This video shows CNN footage of the beating of Chicago Teenager Derrion Albert.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
WTF WHOOPI SUPPORTS A PEDOPHILE
I am disgusted that Whoopi Goldberg and a hundred other Hollywood celebrities have declared their support for admitted pedophile director Roman Polanski. Hollywood is rallying around Polanski following his arrest in Switzerland on outstanding charges here in the United States. Somehow, Goldberg and others seem to think that money and talent mean you should skate "scott free," even if you admit to forced anal and vaginal penetration of a drunk and drugged 13-year-old girl.
Goldberg goes on to acknowledge Polanski's crime, but then appears to condone Polanski's fleeing the country in 1978 to escape sentencing:
“He pled guilty to having sex with a minor, and he went to jail, and when they let him out, he said, 'You know what, this guy's going to give me 100 years in jail. I'm not staying.' And that's why he left.
So, okay, I get it. Polanski didn't like his odds, so he just opted out of the criminal justice system? Someone please explain to me what is alright about that?”
NAS REACHING OUT TO YOUNG BOYS
Moved by the senseless beating death of a 16-year-old honor student by gang members in Chicago, rapper Nas has written an open letter to teens who throw away their future by battling each other.
Nas, who lost his close friend Willie “Ill Will” Graham to senseless violence in 1992, wrote the following open letter, via allhiphop.com:
Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the lost of a love one was never cool. Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one. But we chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, Filas, and name plate chains. Deaths over 'he say she say'!!!!! 'I’m from this block or I’m from that block”, or 'my moms n pops is f***ed up now the whole world gotta pay!!!
FIRST LADY G20 OUTFIT
I feel the same way about Amber Rose that I do about Michelle Obama: they can do no wrong. (And I know I am also dead wrong for mentioning both names in the same sentence, but alas....)
In my latest edition of What Michelle Wore, we will focus on her knee-length, floral-print Thakoon ensemble she wore in Pittsburgh at the G-20 Summit.
While others were focused on the important political speeches, I was gazing at what Mrs. Obama and her sister in chic, French first lady Carla Bruni, put on for this photo opp. Who looks better?Personally, I am all about Bruni's chic, form fitting black dress. But Michelle's fun, floral print dress steals the day. I think she could definitely have lost the pearls for this particular look though and I am I the only one that isn't in love with the shoes?
Dr Boyce Watkins and Al Sharpton Discuss Ebony Magazine and Black Politics
Dr Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton wonder if Ebony Magazine can survive with new ownership.
Warren Ballentine and Dr. Boyce Watkins on Obama's Facebook Threat 092809
Dr Boyce watkins and Warren Ballentine discuss the Facebook death threats to President Barack Obama
Dr. Elaina George Speaks on Swine Flu Vaccine
Dr. Elaina George, a prominent physician in Atlanta, asks whether or not it makes sense for every American to take the Swine Flu Vaccine.
Black News from theroot – 9/29/09
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Blair Underwood Opens HIV/AIDS Clinic in DC
The clinic looks to help hundreds in the District with free HIV/AIDS care...
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VIDEO: Chicago Honor Student Fatally Beaten
Derrion Albert, a 16-year old honor student, was was walking home from school when he was apparently dragged into a vicious brawl...
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Loves School, Hates Freedom: Obama Wants Longer School Days
President Obama wishes to infringe upon the civil rights of youth by insisting on more hours to educate them...
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Just in Time for Elections, Al-Bashir Lifts Media Censorship in Sudan
Newspapers are now allowed to dispense information without government pre-screening...
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Obama, Others Set to Put Shoe in Iran Over Its Nuclear Program
Iran's newly unveiled uranium enrichment facility "is inconsistent with a peaceful (nuclear) program," President Obama said today...
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Black Lawmakers Adjust to Post-Inauguration Politics
Some believe the president must work from a centrist position for change while others see his presidency as an opportunity to push through Democratic initiative beneficial to the Black community...
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Something to Shout About: Serena Williams Pens Book
'On the Line' details coming up in the shadow of Venus, the star's failures and her triumphs...
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The (No) Nuclear Option: UN Rez Aims for Nuke-Free World
The next order of business: Regulating transcontinental pig flight...
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Vaccine Shows Promise in HIV Prevention
Researchers found that people who received a series of inoculations of a prime vaccine and booster vaccine were 31 percent less likely to get HIV, compared with those on a placebo...
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Federal Worker Hanged, 'Fed' Scrawled Across Chest
The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery. A law enforcement official says the word "fed" was scrawled on his chest...
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Complexion for the Rejection: Philly Swim Club Fined for Racism
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission issued a finding of probable cause Tuesday that racism was involved in the decision last June by a suburban Philadelphia swim club to revoke privileges of a largely minority day care center...
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Obama to World: America's Awesome, Still Can't Fix Problems Alone
"Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility," Obama said in a passage from a speech he was delivering Wednesday to the United Nations General Assembly...
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Ghosts of Timberlake: White Cop Told to Lose Cornrows
And just when he was getting set to record a "21 Jump Street" track with Lil' Wayne...
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Going for Two: Plaxico Burress Sentenced to 24 Months
Defense lawyer Benjamin Brafton said, "This is a very real tragic case in many, many ways."
BARACK OBAMA ALMOST LOST MICHELLE
Michelle and Barack Obama's marriage was so shaky at one point that they almost separated, according to a new book that gives what it says is a behind-the-scenes look at the Obamas' life together.
JAY-Z TALKS ABOUT RHIANNA EXPERIENCE
Here you go again, smelling good," Winfrey joked as Jay-Z walked on the set. The line was in reference to her call with Gayle King where she remarked after meeting the rapper she discovered how good he smelled.
"That's swagger," an audience member chimed in, drawing Jay's laughter.
The pair appeared at ease with each other as the talk-show queen asked the rapper about his drug-dealing past, his marriage to Beyoncé and his relationship with his father, whom Jay-Z had been estranged from before reuniting with him before his death.
They agreed to disagree over issues with the N-word. Jay-Z said people give words power, and as a culture, we can take that away. Winfrey steadfastly disagreed, saying for her generation, the word is loaded with degradation.
USHER A POLITICIAN?
Usher Raymond IV and Partners Launch International Call to Service at the Clinton Global Initiative Involving 5,000,000 Youth Around the World.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Facebook Poll Asks Users If they Think Obama Should be Killed
The Secret Service is investigating a Facebook Poll asking people if they would like to kill President Obama.
"We are aware of it and we will take the appropriate investigative steps," said Darrin Blackford, a Secret Service spokesman. "We take of these things seriously."
The poll asked Facebook Users "Should Obama be killed?" The choices: No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.
Facebook has made it clear that they did not create the poll, and that it was created in an application used by a third party.
"The third-party application that enabled an individual user to create the offensive poll was brought to our attention this morning," said Barry Schnitt, Facebook's spokesman for policy.
"We're working with the U.S. Secret Service, but they'll need to provide any details of their investigation," Schnitt said.
Dr. Boyce: Ebony and Jet May be Sold Soon
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University, MSNBC’s TheGrio.com, Your Black World, AOL Black Voices
The black journalism students here at Syracuse often come to me to find out how the industry works. They sometimes instinctively wonder if their professors' stories about being in a CBS newsroom in 1982 are going to help them survive in a world run by Twitter, Myspace and Facebook. The answer is a resounding "probably not."
While respecting the journalism professors teaching their classes, I simply use examples like Ebony Magazine to help them realize that black media is changing, and sites like theGrio.com, BlackVoices.com, and TheRoot.com, are examples of how black media has evolved. In fact, a journalist who doesn't understand technology and business models is in danger of starting his/her career as a dinosaur.
When it comes to recent reports about Ebony Magazine being offered for sale, I admit that I was saddened, but not surprised. The Ebony Fashion Fair has become one of the most celebrated events in black America, and the magazine has been nothing less than a tremendous source of national pride since its creation in 1945. But in the age of the web, oversized bureaucracies can be crushed under the weight of their own arrogance. Bloated payrolls, pompous corporate functions and a sense of entitlement make them easy prey for quick, hungry and rapidly evolving competition.
In spite of the tremendous love we have for Ebony/Jet, the truth must be confronted when realizing that it is what radio was to TV or what the train was to the airplane. Like radios and trains, there is still a place for print media, but that role is no longer dominant. The current economic climate only accelerated the inevitable, since advertisers were eventually going to stop spending $50,000 for magazine ads when they can buy the same number of eyeballs for $5,000 or less.
I present the following 5 questions I'd like to ask out loud about both Ebony Magazine and the state of African American media:
Visit Your Black World for the latest in Black News
Black News: Company accused of selling a gateway drug for black teenagers
from TheGrio.com
You see it all over television, celebrities endorsing "syrup," which is a combination of cough syrup with codeine and soda, two ingredients that can make for a lethal recipe.
Stores in Southeast Texas are now carrying the products that bear the names "drank" and "syrup", but with a different twist.
Drank and Sippin Syrup are two examples of a new anti-energy drink that is supposed to provide "extreme relaxation." There is nothing harmful in these products, in fact one of the main ingredients is Melatonin, a natural substance that helps you sleep.
18-year-old Jackie Robinson says he just started drinking this anti-energy drink because of the slogan, "sippin syrup."
"I ain't gonna lie it really do," said Robinson Wednesday afternoon as he sipped his drink outside a Beaumont convenient store. "It probably attracts a lot of people from the name too."
Visit Your Black World for the latest news
HOLYFIELD ON GLOBAL WARMING
Boxer Evander Holyfield will today announce that he plans to take on one of his toughest opponents yet: global warming.
The champ intends to build a 40 acre solar energy farm on his estate in Georgia. Teaming with Global-NES-Georgia, Inc., the solar farm is an attempt by the boxer to find solutions for protecting the environment.
LL COOL J LOOKING GOOD
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CBS scored big with its new spinoff "NCIS: Los Angeles" starring LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday marked the network's most-watched premiere night since 1993 – thanks to the one-two-three punch of "NCIS" (20.6 million viewers), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (18.7 million) and new series "The Good Wife" (13.7 million).
Technorati Tags: LL cool J,black celebrity gossip
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Dr Boyce Watkins: President Obama’s Falling Poll Numbers
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices
In an appropriate show of respect, President Barack Obama addressed theCongressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference this weekend. His speech focused primarily on healthcare, which has become the latest battleground for our challenged new leader. In the eyes of the public, Obama is no longer the cool, hip politician he was a few months ago. He is now the guy considered to be too moderate to be liberal, too socialist to be conservative, too black to be white and too white to be "down." Obama can't quite be anything to anyone, which is the price he must now pay for trying to be everything to everyone.
Michelle Obama, as lovely as she is, arrived to the event with the president by her side. The couple, when appearing together, present an inspiring portrait of successful black love. Every black woman in America looks at Michelle and dreams of having her own political Mandingo accompanying her and her children to important social events.
Click to read more at AOL Black Voices
If the link doesn’t work, click here to find Dr. Watkins’ articles on AOL
Friday, September 25, 2009
JAY-Z TELLS 50 TO BRING IT
Jay-Z was so angry at the residents in his apartment building who objected to his who moving there that he deliberately tries to antagonize them as often as possible.
"My neighbors didn't want me in the building, it was a whole big thing, it was really racist. They didn't want me in so I bought the biggest place there," he told BBC radio's Trevor Nelson. "They have a board and voting is based on how much of the property share you have so I have the biggest share and I go down just to vote on things I don't care about just to tick 'em off.
Technorati Tags: jay-z. black celebrity gossip
Thursday, September 24, 2009
ACORN mounts legal challenge
LOS ANGELES — Millicent Hill says God put her in her stucco home on East 92nd Street, but she believes she would have lost the house without ACORN.
Hill's home is a center of after-school activity for kids in the Watts neighborhood in gritty South-Central Los Angeles. Children in her church-supported program can avoid the street, get a snack, work on a computer or get a hug.
LAST WEEK: House votes to defund ACORN
When "Mama" Hill, as she's known, faced foreclosure, ACORN members showed up at a public auction to protest, prompting the lender to cancel the sale. ACORN then found a buyer who rents it back to Hill. "I wouldn't be here without ACORN, and all of the kids would have to go somewhere else," says Hill, 69. "And they've got nowhere else to go."
Here and in other states, ACORN focuses on helping people with housing issues, supporting changes to health care and immigration policies, and registering voters.
ACORN — which has received about $53 million in federal funds since 1994 — has long been a target of conservatives because of its ties to Democrats. Attacks increased after its aggressive voter-registration and get-out-the-vote efforts for President Obama last year. Now, videos showing ACORN workers giving advice to conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute are raising questions about its tactics and finances — and whether it can survive.
Click to read.THE QUEEN DOES IT ALL
Keep a Child Alive's 2009 Black Ball, an annual benefit to raise funds dedicated to providing life-saving treatment and support to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS, will take place on Oct. 15 in New York.
Keep a Child Alive Co-Founder, Alicia Keys, will serve as host and musical director of the Black Ball with fellow Global Ambassadors Iman and Padma Lakshmi as co-hosts. Last year’s Black Ball honoree Queen Latifah will serve as emcee.
Technorati Tags: queen latifah,black celebrity gossip
LAMAR ODOM IS TRIPPIN
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People magazine is quoting "multiple sources" who say that Khloe Kardashian and Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom – her boyfriend of only a month – are to be married this weekend in Los Angeles.
The ceremony, to be held late Sunday at the L.A.-area home of music manager Irving Azoff, is being thrown together so quickly that guests are being notified by phone that formal invitations will arrive this week, the sources add.
MICHAEL JACKSON ON THE BIG SCREEN
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The Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" -- based on footage from concert rehearsals before his death in June – will begin showing in movie theaters the night before its official Oct. 28 release.
Many of the "advance screenings" will take place in about 2000 locations as early as 9 p.m. PT on Oct. 27. In Los Angeles, a premiere will kick off at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown L.A.
Technorati Tags: michael jackson,black celebrity gossip
MJ DOCTOR IS MAD
Prosecutors investigating Michael Jackson’s death have ordered the girlfriend of the singer’s personal doctor to testify before a grand jury this week, according to reports.
Nicole Alvarez, the girlfriend of Dr. Conrad Murray, who remains the focus of a manslaughter investigation into the pop star's death, has been called as a witness "in an investigation pending before said grand jury," according to a subpoena obtained by ABC News. Jackson's June 25 death was ruled a homicide caused by drugs administered in Jackson's mansion by Murray, his personal physician.
THIS BLIND GOVERNOR IS WORKING HARD
New York's Gov. David Paterson is getting support from a local NAACP branch amid reports that the White House and top Democrats in the state want a stronger candidate at the top of the 2010 ticket.
A branch of the NAACP in Islip says it and other groups are planning a rally to support Paterson, who grew up partly on Long Island. They want to show respect for the state’s first black and disabled governor and urge Democrats to let him deal with the fiscal crisis, not politics.
The Rev. Al Sharpton weighed in Monday on his Twitter page, urging Democrats to settle the issue so that what he calls “reactionary forces” can’t win back the seats of power held by Democrats.
NEW BOOK ABOUT OBAMA’S MARRIAGE
A new book about the First Couple's marriage claims Michelle Obama gave her husband the silent treatment at one point during the presidential campaign, and that he had eyes for a young woman working for the campaign.
In "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage" (William Morrow), Christopher Andersen claims brazen women on the campaign trail "pushed their bodies up against his, slipped phone numbers into his pockets" and whispered lewd suggestions in his ear as he traveled across the country running for president.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Black News: The Queen’s New “Commercial”
Queen Latifah does a commercial for Excedrin…sort of. We think it’s Saturday Night Live.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tavis Smiley, Wells Fargo and Not Throwing Tavis Under the Bus
by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World, AOL Black Voices
When I read about the predatory lending allegations against Tavis Smiley and Wells Fargo, I wasn't surprised. Not because I feel that Tavis is some kind of crook, but because economic downturns are usually when everyone's dirty laundry gets aired out. The high flying 2000s were a decade of extravagance, overspending, easy money and troubled relationships. The party was bound to end. Smiley's party has ended with Wells Fargo, as the company has been accused of using Tavis Smiley and financial expert Kelvin Boston to convince African Americans to sign on to loans that turned out to be predatory. Neither Boston nor Smiley is willing to disclose the amount they were paid for the service, but I'm sure it wasn't chump change.
I've been open and honest in my critiques of Tavis Smiley in the past, but I give credit where it's due. I've always felt that Tavis Smiley is a man who works out of a sincere respect and appreciation for the black community. He is not out to hoodwink, swindle or hurt us, at least not deliberately. At worst, Smiley is guilty of being caught in a situation that he may not have fully understood.
Although I agree with the black community's decision to hold Tavis Smiley accountable for his actions, I want us to be cautious of going overboard in our judgments. Here are 5 things I want to say about Tavis Smiley:
Black News off the Grio – 9/22/09
Actor Hill Harper talks relationships in his new book
By Jessica Shim
1:07 PM on 09/22/2009
Best known for his work on CSI: NY, Hill Harper is a New York Times bestselling author with two books under his belt with a third released this month...
Extreme flooding across the southeast
By theGrio
1:00 PM on 09/22/2009
VIDEO- Driving rains continue to fall across the south. Storms over the last several days have created dangerous, and deadly conditions.
Husband of slain wife and five children had history of domestic abuse
11:30 AM on 09/22/2009
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida woman slain along with her five children endured regular abuse from her husband but seemed overwhelmed by trying to raise the kids herself and wanted him around as a father figure...
NAACP supports Gov. Paterson
1:15 PM on 09/21/2009
Beleaguered Gov. David Paterson is getting some support from a home town NAACP...
Monday, September 21, 2009
Black News from TheGrio –9/21/09
6-year-old calls 911, saves dad's life
By theGrio
10:01 AM on 09/21/2009
A 6-year-old Seminole County... Brenden Williams made a life-saving phone call when he couldn't get his father to wake up...
Man flees to Haiti after wife, 5 kids found dead in Florida home
By theGrio
8:32 AM on 09/21/2009
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - The husband of a woman found dead in a Florida apartment along with her five young children boarded a flight for Haiti...
Obama hits airwaves to discuss jobs, health care and ACORN
By theGrio
8:17 AM on 09/21/2009
VIDEO - President Obama appeared on five Sunday news shows this week. On health care, he said requiring uninsured Americans to buy coverage is a needed fix...
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Teen and newborn daughter killed
By theGrio
8:10 AM on 09/21/2009
A newborn delivered after her teenage mother was fatally shot at a school bus stop in North Carolina has died...
Cosby talks to theGrio about TV special, hip-hop, and women
8:30 PM on 09/18/2009
VIDEO -- Dr. Cosby sat down with David A. Wilson, managing editor of theGrio, to discuss this groundbreaking television event and issues that affect the black community and the country...
First lady says US health care is unacceptable
By theGrio
5:51 PM on 09/18/2009
VIDEO - Michelle Obama, speaking as a wife, mother and daughter -- but not as a policymaker like a previous first lady -- urged women on Friday to join her husband's fight...
Sharecropper's daughter becomes 1st woman to lead Army drill sergeants
5:10 PM on 09/18/2009
FORT JACKSON, South Carolina (AP) - Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King can dress down a burly, battle-hardened sergeant in seconds ...
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