By Bretton Love In the ever-evolving landscape of modern finance, the prospect of creating passive income streams holds a potent allure. Amid a vast array of investment strategies, dividend investing stands tall as a proven pathway to achieving this coveted financial stability. Dividends are more than just a representation of a company’s health; they offer…
Navigating the legal field can seem like a daunting task for many. Whether you’re an aspiring attorney or just dealing with the everyday intricacies of laws, preparing for court and creating strong cases is no small achievement! It takes hard work and dedication to break down complicated evidence into cohesive arguments that make sense in…
Steps from Bryant Park, this hand-painted immersive exhibition is packed with vibrant colors, optical illusions and a whole lot of joy. Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the whimsical 26,000 square-foot exhibit, coined ‘Wonderland Dreams’ by installation artist Alexa Meade, is open for your exploration.
If you’ve yet to check out the exhibit yourself, here are 5 reasons why Wonderland Dreams is worth a visit!
Meade’s bold, three-dimensional painting technique will have your imagination spinning! With 20 rooms of floor-to-ceiling artwork, there is something to be discovered around every bend. You never know where Wonderland will take you!
Sit on the Queen of Hearts’ throne, flip through giant playing cards, gaze up at pastel painted skies and more. At Wonderland Dreams, you will be provided with painted props and costumes, inviting you to become part of the artwork!
The open concept layout allows guests to explore the exhibit freely, as opposed to having a set path. The entire exhibit is loaded with surprises, from mad tea parties to a giant field of magical flowers. Most guests choose to spend an hour to an hour and 15 minutes in Wonderland, giving them plenty of time to soak up all of the excitement.
While the exhibition is so much more than just Instagram opportunities, we can’t deny the fact that you have some pretty incredible backdrops to work with. During your journey through the looking glass, you’ll come across an array of patterns, colors and decorations, each room as mesmerizing as the last!
After making your way through the magic, you can enjoy curious cocktails and mad mocktails, with fun storyline-inspired names like Off With Her Head! and The Hatter’s Tea. Various other refreshments and light bites are also available, including wine, tea sandwiches and cheese plates!
The centrally located exhibition space is situated on 5th Avenue and 44th Street, and is open to visitors of all ages. Due to popular demand, the experience has been extended through the summer! Let out your inner child with friends, or bring the whole family to this playful, mind-bending exhibit. You won’t regret it! Ticket prices start at $33.
In a resplendent display of inclusivity and recognition, Harlem‘s The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is set to pay homage to the LGBTQ+ community on the feast day of St. Pauli Murray. A visionary figure who defied societal norms and dedicated her life to championing the rights of marginalized individuals. The celebratory event will…
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court delivered a blow to the rights of federal prisoners, particularly those who may be completely innocent.
This week’s ruling in Jones v. Hendrix establishes a significant hurdle for prisoners seeking to challenge their convictions in court.
The case revolved around Marcus DeAngelo Jones, a federal prisoner convicted in 2000 of possessing a firearm after a felony conviction.
However, in a 2019 case called Rehaif v. United States, the Supreme Court declared that individuals could not be convicted under the felon-in-possession statute unless they were aware of their prior felony conviction at the time of possessing the gun.
Jones argued that he mistakenly believed his previous felony conviction had been expunged when he acquired the firearm, rendering his conviction invalid under Rehaif.
He said because he was unaware of his felony status, federal law did not make his possession of the firearm illegal.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s ruling, as outlined in Justice Thomas’s opinion, prevents Jones from challenging his conviction altogether.
The outcome is because of a federal law known as Section 2255, which generally bars federal prisoners from making multiple challenges to their convictions or sentences.
Jones had previously succeeded in petitioning a federal court to vacate a portion of his sentence before the Rehaif decision, which Thomas argued extinguished his sole opportunity to challenge his conviction, even though Jones had no way of knowing that his claim of innocence would become potentially valid after Rehaif.
Although Section 2255 does include exceptions that allow for a second challenge under certain circumstances, Thomas narrowly interprets the provision, stating that the usual process is “inadequate or ineffective” to test the legality of a prisoner’s detention.
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized Thomas’s restrictive construction and even mocks it by claiming that only a fire or mudslide could provide relief.
Thomas’s majority opinion extends the consequences beyond individuals like Jones, who hope to overturn their convictions due to developments like the Rehaif decision.
Many other individuals who are entirely innocent and wrongfully convicted will also be denied the opportunity for second appeals and remain unjustly imprisoned.
Before Section 2255’s enactment in 1948, federal prisoners had to challenge their convictions in the judicial district where they were incarcerated.
However, the system was impractical and burdensome for federal trial courts near prisons, as they often needed easier access to necessary records, evidence, and witnesses.
Section 2255 addressed this issue by requiring prisoners to bring challenges to the court that initially tried and convicted them, ensuring a more equitable distribution of cases among federal district courts, and providing the court most familiar with the prisoner’s case to hear the habeas suits challenging their confinement.
Although Section 2255 ordinarily restricts prisoners from filing a second habeas challenge if they were previously denied relief, it permits a second challenge if the usual process is “inadequate or ineffective” to test the legality of their detention.
However, Thomas characterized previous decisions allowing prisoners to file second challenges as an “end-run” around the limits set by federal law for habeas petitions.
He interpreted the “inadequate or ineffective” provision so narrowly that very few cases would meet its requirements, leaving prisoners fighting unlawful convictions with limited recourse.
In response, Justice Jackson argued in her dissent that Thomas’s reading of Section 2255 is completely unsupported by the text.
Both justices agreed on the historical purpose of Section 2255, which aimed to relieve the burden on district courts near federal prisons.
However, the statute contains no language that aligned with Thomas’s interpretation of the “inadequate or ineffective” provision.
Jackson asserted that Congress reenacted this exception in 1996, using identical language, and intended it to preserve prisoners’ ability to bring postconviction claims, including those based on statutory innocence, that might have been inadvertently barred by the language adopted in the amendment.
Experts said the outcome of the Jones case revealed not only the complexity of federal habeas law and the procedural challenges prisoners face but also a longstanding philosophical divide within the Supreme Court.
Liberal-leaning justices argued that the criminal justice system should primarily focus on determining a defendant’s actual guilt and provide adequate safeguards for challenging wrongful convictions.
On the other hand, conservative justices, including Thomas, emphasized finality in criminal judgments, even if it meant potentially denying the innocence claims of prisoners.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 2023 BET Awards celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with tributes to the genre’s earliest voices, late legends, and new talent during a show packed with spectacular performances that consistently felt like a party.
Sunday’s biggest surprise came when Quavo and Offset, the surviving members of Migos, performed “Bad and Boujee” in front of an image of Takeoff, who died in a shooting last December.
“BET, do it for Take,” the duo shouted near the beginning of their set, as their backdrop switched from the image of a space shuttle to one of Takeoff pointing in the air.
Throughout the show, whether it was Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Biz Markie or Pop Smoke, performers and emcee Kid Capri paid homage to late hip-hop stars, often by quickly highlighting a taste of their best-known hits. In a show where few awards were given, Capri and BET kept the emphasis on the music.
Busta Rhymes took home the night’s biggest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, handed to him by Swizz Beatz. The 12-time Grammy Award nominated rapper, producer, and pioneering hip-hop figure is widely regarded as one of the great MCs, with seven Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits to his name.
Diddy, Janet Jackson, Chuck D, Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams, and Mariah Carey recorded a video tribute to Rhymes.
“Alright, Imma wear it on my sleeve. I do wanna cry,” Rhymes started his speech, as his eyes started to water. He talked about his six children, being kicked out from his hip-hop group Leaders of the New School, and learning how to rebuild by going into studios, sharing a cigar with whoever was in the studio, and “quickly whipping up a 16 bar verse. … By default, I pioneered the feature,” he said. “A lot of greatness from out people in our culture is by default. Because it’s just a magic we have.”
An energetic tribute to Rhymes followed — the MC teamed up with Spliff Star for “Ante Up Remix”, “Scenario,” “Look At Me Now”, “I Know What You Want”, before a long list of A-listers jumped in: Scar Lip with “This Is New York”, Coi Leray with “Players,” BIA with “Beach Ball,” among them. Halfway through the performance, Rhymes shifted gears to celebrate dancehall alongside Dexta Daps “Shabba Madda Pot,” Spice, “So Mi Like It,” Skillibeng, “Whap Whap”, and CuttyRanks’ “A Who Seh Me Dun (Wait Deh Man).”
Throughout the show, old school hip-hop heroes and modern stars mixed it up onstage, performing tracks celebrating rap’s most influential cities and innovation. For Miami, Trick Daddy and Trina rocked through “Nann” and Uncle Luke took on “I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown).” For Atlanta, Jeezy ripped through “They Know”, T.I. hit “24’s,” and Master P did “No Limit Soldiers” into “Make ‘Em Say Ugh.” And for hip-hop’s reggae influence, Jamaica’s Doug E. Fresh and Lil ’Vicious did an acapella version of “Freaks,” Mad Lion performed “Take It Easy,” and PATRA nailed “Romantic Call.”
Capri spun some of Tupac’s “Hail Marry” to tease a crash course on West Coast rap: Warren G’s “Regulate,” Yo-Yo’s “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo,” Tyga’s “Rack City”, and E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go.”
An ode to trap started with Capri spinning the late Pop Smoke’s “Dior”, before Chief Keef nailed “Faneto” and Ying Yang Twins did “Wait (The Whisper Song.”)
Audience members, danced, sang along (and a few hopped up on stage) while Capri and MC Lyte keep the hostless show moving. It was a mostly hiccup-free show — save for a hitch during Patti LaBelle’s performance and the show running nearly four hours — particularly noteworthy for an event scheduled in the midst of the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike.
LaBelle honored the Tina Turner with a performance of the late singer’s hit “The Best,” telling the audience at one point she couldn’t see the words. “I’m trying, y’all!” she said before powering into the chorus.
A masked Lil Uzi Vert opened the show at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater before it jumped into a quick history lesson. Capri walked the audience through a medley of the earliest days of New York City ’80s rap culture featuring The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” MC LYTE’s “Cha Cha Cha”, D-NICE’s “Call ME D-Nice” and Big Daddy Kane’s “Raw,” into a partial cover of “Just A Friend,” an homage to the late great Biz Markie.
“I would not be in this business on the stage tonight if it wasn’t for one person,” Big Daddy Kane said introducing the song. “Rest in peace.” He invited audience members to sing along to the song’s infectious chorus.
The coveted best new artist award went to Coco Jones, in a category which featured only female performers.
“For all of my black girls, we do have to fight a little harder to get what we deserve,” she said in her acceptance speech. “But don’t stop fighting even when it doesn’t make sense. And you’re not sure how you’re going to get out of those circumstances. Keep pushing because we are deserving of great things.”
It was followed by a supermarket-themed performance of AP’s pick for club song of the summer, Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again,” sans featured artist Cardi B but no less catchy. It ended with a text tribute: “RIP Shawty Lo,” a screen read.
Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor won video director of the year, which was accepted by her mom Nikki Taylor – like a true matriarch, she interrupted the show to videocall her daughter and let her have the moment.
At the end of his acceptance speech, Rhymes urged the hip-hop community to “stop this narrative that we don’t love each other,” urging veteran musicians and newcomers alike to embrace one another.
It was the perfect mirror for the night: New York rapper Ice Spice ran through abridged versions of “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “Princess Diana” and “In Ha Mood”; Glorilla brought “Lick Or Sum” to the BET stage, and Kali powered through her TikTok hit, “Area Codes.”
In the audience, generations of hip-hop heavy-hitters cheered.
