FOCUS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | In Hollywood, a Decade of Racial Progress but at a Glacial Pace

23 December 19

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You There Ignoring the Fundraisers

People like you are sustaining Reader Supported News. Why? Because we respond directly to the concerns of those who support us.

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Founder, Reader Supported News

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23 December 19

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IGNORING FUNDING WILL NOT WORK: You can ignore the funding requests, but it will quickly create a funding crisis. A successful funding drive requires roughly 750 donations @ an average of $30. 700 readers visit RSN every thirty minutes. That’s unfair. Help. Please. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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FOCUS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | In Hollywood, a Decade of Racial Progress but at a Glacial Pace

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Hollywood Reporter
Abdul-Jabbar writes: "As far as I can see, Hollywood is committed to making substantial and lasting changes - but at its own pace."

EXCERPT:

Traditional Jain priests who had committed to a life of poverty would sit outside accepting alms, not just to survive, but to provide an opportunity for others to be charitable and thereby be better people. Sometimes it feels like African Americans' value to Hollywood is, like the Jain priests, as an opportunity to occasionally produce something that makes them feel better because they are addressing social injustice. The numbers, though, tell a different and disappointing story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, minorities make up 40 percent of the U.S. population. But only 12.6 percent work as writers and 7.8 percent as directors. Only 2.2 out of 10 lead actors in a broadcast scripted series are people of color. Whites comprised 77 percent of all film roles in 2017. And so on.

All the stats add up to the same conclusion: Our stories and our storytellers are not represented even close to our percentage of the population. Not that there has to be an exact ratio, but the current ratio tells people of color that they, their life experiences and their points of view are not as valuable as those of whites.

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Why AOC Scares the S--T Out of Republicans

28 January 19 AM

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911 CALL FOR DONATIONS - People are helping and we greatly appreciate it, but it’s getting very late in the month and we are a long way from where we need to be. We have to put up a fight here, and we have to do it now. With urgency. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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Why AOC Scares the S--T Out of Republicans 

Nick Bilton, Vanity Fair
Bilton writes: "This week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stirred up the Republican Party when she warned that if we don't solve the climate crisis in 12 years, the Earth could be doomed."
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Two Pantex production technicians work on a W76 while a co-worker reads the procedure step-by-step. (photo: NNSANews)

US Nuclear Weapons: First Low-Yield Warheads Roll Off the Production Line
Julian Borger, Guardian UK
Borger writes: "The US has begun making a new, low-yield nuclear warhead for its Trident missiles that arms control advocates warn could lower the threshold for a nuclear conflict."
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Clarence Thomas. (photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Amy Davidson Sorkin | Will the Supreme Court Use a New York City Regulation to Strike Down Gun Laws?
Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker
Sorkin writes: "New York City is a strange and dangerous place, if the plaintiffs in a gun-control case that the Supreme Court has just agreed to hear are to be believed."
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The White House. (photo: Getty Images)

Trump's Tax Cut Has Had No Major Impact on Businesses' Capital Investment or Job Growth
Reuters
Excerpt: "The White House had predicted that the massive fiscal stimulus package, marked by the reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent, would boost business spending and job growth. The tax cuts came into effect in January 2018."
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Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause. (photo: Getty Images)

One of America's Worst Gerrymanders Just Suffered a Potentially Fatal Blow
Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress
Millhiser writes: "For the last several election cycles, North Carolina has not held democratic elections for its state legislature."
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Amber Tamblyn. (photo: Getty Images)

Amber Tamblyn | What Growing Up in Hollywood Taught Me About Boys' Clubs
Amber Tamblyn, The Cut
Tamblyn writes: "Even though women in Hollywood are finally being told that we can have a seat at the artistic table, we're also being told that doesn't necessarily mean the table believes our art belongs there."
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Water vapor rises from the cooling towers of the Jaenschwalde lignite-fired power plant of Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG) in Jaenschwalde, Germany, January 24, 2019. (photo: Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Germany to Phase Out Coal by 2038 in Move Away From Fossil Fuels
Markus Wacket, Reuters
Wacket writes: "Germany should shut down all of its coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least 40 billion euros ($45.7 billion) in aid to regions affected by the phase-out."
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RSN: Ally Sheedy | Stasis: My Experiences With Hollywood Sexism and Why It Will Never Change

14 May 18

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PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE PROGRESS BAR, IT’S NOT MOVING MUCH - It’s day 9 of the drive and we have barely raised 3k. That’s a big problem. We seriously need some attention now and in the future. In earnest. - Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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RSN: Ally Sheedy | Stasis: My Experiences With Hollywood Sexism and Why It Will Never Change

RSN: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Why Is Hollywood Glamorizing Binge-Drinking for Women?

15 July 17

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Reader Supported News

WE NEED YOUR HELP GUYS! We got off to a nice start to the fundraiser, but it's tailed off badly. We need 1 out of every 100 RSN readers to donate, to make our budget. That's a modest goal. Our readership is growing like gangbusters, but funding is tight. It's a sign of the times. Who can throw something in the hat? Sincere thanks in advance. / Marc Ash - Founder, Reader Supported News

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FOCUS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Why Is Hollywood Glamorizing Binge-Drinking for Women?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Hollywood Reporter
Abdul-Jabbar writes: "The success of Wonder Woman may give the impression that this is the Summer of Female Empowerment, with Hollywood firmly leading the feminist charge. Not so fast. While Wonder Woman exhibits the admirable traits of courage, moral commitment and self-reliance, Hollywood has been, in general, less kind with how it portrays average American women, especially their relationship to alcohol."
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