March 26, 2020
Aries
MAR 21 - APR 19
You're ready for anything this week, especially when it comes to love. A New Moon in your sign is your cosmic signal for a personal fresh start. There doesn't seem to be any limitations on what you can accomplish now, whether it has to do with your professional world or your personal life. However, the one thing that is crystal clear to you is that you need to try something new and be bold and brave about it. Apply this theme to your current love life scenario and you can't go wrong. Crush your goals this week, Aries, including those romantic ones!
Taurus
APR 20 - MAY 20
You've got the most stunning prospects for romance these days. Venus is still moving through your sign and will make a perfect connection to lucky Jupiter and intense Pluto on Saturday. This is nothing short of magical for you in every way possible, Taurus! Whatever you desire most seems possible, so don't shortchange yourself on those wishes. If you're in a relationship, then you are most certainly feeling the love from the one you adore. In fact, he or she might demonstrate their affection in a way that makes you know with all your heart that this person is "The One." Amazing!
Gemini
MAY 21 - JUN 20
A quiet love affair that no one else knows about might be the most delicious event happening in your world right now. This clandestine relationship of yours doesn't have to be scandalous, but it will most certainly be intensely erotic and sexually fulfilling. You don't have to be declaring your love for someone all over social media and the truth is, you don't want to. If someone has your heart, then you're feeling much happier keeping the lovefest between the two of you ... and behind closed doors. Yum!
Cancer
JUN 21 - JUL 22
If you're in a relationship, then you and your partner are in for some hot, steamy passion! Mars and Pluto will align in your relationship sector, adding all the sizzle to your love connection that you ever wanted. In fact, you might be surprised at the intensity your partner shows. He or she might not be able to keep their hands off you! Alternatively, if things haven't been going well in your love life, this could lead to an explosive argument. Tempers might flare but it all goes back to the level of desire you feel for each other. It's off the charts!
Leo
JUL 23 - AUG 22
If you're single, this is a week to pay attention to anyone you meet through work somehow. Whether you're in business for yourself or if you work for a company it doesn't matter -- the prospects for romance connected to your job are strong. You might even hire someone such as a plumber or electrician and find that there is strong mutual chemistry between the two of you. If this happens, you'll need to decide what's more important to you: dating each other or having this person do the job you need help with. It's not the worst problem to have.
Virgo
AUG 23 - SEP 22
Your love life might be too hot to handle this week! Mars and Pluto will collide in your romance sector on Monday, giving you a mouth-watering craving for someone special that you simply must enjoy. You're very likely to connect with someone who has hungry eyes for you, and you'll instantly feel the same. This relationship might become very close very quickly, but that doesn't mean it won't last. Still, an instant gratification vibe will be hard to ignore this week. Make sure you're OK with the potential for this to be an "easy come, easy go" type of scenario.
Libra
SEP 23 - OCT 22
With a potent New Moon landing in your partnership sector on Tuesday, you're bravely going in a new direction, Libra. This lunation is not for the faint of heart. If a change has been long overdue in matters of the heart, then this is the time to expect a jump-start that gets your love life moving. This does seem to be a good thing, though. Sometimes all you need is a little push to get you to do what you know you really wanted to do all along. Think of this lunar event as a dose of much-needed cosmic courage. Drink it up.
Scorpio
OCT 23 - NOV 21
It's possible you're finally going to get everything you ever wanted in the love department. Venus is still moving through your relationship sector and this always bodes well for your love life. If you're in a relationship already, then things are definitely moving in the right direction. On Saturday, Venus aligns with lucky Jupiter and powerful Pluto, both in your message sector. A romantic negotiation or conversation will go exactly as you hoped, perhaps even better. Another possibility is that if you're dating someone, the two of you will decide to become exclusive. Ask and ye shall receive!
Sagittarius
NOV 22 - DEC 21
You've got an exciting new beginning in matters of the heart. A New Moon lands in your true love sector on Tuesday, stimulating amazing potential between you and someone you'll find to be extremely dynamic, independent, and brave. This relationship might begin quickly and neither one of you will bother playing games. It'll be obvious that you want each other, and the passion will be off the charts! If you're already dating someone or in a relationship, it's possible you'll decide to have a child or declare your love for each other for the first time. Incredible!
Capricorn
DEC 22 - JAN 19
Your love life is no snoozefest these days. Venus is moving through your true love sector and recently received some stimulating vibes from Uranus, the planet of sudden change, also in the same part of your chart. It's as if a romantic opportunity was reignited out of the blue. This week, you're sure to benefit from this happy and most unexpected turn of events. As Venus moves to a perfect trine to expansive Jupiter and powerful Pluto -- both in your sign -- you can count on the fact that when it comes to love, you are the lucky one.
Aquarius
JAN 20 - FEB 18
Sometimes, we all get stuck in our minds and feel a bit insecure about voicing our feelings or our needs, especially if we're concerned it'll rattle the status quo. Fortunately, you're someone who typically isn't concerned with the opinions of others. In this case, however, you might have found yourself holding back your perspective from your partner or love interest because you knew it would likely create conflict before leading to resolution. This week, you'll stop worrying about that and will just put it all out there. You'll wonder why you waited so long.
Pisces
FEB 19 - MAR 20
A conversation with someone through social media might lead to a happy development in your love life. This can be anything from connecting to a friend on Facebook to someone sliding into your DMs on Instagram. Another possibility is that you'll try an online dating app out and actually have substantial luck finding someone you're genuinely compatible with. Be open! If you're already in a relationship, then you'll probably feel as if your lover truly "gets" you this week. Don't doubt it because it's true.
March 12, 2020
The Associated Press
McCoy Tyner, the groundbreaking and influential jazz pianist and the last surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet, has died. He was 81.
Tyner’s family confirmed the death in a statement released on social media Friday. No more details were provided.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of jazz legend, Alfred “McCoy” Tyner. McCoy was an inspired musician who devoted his life to his art, his family and his spirituality,” the statement read. “McCoy Tyner’s music and legacy will continue to inspire fans and future talent for generations to come.”
Tyner was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 11, 1938. He eventually met Coltrane and joined him for the 1961 album “My Favorite Things,” a major commercial success that highlighted the remarkable chemistry of the John Coltrane Quartet. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
The quartet would go on to release more revered projects, becoming an international renowned group and one of the seminal acts in jazz history.
Tyner eventually found success apart from the John Coltrane Quartet, releasing more than 70 albums. He also won five Grammy Awards.
In 2002, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
March 12, 2020
By Michael Hernandez
Entertainment Reporter & Texas Metro News Columnist
“Burden” is the true story about the life of Mike Burden, played by Garrett Hedlund. He is a Grand Dragon in the Ku Klux Klan and his life takes a turn for the worse when he decides to leave the KKK. He loses his job and his home after his evil, racist boss seeks revenge on him for leaving the Klan. Tom Griffin (Tom Wilkinson) does everything in his power to make Mike regret leaving the Ku Klux Klan. Wilkerson does an excellent job of playing someone who is pure evil.
Forest Whitaker’s character, Reverend Kennedy, gets involved when the Klan opens up a KKK museum right in the middle of town. Reverend Kennedy fights back not with hate or violence.
His weapon is love and through protests by his church members, he hopes to show the Klan the error of their ways.
“Burden” takes place in 1996 in Laurens, South Carolina, a place where blacks were treated as second class citizens and racism was commonplace in the small town. The movie is a “no holds barred” true story about race that shows the ugliness of hatred toward our fellow man. Meanwhile, Mike falls in love with a single mother and when the two become homeless, against the wishes of his family, Reverend Kennedy takes them in.
To see the evolution of Garrett Hedlund’s character is like watching a drug addict go through recovery. He has his moments of kindness where he treats black people with respect and then he’ll sometimes slip back into being the old Mike, using the “N-word” when talking to blacks and showing them total disrespect. It’s the Reverend Kennedy who convinces him that all men are brothers. Burden is a real story about love winning over hate and the subject matter is just as relevant now as it was then. It’s an important movie for the times we are living in now. It reminds us not to forget what happened in the past or we’ll be doomed to repeat it.
The movie is rated R for harsh language, including frequent use of “The N-Word,” and runs for 2 hours and 9 minutes. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate Burden a JUMBO.
March 12, 2020
By Lapacazo Sandoval
Contributing Writer
Blacks in space. For a second (admit it) it sounds like a log-line to a buddy comedy that’s being pitched to uber-film producer Will Packer.
But the truth about the brilliant minds, black minds, that should have been part of the space race is at the core of the new documentary “Black In Space: Breaking the Color Barrier.”
In fact, it rips the bandaid—so to speak—right off, sharing yet another level of discrimination against our people that’s as part of the United States of America as the red, white and blue high waving flag.
I’ll step fully into this statement; the American education system does a consistently poor job of sharing anything but white, male history. Making the statement about history being told by the victorious —leaving the conquered people voiceless.
What do most American kids know about the United States space progam? Not much. We know that John Glenn orbited the earth. We know that President John F Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. We know that Neil Armstrong made a giant leap for mankind because he said so.
But what’s less widely known is the forgotten chapter of the space story where the race between the US and the Soviet Union waged. Fact, the US space program was all-white and all-male. The idea of putting a person of color in space was not on the menu. In the “Black in Space: Breaking the Color Barrier” it delves into how both countries' efforts to diversify the growing space corps from the start of the cold war through the Challenger disaster in 1986, which killed seven Americans, including Ronald McNair, who was black.
In the doc, the filmmakers make it clear that getting into space was dangerous business, tension-filled and that there were high stakes across the board. Another thing that the doc made clear was that America could have (and should have) had a diverse space corps a full decade before the 1978 introduction of Guion Bluford and McNair as well as five women.
There are many frustrating examples of prejudice and racism but one of the most frustrating examples is of Ed Dwight, African-American, a decorated pilot making moves in the early 1960s. His acceptance into Nasa’s program was pushed by the Kennedy White House but he was ultimately not chosen—why?
The film suggests that the pilot, Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, privately lobbied against him based on race.
If these revelations surprise anyone, I venture to state they are white people. America’s consistent policy of blocking opportunities for Blacks — across the board—is the fabric of this country. So it’s not surprising that Nasa had the opportunity to choose a black astronaut for the Apollo missions and they didn’t.
Is “Black In Space: Breaking the Color Barrier” a doc filled with what could’ve and should’ve antidotes—yup—but there is a feeling of hope and respect.
One of the key events in America’s history during the 20th century was the cold war, the space program and the fight for civil rights all of which are part of this documentary with some added layers and facts that were (until now) unknown.
Another interesting aspect of the doc is the suggestion that adding two men of color — by Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (with a Soviet crew in 1980) and Bluford three years later – weren’t coincidental.
The film was also clear that including a black man into the space journey was part of a well-designed campaign of approved national propaganda.
“Black In Space: Breaking the Color Barrier” is a very important marker, a reminder of Black history is American history whether “they” like it or not.
In 2020 the film notes that the US has sent 338 astronauts to space but only 14 of them were African Americans (11 men, three women).
“Black In Space: Breaking the Color Barrier” — now streaming: https://watch.smithsonianchannel.com/details/show/black-in-space-breaking-the-color-barrier?utm_medium=paid&utm_source=search&utm_campaign=Black_in_Space&utm_content=Black_in_Space_copy&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP3yBRCkARIsAABGiPrYEPA9HPmilVr89gsltYTlTBbGXR056xS43-JnFVuNfirlCxh7Z1kaAqujEALw_wcB