All posts tagged: Atlanta

Atlanta rapper OG Maco, who had viral hit with ‘U Guessed It’, dead at 32

Atlanta rapper OG Maco, who had viral hit with ‘U Guessed It’, dead at 32

Published by skeptic

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free Atlanta rapper OG Maco has died. He was 32. The musician, whose real name was Benedict Chiajulam Ihesiba Jr, grew up in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia. His 2014 debut single “U Guessed It” was a landmark of the trap genre and became a viral hit on Vine and other social media platforms. An official remix featuring 2 Chainz helped the song reach the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. His death was confirmed in a statement by his family on his offical Instagram account: “With heavy hearts, we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved Ben, known to the world as OG Maco. “His life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and boundless love. Through his music, passion, and unwavering spirit, he touched so many lives and left a lasting impact. “While we grieve this …

Harris preached against Trump on the good Samaritan, but the gospel is not red or blue

Harris preached against Trump on the good Samaritan, but the gospel is not red or blue

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — The congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, outside Atlanta, wasn’t expecting Kamala Harris to preach last Sunday. When she uttered the words “the Gospel of Luke,” the sanctuary filled with murmurs of surprised excitement. What followed was an ironic reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan that gently critiqued Trumpian Christian nationalism and nudged her audience to vote blue. The only problem was that the text she chose wouldn’t behave. The valid critiques and challenges she mined from the parable indicted not only the hostile racism of MAGA Republicans but also the benevolent racism of the Democratic Party. Harris didn’t even seem to notice. “The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself,” she said, needing to stop for the congregation’s applause. “These words are simple,” she continued. “However, one must ask, are all people of faith living those words? Do we have leaders who understand that, in the face of a stranger, one should see a neighbor?” Harris was alluding to what we already know: …

The First Atlanta Art Fair Heralds the Ascenion of New Art Destination

The First Atlanta Art Fair Heralds the Ascenion of New Art Destination

Published by skeptic

At the opening of the inaugural Atlanta Art Fair (AAF) this week, there was discussion of what the fair—the first of its stature in Atlanta—is not. A numbers contest; a commercial thoroughfare; a crash landing into some locale’s front yard, complete with cleanup for the locals. The ambition is site-specificity: come, buy, stay, but this labor is foremost for the love of Atlanta. “All of the people here are so passionate about finding funding, championing their artists. Every dollar has to be fought for, there is so much work to amplify each voice. People need to be paying attention to Atlanta, but there hasn’t been a mechanism for that,” Kelly Freeman, the fair’s director, told ARTnews. (Atlanta, it’s worth noting, ranks 49th in the US in terms of public art funding.) Freeman added that regional artists don’t lack quality or quantity, but rather a gathering place. The Atlanta Art Fair, open to the public Friday through October 6 at Pullman Yards—jam-packed at the preview—is the presumed remedy. Five years in the making, the fair was …

Caitlin Clark Set for Indiana’s Preseason Home Debut. Fever to Open Arena’s 3rd Deck Vs Atlanta

Caitlin Clark Set for Indiana’s Preseason Home Debut. Fever to Open Arena’s 3rd Deck Vs Atlanta

Published by skeptic

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark spent Wednesday practicing inside an empty Gainbridge Fieldhouse. A little more than a month after leading Iowa to its second straight NCAA championship game, Clark will make her Fever home debut in a preseason game against the Atlanta Dream. “People definitely know who I am,” Clark said Wednesday. “Sometimes it’s hard to go out and do what I want to do, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s the best way to grow women’s basketball. That’s the best way to get these fans excited about what we’re going to do here, so I think people they are just as excited as we are to play here. So I think more than anything, enjoy it, soak it in.” Clark’s mere presence already has made a difference. In the preseason opener Friday night at Dallas, she scored a team-high 21 points in a 79-76 loss in front of another near sellout. The Fever will have 36 of their 40 games televised nationally and her regular-season debut …

Someone Is Lying: Atlanta Fed Claims US GDP Is 4.2% While DOE Reports Lowest Gasoline, Diesel Demand Since Covid

Someone Is Lying: Atlanta Fed Claims US GDP Is 4.2% While DOE Reports Lowest Gasoline, Diesel Demand Since Covid

Published by skeptic

On one hand, the Atlanta Fed triumphantly blasted earlier today that Bidenomics is the greatest thing since sliced bread, helping push its Q2 GDP Nowcast to a whopping 4.2%, up from its latest estimate of 3.3%. On the other hand, Biden’s own DOE – in its latest attempt to slam oil, gas and diesel prices because nothing will crush Biden’s re-election chances faster than an oil price spike in the summer – reported that demand for gasoline and diesel in the United States has plunged to its lowest seasonally since the onset of the COVID pandemic, “sparking concern that economic activity is now becoming stagnant as refining margins hit news lows not seen in months“, Reuters reported. As shown in the chart below, monthly averages for the week ended May 3 show gasoline demand at 8.63 million barrels per day–a figure not seen since May 2020, at the start of the pandemic, based on EIA data. Data also showed demand for distillates – the most accurate proxy for overall economic activity – plunged to 3.6 …

Atlanta to Pay .8 Million to Family of Church Deacon Who Died in Struggle With Officer

Atlanta to Pay $3.8 Million to Family of Church Deacon Who Died in Struggle With Officer

Published by skeptic

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta City Council has agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of a church deacon who died in a struggle with a city police officer following a minor car crash. Deacon Johnny Hollman’s family sued the the city, Officer Kiran Kimbrough and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum in January, alleging Kimbrough used excessive force after the 62-year-old refused to sign a citation finding him at fault for the crash. An attorney for Kimbrough has said Hollman resisted arrest and Kimbrough acted lawfully when he deployed his stun gun and used force. The city council, without comment, unanimously approved the settlement at its regular meeting on Monday. An attorney for Hollman’s family, Mawuli Davis, issued a statement saying the settlement allows the family to “focus on healing from the devastating and senseless loss of their beloved father.” Hollman’s daughter, Arnitra, expressed gratitude to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the city council. Photos You Should See – April 2024 “On behalf of my siblings and our entire family, …

California man charged with threatening Fulton County DA Fani Willis

California man charged with threatening Fulton County DA Fani Willis

Published by skeptic

A California man has been indicted by an Atlanta grand jury on charges of threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D), according to a Friday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Marc Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, Calif., reportedly made the threats due to Wills’ prosecution of former President Trump. In October of last year, Shultz “allegedly posted multiple comments to two separate YouTube live stream videos” that “threatened District Attorney Willis with violence and murder including a statement that she ‘will be killed like a dog,” per Buchanan, Shultz’ indictment and “other information presented in court,” the press release said. “Threats against any individual, credible or not, is a very serious crime that the FBI will not tolerate,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Keri Farley said in the release. “Threats of violence against government officials, specifically, threaten the very fabric of our democracy.  We want everyone to know that if you engage in such behavior, you will be held accountable to the fullest extent …

Film Executive Ryan Millsap Allegedly Sent Racist, Antisemitic Texts

Film Executive Ryan Millsap Allegedly Sent Racist, Antisemitic Texts

Published by Sam

Ryan Millsap, former CEO and owner of Blackhall Studios, made a name for himself in Atlanta as an executive who encouraged diversity. But, per a report in ProPublica, he may not have been as pro-diversity and inclusion as he appeared. This week, ProPublica staffer Nicole Carr and Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Mike Jordan published an investigation that looked into hundreds of pages of text messages between Millsap and his ex-girlfriend, Christy Hockmeyer, that were submitted as evidence in a lawsuit against him. His texts, mostly from 2019, included comments about “Fucking Black people” and “nasty Jews,” as well as other racist and antisemitic views. The pages were released due to a legal dispute, which includes various filings, between the real estate developer and his former attorney, John Da Grosa Smith. “Ryan’s public persona is different from who he is,” Smith wrote in one of the filings. He added, “Ryan works hard to mislead and hide the truth. And he is very good at it.” The Hollywood Reporter reached out to a representative for Smith for comment. …

Waymo begins robotaxi testing in Atlanta

Waymo begins robotaxi testing in Atlanta

Published by skeptic

Waymo, the self-driving company under Alphabet, began testing its robotaxis in Atlanta on Tuesday, adding another city to its ever-expanding testing and deployment domain. Over the next few months, Waymo will deploy a handful of cars driven manually by humans to gather mapping data and get familiar with Atlanta’s environment, Sandy Karp, a Waymo spokesperson, told TechCrunch. Later, Waymo aims to test its robotaxis in Atlanta without the safety driver in the front seat. Winter in Buffalo ❄️????, Spring in DC ????????️, and summer in Atlanta ☀️????! We’re taking the #WaymoDriver to the ATL as we continue evaluating how our system generalizes to different environments and new experiences. Read about our cross-country training program:… pic.twitter.com/ORNxAbjJ3A — Waymo (@Waymo) April 16, 2024 Like many other states, Georgia’s regulation of AVs is almost nonexistent, meaning Waymo can technically drop fully autonomous vehicles on the streets today without a safety driver, provided it meets the state’s minimal risk conditions. Waymo declined to comment on whether it plans to launch commercially in Atlanta, or any of the other cities …

FBI subpoenas Brink co-founder for CoreDev Atlanta attendee data

FBI subpoenas Brink co-founder for CoreDev Atlanta attendee data

Published by skeptic

Mike Schmidt, the co-founder of Brink, recently disclosed that he received a subpoena from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last year, requiring him to submit personal information of attendees from the CoreDev Atlanta event held in October 2022. The subpoena was part of the ongoing investigation into the theft of Bitcoin developer Luke Dashjr’s cryptocurrency holdings. The guy who wants to tell you how to use Bitcoin couldn’t even secure his own Bitcoin and, as a consequence, got everyone at a conference he attended doxxed by the FBI. ???? Good job, Luke! ???? pic.twitter.com/QQGdJ7AnaT — Mike In Space (@mikeinspace) April 10, 2024 Due to a non-disclosure order, Schmidt was unable to share details about the subpoena until the order expired. In his social media post, he explained that the FBI initially requested a significant amount of information, but after some pushback, the agent agreed to a more limited subset of data. Schmidt provided the FBI with the full names, GitHub usernames, and email addresses of the event attendees. He emphasized that he does not …