORRY AND STEVE WILSON are in the ‘HAM, at the Stardome Comedy Club, this weekend. You have heard of JOE TORRY; Guy is his younger brother. Well, Guy and Steve are just as funny as Joe, if not funnier together. They make a great team with tons of laughs. STEVE WILSON is a rising comedian seen on BET’s Comic View, performed in England, Australia and a few other countries. He has opened for performers such as Brian McKnight and is co-host of DL HUGHLEY syndicated radio show. He is currently featured on Showtime’s “Andrew Dice Clay Present the Blue Show. GUY TORRY made that transition from the stage to the screen like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and a few more comedians. Guy has starred on ‘Martin”, Sparks”, “NYPD Blue”, “X-Files’, and “American History X”. He has toured abroad bringing laughter to the world. And, he was host to “The Kings of Comedy” original tour. Guy has a little time left on Wednesdays to share and help with “My Friend’s House” foundation in Los Angeles where they feed, clothe and pray for the homeless on Skid Row. Guy also is in pre-production with a documentary about “Phat Tuesday and in has several television, film, and book projects in the works. Both Guy Torry and Steve Wilson are currently touring the country. (Check them out at the StarDome Comedy Club and tell them Gwen sent you!!)
Here are a few things to do….and ‘not to miss’ coming soon!
THIS WEEKEND AND COMING…
TODAY…, Check out PLUM and LEGENDS LOUNGE, downtown Birmingham.
FRIDAY……Laughter… at the StarDome Comedy Club!
DON’T MISS….
IN TUSCALOOSA….TOMORROW NIGHT…..
FOR MUSIC LOVERS….
**SOUND OF MOTOWN – ALL THE HITS IN ONE NIGHT – See the WHISPERS, THE SPINNERS, and THE MANHATTANS with the Sounds of Motown, Friday, at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater.
FOR GOLF LOVERS….
**STILLMAN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT – Join the fun at the 15th Annual Stillman College Scholarship Golf Tournament, Friday Registration is 7 a.m. and Tee-Time is 8 a.m. The tournament will be held at the Roebuck Golf Course and will feature some of Birmingham’s finest golfers including NFL football celebrities, local community public officials and top female golfers. There will be door prizes, raffle prizes, awards and delicious lunch. Proceeds will go to the deserving Birmingham students to attend Stillman College. For more information (205) 925-9373, gdennard2@aol.com, (205) 247-8145 or ascott@stillman.edu.
SATURDAY…..
**SISTAH STRUT – Brenda’s Brown Bosom Buddies will run, walk, stroll or strut at Legion Field, 7 – 11 a.m.
THEN… THERE IS MORE GOLF……
**SRMSDC GOLF TOURNAMENT – FORE IN THE FALL is Friday, October 2 at the Oxmoor Valley Golf Course in Birmingham, Alabama. Registration is 7:30 a.m. with Shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. There is a Southern Hospitality Networking BBQ immediately following golf. Go to Southern Region MSDC for more.
**HOMEWOOD CHAMBER GOLF CLASSIC – The Annual Homewood Chamber Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, October 8 at Robert Trent Jones – Oxmoor Valley Golf Course. Registration and the Putting Contest will be held at 8 a.m., and the Tournament will officially begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The Golf Classic supports economic development efforts in the City of Homewood. Participants will enjoy a light breakfast, full round of golf, the chance to win fantastic door prizes from area businesses, a locally sourced lunch from Urban Cookhouse and so much more. Call (205) 871-5631 for more.
DON’T MISS….
…IN MOUNTAIN BROOK…..
**TODAY….JAZZ WITH CIVITAS IN ENGLISH VILLAGE – Snoozy’s Ladies Night Out, 5-7 p.m. at English Village.
**FRIDAY…WESTERN’S FALL, WINE AND FOOD EVENT, 6-9 p.m. at the Birmingham Zoo.
**SATURDAY…CRESTLINE ROCKS, 5-10 p.m. in Crestline Village featuring local bands competitions with SARAH SIMMONS from the Voice Season 4.
**OCTOBER 1…CANTERBURY ROAD BLOCK PARTY, 6-8 p.m. at Canterbury Road.
**OCTOBER 1-4…ANTIQUES AT THE GARDENS with Mountain Brook Village and participating businesses.
**FOOTBALL …..AND… RACING AT ITS FINEST AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY…..
If golf is not your cup of tea, football has kicked off so check out the games now until the first of the year. AND, if you love cars, then you already know that the Talladega Superspeedway races are October 23-25 and right around the corner.
….There are always plenty of things to do around the southeast. Here are a few things going on in town…
FOR ART LOVERS…
IN TUSCALOOSA….
…Tomorrow is the last day….Check it out….
**THE LIFE OF A COSTUME: FROM PAGE TO STAGE – This exhibition is at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center and ends tomorrow. The gallery is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.
**ROOTS AND ALL – P.H. POLK and GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER – This exhibition ends tomorrow at the Paul R. Jones Gallery, 2308 Sixth Street in Tuscaloosa. Call (205) 345-3038 for more.
NOW…on to the rest of the happenings…. THIS WEEKEND….A FEW THINGS IN BIRMINGHAM!
CHECK OUT….the TIDE AND TIGER every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday on Graymont Avenue.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE THINGS GOING ON…THIS WEEKEND…
TODAY….
**Ona’s Music Room is relocating…. look for more soon.
**RIVERBEND REUNION, LAUREN FARRAH, EARLY JAMES AND THE LATE BLOOMERS at The Nick.
FRIDAY…
**TIDE AND TIGER LOUNGE, 8 p.m. on Graymont Avenue across the street from Legion Field. Open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
*FRIDAY AFTER WORK – For those that want ‘a break’ before the weekend ‘Friday after Work’ has food and more, 5 – 10 p.m. Call (205) 572-1295 for more. Get your palates ready!
**THE SOLAR SYSTEM, DEAD SEA FLOWERS, GRAND EVOLUTION and RYAN SOBB at The Nick on southside.
SATURDAY…
**TIDE AND TIGER LOUNGE, 8 p.m. on Graymont Avenue across the street from Legion Field. Open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
**BLING THE SKY, STRANGE WAVES and STEVEN KING at The Nick.
SUNDAY…
**BAAK GWAL, THE GRAND AMERICAN BREAKDOWN, and PEN PALS, 8 p.m. at the Nick. No cover.
MONDAY…
**WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN at the Nick.
TUESDAY…
**TIDE AND TIGER LOUNGE, 8 p.m. on Graymont Avenue across the street from Legion Field. Open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
**BUSINESS NETWORKING MIXER, 5-8 p.m. at WaterMark Place, 4500 Katie’s Way in Bessemer with guest speakers Vaughn N. Burrell and Anthony Underwood.
**AT THE STARDOME… this weekend…TOMORROW…GUY TORRY and STEVE WILSON…. St. Louis native Guy Torry climbed the show-business ladder with non-stop hustle — he started out as a production assistant on “Martin,” and now he’s performed in dozens of TV shows, movies and comedy clubs. Wilson has been seen on several television shows including BET’s Comicview, Showtime at the Apollo, and ABC’s Comics Unleashed. . He has been heard on The Bob & Tom Show, a national radio show heard in over 135 cities, Playboy Radio, and Yo on E!. Wilson has been the opening act for singer Brian McKnight and has performed for sold-out crowds around the country.
COMING SOON…, BRUCE BRUCE – October 2-4, ETTA MAY – October 9-11, JOHN MORGAN – October 13-15, HUGGY LOWDOWN – October 16-18, SKIP CLARK – October 20-25, RALPHIE MAY – October 22, LAVELL CRAWFORD – October 30- November 1, JAMES GREGORY – November 6-7 and 13-14, TOM SEGURA – November 2 (ONE NIGHT ONLY) and NEPHEW TOMMY – November 20-22. Call (205) 444-0008 for more.
COMING SOON….
**OCTOBER 6 – NETWORK AFTER WORK – Networking at Five Bar, 744 29th Street South.
**OCTOBER 10 – UNITY BALL– The second Annual Unity Ball by the Lovely Ladies of Stewart Success is Saturday, October 10, 7 p.m. to midnight at the Boutwell Auditorium. For more call 223-1160.
**OCTOBER 10-11 – LIFE ISN’T FAIR – NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST, a stage play by Award Winning Film-Maker/Play-Writer DERRELL LAWRENCE featuring Grammy Award Winner REGINA BELLE, Emmy Nominated SEAN BLAKEMORE, International Actor JOHN TERRELL, Lawrence (himself) and more at the BJCC. The performances are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
**OCTOBER 15-16 – DON’T MISS… CLEARWATER JAZZ FESTIVAL, with Gladys Knight, the O’Jays, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, The Averett Brothers and more.
**OCTOBER 18 – BIG DADDY’S NEW BAND will perform at Daniel Day Gallery Dream Meccas Studio, 3025 Sixth Avenue South, 2- 6 p.m. Call (205) 223-9882 for more.
**OCTOBER 31 – MAGIC CITY CLASSIC is the largestHistorically Black College and University (HBCU) football game in the country. Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University play in the game annually at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and the winner could potentially earn a spot in the SWAC Championship. Festivities surrounding the event include the Magic City Classic Alumni Pep Rally, Magic City Classic Parade, Coors Light Pre-Game Tailgate Party and the famed halftime show performed by the Marching Hornets and the Marching Maroon and White. For more information, visit www.themagiccityclassic.com.
**OCTOBER 31 – CLASSIC SHUTDOWN –The Q CLASSIC AFTERPARTY is the Purple and Gold Commission event at the MusiQmall hosted by the Magic City Qs and Qs from all over, with music by DJ Lenny. This is the biggest undergraduate Q Party of the year for all Schools and Divine 9. Tell them Gwen sent you.
NOW…. BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUTS!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU… AND TO ALL CELEBRATING!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL YOU BIRTHDAY BALLERS…MANY, MANY MORE HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!! ENJOY!! Celebrate ‘your’ month…I do…all 30 days ‘and’ some!
Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. is the founder of The Birmingham Times.
Who Won the Republican Debate?
It all depends on who you ask. If you are a supporter of Donald Trump, he won the debate. If you are a die hard supporter of Ben Carson, he won the debate.
In the debate, here are a few statements made by Republican candidates and facts:
Statement: Sen. Rand Paul says Saudi Arabia is not accepting any Syrian refugees.
FACT: While Saudi Arabia says it has accepted 2.5 million Syrians under its guest program, it’s not clear under what timeframe and whether those are people seeking refuge from the Syrian civil war. An accounting of how many refugees Saudi Arabia has received from Syria is difficult, since Riyadh is not an official signatory to the U.N. refugee convention, which is a legally binding document giving refugees rights and protections.
Statement: Ben Carson says there have been numerous studies and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism.
FACT: Dr. Andrew Wakefield was the lead researcher of the study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet. After learning that Wakefield was compensated for his research by a law firm hoping to sue the makers of the vaccine, most of the co-authors of the paper withdrew their names. In 2010, Wakefield lost his medical license, and in 2011, the journal retracted the study. Subsequent studies looking for a link between the vaccine and autism haven’t found any.
Statement: Gov. Chris Christie says he supported medical marijuana.
FACT: Christie did support a modest expansion of the state’s medical marijuana program in 2013, but that was after he fought the implementation of the program signed by his Democratic predecessor, Jon Corzine. And, one year after he signed the medical marijuana expansion, he criticized medical marijuana as a “front for legalization.”
Statement: Sen. Ted Cruz’s criticism of the Iran nuclear agreement.
FACT: False in regard to self-inspections, but It’s Complicated on the 24-day notice. The 24-day window Cruz referred to comes into play if Iran and the IAEA are not able to agree on access to a particular site. Cruz’s assertion falsely suggests that all nuclear inspections in Iran would be conducted by the Iranians, but without access to the full document, it’s unclear exactly how inspections at Parchin will proceed. And the assertion that military facilities are entirely off-limits is also false.
Statement: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio claims “The (legal immigration system) primarily is built whether you have a relative living here instead of merit.”
FACT: Approximately two-thirds of the people who were admitted to the United States from 2000 to 2013 as lawful permanent residents were admitted on the basis of family ties, according to a November 2014 report from the U.S. Congressional Research Service. In 2013, the most recent year for which we have aggregate data, of the 990,553 foreign nationals who were admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents, 649,763 were admitted on the basis of family ties.
Statement: Jeb Bush says U.S. has failed to bolster ties to any nation under Obama.
FACT: President Barack Obama has reopened ties with at least two countries that the U.S. had no diplomatic relations with when he entered office. In 2012, the Obama administration renewed full diplomatic ties with Myanmar. This year, Obama renewed relations with Cuba, meeting the country’s leader, Raul Castro, at a summit in Panama and officially reopening the U.S. embassy in Havana.
Statement: Carly Fiorina says a Planned Parenthood video shows a “fully formed fetus on the table, with its heart beating, its legs kicking.”
FACT: The clip does show what appears to be a fully formed fetus on an operating table with its legs twitching. But the clip Fiorina references is not part of the CMP sting video but was instead taken by another anti-abortion group and was added to the sting video.
Statement: Donald Trump says he never went bankrupt.
FACT: Trump himself has never filed for personal bankruptcy. But he has filed four business bankruptcies – Trump Taj Mahal, 1991; Trump Castle Associates, 1992; Trump Hotel & Casino Resort, 2004; and Trump Entertainment Resorts, 2009 – which Bankruptcy.com says makes Trump the top filer in recent decades. All of them were centered around casinos he used to own in Atlantic City. They were all Chapter 11 restructurings, which lets a company stay in business while shedding debt it owes to banks, employees and suppliers.
Statement: Lindsey Graham says we need legal immigrant workers in order to replenish the workforce, based on historical ratios of workers to retirees.
FACT: According to Social Security data, in 1950, there were 16.5 covered workers per Social Security beneficiary. In 2014, the latest figures available, there are 2.8, which is lower than Graham’s figure. Twenty-five years from now, in 2040, the projection is 2.1.
Statement: Bobby Jindal says letting more Syrian refugees into the U.S. would involve a circumvention of the normal immigrant vetting process.
FACT: Actually, the increase the Obama administration is proposing would be managed through the normal process within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The president of the United States, in consultation with Congress, sets the quota for how many refugees can be admitted through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program at the beginning of each fiscal year, and can change that number mid-year if there is a humanitarian refugee crisis.
I have made this statement on several occasions. I will make it again – Ben Carson nor Donald Trump will ever be president of the United States.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lucious is alive but not so well, with a jail cell his current address. Cookie is doubling down on her battle for the family business. And Chris Rock, the Rev. Al Sharpton andMarisa Tomei are along for the ride as “Empire” returns with the extravagant storytelling that made it an instant hit last season.
Becky Williams, who works for Lucious Lyon at Empire Entertainment, casts a jaundiced eye on those around her in Wednesday’s sophomore season debut (9 p.m. EDT, Fox).
“You’re rude, he’s crude and the both of you are socially unacceptable,” she declares of two young men.
Gabourey Sidibe, who plays Becky, gets why fans adore “Empire.” She loves watching the show as much as making it.
“The story line is so enticing and it keeps you guessing. It’s the drama of it all. And the music is amazing,” said Sidibe. She notes another bonus: “Everyone on the show is extremely beautiful or extremely handsome, so there are quite a few things that keep you coming.”
This season holds more over-the-top drama for all connected with Empire, the music and entertainment company built by Lucious Lyon and his ex-wife, Cookie (Terrence Howard and Emmy-nominated Taraji P. Henson). Their three sons are fighting for a share of the Lyon dream, as each sees it.
While an ALS misdiagnosis is no longer hanging over Lucious’ head, a prosecutor is intent on bringing down the former drug dealer and gets him jailed without bail.
Cookie is making a public show of helping him — Sharpton, playing himself, refuses to get involved — but does she really want to spring Lucious? She’s trying to finalize a hostile takeover of Empire Entertainment while her ex seeks to keep his grip on Empire from inside those prison walls.
Guest stars Rock (as a fierce prison inmate) and Tomei (as a double-crossing financier) are also in on the action.
For Sidibe’s character, the season promises more visibility. Becky has a promotion and, with the arrival of new character J-Poppa (Mo McRae of “Murder in the First” and “Sons of Anarchy”), a chance for love.
“My first soap opera romance,” said Sidibe, 32, who gained fame and an Oscar nomination for her debut project, “Precious,” the acclaimed 2009 film about an abused, illiterate young woman.
Sidibe, who was a college student planning to be a psychologist when she fell into acting, has found herself helping people in unexpected ways because of her career. She talked about that and “Empire” in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
AP: What’s ahead for Becky?
Sidibe: At the end of last season, Becky went from assistant to Lucious to a promotion, and she’s now the head of A&R (artists and repertoire). She now has more power than she ever had. She’s not serving someone, she’s not taking phone calls or making appointments for other people. She has her own roster of clients that she’s dealing with. So it’s really fun.
AP: Are you and Becky alike?
Sidibe: I’m not as much a go-getter as Becky is. We are similar in the way that we’re smarter than people think we are, but I think she works a lot harder than I do. And she’s much more serious than I am.
AP: You were 24 and studying to be a psychologist when “Precious” launched you unexpectedly into an acting career. How have you changed since then?
Sidibe: I’ve learned it doesn’t help to say, ‘No, I can’t do it.’ I’ve learned that fear is not useful. I’m surprised how many things I’ve bumped into over the last eight years that scared me to death and that, when I actually came across them, I didn’t even feel it. It’s interesting how well I’ve been able to forget to have fear.
AP: You’ve become known as someone who refuses to be defined by limited standards for women’s looks. Do you feel a responsibility to act as a role model?
Sidibe: When I was a young girl, I didn’t see enough of myself on TV or in magazines. And representation is very important to everyone, but especially to girls like me, and people like me, whether it be because of my body, because of my race, because of my skin color, because of my awkwardness or where I come from.
While it makes me nervous to represent for anyone, I am extremely proud that some brown, round little girl sitting in front of the TV can look at me and that exists as well and that she has some value. That is the most important thing in the world. … What’s surprising is that it doesn’t always come from kids. I get it from the brown, round little girl but also the skinny white man. I think I am a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. And I think that’s what people relate to.
Ever since Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill took their relationship public, many have been skeptical about its authenticity. Their PDA is often criticized as being nothing more than stunts to generate hype and buzz in and effort to sell their respective albums and promote her Pinkprint tour.
Many have noted how Minaj wasn’t nearly as open about or affectionate with her ex-boyfriend of over a decade, Safaree Samuels. Matter fact – she publicly treated him as nothing more than her hype man and personal assistant. But as he shared with a New York radio station back in January, being treated like a secret made him feel a certain way and walking in her shadow eventually effected their relationship.
“I’m an affectionate dude! I like to have my arm around my chick. I want to be outside and be like, ‘I’m with my chick!’ I don’t want to have to be walking a couple steps behind you or a couple steps away from you and acting like you’re not my girl. After a while, that can put a strain on somebody. That definitely did something to me,” Safaree said.
In a recent interview with GQ, Minaj said she planned on going public with her relationship with Samuels after the release of the third album, but by then they had called it quits and she was dating Meek.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions at the beginning was that people thought that me and him just popped up out of the blue and were just in a relationship,” Nicki said. “We were friends for a very long time and he was someone that I was able to really confide in. Nothing that we do is for TV.”
She explained that her decision to publicize her relationship came before meeting Meek, and once the two hooked up, there was no reason to remain secretive about it.
“My decision to be public about my relationship came before I even met Meek. I was in another relationship and I said after I drop my third album that I don’t care anymore what people think. I’m going to be vocal about who I’m with. It just so happens that I’m with a new guy.”
Back in July, Meek explained to Power 105.1 DJ Angie Martinez why they kept their relationship a secret for a while. “She would just be sitting back worried how people were gonna take it because she was making new decisions in her life,” he said. “But I never really cared what people be saying.”
Minaj also explained to GQ how when she entered the music biz, she was advised not to reveal her relationship with Safaree or discuss it publicly, as it would have been a turn-off for her male fans.
“When I came in the business, you couldn’t tell people you were in a relationship, because record company and management said that doesn’t make you appealing to men. So don’t tell people you’re in a relationship. So after you do that for ten years it becomes something you feel like you have to do. It’s difficult to break out of that box. So I just vowed to myself, ‘look, I’m about to put out a new album, I don’t care anymore.’ It just so happens I’m in a new relationship but I was planning on doing that before I was with Meek, because now it’s to the point where it’s different.”
She continued:
“The music industry is so different. People don’t care if you’re in a relationship, but in the beginning it wasn’t like that. Take Janet Jackson. People didn’t know she was married for nine years or something like that. It was a taboo thing in the beginning. I didn’t want to hide that side of my life anymore.”
Restaurant Chain to Donate 25 cents for Every Vidalia®-Q Krystal sold on Monday, Sept. 21st
ATLANTA,GA- Never underestimate the power of ‘the little guy’ to do great big things. This is a message rippling across the restaurant industry, social media is beyond as Krystal® prepares to co-host a Peace Burger Sandwich™ offer in honor of Peace Day on Monday, September 21, 2015. The Southern buger chain, known for it’s distinctive small square sandwiches, accepted the original challenged posed from Burger King® to McDonalds®. When the golden arches declined, Krystal® felt compelled to “act like the bigger burger” and make Peace Burger a reality.
“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Burger King® for this event. At Krystal® we believe world peace truly is up to all of us, and it begins with good old –fashioned civility and cooperation,” said Jason Abelkop, Chief Marketing Officer Krystal®. “Working together to raise money for groups like PeaceOneDay.org and their organizations that foster positive dialogue and change is a perfect place to start. Everyone involved is hoping to set an example that others can follow. After all, if we can put aside the burger wars for a day, we figure almost everyone can put aside their differences with someone else as well.”
Thought the Peace Burger Sandwich™ offer and event will only last one day, it will be the result of several weeks of cooperative planning by all involved –across many corporate entities. On Peace Day, September 21, attendees in Atlanta will be treated to a pop-up restaurant where they may try the burger combo, and a social media photo booth that invites guests to share what they are “making peace with” in honor of the event. But fans outside of Atlanta will not be left out- they will have the chance to participate by visiting their local participating Krystal® restaurant and ordering the new Vidalia®-Q Krystal. $.25¢ from each Vidalia®-Q Krystal sold on Monday, September 21 will go directly to PeaceOneDay.org. Krystal® is also encouraging its fans and guests to make independent donations online to the organization in addition to menu purchases.
“Peace is a huge, huge undertaking,” Abelkop continued. “Its not something you can just flip a switch and have happen. Like many things in life, it is the result of many small actions coming together towards one common purpose. The idea that little things matter is, of course, near and dear to us at Krystal®, but we hope it reminds others that no gesture is too small when it comes to something as important as Peace.”
The 25¢ donation for each Vidalia®-Q Krystal sold will be available exclusively on purchases made on Monday, September 21, at participating restaurants. PeaceOneDay.org will be accepting donations throughout the month of September and beyond. To join the Peace Day Movement, use hashtags #PeaceDay and #PeaceDayBurger and tell us with what or whom are you making peace.
**About the Krystal Company**
Founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1932, The Krystal Company is the oldest quick service restaurant chain in the South. Its hamburgers are still served fresh and hot off the grill on the iconic square bun at more than 350 restaurants in 11 states. Krystal’s Atlanta based Restaurant Support Center serves a team of 6,000 employees. For more information visit http://www.krystal.comor http://www.facebook.com/Krystalor follow the brand new twitter and Instagram @Krystal.
Empire is back and fans can’t wait to see what’s going to happen on the first episode. Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyons and Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyons are back as the dysfunctional couple who created a music empire with their three sons, Andre (Trai Byers)Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Hakeem (Bryshere Gray).
Those sons will fight over the Empire record label while their father does a stint in jail for the murder of Cookie’s cousin, Bunkie. This season, Empire, which airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 9 p.m., expands to 18 episodes and has a plate chock full of guest stars including Lenny Kravitz, Marisa Tomei, Alicia Keys, Chris Rock,The Wire’s Andre Royo and other bold-faced names, several of whom make their debuts in the very first episode.
Here’s all the preview information you need in one place, including the HILARIOUS Empire first season recap In Dat Azz by YouTube’s Tammi Mac TV.
Can’t wait until the first episode? Read the review HERE.
1. More drama and music is promised when #Empire returns in just three days. 2. We’re just TWO days away from the #Empire Season 2 premiere. Who’s pumped?
Check out video and pics below from the Empire parody on Tuesday night’s The Jimmy Fallon Show.
LIKE
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0334 — Pictured: (l-r) Taraji P. Henson and Steve Higgins during the “Jimpire” skit on September 22, 2015 — (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC)THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0334 — Pictured: (l-r) Jimmy Fallon, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq ?Black Thought? Trotter, Dion Flynn, and Steve Higgins during the “Jimpire” skit on September 22, 2015 — (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC)THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0334 — Pictured: (l-r) Terrence Howard and Jimmy Fallon during the “Jimpire” skit on September 22, 2015 — (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC)
(CNN)The two U.S. soldiers say they used physical force to drive home their message to the Afghan police commander who had been sexually abusing a boy.
“I picked him up, threw him to the ground multiple times and Charles did the same thing,” Dan Quinn, who was a U.S. Army captain at the time, told CNN. “We basically had to make sure that he fully understood that if he ever went near that boy or his mother again, there was going to be hell to pay.”
The actions of Quinn and the other soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, against the American-backed police commander displeased their superiors in the U.S. military.
Quinn says he and Martland were relieved of their duties shortly afterward. Quinn has since left the military and Martland is now being involuntarily separated from the Army.
They had directly confronted a thorny issue for U.S. forces in Afghanistan: the subculture of bacha bazi, or “boy play,” in which young Afghans are used as sex slaves by grown men.
For U.S. service members in Afghanistan, the abuse of children is infuriatingly hard to stop, especially when it’s carried out by Afghan commanders allied with American-led forces.
Unable to step in
“The reason we weren’t able to step in with these local rape cases was we didn’t want to undermine the authority of the local government,” Quinn said. “We were trying to build up the local government. Us acting after the local government fails to can certainly undermine their credibility.”
The New York Times reported this week that U.S. soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan have been instructed not to intervene in the abuse of Afghan boys by U.S. allies, even in some cases in which it’s taken place on military bases.
The Pentagon denies that telling soldiers to look the other way is official practice.
“We have never had a policy in place that directs any military member, or any government personnel overseas to ignore human rights abuses,” spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said. “Any sexual abuse, no matter who the alleged perpetrator and no matter who the victim, is completely unacceptable and reprehensible.”
The abuse of boys by powerful Afghan men has been reported by CNN and other international news organizations in the past.
“I had a boy because every commander had one,” Mestary, a former commander of the Northern Alliance that fought against the Taliban, said in a PBS documentary, “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan,” in 2010. “There’s competition amongst the commanders. If I didn’t have a boy, I couldn’t compete with the others.”
‘A very painful subject’
Terrorism expert Jessica Stern told CNN she has spoken to several U.S. service members who say they were disturbed by what they saw in Afghanistan.
“They must have felt they couldn’t respond in the way they would have liked to,” she said. “It was clearly a very painful subject.”
She said they believed that “the fear is that if we were to intervene, we wouldn’t have the kind of close working relationship that we need” with Afghan security forces.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said it received reports of sexual abuse of children by police officials in 2011 and 2012 but has since taken steps to address the problem.
“We have started taking the issue very seriously and have brought fundamental changes,” Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the ministry, told CNN.
Quinn said he hoped Martland’s career could yet be saved.
“He is the best soldier I’ve ever served with,” Quinn said. “He’s the reason why I joined the Special Forces regiment, was to work with soldiers like Charles Martland. … All he wants to do is continue to serve our country with distinction.”
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, has taken up Martland’s case with Defense Secretary Ash Carter in an attempt to keep the solider in the Army.
“Martland stood up to a child rapist,” Hunter, a former major in the Marines, wrote in a letter to Carter last month. “I trust that you will give this case the attention it demands.”
But after a decade of training with U.S. forces, it seems some Afghan commanders are continuing the abuse unchecked.
CNN’s Kimberly Berryman and Masoud Popalzai contributed to this report.
