Queen Latifah to Host the BET Awards After Party

The party won’t stop after the BET Awards are over, and Queen Latifah (Lah-TEE’-fah) will be around to make sure of it.

The entertainer is hosting the network’s post-awards televised bash, which will air after the live show June 28.

Beyonce (bee-AHN’-say) and T.I. are the top nominees for the BET Awards with five each. The show will be hosted by another nominee — Jamie Foxx.

Beyonce and Foxx are also set to perform along with acts like Maxwell and Ne-Yo (NEE-yo).

Dealing with Borrowers in your family

You are the one who went to college, got the Wall Street job, went on exotic vacations around the world and bragged about them to your cousins back in Detroit at family reunions. Now you are unemployed and more family members than ever have their hands out. How do you determine who to "lend" money to or whether you should be lending money at all? Here are a few tips.

1. First, make sure your family is aware of the changes to your financial circumstances. Whether you are unemployed, your annual bonus is nonexistent or you recently overheard the executive assistants gossiping about cuts in your department, it is important to communicate this to family members so they know that your baller tendencies are on hold. Be considerate of their circumstances when you communicate this message. Telling them that you "downsized" your Buckingham Blue Range Rover to a Lexus Rx Hybrid to save money on gas is likely to get you little to no sympathy. Talk in terms of percentages; say things like, "Yeah, the economy really sucks, without my bonus this year I will make 50% less so I am cutting back." Communicating that you are also tightening your financial belt should make your family think twice before they ask you for money.

2. If you are still approached by family members for money, it is important to assess whether this is a recurring problem or a one-time ask. If the same family member always has their hand out, their money issues may be symptomatic of larger core issues (depression, gambling, living beyond their means, etc.). Have a heart to heart with your family member to try to unearth what may be at the root of their money problems. Then, if you discover a bigger issue, be supportive and help them to address the issue directly. Do not give them more money, no matter how bad they say they "need" it, it will only result in them coming back to you for more of the same a few months down the road. Instead, offer to pay for debt counseling or a gym membership – whatever helps them address their core issue.

Click to read.

Car Loans Tough to Come By

Auto dealers are using rebates, discounts, and other incentives to lure buyers back into their showrooms. But once they get customers through the door, dealers are still battling an issue that has troubled the industry for months: a lack of financing.

Brandon Schaefer, the owner of Nationwide, a string of dealerships in Timonium, Maryland, says foot traffic has improved, but lending has not. "About twice as many people as before are getting turned down for loans," he says. "The guidelines continue to get stricter."

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Technorati Tags: black money,black wealth,african american money,african american wealth

Former Yankee Transitions to Business: How He did It

Jason Robertson is a man of many gifts. As an young man, he was an All-American baseball player, drafted by the New York Yankees straight out of high school. He was also listed by Essence Magazine as one of the most eligible bachelors in America for his good looks and success. If that were not enough, Jason retired from baseball and re-invented himself as a leading, award-winning entrepeneur.

Besides being a model of success for his 3 sons and celebrating his engagement to fiance Marshawn Evans, Jason is on a mission to teach other young men how to make the transition from successful athlete to outstanding businessman. Black Voices got a chance to catch up with Jason.

1) What do you do for a living?

I own an industrial packaging company. We sell corrugated boxes, bags, films, pallets, and we also provide warehousing and storage.

Click to read.

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Slugger Barry Bonds Separates from Wife

Barry Bonds’ wife has filed for legal separation.

The former San Francisco Giants’ slugger and Liz Watson were married in 1998 and have a 10-year-old daughter, Aisha.

Click to read.

 

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White HBCU Queen Takes Haters in Stride

Kentucky State University is an HBCU which lies next to my heart. My sister, who just finished medical school, spent her undergraduate career there, so I was kept in the loop when the world seemed to flip on its head regarding who the students chose to hold the title of Miss Kentucky State University. As you can see, she’s not exactly what one would expect an HBCU Homecoming Queen to look like, but Elisabeth Martin’s skin color likely reflects one of the many faces that define Historically Black colleges in the new millennium. So, while I was personally dismayed that Kentucky State University (along with many HBCUs around the nation) seems to be forgetting about the importance of having African American faculty, the truth is that we are in an era in which one needs to determine what it means to be an HBCU.

Personally, I love the fact that the students at Kentucky State chose Elisabeth Martin as their homecoming queen. Martin, a 21-year old International Studies major, won the crown by a landslide, dominating the competition. It has been her race, however, that has sent shock waves through the Kentucky State University community. But Martin takes the heat in stride and carries herself with a grace and class that should make the campus proud. The fact that the students love her so much is verified by her love for the campus and commitment to school spirit. She has also handled the national media attention like a true queen should.

AOL Black Voices had the chance to catch up with Elisabeth Martin:

Click to read.

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Queen Latifah Says she was sexually abused

Queen Latifah, who now appears to be ok with being openly gay, has admitted that she was sexually abused as a child.  Here is the AP report:

 

Queen Latifah has revealed a traumatic chapter of her personal life: The singer-actress was sexually abused as a child.

In the latest issue of Essence magazine, Latifah says the abuse occurred over a period of time, and at the hands of a teenager charged with watching her.

"He violated me," says Latifah. "I never told anybody; I just buried it as deeply as I could and kept people at an arm’s distance."

Click to read

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Nagin Released from Flu Quarantine

New Orleans, Louisiana, Mayor Ray Nagin, who was quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, was released Wednesday to continue an economic development trip.

Nagin told CNN he had left the country in the morning and was headed to Australia.

 

Click to read.

White Supremacist Opens Fire at a Museum

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A lone gunman wounded a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday before being injured by return fire, according to police and a museum statement.

Police cars mass outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington after a shooting there on Wednesday.

The suspect was identified as James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

Gunfire at the entrance of the museum wounded at least two people Wednesday, emergency officials said.

A private security guard and the shooting suspect were wounded, according to officials of the Washington police.

Sgt. David Schlosser, a spokesman for U.S. Park Police, told reporters a man armed with a "long gun" entered the museum at 12:50 p.m. and fired at a security officer, and both were wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

"My understanding is that two other security officers at the museum returned gunfire at the man that had entered the museum," Schlosser said.

 

Click to read.

Man Arrested for Rape and Beating Death of 8 month old Child

A 17-year-old Terrytown man was arrested on charges of aggravated rape and first-degree murder of an 8-month-old child Saturday afternoon, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Arnold T. Ross, of 136 Friedrichs Road in Terrytown, was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Facility. No bond is available on the first-degree murder charge.

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Pres Obama Says He Wants to Balance the Budget

President Obama on Tuesday proposed making "pay-as-you-go" rules for federal spending into law.

President Obama proposed Tuesday that the government adopt "pay-as-you-go" rules for federal spending.

The so-called PAYGO proposal requires Congress to balance any increased spending by equal savings elsewhere, Obama said in announcing the measure that now goes to Congress.

A previous PAYGO mandate helped erase federal budget deficits in the 1990s, and subsequent ineffective rules contributed to the current budget deficits, Obama said. Now the PAYGO rules should be the law, he said.

"Paying for what you spend is basic common sense," Obama said. "Perhaps that’s why, here in Washington, it’s been so elusive."

Click to read.

 

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Study: Black Women in DC Have Very Poor Health

Black women in the District suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart disease and generally poor health in alarmingly high numbers, and white women do not.

That is the finding of a study released early today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The study said there is a large disparity in the incidence of certain chronic diseases between black and white women.

Kaiser’s study was based on data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Current Population Survey from 2004 to 2006. The study reflected health statistics in the states and the District.

Click to read.

 

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Lauryn Hill Cancels the Rest of Her Euro Tour

Festival organizers say hip-hop and R&B singer Lauryn Hill has canceled all tour dates in Europe this summer for health reasons.

Stockholm Jazz Festival spokeswoman Liisa Tolonen says the artist’s agent informed the festival late Tuesday that all performances in Europe by the former Fugees singer have been canceled. This includes shows in Sweden, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Austria.

 

Click to read.

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10 Questions to Ask before Jumping the Broom

As wedding season rears it’s lovely head once again, brides and grooms everywhere are struggling to fit the wedding of their dreams into their recession budgets. Wedding and event planner Khadijia Mayo Morrow, owner of the Washington, D.C.-based Avant Garde Event Boutique, has all the answers.
Check out her responses to 10 questions everyone should ask before planning a wedding.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black love,black marriage,black relationships,black news,african american news

Black Celebrity News: Lil Wayne to marry Nivea

Congratulations Nivea!  You now have a drug addicted alcoholic with tatoos on his face agreeing to be your husband and baby daddy.  Way to go girl!  Oh yeah, he also has another girl pregnant at the same time as you.   Good luck!

Technorati Tags: nivea,lil wayne,lauren london,black celebrity gossip

Boyce Watkins joins NBC

Dr. Boyce Watkins, a Finance Professor at Syracuse University, will be joining NBC to do financial analysis and commentary.  Through various forms of television and online media, Dr. Watkins will do regular financial segments and articles on a variety of financial and socio-political topics. 

One of the financial segments will be "Financial Lovemaking", based on his book "Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good".  He will also do "The Dr Boyce Breakdown", a segment in which he analyzes complex socio-political issues and breaks them down so that regular Americans can understand them.  This is part of Dr. Watkins’ plan for Scholarship in Action, in which he is working aggressively to ensure that all Americans embrace financial literacy and that African Americans find the path to true equality.  Dr. Watkins has been consistently calling for more publicly engaged Black scholarship, so that African American scholars can be on the forefront of controversial issues within the Black community.

In addition to being a faculty member at Syracuse University, Dr. Watkins is a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices, where his column "Dr. Boyce Money" is among the most popular on the website.  AOL Black Voices is the most visited Black news website in America, with 114,000 readers per day.  He also does regular work with NPR, CNN and other media outlets, in addition to scholarly research and teaching.

For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com.

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Your Black Health: Make sure your kids get sleep to avoid depression

 

Teens whose parents let them stay up after midnight on weeknights have a much higher chance of being depressed or suicidal than teens whose parents enforce an earlier bedtime, says research being presented today at a national sleep conference.

The findings are the first to examine bedtimes’ effects on kids’ mental health — and the results are noteworthy. Middle- and high-schoolers whose parents don’t require them to be in bed before midnight on school nights are 42% more likely to be depressed than teens whose parents require a 10 p.m. or earlier bedtime. And teens who are allowed to stay up late are 30% more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

Click to read.

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Newt Gingrich Says Obama Has Failed

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich saidPresident Barack Obama’s plan to fix the economy through stimulus spending and government intervention to boost companies like General Motors Corp. has "already failed."

Gingrich was the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner for the Republican House and Senate campaign committees, filling a role President George W. Bush had served for the past eight years.

"Bureaucrats managing companies does not work, politicians dominating the economy does not work," Gingrich told about 2,000 Republicans who attended the event at the Washington Convention Center last night.

Some Republican leaders hailed Gingrich, the leader of the 1994 "Republican Revolution," as a de facto head of the party at a time when Republicans are looking for ideas to lead them back to the majority.

In introducing Gingrich, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin called him the “architect of the last reform movement” and “the man of ideas.”

Gingrich was preceded by a series of Republican leaders who also took aim at Democrats and the government bailout of Detroit-based GM, New York-based American International Group Inc. and other companies.

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: newt gingrich,barack obama,black news,black politics

Tavis Smiley Sponsor Wells Fargo Accused of Targeting Unfair Loans to Blacks

As she describes it, Beth Jacobson and her fellow loan officers at Wells Fargo Bank “rode the stagecoach from hell” for a decade, systematically singling out blacks in Baltimore and suburban Maryland for high-interest subprime mortgages.

Enlarge This Image

Matt Roth for The New York Times

A foreclosed home on Barclay Street in Baltimore. The city is suing Wells Fargo Bank over its mortgage lending practices in black neighborhoods.

Enlarge This Image

Matt Roth for The New York Times

Another foreclosed house on Baltimore’s North Brice Street, which shares a downed fence with a house still lived in.

These loans, Baltimore officials have claimed in a federal lawsuit againstWells Fargo, tipped hundreds of homeowners into foreclosure and cost the city tens of millions of dollars in taxes and city services.

Wells Fargo, Ms. Jacobson said in an interview, saw the black community as fertile ground for subprime mortgages, as working-class blacks were hungry to be a part of the nation’s home-owning mania. Loan officers, she said, pushed customers who could have qualified for prime loans into subprime mortgages. Another loan officer stated in an affidavit filed last week that employees had referred to blacks as “mud people” and to subprime lending as “ghetto loans.”

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Technorati Tags: black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth,tavis smiley

Obama Catching Heat Over Continued Job Losses

President Barack Obama assured the nation hisrecovery plan was on track Monday, scrambling to calm Americans unnerved by unemployment rates still persistently rising nearly four months after he signed the biggest economic stimulus in history.

Obama admitted his own dissatisfaction with the progress but said his administration would ramp up stimulus spending in the coming months. The White House acknowledged it has spent only $44 billion, or 5 percent, of the $787 billion stimulus, but that total has always been expected to rise sharply this summer.

"Now we’re in a position to really accelerate," Obama said.

He also repeated an earlier promise to create or save 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer.

Neither the acceleration nor the jobs goal are new. Both represent a White House repackaging of promises and projects to blunt criticism that the effects haven’t been worth the historic price tag. And the job estimate is so murky, it can never be verified.

The economy has shed 1.6 million jobs since the stimulus measure was signed in February, far overshadowing White House announcements estimating the effort has saved 150,000 jobs. Public opinion of Obama’s handling of the economy has declined along with the jobs data.

 

Click to read.

The Obama’s Marriage was on the Rocks 8 years ago

President Barack Obama whispers into First Lady Michelle Obama’s ear during the White House Cinco de Mayo celebration this year Photo: PETE SOUZA/THE WHITE HOUSE

Their regular Friday "date nights" make the television news, and there was a stir recently when they caught Air Force One for a night at the theatre in Manhattan.

This weekend, in the aftermath of the D-Day celebrations, they are in Paris with their young daughters – having turned down an invitation for dinner with President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla in favour of a more intimate family event.

 

But it was not always wedded bliss for the First Couple. A new book, Renegade, about Mr Obama’s unlikely run for the presidency, recounts a tense period in 2000 when the Obamas’ marriage was on the brink of collapse because of his restless political hunger and the family’s shattered finances.

"There was little conversation and even less romance," wrote the Birmingham-born Mr Wolffe, who covered Obama’s campaign for Newsweek magazine. "She was angry at his selfishness and careerism; he thought she was cold and ungrateful."

At the time, Mr Obama was stuck on the lowest step of the political ladder. As a mere state senator in Illinois, he had challenged a popular incumbent in a Democratic primary by running against Bobby Rush, a former Black Panther from Chicago. Mr Obama was trounced by a dismal 2-1 margin.

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Technorati Tags: barack obama,michelle obama,black relationships,black love,black marriage,african american marriage,african american love

Jay Z Calls for the Death of Auto-Tunes

Friday night saw the unveiling of another public service announcement from Jay-Z: "You rappers singing too much/ Get back to rap, you T-Pain-ing too much/ I’m a multi-millionaire/ So how am I the hardest n—a here?"

On New York’s Hot 97 radio station, Jay premiered a new song from his forthcoming Blueprint 3 LP called, "D.O.A.," or "The Death of Auto-Tune."

"This is anti-Auto-Tune, death of the Ringtone," Hov begins rapping over a track co-produced by Kanye West and No I.D. Hard drums and horns blaze as Jay conjures images of a black John Dillinger holding a smoking Tommy Gun, laying down a fool ignorant enough to stand in his way. Jay is back to kill biting MCs.

"This ain’t for iTunes, this ain’t for singalongs," he raps later in the song. "This is Sinatra at the opera, bring a blonde … My raps don’t have melodies/ It should make jackers commit felonies/ This ain’t a #1 record, this is practically assault with a deadly weapon."

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: jay z,black celebrity gossip,hip hop,rap,rappers

Al Sharpton Calls for Justice in Slain Officer’s Case

• Justice delayed is justice denied. On May 28, Omar Edwards began his day like any other: kissing his 18-month-old and seven-month old children, hugging his wife and going out for another hard day’s work. But later that evening, 25-year-old Edwards’ life was tragically and violently cut short when his body was riddled with bullets. This wasn’t the work of a thug, a mentally challenged person nor a would-be thief. Instead, Edwards was shot several times by a fellow police officer – yes police officer – while in pursuit of an actual criminal. Another young Black man unjustifiably slain.

In cities and towns all across this country we hear the stories of young men and women of color being ‘mistakenly shot at’ or ‘wrongfully killed’. There are continuous investigations of police department protocol and police conduct, and a plethora of excuses and justifications that slowly emerge. But what is the unfathomable excuse of police officers killing a fellow comrade? How can so-called ‘friendly fire’ take place? And more importantly, how can we not hold the shooter, in this case 30-year-old Andrew Dunton, accountable?

Technorati Tags: al sharpton,black news,black politics,black social commentary

Man Has 21 Children, 11 Babies Mamas

Desmond Hatchett of Knoxville, TN is 29 years old.  He is also apparently very fertile.  Hatchett has 21 children with 11 different women.  In Child Support Court, his name came up on the docket a shocking 15 times in one day.

Click the image below to watch the video:

Technorati Tags: desmond hatchett,21 kids,11 babies mamas,black men in america,african american men,black news headlines,african american news

Lady Drama: Michael Jackson’s Kids Show their Faces

 

OK…..which of these kids actually looks like they were created from the semen of Michael Jackson?  My thoughts exactly.

 

 

Technorati Tags: michael jackson kids,black celebrity gossip

The Obamas Take Paris

Dr Boyce Watkins: What’s Wrong with Hip Hop’s Paper Trail?

Many people think entertainers have power. But their power is virtually non-existent relative to the corporations who finance their products. Fame is manufactured, and black people do not own the factories that create megastars. So, while many people blame artists for the flawed portrayals in commercialized hip hop, the truth is that the solution is far more complicated. The following is an example of the kind of conversation that would occur if hip hop artists suddenly chose to empower themselves and stand up to the corporate pressure to create socially damaging music.

Artist (the rapper "Cash Money"): I have this great idea for something that is going to be even better than "Booties, Hoes and Beyatches" my last album. It’s also going to be more positive for the Black community. I am going to call it "Books, Homework and Better Grades".

Mr. Executive: Wow Cash Money, that’s a great idea. But "Booties, Hoes and Beyatches" did incredibly well last year, and we were thinking that you could release "More Booties, Extra Hoes and Too Many Beyatches". Now that would be hot and just freakin jiggy!

Artist: Yea, well Oprah said that this kind of music is bad for the community, and I did graduate from college. So, I know the value of making good grades in school. I want to provide inspiration for Black people and do something good with my life.

Mr. Executive: That’s nice Cash Money, and I "feel you dawg," really I do. The problem is that Black people aren’t the ones buying your records. Our survey data shows that White kids from the suburbs are buying your music, and they see you as the guy who gets it "poppin" (holding two fingers in the air, resembling quotations) in the club. Our projections say that this new idea of yours probably won’t sell nearly as well as your last album, so we’ve got a problem. We gave you your big break and kinda need you to stay focused here. I know you want to save the world, but if you make a style of music that causes you to lose your fan base, there is always going to be another kid from the projects willing to take your spot. So, not only are you not going to make a difference, you are also going to lose your deal, your fame, your money, your bling, your house, your fine-ass women, and all the other things that are near and dear to you.

Artist: Ah-ight man. You right. I’ll get to the studio.

Dr Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, "Black American Money", set to be released on July 15, 2009. For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com. If you would like Dr. Boyce commentary delivered directly to your email box, please click here.

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Oprah Catches Hell for Allegedly “Crackpot” Medical Advice

Oprah Winfrey has command of more than 40 million viewers each week, some so devoted they follow her every word without question.  A recent investigative report in Newsweek magazine questions her message, though, asking if the “Oprah Effect” produces more harm than good.

At issue is the medical advice dispensed by the show.  Critics, like Cynthia Pearson, executive director of the National Women’s Health Network, says the experts and specialists on the Oprah show don’t always bring forth the risks associated with the cures and therapies they tout, especially when it’s a celebrity, not a physician, presenting the information.  Given Oprah’s phenomenal influence, many viewers, mostly women, follow her advice blindly, even in the absence of enough objective data to make a choice that’s both safe and effective.  Syracuse University professor of television and pop culture, Robert Thompson, says the show gives validity to a number of health claims that many people would otherwise consider really “crackpot ideas.”

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: oprah winfrey,black news,african american news,black women,african american women

NO Mayor Ray Nagin Quarantined in China

The mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, his office said Sunday.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin flew to China as part of an economic development trip, his office said.

Mayor Ray Nagin, who traveled to China on an economic development trip, flew on a plane that carried a passenger being treated for symptoms suspected to be from the virus, commonly known as the swine flu virus, the mayor’s office said in a statement.

Nagin, his wife and a member of his security detail have been quarantined in Shanghai, China, though all three are symptom free, the statement said.

"The mayor is being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials," the statement said.

Ceeon Quiett, the mayor’s director of communications, told CNN that Nagin had been sitting beside a passenger who "exhibited the symptoms of H1N1," but Nagin showed no signs of illness.

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Dwight Howard’s Crazy New Commercial

Click the image to check it out!

 

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Lady Drama – Usher and Tameka: Trouble in Para-ice?

There are some rumors swirling around the net that Usher and Tameka are having trouble in paradise ever since her near death chop shop visit aka plastic surgery stunt! Read the details below about it all including who this new chick is in the photo:
For months the rumor mill said that Usher and Tameka were going downhill since her near death experience and surgery slip in Brazil. Well, Tameka and her crazy antics may have driven “Ersher” into the arms of this lady up top. The mystery lady and Usher were seen going in and out of Usher’s Santa Monica Hotel…at one in the morning last night too. There is nothing to explain or excuse Usher for bringing a pretty girl into his hotel room so late at night.
Well it’s about damn time…. Can’t wait to see how this one plays out folks two kids and a mean divorce settlement later lol!

Technorati Tags: usher,tameka,black celebrity gossip,lady drama

Charges Dropped in Black Man’s Murder

DALLAS – Murder charges were dropped at the prosecution’s request Thursday in the dragging death of a black man, and the two white men who had been accused of killing him were released from jail.

Shannon Finley and Charles Crostley were released Thursday afternoon in Paris, in east Texas, after a judge granted the special prosecutor’s motion to dismiss the case. The two men had been charged with fatally striking 24-year-old Brandon McClelland with a pickup truck in September following a late-night beer run the three friends had made to the neighboring state of Oklahoma.
The case had been unraveling in recent months because of a lack of eyewitnesses and physical evidence. Last month, a gravel truck driver gave a sworn statement acknowledging he might have accidentally run over McClelland.
"After investigation, it has been determined this case should be dismissed in the interests of justice," special prosecutor Toby Shook said. "The decision is about the state of the evidence in the case as it exists today."

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: dragging death,black man,criminal justice,black males,black news

Dr Boyce and DJ Free (106 & Park) Talk about Money

Dr Boyce gives advice to DJ Free (formerly on BET’s 106 & Park) about financial fitness and how to get your financial life together. How do you change your life when you’ve made financial mistakes? How do you get rid of toxic people in your life who are draining your financial resources? Dr Boyce and Free discuss how to have good financial health, R. Kelly and how to get your money right.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: free,106& park,bet,ed lover show,black money,african american money

Black Sports: Congressman Compares NBA Age Limit to Slavery

Steve Cohen, Democrat of Tennessee, wrote that the four-year-old rule, which requires that players be 19 years old and one year removed from their high school graduation, is of “deep concern.”

“It’s a vestige of slavery,” Cohen said Wednesday in a phone interview, noting that most of the players affected by the rule are African-American. “Not like the slavery of 150 years ago, but it’s a restraint on a person’s freedoms and liberties.”

Cohen said he was dismayed to hear that N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern was hoping to extend the age limit to 20. He added that his office was in the process of looking into the legalities of the limit and that a hearing and legislation were possible. He said the issue would fall under the jurisdiction of the House’s Judiciary Committee.

“Hopefully, they’ll just do the right thing,” he said.

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: stephen cohen,nba age limit,slavery,black news,paying college athletes

The One-Armed Wonder

Think there’s anything you can’t do?  Check out this one-armed basketball player who just got a college basketball scholarship!

Click the image to watch.

How do Black People See Abortion?

By Leland C. Abraham, Esq.

A central issue in the last presidential election, and one that still grips the conscience of this nation is the issue of abortion. For some, abortion is the systematic killing of young ones that have the potential to be productive citizens. For others, abortion, however unfortunate, is a necessary means. A question that has always intrigued me is, “Where do black people stand on the issue of abortion?”

Abortion was popularized by the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. This pivotal case was decided in 1973. According to the most conservative estimates, some 14 million black babies have been aborted since 1973. This is an average of roughly 1,400 black babies aborted per day. This makes the Black population the proportionate leader in this category. Planned Parenthood, the major promoter of the choice for abortion, is primarily located in predominately black and Latino neighborhoods. According to blackgenocide.com, the origins of Planned Parenthood are steeped in the systematic destruction of a generation of black people. According to the site, Margaret Sanger aligned herself with eugenics in the early 1900s. Eugenics was an ideology that espoused racial supremacy and “purity” of the “Aryan” race. By 1939, Sanger created the “Negro Project” in which she sought to decrease the number of “lower class and barbarous” blacks. She opened her clinic in Harlem and sought to spread her message by speaking to community leaders and black churches. In reference to her speaking at black churches, Sanger wrote: “We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members” [emphasis added]. Sanger was successful in recruiting many influential black leaders to her new form of “birth control.”

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Technorati Tags: black attorneys,african american attorneys,blacks and abortion

Michigan Closing 8 Prisons to Save Money

Michigan officials said Friday that the state is closing three prisons and five prison camps in hopes of narrowing a $1.4 billion budget gap for fiscal 2010.

The state, which has been hammered by the auto industry meltdown, estimates that it will save $120 million by shuttering the eight facilities. None of the 4,149 prisoners in the facilities will be released early, but up to 1,000 workers may lose their jobs.

Michigan is not alone in turning to its prison system for savings. Some 25 states cut spending on corrections in fiscal 2009 and another 25 are proposing to do so in fiscal 2010, as they struggle to address massive budget shortfalls.

"It’s a trend we’ll be seeing more and more of in coming months given the dire revenue situation states are in," said Sujit CanagaRetna, senior fiscal analyst at the Council of State Governments, a research group.

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Kobe’s Performance Unfairly Hurts Lebron James

As the Lakers and Magic prepped for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, LeBron James was undergoing five hours of dental surgery to remove a benign growth from his right jaw. Which was less painful than the metaphorical dental surgery he had to endure later.

Yes, rarely has a man been so conspicuous by his absence as the King was before, during and after Game 1 at the Staples Center. In the days leading up to the championship series, James had been torched for walking off the court without shaking hands after his Cavs had been eliminated by the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, and compounding it by blowing off the mandatory media session.

Then, before Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday, commissioner David Stern announced that he had reversed his initial position and decided to fine James $25,000. Stern indicated that the walkoff and the media blowoff were both factors in the fine, but I don’t buy that. James was fined for skipping the interview session, which is in keeping with precedent.

 

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Technorati Tags: lebron james,kobe bryant,black sports,black athletes,black news

Lady Drama: Beyonce Tackles Jay-Z on the Forbes List

According to Forbes Beyonce beat out her husband’s net worth on the Forbe’s list for this year! Beyonce made the top 5 of the list at #4 while Jay Z didn’t even make the top 10! Jay Z came in at a measly #32 on the list beating out our President but I’m sure that doesn’t do too much for his ego! Check out the list for yourself:
1 Angelina Jolie
2 Oprah Winfrey
3 Madonna
4 Beyonce Knowles
5 Tiger Woods
6 Bruce Springsteen
7 Steven Spielberg
8 Jennifer Aniston
9 Brad Pitt
10 Kobe Bryant

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Black Harvard Students Won’t Speak up for Chanequa in Student Murder

A NewsOne Exclusive

When campus police profiled Black students, Harvard’s Black undergraduates protested.

When Harvard’s president soured on legendary professor Cornel West, prompting West to take a job at Princeton, Harvard’s Black students petitioned for him to stay.

But in the wake of the suspension of two Black students, fallout from a current on-campus murder investigation, the typically vocal Black student community at Harvard has remained curiously silent.

Last month Cambridge resident and alleged drug-dealer Justin Cosby was shot to death in a campus dorm, Kirkland House, reportedly in an attempted robbery gone awry. Two Black Harvard seniors, Brittany Smith and Chanequa Campbell, were connected with the incident by the university administration and police. Both women have been barred from graduating with their class today. Campbell, who has repeatedly denied any involvement with the shooting, has since taken her story to the media.

“I do believe I am being singled out,” Campbell told the Boston Globe last week when asked why she was being banned from campus. “The honest answer to that is that I’m Black and I’m poor and I’m from New York and I walk a certain way and I keep my clothes a certain way. . . . It’s something that labels me as different from everyone else.”

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Philly Mob Beats Man Who Allegedly Raped a Little Girl

DEMETRICE REYNOLDS said she had one wish for the thug who brutally raped her 11-year-old daughter: "I want him dead."

Her wish may as well have been broadcast across Kensington.

About a dozen neighborhood residents flew into a rage yesterday afternoon when they cornered Jose Carrasquillo, who police said they had linked through physical evidence to the heinous Monday-morning rape of Reynolds’ daughter.

The justice-seeking mob rained fists, feet and wooden sticks upon Carrasquillo, 26, for several minutes until police intervened at Front and Clearfield streets.

When the dust cleared, Carrasquillo, whose last known address was Orkney Street near York, was in critical condition at a local hospital, and police officials were thanking the locals for helping them catch a man they had pursued feverishly but identified only as "a person of interest."

"Justice, community-style. It’s a beautiful thing," said a resident who declined to be identified.

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Technorati Tags: 11 year old girl,black news,african american news,rape

Book Claims Obama Had Secret Meeting with Jeremiah Wright

A new book from Newsweek’s White House correspondent Richard Wolffe reveals that Barack Obama held a secret meeting with his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, towards the end of the 2008 presidential primary season.

The purpose, according to Wolffe’s "Renegade," was to persuade the former minister of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ to end his public appearances, which were believed to be hurting Obama in the battleground states of North Carolina and Indiana.

"It was time to talk directly to Wright," Wolffe writes. Over the next week, Obama’s friends at Trinity tried to talk their pastor out of his comeback tour. But by now the church was deeply divided between Obama supporters and Wright supporters, and the conversation was going nowhere.    

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Technorati Tags: barack obama,jeremiah wright,black politics,african american politics,black news,african american news

Black News Headlines – 6/4/09

Oprah Winfrey Dethroned as the Most Powerful Celebrity

Al Sharpton Teams Up with Barack Obama

Singer Omarion Says He only likes Light-skinned women

Roland Martin: What Colin Powell Needs to Say to Dick Cheney

Katrina Victims get $5 Trailers from Obama

Black Pastor in Nigeria shows the value of reaching out

Financial Lovemaking: What is the financial value of Halle and Jamie’s Kiss?

Your Black Money: How does your financial situation compare with the rest of America?

The Muslim World Sends a Warning to President Obama

Your Black Politics: Obama and Sharpton Team Up on Education

It might be the oddest political pairing of the year. Barack Obama, whose campaign for president carefully avoided race-based political appeals, is teaming up with the man who practically perfected them: the Rev. Al Sharpton.

This double-take moment camelast month, with Sharpton holding court with reporters at the White House, fresh out of an Oval Office meeting with Obama in his role as co-founder of the bipartisan Education Equality Project.

So far, Sharpton has been to the White House more times, and for more close-up conversations with Obama, than the leaders of other long-established civil rights organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and theUrban League.

And in April, Vice President Joe Biden addressed the annualconventionof Sharpton’s group, the National Action Network, in New York.

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Technorati Tags: barack obama,al sharpton,black news,black politics,african american news,african american politicsl

Oprah Dethroned as Most Powerful Celebrity

She’s rich. She’s talented. She’s beautiful. And now Angelina Jolie is the most powerful celebrity in the world.

Thanks to the release of several blockbuster movies and an endless sea of media buzz, Jolie has dethroned Oprah Winfrey to top this year’s Celebrity 100 list, Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s ultra famous.

Jolie raked in $27 million in the past 12 months thanks to a movie schedule that included “Kung Fu Panda,” “Wanted” and the not-yet-released spy thriller “Salt.” Even more impressive: The publicity she garnered following the birth of her twins, as well as the consistent headlines she grabs for her philanthropic efforts and her relationship with actor Brad Pitt, who ranks No. 9 on the list.

 

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Katrina Victims Get Cheap Housing from Obama

The Obama administration will announce plans today to virtually give away roughly 1,800 mobile homes to 3,400 families displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are living in government-provided housing along the Gulf Coast, officials said.

The administration also will make available $50 million in rental vouchers to income-eligible trailer occupants who move to targeted housing projects, and take over from Louisiana the job of helping residents find permanent homes, said a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.

"We knew we needed to bring this program to a close," the official said. "We also want to ensure a humane and secure transition for all of them."

The sale option comes weeks after the trailer program formally ended May 1, and after Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said they could begin officially referring cases for eviction June 1.

FEMA typically provides disaster aid for 18 months. It extended assistance for 45 months since Katrina hit in August 2005.

 

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Technorati Tags: hurricane katrina,barack obama,black news,african american news,black politics,african american politics

Black News Headlines – 6/3/09

When Lebron James lost, Nike created a new nightmare

The Urban League says Obama must do more for African Americans

Actor Tyrese prepares for new Transformers movie

Dr. Christopher Metzler breaks down Obama’s new appointee

Rapper Nas tells Kelis that she should get nothing

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black news headlines

Lady Drama: A Kiss is worth a Thousand Words

Jamie and Halle Berry gave all the viewers at the Spike TV’s “Guy’s Choice” Awards something to talk about when the two locked lips in only a way that can be described by pictures lol. Looks like they both enjoyed it a little too much huh?

Urban League Report: Obama must Help Tackle Racial Inequality

Social and economic gaps between whites and blacks persist in the United States despite an atmosphere that led to the election of President Obama, an Urban League report said.

Despite hope ushered in by President Obama’s election, racial divides persist, a report says.

Blacks remain twice as likely to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be imprisoned compared with whites, according to the group’s annual State of Black America report issued in March.

The report urges Obama to tackle the critical challenges of the times, including unemployment, home foreclosures, education and an overhaul of health care.

"As the Obama administration ushers in a new era of hope, change, and to some extent, unity for this nation, many are asking whether racial barriers have now been erased in America," the report said. "Are discrimination, division and inequality antiquated relics of the past? For a quick answer to that question, one has but to review some of the sobering statistics."

The Urban League‘s equality index shows the status of blacks at 71 percent that of whites. It said that economics "remains the area with the greatest degree of inequality," with social justice, health and education following.

"The analysis shows that while important gains were made, both for blacks and whites, in each of these areas during the 1990s expansion, there was actually a loss of ground in median household income, poverty and home ownership during the 2001-2007 expansion, known as the jobless recovery," the report’s executive summary said.

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Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black politics,african american politicsl

Nike’s Worst Nightmare

 

Don’t you just love those Nike commercials that feature puppet versions of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James? Those are hilarious.

How can you not laugh at the overload of chalk due to LeBron’s excitement for the postseason?

Tell me you didn’t laugh at Kobe getting on LeBron’s case looking for his championship rings. I dare you.

Whichever commercials you enjoyed, you have to think about how much Nike has been freaking out about the fact that the Kobe vs. LeBron final that everybody and their momma wanted is not going to happen.

After winning a franchise record 66 games, it looked as if the Cleveland Cavaliers were on their way to a potential NBA championship. I repeat: potential—as in it may not happen.

When I first saw the Vitamin Water commercial in which people are debating over who is better between the two players, I knew something was going to go awry.

 

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black sports,african american sports,kobe bryant,lebron james

Black News Headlines – 6/2/09

Dr Boyce, Michelle Singletary (Washington Post) and Michel Martin discuss Bankruptcy and Black Money on NPR

Eminem Wasn’t in on the Joke at MTV – What does this mean for his Brand?

Pending Home sales rise – a good sign for the Economy

Rev. Jesse Jackson rallies workers in Michigan

Everything you should know about the Obama Credit Card Bill

The Fight for James Browns’ estate has been settled

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black news headlines

Lady Drama Exclusive: Eminem was NOT in on the Joke

According to Lady Drama at YourBlackGossip and an anonymous MTV source it turns out that Eminem did not know that Sasha Baron Cohen was going to put his booty in his face!

Technorati Tags: eminem,sasha baron cohen,black celebrity gossip

James Brown’s Estate is Finally Settled

COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 26) – More than two years into a protracted battle over how to parcel out James Brown’s wealth, a South Carolina judge on Tuesday approved a settlement that gives nearly half of his assets to a charitable trust, about a quarter to his wife and young son, and the rest to Brown’s adult children.
The settlement was a contrast to Brown’s will and trust, which were called into question soon after the Godfather of Soul died of heart failure Christmas Day 2006. His surviving spouse challenged the will when she was left out, and Brown’s children claimed the estate was mismanaged by trustees.
Brown’s six adult children bickered with the singer’s widow as each fought for a share of his fortune. Ultimately, Brown’s grandchildren and needy kids in South Carolina and Georgia will likely get the biggest payback — Brown set up a charitable trust to pay for their education.
"From the perspective of the charitable beneficiaries, the risks of not approving the settlement agreement are substantial," Judge Jack Early wrote in his order.

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Rapper Eminem Gets Humiliated at the MTV Music Video Awards

The star of the new Borat film did a stunt in which he landed in the lap of rapper Eminem in, shall we say, a “compromising position”.  The rapper stormed out of the building, visibly upset that he’d been embarrassed.  Click the image to watch the video.

Technorati Tags: eminem,borat,cohen,black celebrity gossip,hip hop,rap,rappers

Lady Drama: TI and Tiny are NOT getting married!

Lady Drama breaks down the situation between TI and Tiny, and wonders if Pretty Ricky is just a little bit gay.  Click the image to watch!

 

 

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Is Michael Eric Dyson Angry at Barack Obama?

Is Michael Eric Dyson being critical Obama, loving him, hating him, or holding him accountable?  Dyson has joined a chorus of individuals in the black community asking for the President to show some love to his community.  Click the image to watch his interview!

Technorati Tags: michael eric dyson,barack obama,black scholars,black news headlines,african american news,black news