#MatthewWhitaker

[projazznet]

Matthew Whitaker - Now Hear This

I never heard Matthew Whitaker’s debut album, but this second release is so impressive I want to go check it out. His life story is that this 18 year old young man was blind since birth, learned to play the  piano at three, and has toured with Stevie Wonder. All of this makes for a fascinating story, and even better is that the quality and enthusiasm of the music stands up on its own.

Whitaker plays piano, Moog, Hammond B3 and other keyboards as he teams up with jazaz vets Dave Stryker/g, Yunior Terry/b, Ulysses Owens Jr/dr and Sammy Figueroa on a mix of cleverly arranged covers and strident originals. His touch on the piano is joyful and dramatic, dancing with Owens on “Overcoat” and telling a fluid story with Terry during “Tranquility.” His full-fisted “Bernie’s Tune” includes a drive inspired by McCoy Tyner while he takes a wondrous journey on Duke Ellington’s “U.M.M.G.” On the Hammond, he mixes Sly and the Family Stone funk and Sunday Morning Service enthusiasm on a stomping “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power” and sizzles with Stryker on a rocking read of “Freedom Jazz Dance” that howls like an alley cat. ON the more reflective side, “Thinking of You” is a romantic dream, and when teaming up with Marc Cary on “Black Butterfly” the team gets into a soul groove. A fusion “Underground” with Whitaker on synthesizer includes delightful flute by Gabrielle Garo and Whitaker boogaloos with Stryker on the ultra hip “Miss Michelle.” This one bubbles over with infectious enthusiasm; look for it! (Jazz Weekly).

[officeofspecialpoliticscounsel]

***🇺🇸MAGA ROLLER COASTER🇺🇸*** "Humpty Dumpty Vs Matthew Whitaker" ------" You Have Been Counted Out, Your Time Is Up #matthewwhitaker Counts Out "Humpty Dumpty #jerroldnadler of #newyork #nyc #democrat " WOW #nadler #boxed with the wrong #fighter !!! #makeamericagreatagain #donaldtrump #america #americafirst #news #politics #ufc #boxing #fights #combatsports #congress #republican #conservative #trump #foodforthought #saturday #saturdaymorning #saturdaynight #vibes #battle #winning #maga https://www.instagram.com/p/Btq0sKHA3G7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15vab2zc25l38

[omanxl1]

Defected Radio Show presented by Sam Divine - 08.02.19

Defected Radio Show presented by Sam Divine – 08.02.19

Digital Crate Digging Continues in a Flashback Friday; the Friday Night Fever is underway…

A dude is out here getting breakbeat scientific, plus please believe me this good music will play!!

Let the music play is the motto, while over on Candler Road in Decatur my people will play the lotto; the curb was littered with scratch off tickets lacking the winning numbers..

We know how these jokers will…

[citizentruth-blog]

Undermining Democracy, GOP-Style

Brian Kemp is a disgrace. (Photo Credit: Office of U.S. Senator David Perdue/Flickr) When it comes to the present-day incarnation of the Republican Party, always beware the shell game.  Per Dictionary.com, shell game is defined as "a sleight-of-hand swindling game resembling thimblerig but employing walnut shells or the like instead of thimblelike cups." If you're familiar with the setup of three-card Monte, the logistics are essentially the same, only with cards instead of shells. Find the pea (or the Queen of Hearts) under the shell. Double-down on your ability to find it again. If you're successful, you win big. If you're not, the opposite happens. With Donald Trump, Con-Man-in-Chief, working in cahoots with a party whose agenda seems increasingly predicated on deception—so that you don't discover how bad their policies actually are for you or the country at large—this diversionary tactic is alive and well. Before your eyes, numerous issues await your attention, but energy/money/time being limited, you can only pick one on which to act at the risk of having all three suffer. Concerning the events of the last week and change, three "shells" jump to mind being of national import, especially fresh after Election Day. All merit scrutiny as threats to democracy, and yet, there aren't enough hours in the day. That press conference President Trump has had some stupendously bad press conferences during his tenure, but his post-election presser, if not the outright worst, ranks right up there. There's a lot to unpack here, so let's get to the nitty-gritty, shall we? The great and powerful Republican Party: First things first, Trump started by lionizing the GOP's "achievements." Apparently, not losing control of the Senate and ceding control of the House qualify. At any rate, they were achievements because the Democrats had an unfair advantage in fundraising from special interests and wealthy donors and because the media is so gosh-darned mean to Republican candidates. Also, we had a bunch of retirements. But we had big rallies! And we did better than Obama! The country is booming! If the Democrats don't screw everything up, we'll all be united and thriving together! On bipartisanship: With the whining about the Republicans' handicap thus dispensed with, it was time for questions. First up, about that spirit of bipartisanship he and Nancy Pelosi talked about. Like, that's not really going to happen, right? Especially with all the investigations expected to be going on and unless y'all compromise? Trump demurred on the issue. No, we're totally going to be able to work together with the Democrats. Of course, if we can't, they're the ones in control of the House, so you know—their fault. Oh, that border wall... We're gonna build the wall. We've already started building it, in fact. Just try and stop it. The American people want it. The Democrats want it—they just don't want to admit it. Fine by me. I'll take the political capital and run with it. But the caravan is coming, ladies and gents. I can't say for sure that I'd advocate shutting down the government for it. But come on—I totally would. On the ever-tumultuous Cabinet: Trump is totally happy with his Cabinet. Good Cabinet. Great Cabinet. As long as no one suddenly displeases him, he has love for all. At this point, in a completely unrelated move, the President pushed a button revealing a pool of sharks underneath the floor and lowering a human-sized cage suspended above it from the ceiling. The Jim Acosta portion of the program: If there's one moment of the press conference you heard about, it was likely this. CNN's Jim Acosta, established persona non grata among Trump's base, pressed Trump on referring to the migrant caravan in Central America as an "invasion." Trump was all, like, well, I consider it an invasion. Acosta was all, like, but that caravan is hundreds and hundreds of miles away and you're demonizing immigrants by showing them climbing over walls, which they're not going to do. And that's when things got really interesting. As Trump settled into Attack Mode, Acosta tried to ask a follow-up question. Trump was all, like, you've had enough, pal. Nevertheless, he persisted, trying to ask about the Russia investigation. Meanwhile, a female aide tried to grab the mic away from Acosta, which he stifled with a "Pardon me, ma'am" and a hand on her arm. Before Acosta relented, Trump called the investigation a "hoax" and called Acosta a "rude, terrible person." Fun times. More about the Jim Acosta portion of the program: NBC News's Peter Alexander came to Acosta's defense as next reporter up—only to get harangued by the President in his own right—but the implications of this kerfuffle and the subsequent revocation of Acosta's press privileges in covering the White House are serious. I don't care what you think about Acosta personally, even if you feel he's a self-aggrandizing hack. Judging by the smarmy attitude of other CNN personalities like Anderson Cooper and Chris Cuomo, elevated self-appraisals seem to be a fairly common occurrence there. I also don't care what you think about Barack Obama's frosty relationship with FOX News and the questionable treatment its reporters received at the hands of the Obama White House. On the latter count, two wrongs don't make a right, and if Trump and Co. want to distinguish themselves, they should do it by being better and less petty—not the other way around. To that effect, squelching Acosta's voice in a dictatorial way should be concerning no matter where you stand politically in the name of journalistic integrity and a free press. And let's not start with the whole "Acosta assaulted that young woman" narrative. If you're relying on a doctored InfoWars clip to make your argument, you already should take the hint you're probably on some bullshit. More on bipartisanship: After Jim Acosta was given the ol' Vaudeville Hook, Alexander questioned Trump on why he was pitting Americans against one another. To which Trump asked back—and I am not making this up—"What are you—trying to be him?" He was referring to Acosta, of course. Even after what just happened, it was stunning. For the record, Pres. Trump gave a dodgy "they're soft on crime" answer and suggested the results of the election would have a "very positive impact." So, um, yay togetherness! If the Mueller investigation is unfair to the country and it's costing millions of dollars, why doesn't Trump just end it? I'm posting the whole question here, because the President sure didn't answer it convincingly. On voter suppression: "I'll give you 'voter suppression': Take a look at the CNN polls, how inaccurate they were. That's called 'voter suppression'." Um, what? On the individual mandate: You know, I could tell you what he said, but do you have any confidence that, regardless of how people feel about the individual mandate, Republicans have a plan in mind which will allow them to keep premiums down and cover preexisting conditions? Neither do I. When all questions by women of color are "stupid" or "racist": Speaking of three-card Monte, here's a shell game within the shell game in which you get to pick which one is the most flagrantly dog-whistle-y. PBS NewsHour's Yamiche Alcindor asked Trump about whether his claim to be a "nationalist" has emboldened "white nationalists" here and abroad. Trump said it's a "racist" question. Putting aside the notion held by many that racism implies power and Trump therefore has no idea what he's talking about in this regard, it's a legitimate question. Trump pivoted to his overwhelming support from African-American voters—a fabrication, at any rate—but his lack of an appropriate response betrays his complicity on this issue. More on denigrating black female reporters: While the dialog with Alcindor was the only such interaction with an African-American female reporter during the press conference, it's not his only recent unflattering characterization herein. In response to a question by CNN's Abby Phillip about whether he appointed Matthew Whitaker as acting Attorney General, he called her query "stupid" and opined that she asks "a lot of stupid questions." As for April Ryan, Trump recently referred to her as a "loser" and someone "who doesn't know what she's doing." If these comments were isolated incidents, one might be able to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. In such close proximity to one another and based on his track record, though, Trump deserves no such consideration. He's attacking these women of color because he has a problem with being challenged by strong females and because it's red meat to throw at his base. Other odds and ends: Trump evidently can't turn over his tax returns because he is under audit. This is complete and unmitigated bullshit. Trump likes Oprah. Even if she, too, is a loser. If anything is going to be done with DACA, it will apparently have to be dealt with in court. Whose fault is that? You guessed it: the Democrats. Trump claimed to have a lot of trouble understanding people from foreign news outlets. If there were anything to make him seem like more of the "ugly American," well, this would be it. What did Trump learn from the midterm results? Seeing as he learned that "people like him" and that "people like the job he's doing," he obviously didn't learn a damn thing. Will Mike Pence be Trump's running mate in 2020? Yes. Glad that's settled. Nice hardball question there. How will Trump push a pro-life agenda with a divided Congress? Like a mother trying to give birth, he's just going to keep pushing—don't you worry, evangelicals. Did China or Russia interfere in the election? The official report's, as they say, in the mail. How can we enact a middle-class tax cut alongside the existing corporate/high-earner tax cut? With an "adjustment." What kind of adjustment? Trump's "not telling." YOU HAVE NO IDEA. JUST SAY IT. Per "Two Corinthians" Trump, God plays a very big role in his life. He's also a "great moral leader," and he loves our country. On an unrelated note, a lightning bolt ripped through the ceiling during the press conference, narrowly missing Trump as he delivered his remarks. Au revoir, Monsieur Sessions Politics makes strange bedfellows. If you're thinking how strange it is to be protesting the firing of Jeff bleeping Sessions, you're not alone. Sessions' aforementioned removal as AG in favor of Trump loyalist Matthew Whitaker—assuming he actually was fired and didn't resign, though how would we know?—is not something that anyone feels bad about for Sessions's sake. You make a deal with the Devil, and eventually, you expect to get burned, no? Given his profile as a notorious anti-drug dinosaur who infamously once professed that good people don't use marijuana, some drug reform activism groups are even happy he's gone. Outside of this context, though, the larger partisan hostility toward Robert Mueller and his investigation matters. I'm not going to even get into whether Trump has the right to remove Sessions and replace him with someone like Whitaker who wasn't confirmed by the Senate, or whether it matters if he was fired or if he quit. Honestly, these questions are above my ken as a citizen journalist. If past statements are any indication, however, putting Whitaker in charge of the DOJ is suspect. The man didn't exactly write the book on how to limit the scope of the Mueller investigation, but he did pen an opinion piece for Trump's favorite news outlet on how it should be done. As with invalidating Jim Acosta's White House press privileges (a move which has prompted another lawsuit against the Trump administration, mind you), such is a line the president should not cross, no matter what side of the aisle you're on. As Americans, we should all be worried about the fate of the Mueller investigation as it comes to a head, and should implore our elected officials to safeguard the inquiry's results. The ghost of the 2000 election Oh, those hanging chads. It's somehow comforting—and yet actually deeply, deeply disturbing—that not much has changed since the fracas surrounding the 2000 recount that captivated a nation and prompted cries of a "stolen" victory for George W. Bush. Then again, that Al Gore didn't win his own state and that thousands of Florida Democrats voted for Bush puts a bit of a damper on pointing to these shenanigans and Ralph Nader as the only reasons why Gore lost. As with Hillary Clinton losing in 2016, alongside legitimate concerns about Russian meddling and James Comey's untimely letter to Congress, it's not as if strategic miscues or lack of enthusiasm about the Democratic candidate in question didn't play a role. Now that I've set the scene, let's talk about 2018. There were a number of close races across the country this Election Day—some so close they still haven't been certified or conceded. Depending on your views, some were either disappointments or godsends. If you were pulling for Beto O'Rourke in Texas, while you still should be encouraged, you were nonetheless dismayed to find that enough voters willingly re-elected Ted Cruz, famed annoyance and rumored Zodiac Killer. If you were pulling for Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, meanwhile, you likely were over the moon once the race was finally called. Of the key races not yet called at this writing, those in Florida and Georgia loom particularly large. In the Sunshine State, the candidates of both the race for U.S. Senate between Rick Scott (R) and Bill Nelson (D) and the race for governor between Ron DeSantis (R) and Andrew Gillum (D) are separated by less than half of 1%. Meanwhile, in the Peach State gubernatorial race, there are enough outstanding votes that Stacey Abrams (D) and her campaign are convinced they can force a runoff election based on the margin. In all three cases, despite the razor-thin vote disparities, Republicans have been quick to cry fraud or try to expedite certifying the results. Scott, with Trump throwing his own claim around wildly in support, has made accusations of electoral malfeasance without the evidence to back it up. And this is just speaking about what has happened after the election. Leading up to the election, DeSantis caught flak for telling voters not to "monkey this up" by voting for Gillum, dog-whistling loud enough for racists across the Southeast to hear. Brian Kemp (R), meanwhile as Georgia Secretary of State, oversaw the purging of voters from rolls, the failure to process voter applications, and keeping voting machines locked up—all primarily at the expense of voters of color, a key Democratic constituency. Depending on how far back you wish to go, the antics of DeSantis, Kemp, and Scott are only the latest turn in a long-standing American tradition of voter suppression aimed at blacks. Carol Anderson, professor of African-American studies at Emory University, provides a concise but effective history of keeping blacks from the polls—by hook or by crook. We may no longer be threatening prospective voters of color with tar and feathers, but voter purges, closure of polling locations, and disenfranchisement of felons from being able to vote aren't much of an improvement. This is 2018, after all. As Van Jones and others might insist, Kemp et al. can only win one way: by stealing. To put it another way, if these Republicans were convinced they had won legitimately, they wouldn't need all the chicanery, subterfuge, and insinuations of impropriety. Even if they do prove to have the votes necessary to win, their conduct is a stain on the offices they have served or will serve. Like it is with the White House's revocation of Jim Acosta's privileges following Trump's press conference or the suspicious installation of Matthew Whitaker as head of the Department of Justice, the injustice here is such that it should, ahem, trump partisanship. Instead, our "winning is the only thing" mentality and emphasis on results over process all but ensures bipartisan inaction. Assuming a shell game is run fairly, the customer playing need only follow the correct shell amid all the movement. This itself might be a chore depending on how much and how fast the shells move. Going back to the Wikipedia entry on the shell game, though, there's an important note about how, frequently, games of these sort are not on the up-and-up: In practice, however, the shell game is notorious for its use by confidence tricksters who will typically rig the game using sleight of hand to move or hide the ball during play and replace it as required. Fraudulent shell games are also known for the use of psychological tricks to convince potential players of the legitimacy of the game – for example, by using shills or by allowing a player to win a few times before beginning the scam. In other words, it's a con. You've been following the wrong shell all along because the eyes deceive. In the context of President Donald Trump's unbecoming behavior, his DOJ shakeup of questionable legitimacy, and the Republican Party's stacking of the electoral deck, while all of these matters merit your justifiable outrage, they are yet a distraction from something else not even on the table. For one, shortly after the press conference, Trump issued a directive designed to halt asylum-seeking at our southern border. It's a particularly problematic order, in that it appears to fundamentally misunderstand asylum law and makes it yet harder to apply for asylum than it already is. It's also reactionary policy that overstates the dangers of the migrant caravan and illegal immigration in general, and further puts us out of step with international standards on safeguarding refugees/asylees. This executive order comes on the heels of Trump's stated desire to end birthright citizenship, another move which would be of dubious constitutional validity and subject to challenge in court by civil rights advocacy groups, not to mention having U.S. troops stationed at the border with Mexico. It's easy to dismiss these as political stunts designed to fire up his base when you have no skin in the game, so to speak. For immigrants and would-be applicants for asylum/visas, this rhetoric is more worrisome. Owing to our country's poor track record of acting on behalf of vulnerable populations—I'll bring our sordid history of intimidating voters of color and otherwise acting in official capacities to deny them their rights back up, in case you need reminding—this is more than simple hand-wringing based on the theoretical. In the miasma and noise of a Republican agenda fueled by the views of FOX News talking heads, Koch-Brothers-funded legislative influence, obeisance to moneyed interests and religious conservatives, Tea Party railing against deficits, and Trump's own prejudicial outlook, it's legitimately hard to cut through all the bullshit and focus on what we can do as possible influencers. By now, the sense of fatigue is real, especially because when we act to counteract said agenda, there's also half-hearted Democratic Party policies and media clickbait designed to offend around which to work. So, what's the answer? Assuming my words are even that useful in this regard, I'm not sure. As noted, all of the above merits scrutiny, but we have our limitations. It may be useful to zero in on one or a handful of issues that arouse your personal political passions. Plus, if you can afford it, so many causes spearheaded by organizations devoted to the betterment of society deserve your donations, though throwing money at these problems does not automatically equate to solving them. At the end of the day, though, what is abundantly clear after decades of failed policy initiatives is that tuning out is not a viable option if we want meaningful change. Indeed, people-powered solutions will be necessary if we are to fix our broken democracy—and there's a lot to fix, at that. Recognize the shell game for what it is, but don't refuse to play. Instead, change the game.   Read the full article

[thenewsguru]

DOJ slaps away Dem protests over Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker

The Democrats have only one prerequisite when it comes to opposing POTUS Donald Trump and it is this: Never, ever approve of anything he does, no matter how legal and/or constitutional it may be. That includes opposing the president’s recent appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting Attorney General after he sought former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ resignation following the midterm elections last week. The Justice Department, however, has now clarified that not only are Democrats wrong to oppose POTUS Trump’s interim appointment of Whitaker, but they are also incorrect in their demand that he recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s hoax investigation of “Russian collusion,” even though Whitaker has been a vocal, public opponent of it. In a 20-page memo, the DoJ noted that the president’s appointment is lawful under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, Appointments Clause and is in compliance with the U.S. Constitution. “As we have previously recognized, the President may use the Vacancies Reform Act to depart from the succession order,” the memo says. “We also advised that Mr. Whitaker’s designation would be consistent with the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires the President to obtain ‘the Advice and Consent of the Senate’ before appointing a principal officer of the United States. Although an Attorney General is a principal officer requiring Senate confirmation, someone who temporarily performs his duties is not,” DoJ continued. “All three branches of government have long recognized, the President may designate an acting official to perform the duties of a vacant principal office, including a Cabinet office, even when acting official has not been confirmed by the Senate.” Democrats tried to make an issue of the fact that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was not appointed to the acting AG post, and that Whitaker, who was Sessions’ chief of staff prior to his resignation, was instead. (Related: DEMOCRAT calls for stopping Robert Mueller and draining the swamp, or public faith in government “justice” will be shattered forever.)

This process dates back to 1792

Some years ago, Whitaker was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa after being nominated by President George W. Bush. He did not have to be confirmed for his most recent position, Townhall’s Katie Pavlich reported. In addition to citing the law and the Constitution, the Justice Department also notes there is plenty of precedence for the appointment. “The one thing the opinion makes clear is that we provide a wealth of history that demonstrat that over 150 persons were designated as acting officers as heads of departments,” a senior DOJ official told reporters during a conference call Wednesday morning. “There’s a long history of this…President Trump has done this five times before, so did President Obama.” “There have been just dozens and dozens of examples going back,” the official noted further. “We found Thomas Jefferson exercising authority that had been given to George Washington designating acting power to the Secretary of War…There have been acting Secretaries of State that have not been Senate confirmed.” By law, Whitaker can serve in his interim AG role for up to 210 days. “Congress did not first authorize the President to direct non-Senate-confirmed officials to act as principal officers in 1998; it did so in multiple statutes starting in 1792,” the DoJ memo said. “In that year, Congress authorized the President to ensure the government’s uninterrupted work by designating persons to perform temporarily the work of vacant offices.” The department noted that in its “brief survey of the history,” there were at least 160 times prior to 1860 that non-Senate-confirmed candidates were temporarily appointed to serve in high offices of government including secretaries of War, the Navy, the Interior, and Postmaster General. Democrats’ opposition to what POTUS Trump did is just an extension of their general opposition to anything he does. Read more about President Trump’s White House at WhiteHouse.news.   Read the full article

[marcosbrum]

Greater [1Coríntios 12] gifts https://atodanacao.blogspot.com/2018/11/greater-gifts.html?spref=tw #facebook #twitter #whatsapp #instagram #jeffsessions #attorneygeneral #matthewwhitaker #protectmueler #ronaldo #rodrosestain #manunited #pinterest #public #global #wow #weibo #linkedin #cnn #bbc #time #wwf #onu #otan #greenpeace #usa #lemond #dw #theguardian #thewashingtonpost #financialtimes #thenewyorktimes #scientificamerica #pugsnotdrugs3 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp5p0sogZxd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1d0wtj3tlyyy2

[tyrras]

Ty flips off Dump every day for 4 years #resist #maga #jeffsessions #attorneygeneral #mueller #jimacosta #cnn #matthewwhitaker #saturdaynightmassacre #electionresults2018 #constitutionalcrisis #wontbeerased #bordercrisis #operationfaithfulpatriot #pressconference #tempertantrum #endwhitenationalism #trump #qanon #wwg1wga #trusttheplan #impeachtrump #demstakethehouse #wednesdaywisdom #somanyreasons https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp5cozZB230/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xa9akyj221jw

[mikeyoung88]

Feeling Jazzy 🎼🎹🎸🥁 . Last night we celebrated Michelle's (@cheldoskop) birthday from earlier in the week with a night out at @birdsbasement. Featured artist for the evening was the wonderfully talented jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker, who is 17 years old, and just happens to be blind. Ably suppported on drums and guitar, it was a great night. He is there tonight and tomorrow night if you are interested. . #jazz #piano #music #matthewwhitaker #birdsbasement (at Bird's Basement)

[stevengarrisonmusic]

#StevenGarrisonMusic #PhazeII #MatthewWhitaker #20thYearAnniversary #AllForYou #BethesdaBluesAndJazz #DMVMusic #Jazz #RAndB #NeoSoul #Soul #Sax #SaxLove #SaxLife #Saxophone #Sunday #Spring #Grateful #Blessed #MusicianGrind #WatchMeWork (at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club)

[aprilandninasalon-blog]

Alexis Morrast with Matthew Whitaker and band at the Harlem School of the Arts. #aprilandninasalon #harlemschoolofthearts #ellafitzgerald #matthewwhitaker (at The Harlem School of the Arts)

[magarollercoaster]

**🇺🇸MAGA ROLLER COASTER🇺🇸** **No wonder #FakeNewsCNN ratings are below the #hallmark channel!!!*** *"Another blow to #CNN S #fairytale #lawyer S"* Another great #MAGAPunch or #MAGAKnockout @cnnpr @cnnpolitics #FoxNews Greg Jarrett author of #RussianHoax has been right on every legal opinion almost unlike the #cnnisfakenews #fakenewscnn SO CALLED LEGAL ANALYSIS I CALL THEM "FAIRYTALE" ANALYSIS because the only swing their opinions not as INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS BUT FOR ALL THINGS DEMOCRATS BENEFIT and NARRATIVES!! @judgenap of @foxnews and Others atleast give you facts and #law statutes that support their legal opinions CNN just wings partisan politics opinions 24/7. Thats why HALLMARK CHANNEL is kicking their Ass #lmao #lol #MAGA #Trump2020 #Trump #florida #BREAKING #breakingnews #politics #Republicans #Conservatives #whitaker #crtv #stopthesteal #matthewwhitaker #DOJ #Hannity #voterfraud @donaldjtrumpjr @erictrump @jessewatters @seanhannity @marklevinshow #levintv https://www.instagram.com/p/BqKsvMsAhx2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mscehdfzihsy

[jodinescorner]

I am so ready to see this brilliance in action! #Repost @djhardhittinharry with @get_repost ・・・ TONIGHT! @_mattwhitaker takes the stage for another edition of #apollomusiccafe 😎🎹✊🏿🎹✊🏿🎹(@apollotheater)! @ Apollo Music Café 253 W. 125th st DOORS 9:00PM with an opening set by resident @djhardhittinharry hosted by @jodinedorce SHOWTIME 10pm / $20 Www.apollotheater.org or APOLLO BOX OFFICE #apollotheater #matthewwhitaker #february #blackherstorymonth #blackhistorymonth #blackwomanmagic #blackmen #blackman #blackgirlmagic #rock #funk #soul #blues #harlem #nyc #love #joy #style #family #friends #TBT #gratitude #givethanks #hammond #hammonorgan #ILoveHosting (at East Flatbush, Brooklyn)

[celebritylive]

A blind jazz piano prodigy is taking the world by storm — so much so that scientists are studying his brain to figure out how he’s able to master those talents.

Matthew Whitaker was born prematurely and with many health issues, but that hasn’t stopped the 18-year-old from making a name for himself and pursuing his dreams as a world-traveling pianist, according to CBS’ 60 Minutes.

Since he was 11 years old, Matthew has been performing jazz piano recitals, appearing in more than 200 clubs and concert halls globally, the outlet reported.

Last spring, the Hackensack, New Jersey teen appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival for the very first time, and now he’s involved in a new venture: helping Dr. Charles Limb with a study aimed at better understanding how exceptionally talented musicians’ brains work.

“I think anytime somebody watches Matthew play piano the first thing that you think is, ‘How does he do that?'” Limb told 60 Minutes. “Except rather than just wondering I’m actually trying to answer the question.”

View this post on Instagram Good #SundayMorning! Wishing everyone a great Sunday and #ThanksgivingWeek with your loved ones! #EverydayIsADayOfThanksgiving #matthewwhitaker #matthewwhitakermusic . . . . . . #blues #funk #jazz #jazzmusic #soul #pianist #pianomusic #pianoplayer #musician #hammondorganist #hammondorgan #yamahapianos #yamaha #grandpiano #jazzconcert #jazzeducation #talentedmusicians #musicvideo #instamusic #gospel #gospelmusic #gospelmusician

A post shared by Matthew Whitaker

(@_mattwhitaker) on Nov 24, 2019 at 6:47am PST

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RELATED: Blind and Partially Deaf Man Becomes Accomplished Pianist After Receiving Keyboard from a Stranger

Though he’s incredibly successful today, Matthew’s journey to becoming a piano prodigy wasn’t always easy.

When Matthew was born at 24 weeks, doctors told his parents Moses and May Whitaker that their new baby — who weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces — had less than a 50 percent chance of survival, 60 Minutes reported.

Among the many complications that he was suffering was retinopathy of prematurity, a disease caused by abnormal development of retinal blood vessels in premature babies that could lead to blindness, according to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

“I think at the time, I didn’t think he was gonna make it,” May told 60 Minutes. “So it was, you know, just very scary.”

In an effort to retain his vision, Matthew underwent 11 surgeries over the course of two years. By the end of the second year, Moses and May decided to stop with the procedures because “we just felt like he was going through too much” and “the doctors weren’t seeing it was getting any better.”

But doctors warned that with the loss of Matthew’s eyesight, he may never speak, walk or crawl, according to 60 Minutes.

“Most kids learn to crawl, they learn to walk because they want to try to get to something,” Moses explained. “Well, Matthew couldn’t see to get to anything. So a lot of his toys and stuff, we had to have sounds, so that he would want to crawl want to reach those things.”

As it turned out, music was the very thing that got Matthew moving, with him crawling toward speakers as an infant to feel the music. By the time he was 3, Matthew was showing off his musical talents with a keyboard that his grandfather gifted him, according to the outlet.

“They were nursery rhymes more so than anything,” Moses said on 60 Minutes. “So they weren’t that complicated. But what he was doing was complicated. Because most kids don’t play with both hands. And they don’t play chords and the harmonies and all of that. And Matt was doing that.”

With a very clear sign of their son’s talent in front of them, the Whitakers decided to hire a piano teacher for Matthew.

And once he started working with Dalia Sakas, the director of music studies at the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York City, Matthew’s talents began to flourish.

Though Sakas told 60 Minutes it is “insane” how Matthew can listen to a piece of music once and then recite it, she also admitted that it was a bit frightening to play such an influential role in the musician’s life.

“It was scary more than exhausting,” Sakas explained to the outlet. “Because you didn’t want to blow it. Because you have someone of this talent, of this creativity, this enthusiasm. You don’t want to squelch that. You don’t want to mess up. He’s obviously, you know, got something to offer to the world and so you want to make that possible.”

Under Sakas’ leadership and guidance, Matthew was performing around the world when his story intrigued Limb, a surgeon and neuroscientist with a musical background.

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Limb specializes in studying MRI brain scans to better understand how exceptionally creative people’s brains work and in Matthew’s case, was curious to know why his brain seems to work better when improvising tunes, according to 60 Minutes.

After some hesitation from the Whitakers, Matthew’s parents agreed to let the young pianist participate in Limb’s study.

The teen underwent an MRI at the University of California, San Francisco with a mini keyboard on his lap and performed a series of auditory tests, the outlet reported.

One of those studied how Matthew’s brain levels responded when he played the keyboard, while the other observed his brain levels as he was listening to music in comparison to listening to a “boring” lecture — and the results were astonishing.

“Because he is blind we looked at his visual cortex. And we didn’t see any significant activity there at all,” Limb explained to the outlet of the scans while Matthew was listening to the lecture. “Then we switched the soundtrack for him and we put on a band that he knows quite well. … This is what changes in his brain.”

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“Pretty remarkable. His entire brain is stimulated by music,” Limb continued. “His visual cortex is activated throughout. It seems like his brain is taking that part of the tissue that’s not being stimulated by sight and using it or maybe helping him to perceive music with it.”

“It’s sort of borrowing that part of the brain and rewiring it to help him hear music,” Limb added.

While it’s certainly interesting, Matthew said the results reflect what he’s known all along.

“I love music,” he told 60 Minutes.

Matthew is scheduled to open for Gregory Porter’s All Rise tour in Germany from March 2 to 16, according to his Instagram. He also has a number of tour dates scheduled in the U.S. through May, his website states.

His latest album Now Hear This is available now.

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/3c4gGRh

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🇺🇸 New York Times: Trump may have meddled in Cohen investigation | Al Jazeera English by Al Jazeera English A report in the New York Times is raising questions about whether the US president went further than previously reported to try and stop investigations into him and his close allies. It says Trump called his then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to ask if a prosecutor of his choice could oversee the investigation into his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Trump denies doing so, but if true, this could have serious implications for the president. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane has the latest from Washington, DC. - Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: https://ift.tt/2lOp4tL #Trump #MuellerInvestigation #MatthewWhitaker