Need to Know for March 20

UMBC’s greatness, Jews controlling the weather, #MarchforOurLives and spring snow

Congratulations to UMBC

The UMBC men’s basketball team’s history-making season came to an end March 18, as the 16th-seeded Retrievers fell, 50-43, to ninth-seeded Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, PressBox reported. Coming off its record-breaking take down of No. 1 seed Virginia March 16, UMBC was unable to contain the Wildcats, who were led by junior guard Barry Brown’s 18 points. UMBC’s second-round appearance marks the furthest the Retrievers have advanced in the tournament. UMBC’s only other tournament appearance came during in the 2007-08 season. UMBC is 46-24 under head coach Ryan Odom during the past two years — after going 7-25 the year before he took over the program.

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Let’s talk about the weather

A councilman in Washington, D.C., suggested on Facebook that rich Jews who control the weather caused an unexpected snowstorm. Trayon White Sr., a Democrat representing the district’s 8th Ward, posted a video on March 16 in which he accused “the Rothschilds” of controlling the climate to make money — an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. He later removed the video. The Rothschilds are a well-known wealthy European Jewish dynasty descended from a Jewish banker originally from Germany. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories over many decades have charged that the Rothschild family and other wealthy Jews have interceded in world events for their financial gain. In the video, White said: “Man, it just started snowing out of nowhere this morning, man. Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation. And D.C. keep talking about, ‘We a resilient city.’ And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful.” Internet conspiracy theorists have stated the belief that the Rockefeller Foundation’s Resilient Cities initiative, which provides grants to cities, including Washington, to address environmental and economic problems, is part of a plot to control and reduce the population of North America. And some conspiracy theorists also think the Rothschilds, working together with the Rockefellers, have technology to control the weather. White told The Washington Post, which called him for comment, that the video “says what it says” and expressed surprise that his remarks were considered anti-Semitic. He sent an apology to the newspaper for the post four hours after it appeared online via text message.

Harvey Weinstein speaking in New York City, April 19, 2017. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for National Geographic)

Weinstein Co. files for bankruptcy

The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC announced that it has filed for voluntary bankruptcy and entered into an agreement to sell its assets to a Dallas-based equity firm, according to NPR. It also announced that it is ending all nondisclosure agreements that prevented victims of alleged sexual misconduct at the hands of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein from talking about their experiences. The announcement comes after a group of investors, led by former Obama administration official, Maria Contreras-Sweet, tried and failed to purchase the assets of The Weinstein Co. earlier this month. That deal, which would have re-invented the firm as a female-run company, collapsed upon the discovery of debt previously unknown by the investors.

Bernie Sanders helps launch global peace movement

Sen. Bernie Sanders helped launch what purports to be a global peace movement on the anniversary of the Iraq War, which he said precipitated much of the chaos in the Middle East. Organizers of the Global Call for Peace said 11,000 callers from around the world, including Israel, participated in the March 18 launch. The emphasis of the call, which was initiated by MoveOn.org, a U.S. left-wing activist group, was on the tensions between the Koreas, but speakers also noted that it was the 15th anniversary of the Iraq War. Sanders, I-Vt., made what he said were the failures of that war the centerpiece of his appeal to join the movement. “The war in Iraq was a foreign policy blunder of enormous magnitude,” he said, describing the ensuing chaos in Iraq and consequently the civil war in neighboring Syria and the spread of the Islamic State terrorist group, or ISIS. “Had it not been for the Iraq War, ISIS would almost certainly not exist,” Sanders said. “It undermined American diplomatic efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

March For Our Lives: The Soundtrack

Two of Broadway’s most popular voices have joined forces for a song to benefit March For Our Lives, according to CNN. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt are featured on the new song “Found/Tonight.” The mash-up combines the sentiments and messages in the songs “The Story of Tonight” from “Hamilton” and “You Will Be Found” from “Dear Evan Hansen.” “The Story of Tonight” is a tune from the first act of “Hamilton,” during which a quartet of revolutionaries sing about their unshakable dedication to freedom and liberty and their hopes that others will join their cause. “You Will Be Found” is “Dear Evan Hansen’s” inspirational anthem about acceptance and hope. A portion of proceeds made from sale of the song will go toward March For Our Lives, a demonstration in support of common-sense gun control. Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney and Steven Spielberg are among those who have donated money for the march. Justin Timberlake shared a video with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on March 19 to encourage his social media followers to join the march. Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Common are set to perform.

Attending the march?

Jmore is looking for young adults who will be attending the March for our Lives in D.C. on March 24 and would like to contribute to our live coverage that day. If you’re interested, please contact amandak@jmoreliving.com You can also check back at jmoreliving.com all day on March 24 for live updates from the event. #MarchforourLives.

Animal Collective touring

After playing their acclaimed outsider folk album “Sung Tongs” to mark the 21st anniversary of the music site Pitchfork, Animal Collective members Dave Portner and Noah Lennox are taking the show on the road, according to Baltimore Fishbowl. Praised for its influential genre-bending and soaring melodies, “Sung Tongs” helped Animal Collective, which has roots in Baltimore County, including several Park School alums, reach a broader audience in the indie music world. They only built on that with the next several releases, reaching festival headliner status with 2009’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” Among other things, that gradual elevation of the group’s profile helped land tracks from “Sung Tongs” in “The Simpsons” and an ad for Crayola markers. With only eight U.S. dates announced this morning, the tour is a limited engagement for now. And while there is no Baltimore date yet, Portner and Lennox will be playing the Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C. on July 21. Tickets ($35) will go on sale to the general public March 23 at 10 a.m. –Baltimore Fishbowl

Happy Spring!

Believe it or not, today is the first day of spring, which is usually ushered in by a free Italian ice at Rita’s or a vanilla soft-serve cone at Dairy Queen. You can still enjoy something tasty and cold, but it’s expected to rain, sleet or snow through Wednesday. The vernal equinox takes place at 12:15 p.m. today. Enjoy!

J-Word of the Day
Sheytl (Yiddish)
Meaning: A wig
Usage: “Mrs. Nussbaum thinks we don’t think that’s a sheytl? You must be kidding!”

Go to facebook.com/JMORELiving every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. to watch Need to Know with Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler. Join the discussion on the week’s news and current events. Additionally, you can join us at facebook.com/JMORELiving on March 23 at 12:30 p.m. when transgender activist Abby Stein appears on Weekend Agenda.