DMX has received a 90 day sentence for various offences that he was found guilty of.Hopefully,he won't be able to get his hands on some drugs in prison.Maybe he'll clean himself up & come out resembling his old self.Because,like I've said before,DMX used to be kind of hot!Here's more from BBC News:
"US rap star DMX has been sentenced to 90 days in prison for theft, drug possession and animal cruelty offences.
The musician - real name Earl Simmons - has been in custody since December when he was arrested in Miami for failing to make a court appearance in Phoenix.
The judge said she would allow him to apply to serve his sentence in Florida.
The 38-year-old admitted the offences last month, including one count of animal cruelty brought after police searched his Arizona home in May.
Authorities said they found 12 neglected dogs and three carcasses, along with drug paraphernalia and weapons."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7862537.stm
In a recent posting,I talked about the Tamil artist, M.I.A.This is what she's talking about. 250,000 innocent Tamil women,men,& children are trapped in the crossfire in Sri Lanka.It is a humanitarian crisis that only seems to grow worse.Here's more from the Times Online:
"As you read this, around 250,000 civilians are trapped in 115 square miles of jungle in northeastern Sri Lanka, where government forces have pinned down the last remnants of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
That's a quarter of a million innocent men, women and children cowering in an area smaller than the New Forest as fighter jets, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery thunder all around them.
Hundreds have already been killed and scores injured in the crossfire, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. More will die if urgent action is not taken. Regardless of who is to blame – each side accuses the other and there is damning evidence against both – this is a humanitarian crisis that deserves as much international attention as that in Gaza.
It also has important implications both for the future of the Indian Ocean island and for other separatist conflicts around the world.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is on the brink of defeating the Tigers as a conventional military force and bringing a formal end to a 25-year conflict that has claimed 70,000 lives.
That is cause for celebration: the Tigers are among the world's most ruthless and highly organised terrorist groups.
Now that Mr Rajapaksa has the upper hand, however, the burden of responsibility is on him to prove his commitment to democratic principles and the welfare of Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils.
The Red Cross and others have rightly urged both sides to spare the non-combatants, but the world has little leverage on the Tigers, who are proscribed as terrorists by the United States, the European Union and India.
Since they launched a violent struggle for an ethnic Tamil homeland in 1983, they have forcibly recruited children, pioneered suicide bombing, and killed two heads of state.
It is appalling, but no surprise, therefore, that rights activists accuse them of using civilians as human shields and the United Nations says that they prevented the injured from leaving the frontline."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5610412.ece
George Obama has been arrested for marijuana possession & resisting arrest in Nairobi,Kenya.Here's more from CNN:
"George Obama, the half brother of U.S. President Barack Obama, has been arrested by Kenyan police for possession of marijuana, police said Saturday.
Inspector Augustine Mutembei, the officer in charge, said Obama was arrested for possession of cannabis, known in Kenya as Bhang, and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Mutembei said.
He is being held at Huruma police post in the capital of Nairobi.
CNN Correspondent David McKenzie talked with George Obama at the jail where he is being held. Speaking from behind bars, Obama denied the allegations.
"They took me from my home," he said, "I don't know why they are charging me."
George Obama and the president barely know each other, though they have met before. George Obama was one of the president's few close relatives who did not go to the inauguration in Washington last week.
In his memoir, "Dreams from My Father," Barack Obama describes meeting George as a "painful affair."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/01/31/george.obama.arrest/
Here's M.I.A. on Thursday's addition of Tavis Smiley talking about the "systematic genocide" of her people,the Tamil,that's going on in Sri Lanka.She is a very introspective person who makes music that has a social message,not to mention it's great to dance to.She is pregnant & her baby is due on the day of the Grammys.Too bad she's gotta miss it because she was nominated for both an Oscar & an Grammy for the controversial song,"Paper Planes"!Some folks claim that she's a terrorist but M.I.A. says she is not.There is so much speculation about the meaning of "Paper Planes" because of her background. Here's more on that from The Wall Street Journal:
"Hip-hop artist M.I.A. recently rocketed from the experimental underground to the pinnacle of the entertainment world. "O Saya," her collaboration with Indian composer A.R. Rahman from the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, is one of three nominees for the best-song Oscar. And her track "Paper Planes" is in contention at this year's Grammy Awards for record of the year -- the Recording Academy's top honor.
Born Mathangi Arulpragasam in Britain, the future singer returned with her family to her parents' native Sri Lanka when she was 6 months old. The family, who are members of Sri Lanka's ethnic-Tamil minority, moved to Jaffna, in the island nation's north. Not long afterward, the country erupted into civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, and violence consumed Jaffna.
As a child, Ms. Arulpragasam rarely saw her father, Arul Pragasam, who was involved in the Tamil-separatist movement -- though she says he was part of a more political faction than the violent and better-known Tigers.
At age 10 she fled with her mother, elder sister and younger brother first to India and then back to London, where her mother now works as a seamstress and M.I.A. attended art college. Ms. Arulpragasam says her harrowing life has informed both the lyrics and sound of her songs. After her song "Paper Planes" was included last year in a trailer for the stoner comedy "Pineapple Express," it became M.I.A.'s first hit -- and an unlikely one at that. The song's signature element, gunshot sounds that are part of its rhythm bed, generated controversy. The song's refrain is the seemingly aggressive chant: "All I wanna do is" -- Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! -- "and take your money." But M.I.A. calls the song an ironic comment on the way Westerners perceive Third World immigrants.
This guy has been around for over 20 years,but Rush Limbaugh is still sparking controversy.He is a very divisive figure that wants to ascertain that he will still be able to play that role in this time of "change".I wonder how Michael Steele will deal with having this guy as the voice of the Republican party!Here's more on this jerk from The AP:
"When Rep. Phil Gingrey, a Georgia Republican, tried to praise his House leadership this week by saying it's easy for talk-show hosts to stand back and throw bricks, the headline on the Politico Web site read: "House GOP member to Rush: Back off." Gingrey was so bothered by the phone calls of complaints that he visited four conservative talk-show hosts, including Limbaugh, the next day to apologize.
Limbaugh, he said, was a conservative giant and one of the "voices of the conservative movement's conscience."
Can it get any better for a personality whose business is built on buzz?
"Rush Limbaugh is first and foremost a radio performer," said Michael Harrison, publisher of the trade journal Talkers magazine, which notes that Limbaugh has been the most listened-to talk-show host since at least the mid-1990s. "He's not a political leader. He doesn't make more money by turning elections. He only exists to gather large audiences and raise more advertising revenue and he does it terrifically."
(Limbaugh is heard on some 600 radio stations across the country, and more than 14 million people listen to him at least once a week.)
Yet count columnist Michael Wolff, writing in a newser.com column picked up by the Huffington Post, as one who believes Limbaugh is "being played."
He could prove valuable to the president, who has sought bipartisan support for many of his plans and romanced Republicans in his first week in office. Being able to point to an opponent like Limbaugh could help him with the millions of Americans for whom the message of ending partisan bickering rang true on Election Day.
Obama even cited Limbaugh in seeking support for his economic plans.
"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he said. "There are big things that unify Republicans and Democrats. We shouldn't let partisan politics derail what are very important things that need to get done."
A liberal advocacy group, Americans United for Change, said Friday it was using Limbaugh's words in radio ads it was launching against three Republican senators: Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, George Voinovich of Ohio and John Ensign of Nevada. The ads, supporting Obama's economic plan, urges voters in those states to call their senator and "tell him he represents you, not Rush Limbaugh."
Wolff wrote that he believed the dinner Obama had with conservative columnists before his inauguration was a pointed snub to Limbaugh.
"He's tried to make it out to be a political point ever since," he wrote, "but mostly he sounds like a guy who's hurt he didn't get invited to the hot party."
Asked about Wolff's comments, Limbaugh said, "Who?"
Another conservative talk-show host, William Bennett, said on CNN that Limbaugh's statement wasn't a good idea.
"The locution — `I want him to fail' — is not what you say the first week the man's been inaugurated," he said.(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_Br0ECzQVRoiyTtr0J-aRM1t6pgD961LQFO0
Watch this video compilation of Rush Limbaugh & other radio personalities making racist & sexist remarks & then tell me that these people are not bigoted.For those of us that are still in a state of euphoria because we have Obama as our president,this type of shit brings us out of the fog & into reality!
Will Michael Steele becoming the first black Republican National Committee Chairman really change the party? As we all know,it is currently known as the party of older,white men.It hasn't been a diverse party,but I hope that changes under Michael Steele.I can't help but wonder if Barack Obama is what led the RNC to pick a black man to lead their party.Is it a case of tokenism or will the party finally diversify & become a part of the 21st century? Only time will tell.
There have been increasing reports that young male Somali-Americans are disappearing.What concerns folks is that these men may actually have been recruited for Jihad. Here's an excerpt from Newsweek:
"That suspicion is now shared by counterterrorism officials and the FBI, who are probing whether al-Shabab or other Somali Islamic groups are actively recruiting in a few cities across the United States. The officials say as many as 20 Somali-Americans between the ages of 17 and 27 have left their Minneapolis homes in the past 18 months under suspicious circumstances. Their investigation deepened when one of the missing men, Minnesotan Shirwa Ahmed, blew himself up alongside other suicide bombers in Somalia last October, killing dozens of al-Shabab's political opponents and civilians. Ahmed had also prayed at Abubakar, and within weeks the FBI put the imam of the mosque, Sheik Abdirahman Ahmed, on a no-fly list. Among the questions investigators are asking: Who persuaded the young men to go? Who paid for their flights? And what role, if any, has the mosque played in their alleged recruitment?"(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.newsweek.com/id/181408?tid=relatedcl
The circus has left town! Rod Blagojevich is no longer the governor of Illinois.He was impeached today.Here's more from NBC Chicago:
"Pat Quinn became the 41st governor on Thursday immediately after the Senate voted to remove his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich."(END OF EXCERPT) Read more here: http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics/?topic=Rod+Blagojevich
Those who deny that the holocaust ever happened are not unlike folks who downplay the effect slavery has had on the descendants of slaves.These inhumane & shameful parts of world history should be acknowledged & studied in-depth,as they have been.Hopefully then,we will be able to stop genocide & slavery,once & for all.Because these are issues that still plague our society.So,why would the Pope decide to pardon a bishop who denied the genocide of the Jews? Here's more from the Telegraph:
"Senior rabbis have threatened to cancel planned talks at the Vatican in response to the pardon.
In the Commons, Mr Khan told MPs: "The fact that somebody who can deny that the Holocaust took place can hold high office, can be invited to august institutions to debate this, causes me great concern. Many MPs will... find the promotion of such a person highly unsavoury.
"Let's be clear those who deny the Holocaust aren't pseudo-historians who are revising history. Some of their views... demonstrate anti-Semitism. We can't pretend the Holocaust didn't happen."
He was responding to a question from David Winnick, Labour MP for Walsall North, who called on the minister to "deplore the fact that a British-born bishop, a Holocaust denier, obviously pro-Nazi, has been brought back into the fold by the Vatican".
For the Tories, Julian Lewis added: "The Pope has made this decision to take someone who is an unrepentant denier of the Holocaust back into his Church.
"I'm sure British Roman Catholics and British Jews and those of no religion whatsoever will be absolutely horrified about what the Pope has done."
Lembit Opik, Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, said the Holocaust was "a blood-stained testimony to what happens when an ordinary, decent society is allowed to descend into extraordinary barbarism and the abandonment of basic human rights". (END OF EXCERPT) The entire article can is located here:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4388359/Minister-criticises-Pope-for-pardoning-Holocaust-denial-bishop.html
Hear Bishop Richard Williamson attempt to revise history for yourself & then ask yourself why the Pope pardoned him.
A family of four was found dead in Ohio & it is believed that this is yet another murder-suicide.If that is the case,I hope that this doesn't become an epidemic.No financial crisis is worth taking life for. People,it's not that serious!You can pull yourself up by the bootstraps & make a financial recovery eventually.But once you snuff out your life,there is no coming back from that.Seek therapy if you feel suicidal.There are hotlines if you need to speak with someone immediately.Killing yourself & your family is never a solution for anything!
Isn't it great when the person you voted for actually fulfills some of the promises that they made? It felt good to learn that President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act today.Now if a woman gets screwed by an employer,she has more than 180 days to rectify the discriminatory paycheck! Here's more from the NY Times:
"Mr. Obama was surrounded by a group of beaming lawmakers, most but not all of them Democrats, in the East Room of the White House as he affixed his signature to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law named for an Alabama woman who at the end of a 19-year career as a supervisor in a tire factory complained that she had been paid less than men.
After a Supreme Court ruling against her, Congress approved the legislation that expands workers’ rights to sue in this kind of case, relaxing the statute of limitations.
“It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness,” the president said.
He said was signing the bill not only in honor of Ms. Ledbetter — who stood behind him, shaking her head and clasping her hands in seeming disbelief — but in honor of his own grandmother, “who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up again” and for his daughters, “because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams.”
The ceremony, and a reception afterward in the State Dining Room of the White House, had a celebratory feel. The East Room was packed with advocates for civil rights and workers rights; the legislators, who included House and Senate leaders and two moderate Republicans — Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine — shook Mr. Obama’s hand effusively (some, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, received presidential pecks on the cheek) as he took the stage. They looked over his shoulder, practically glowing, as Mr. Obama signed his name to the bill, using one pen for each letter.
“I’ve been practicing signing my name very slowly,” Mr. Obama said wryly, looking at a bank of pens before him. He handed the first pen to the bill’s chief sponsor, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, and the last to Ms. Ledbetter.
The ceremony also marked First Lady Michelle Obama’s policy debut; she spoke afterward in a reception in the State Dining Room, where she called Ms. Ledbetter “one of my favorite people.”(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
We're not the only ones who are tired of banks getting bailed out instead of the people.Over in France,teachers,transport workers,& other professionals took to the streets to protest their wages & the way that President Nicolas Sarkozy has handled the French economy.Here's more from BBC:
"Many people are furious that Mr Sarkozy said there was no money left to raise wages and consumer spending power, but nonetheless managed to find billions of euros to bail out floundering French banks, says the BBC's Emma-Jane Kirby in Paris.
The walk-out has affected transport, education and postal services throughout the country, our correspondent says, and is the biggest one-day strike since Mr Sarkozy took up office.
With unemployment looking likely to reach 10% next year, she says, the protesters hope he will drop his programme of cost-cutting reforms and focus instead on protecting workers' jobs and wages.
Mr Sarkozy cannot ignore this demonstration of anger, our correspondent adds. Street protests have repeatedly brought down French leaders and Mr Sarkozy does not want his government added to that list of casualties.
"We want to show how the people are dissatisfied with the situation at the moment," Thierry Dedieu of the CFDT general workers' union told the BBC.
People had the feeling they were paying for a crisis they were not responsible for, he added.
But earlier in the week, French Finance Minister Eric Woerth condemned the strike organisers, accusing them of scare-mongering during a time of economic uncertainty."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7857435.stm
Straight men,beware!This show is not for the faint of heart or the homophobic."Noah's Arc" was one of my favorite television series that debuted on LOGO.It's been called the gay "Soul Food" because it deals so intimately with the lives of five black,gay men.And let me tell you that they got some fly honeys on this show.I just like looking at the lead character,Noah,& his man because they are so fine.But,the series hasn't been on the air since 2006.Which is why I was so delighted to hear this:
"Hooray!
Logo announced today that one of my favoriate movies from last year, "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom," will be out on DVD on Feb. 3. In addition to the movie, which focuses on the wedding of Noah (Darryl Stephens) and Wade (Jensen Atwood) and the DVD will include such brand-new special features as a "Making Of" featurette, deleted scenes, photo shoots and more. It will also be sold as a 2-pack with the film's soundtrack which has a lot of catchy tunes and two songs by Pheobe Snow who has a cameo at the end of the film."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2009/01/-here-are-some-clips.html
Check out this interview with the gorgeous lead actor,Darryl Stephens.The first video has one with Jensen Atwood.Oooh,they are so deliciously good-looking.
Have you heard the new pregnancy chatter surrounding Jessica Simpson? That's what happens anytime a celebrity decides to be naturally skinny.They get called fat simply because they look normal.What do these folks look like that are dispersing all of this criticism about other people's weight? I'm willing to bet that they shouldn't be talking.Here's more from The Mercury News:
"Jessica Simpson became wildly famous for her sexy outfits in 2005’s movie ‘The Dukes of Hazzard.’
Today, the songstress looks like she’s having a little trouble strutting around on stage at the Radio 99.9 Kiss Country’s annual Chili Cookoff this last weekend.
Dressed in a tight low-cut black top, high-waisted rib coverin’ mom jeans, and not one but two tummy-tuckin’ leopard print belts, the former toast of Hazzard County hardly looked comfy in her new curves.
And while the outfit was a little outlandish, the Internet is abuzz with criticism about her weight.
Jess’ new curves have come under some serious scrutiny from bloggers, Fox News, and most anyone with a writing instrument.
Fox News posted this headline on its site: “Jessica Simpson Shocks Fans With Noticeably Fuller Figure.” Meanwhile, the Boston Herald called her “porky.”
Her little sister, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, weighed in on the controversy with an angry post on her MySpace blog.
“I am completely disgusted by the headlines concerning my sister’s weight,” Ashlee said.
“A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman’s weight or figure as a headline on Fox News.”
Ashlee asks, “Is this something you would say to your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, or even a friend?
“I seriously doubt it.”
(Actually, yes, everyone around me is urging me to lose the extra weight I’ve gained. Even Oprah talked about dropping some weight.)"(END OF EXCERPT)Read more here:http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/01/28/curvier-jessica-simpson-swaps-tiny-shorts-formom-jeans/
You better pay your light bill in Bay City,Michigan. They have no mercy whatsoever if you don't. Even if it's in the dead of winter,Bay City Electric Light & Power will shut your power off!How evil is that?!Here's more from The Associated Press:
"City officials are reviewing their procedures and in the meantime have suspended shutoffs and removed all limiters from homes after using the devices for 18 years.
The medical examiner is looking into whether Schur suffered from dementia, particularly after police found enough cash lying around in the home to cover his bills. His nephew William Walworth said Schur told him two years ago he had $600,000 in savings.
"It's definitely not a situation where money is an issue. The issue has to do with the mental faculties you have and your ability to make good decisions," said Walworth, 67, who lives in Ormond Beach, Fla.
"I think the utility's policies are horrible and insane," he added. "For 50 years he paid the bill on a regular basis and never had problems. If people would know who their customers are and take concern for their customers, maybe they'd go knock on the door and see if everything is OK."
Neighbors and others have posted messages on the Internet, complaining it was a shabby way to treat a veteran and demanding city employees be fired or prosecuted for not taking a few minutes to check on Schur, who was a medic in the South Pacific and earned a Purple Heart.
One blogger noted that even a pet owner who leaves his dog outside to freeze can face charges.
Sharon Gire, director of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, said Schur's death was preventable. "He was one of Michigan's most vulnerable citizens in need," she said. "It is a tragedy that he had to suffer such a painful death."
Michigan's big, state-regulated utilities are not allowed to shut off power to senior citizens in the winter and must offer payment plans to the poor. State regulators also discourage the use of limiters. But Michigan's 41 smaller municipal utilities — Bay City's included — are not overseen by the state.
Schur's death has prompted Michigan lawmakers to start writing legislation that could ban the use of limiters by municipal utilities.
"The concern was particularly with elderly customers; they can be frail or confused," Public Service Commission spokeswoman Judy Palnau said. "Anything that can require some sort of mechanical intervention can be overwhelming."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWfXNyJfkN3J1S5Hxdra4nTXgdeAD960F4BG0
Oh,the memories that they are going to have just from being able to attend this historic event.And to top it all off,they all got to meet & chat with the first black president of the U.S. President Barack Obama!I know Beyonce was especially thrilled to have President Obama acknowledge that he knows the lyrics to one of her songs.How cool is that! Damn,I wish I wasn't so broke because I would have jumped through hoops to be there!
How ironic that a movie that sheds light on how the children of the Mumbai slums are mistreated is alleged to be guilty of exploiting those very same kids. The child actors in the smash hit "Slumdog Millionaire" have allegedly received a pittance while the movie has made millions.Here's more from the Telegraph:
"Their roles in Slumdog Millionaire have won them international acclaim and seen them rub shoulders with the film’s glamorous stars and its British director.But the reality of life for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail is far closer to that of the characters they play in the story of love, violent crime and extreme poverty in India.
The child actors’ parents have accused the hit film’s producers of exploiting and underpaying the eight-year-olds, disclosing that both face uncertain futures in one of Mumbai’s most squalid slums.
Slumdog Millionaire has won four Golden Globes and is nominated for 10 Oscars. It is on its way to making hundreds of millions of pounds in box office receipts.
The film’s British director, Danny Boyle, has spoken of how he set up trust funds for Rubina and Azharuddin and paid for their education. But it has emerged that the children, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, were paid less than many Indian domestic servants.
Rubina was paid £500 for a year’s work while Azharuddin received £1,700, according to the children's parents.
However a spokesman for the film’s American distributors, Fox Searchlight, disputed this saying the fees were more than three times the average annual salary an adult in their neighbourhood would receive. They would not disclose the actual sum.
Both children were found places in a local school and receive £20 a month for books and food. However, they continue to live in grinding poverty and their families say they have received no details of the trust funds set up in their names. Their parents said that they had hoped the film would be their ticket out of the slums, and that its success had made them realise how little their children had been paid.
The children received considerably less than the poor Afghan child stars of The Kite Runner, who embarrassed their Hollywood producers when they disclosed that they had been paid £9,000.
Rubina and Azharuddin live a few hundreds yards from each other in a tangle of makeshift shacks alongside Mumbai’s railway tracks at Bandra. Azharuddin is in fact worse off than he was during filming: his family’s illegal hut was demolished by the local authorities and he now sleeps under a sheet of plastic tarpaulin with his father, who suffers from tuberculosis.
“There is none of the money left. It was all spent on medicines to help me fight TB,” Azharuddin’s father, Mohammed Ismail, said. “We feel that the kids have been left behind by the film. They have told us there is a trust fund but we know nothing about it and have no guarantees.”(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/4347472/Poor-parents-of-Slumdog-millionaire-stars-say-children-were-exploited.html
This is just absolutely despicable.And it's greed over need.
I'm not on that side of the debate that claims global warming isn't happening.Sean Hannity claims that there are "scientists saying that we are facing an ice age"!Whether you want to call it global warming or an ice age,I think it should be clear to everyone that we are undergoing a serious climate change.We all need to be as diligent as we can in making sure we are not contributing to the eradication of the whole planet.Because some of the damage that we humans have already done is irreversible according to this BBC report:
"A team of environmental researchers in the US has warned many effects of climate change are irreversible.
The scientists concluded global temperatures could remain high for 1,000 years, even if carbon emissions can somehow be halted.
Their report was sponsored by the US Department of Energy and comes as President Obama announces a review of vehicle emission standards.
It appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The scientists have been researching global warming and the consequences for policymakers.
The team warned that, if carbon levels in the atmosphere continued to rise, there would be less rainfall in already dry areas of southern Europe, North America, parts of Africa and Australia.
The scientists say the oceans are currently slowing down global warming by absorbing heat, but they will eventually release that heat back into the air.
They say politicians must now offset environmental damage already done by man-made pollution.
"People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide the climate would go back to normal in 100 years, 200 year - that's not true," said researcher Susan Solomon, the lead author of the report, quoted by AP news agency.
Their conclusions come as President Obama ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency to review rules on carbon emissions from passenger vehicles."(Article taken from the following site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7852628.stm
Follow the above link for more graphs & info on climate change.
When you think of female dancehall artist,Patra or Lady Saw comes to mind.But,you must hear this girl,Timberlee.She's the latest female to hit the dancehall scene.Although she's not as good as her predecessors,Timberlee can certainly hang with the likes of Macka Diamond & Queen Paula,just to name a few.Here's her video to "Bubble Like Soup"! She's also got a hot new single called,"Heels"! Doesn't she kind of look like Ashanti? Here's her bio:
"Timberlee is Reggae Dancehall's new leading lady, who is igniting the world with her red-hot single "Bubble Like Soup," among other scorchers. Over the past few months, this femme fetale has been performing before raving crowds. It's no surprise that Timberlee is winning over both divas and dons alike with her ever-so infectious lyrics "hot gyal a hot gyal, sweet like honey." Timberlee's knack for dancehall music and stunning beauty have quickly thrusted her to the forefront of the female dancehall movement. Timberlee is focused on a prosperous career, spending loads of time on the road and in the studio cranking out hit music!"(Taken from this site:http://promo.sensimedia.net/cgi-bin/list/mail.cgi/archive/inc/20081129021053/
Although these ponzi schemes weren't as huge as the one Bernie Madoff hatched,they still involved substantial amounts of money.Not only that,but there are more & more being discovered everyday.Here's more from The NY Times:
"Their names lack the Dickensian flair of Bernie Madoff, and the money they apparently stole from investors was a small fraction of the $50 billion that Mr. Madoff allegedly lost of his clients’ savings.
But the number of other people who have been caught running Ponzi schemes in recent weeks is adding up quickly, so much so that they have earned themselves a nickname: mini-Madoffs.
Some of these schemes have been operating for years, and others are of more recent vintage. But what is causing them to surface now appears to be a combination of a deteriorating economy and heightened skepticism about outsize returns after the revelations about Mr. Madoff. That can scare off new clients and cause longtime investors to demand their money back, which brings the charade tumbling down.
“There is no way for a Ponzi to survive given the large number of redemptions and a lack of new investors,” said Stephen J. Obie, the head of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The agency has experienced a doubling of reported leads to possible Ponzi schemes in the last year, and its enforcement caseload has risen this year.
On Monday, at a suburban New York train station, Nicholas Cosmo surrendered to federal authorities in connection with a suspected $380 million Ponzi scheme, in which investors paid a minimum of $20,000 for high-yield “private bridge” loans that he had arranged."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/business/28ponzi.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1233118509-lQFjtMXuUmETO3bXKy8UmA
This is the first murder-suicide that I've heard of for this year.I know that a man killed his family last year in California because of economic problems.In this case,there was a murder-suicide involving a couple with 5 kids.Apparently,they were despondent over being fired from there jobs at Kaiser. I've included news clips from both of those murder-suicides above.Here's more from CBS:
"A Los Angeles hospital has confirmed that two of its former employees died in family murder-suicide in the city's Wilmington area.
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center West Los Angeles says in a statement that Ervin Antonio Lupoe and his wife, Ana, were former employees and the hospital is cooperating in the police investigation.
Police say Lupoe shot his wife, 8-year-old daughter, twin 5-year-old daughters and twin 2-year-old boys shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in their home.
The hospital says in its statement, "We are deeply saddened to hear of the deaths of the Lupoe family."
Lupoe, apparently distraught over job problems fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself at their harbor-area home Tuesday.
Shortly before the killings, Lupoe faxed a letter to a TV station claiming that he and his wife had been fired from jobs as medical technicians and she suggested they kill themselves and their children, too.
"Why leave the children to a stranger?" Lupoe wrote, according to KABC-TV.
KABC reported that Lupoe claimed in the fax that an administrator rebuffed them when they showed up to work, told them to file a union grievance and said, "You should have blown your brains out."
Lupoe wrote that they filed a grievance but nothing was done and two days later they were fired, KABC said.
"They did nothing to the manager who started such and did not attempt to assist us in the matter, knowing we have no job and five children under 8 years old with no place to go. So here we are," the note said.
At the bottom of the note, the man wrote, "Oh lord, my God, is there no hope for a widow's son?"
It was the third mass slaying of a family in Southern California since fall."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/27/national/main4756957.shtml
How true it is that money is the root of all evil! I've lost everything in a fire but I was pleased to still have my life!If you believe in God,then you know he will make a way for you.It is the Evil One that puts these thoughts in an individual's head.I mean,it's one thing to take your own life.That's horrific enough!But,to deprive your children of a life is something I will never be able to comprehend.That man would rather murder his children than leave them with someone else.Why? These murder-suicides are totally perplexing to me!What do they think is waiting for them on the other side after they've murdered their whole family & themselves?!It's an impenetrable rationalization!
This latest video shows another cop punching Oscar Grant in the face before he got brutally murdered by another violent officer at the Fruitvale Bart station. These guys clearly violated instead of upholding the law! There is no doubt about it. Nothing that Oscar Grant said could have warranted him being punched in the face.And,most certainly,nothing justifies this killing.It appears that there should be more than one cop in jail behind this incident!
Remember that movie "The Madness of King George" about a king that was stark raving mad? Well,I think we are seeing the sequel being played out daily in the actions of Gov. Blagojevich.When he opens his mouth,it becomes clear that he is out of his God-given mind!His suffering & un-doing is something that he brought on himself.Gov. Blagojevich is a funny guy & he's giving us all a good chuckle.One thing that shocked me was when he revealed that Oprah Winfrey was someone he considered for the Illinois senate seat.Is that true or was he just saying that for shock value.Only his crazy ass knows!
As a former gourmet grocery store clerk,I want to warn the public.I will not name the place of business because,frankly,there was more than one with sanitation issues.One example I will give has to do with a sandwich bar.We all love to eat out once in awhile.Don't you just love those places where you can see the person prepare your food? You know it's sanitary,right? Well,I wouldn't be so certain about that.Not unless I've seen how & where they store the "fresh" food. Because where I worked,they built a reputation based on "freshness". Oftentimes the food was not being rotated properly,which meant that new stuff went on top of the old.In the sandwich bar I worked at,there was also a huge problem with sanitation.There was mold & mildew underneath the refrigerator drawers that stored the food products.When I complained, all I was told was that I could clean it if I was so worried about it. Needless to say, the place closed after only 4 years of operating.Not because it was a health risk with sanitation issues.The business failed because of horrific management.
So,what happened in this case? Inspectors had been reporting sanitation issues for almost 3 years at the Georgia plant where mildew was found. Here's more from CNN:
"Inspectors found mildew on a ceiling and other problems last year at a peanut butter producing plant in Georgia that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak, according to reports released Monday by the state Department of Agriculture.
But the owner of the Blakely, Georgia, plant -- Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America -- described the problems as "relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site."
PCA this month stopped production at the Blakely plant and launched a nationwide recall of peanut butter and peanut paste made there after July 1, 2008.
The New York Times reported Monday that Georgia agriculture inspection reports from 2006 and 2007 depicted a series of sanitation lapses in the Blakely plant.
Citing an inspection report from August 23, 2007, the Times noted at least three incidences in which "food-contact surfaces" were "not properly cleaned and sanitized."
In an apparent response to the Times article, PCA released a statement saying, "When the observations were noted during inspections by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, corrective action was taken immediately where possible and subsequently when immediate action was not possible."
The statement, which PCA sent to CNN accompanied by a copy of a state inspection report from last October, said "the most recent inspection observations by the state [the October inspection report] were relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/26/peanut.butter.plant/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Where is the sense of morality for the participants in the alleged plot to extort $25 million from a grieving family? John Travolta & his family were the victims of an extortion scheme which involved some high ranking officials in the Bahamas.It's absolutely incomprehensible to me how someone could show such disregard for the emotions of a fellow human being.Money is the driving force behind a whole lot of evil!
Now,I didn't hear an explanation as to how "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government".Does she mean that by controlling the growth of our population we will save money?It just doesn't make sense & it sounds like China,where the government controls the population.How will that immediately stimulate the economy? Where is the logic in Nancy Pelosi's reasoning? Here's more from the Telegraph:
"The Democratic leader defended plans in the government's $825 billion (£600 billion) economic stimulus package to reimburse states for contraceptives and other family planning services given out as part of the Medicaid programme for people who cannot afford health insurance.
Mrs Pelosi said that "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government".
Mrs Pelosi, the mother of five children and grandmother to six, did not spell out exactly how fewer babies would help the economy.
But she told ABC television: "The family planning services reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs.
"One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government," she said in an interview on Sunday on ABC's This Week.
John Boehner, the House Republican leader, told Fox News: "Regardless of where anyone stands on taxpayer funding for contraceptives and the abortion industry, there is no doubt that this once little-known provision in the congressional Democrats' spending plan has nothing to do with stimulating the economy and creating more American jobs."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/4352050/Nancy-Pelosi-says-birth-control-will-help-the-US-economy.html
Liberty City is featured in the "Grand Theft Auto" video game as one of the worst cities in America.It is an impoverished part of Miami that has had more than it's share of crimes.But,the "weapons of war" that was used to murder at least 2 people today is horrific.Here's more on what happened today from WKRG.COM:
"Police in Miami say whoever shot and killed two people and wounded seven in a residential area is still out there and still very dangerous. Police spokeswoman Kenia Alfonso says at least one of the wounded is in critical condition at a hospital. Authorities don't have anyone in custody and don't know what prompted the shooting outside a store in Liberty City. Fire and rescue officials say that when paramedics arrived at the chaotic scene, many of those who had been shot were lying in the street. Six people were taken to trauma units and another person went to a hospital with less severe injuries. Liberty City's name comes from a housing project built in the 1930s for poor African-Americans and is known around Florida for its crime and grinding poverty. The city was the scene of riots in the 1980s over police killings."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/deadly_shooting_in_miami/22943/
AK-47's were used to gun down the victims.These "weapons of war" should not be on our streets.This has been an issue that is now reemerging in light of this horrific massacre.The killers are still on the loose.Let's hope they get caught.And let's find a way to get these weapons off of the streets of America!
Even though "Cadillac Records" was supposed to be Beyonce's breakout role,as Etta James,Jeffrey Wright really was the star of the movie.He took someone I had heard of & made him into someone that I felt I knew.Jeffrey Wright was dynamite in his portrayal of Muddy Waters. How is it that he didn't get nominated for an Oscar? He's played everyone from Martin Luther King to Colin Powell.But,you know how Hollywood works.If he plays a thug or a gangster,like Denzel Washington did in "Training Day",Jeffrey Wright will get an Oscar nod.They like it when you play stereotypical roles.Here's more from the L.A. Times:
"We at Pop & Hiss are happy to join in the annual kvetch-fest over the Oscar noms -- here's the full list -- and say both Batman and the Boss deserved what they didn't get. But in between lamenting the academy's failure to recognize a monumental mainstream movie, and puzzling over the exclusion of Springsteen's poignant "The Wrestler" from the lead song category, let's not forget another glaring music-related omission: Jeffrey Wright for leading actor.
Jeffrey Wright's performance as Muddy Waters in "Cadillac Records" didn't merely bring to life a departed titan of American popular music. With subtlety, sexiness and class, Wright embodied a primary conflict experienced by music's pioneers: their careers were often enabled by white allies in the music business, but those "best friends" also frequently used them as if they were indentured servants."(END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here:http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/awards/
Miss World finalist Mariana Bridi da Costa is the exquisite-looking woman who had both her feet & hands amputated.She is in dire need of blood.Since she has a rare blood type,it may be very difficult for her to get it.This story is so sad because doctors misdiagnosed her condition at first.This is a serious issue for Mariana Bridi da Costa & I hope she finds a blood donor.Here's more on this heartbreaking story from the Herald Sun:
"Miss Bridi first fell ill in December but doctors failed to spot the infection - instead saying she had kidney stones.
The illness worsened, causing her to go back to hospital for tests that revealed her condition.
But by then septicaemia had set in her limbs, cutting off circulation and forcing doctors to amputate her hands and feet.
And after that surgery she suffered an internal haemorrhage and had another emergency operation on Wednesday afternoon.
Her boyfriend Thiago Simoes said Miss Bridi could die, despite the drastic surgery.
"We are all absolutely distraught and are just praying now that she can pull through," he said.
"She fell ill on December 30 and we took her to hospital where she was misdiagnosed with a kidney stone.
"They gave her some medicine and sent her home. But two days later she started getting worse.
"We took her back to hospital and they said she had a very serious infection.
"She got more and more sick, and had no blood circulation to her limbs.
"First she lost her feet, then on Tuesday she lost both her hands.
"But she is a very strong person and we just want her to survive."
Miss Bridi is on a ventilation machine in hospital in Serra, in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo.
The infection was caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the whole tragic story here:http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24951977-5012753,00.html
UPDATE ON THIS POST: Unfortunately,I learned that she passed away on Jan. 24.So,so sad! She was only 20.
This is a piece of ridiculousness for the day.Talk about throwing the book at someone! A woman in Iowa got arrested for not returning an overdue library book.Why are they wasting the taxpayer's dollars in the state of Iowa? Here's more on this stupid arrest from the Baltimore Sun:
"An Iowa woman has been arrested because she failed to return a library book.
Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz was arrested Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused of keeping "The Freedom Writers Diary," which she checked out from the public library in nearby Jesup in April.
Police say the book — which is about a high school teacher's effort to inspire students to write — is valued at $13.95.
The Republican National Committee is a party for white men.How does Michael Steele plan to change that? Whenever I see him on Fox,Mr. Steele presents the same jaded RNC talking points that we've always heard.There's nothing new or refreshing in his rhetoric. As for Ken Blackwell,I don't know much about this guy.All of a sudden,the RNC wants someone black to head up their party.Hmmm...I wonder if the reason why they're being seriously considered is because we have a Democratic black president.This is a prime example of tokenism.Let me give you Wikipedia's definition of tokenism & see if you think that's the case here:
"Tokenism refers to a policy or practice of limited inclusion of members of a minority group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices, intentional or not. Typical examples in real life and fiction include purposely including a member of a minority race (such as a black character in a mainly white cast, or vice versa) into a group. Classically, token characters have some reduced capacity compared to the other characters and may have bland or inoffensive personalities so as to not be accused of stereotyping negative traits. Alternatively, their differences may be overemphasized or made "exotic" and glamorous.
Tokenism can also be used in newspapers and other media. Newspapers will often only criticise a minority group by using a pundit from that minority group. An asian columnist arguing that immigration is too high, or a black pundit arguing that affirmative action is wrong could be considered a token minority."(END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokenism
Did you see the part that I emboldened? Well,Michael Steele is the pundit that Fox uses on a regular basis to criticize members of his own race.Will he really lead the RNC out of the dark ages & into the 21st century? I think not! Like I said earlier,I don't know Mr. Blackwell at all.Here's more about these men from the Washington Post:
"Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, an accomplished speaker, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, not well known for dazzling performances, each repeatedly drew sustained applause and appreciative laughter during Monday´s debate among the six candidates for the Republican National Committee chairman post.
"Ken Blackwell talked about a revolution today, and we're going to see some of that happening because we've lost our way as a party," said North Dakota GOP Chairman Gary Emineth.
Six candidates vying to be the new chairman of the Republican National Committee greet each other before taking part in a debate hosted by the Americans for Tax Reform at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell drew the most applause from the audience.
Carolyn Meadows, a former RNC member from Georgia, said: "I thought Steele and Blackwell both hit it out of the park."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the whole article here:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/06/steele-blackwell-take-limelight-at-rnc-forum/
Here's the video of the RNC Chairman Debate that they participated in.
I happen to love rap & profanity. But,there is a time & a place for everything,guys! And Jay-Z & Young Jeezy really made themselves look like two asses by saying "nigga" & "motherfucka" in every sentence.On the day the first black president in history was sworn-in,they wanted to conduct themselves like two ignorant "niggas".It should have been a day of celebration with no displays of anger.Jay-Z & Young Jeezy should have respected that.You can clown George Bush any day.
I don't know if you've heard of the knife crime epidemic over in Europe,yet.Joseph Wardley is the guy pictured above.He got into an altercation with a guy who slashed his face up.Damn,whatever happened to fist-fights? Here's more on this tragic story from the Telegraph:
"Joseph Wardley, then 18, was left looking like a "human spirograph" and will be disfigured for life despite extensive plastic surgery.
He suffered 10 wounds to his head including a 9in gash down the left side of his skull, and needed 150 stitches and 15 staples in his face and scalp.
Surgeons have told Mr Wardley, 19, from Huntingdon, Cambs., that he may still need further operations to repair the horrific damage.
Attacker Jamie Bird, 17, was on bail for arson when he hacked off part of the teenager's left ear with a craft knife during the vicious attack last August.
Bird, from Godmanchester, Cambs., admitted wounding with intent and possessing an offensive weapon at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday.
He has also been found guilty of a separate charge of arson, which he had denied.
Judge Sean Enright sentenced Bird to a total of six years for wounding with concurrent sentences for the other charges.
The judge lifted reporting restrictions on the case because of the "quite devastating" injuries resulting from the sustained attack.
Prosecuting counsel John Goodier said on the day of the attack there had been "eyeballing" between Bird and Mr Wardley, who was in a car.
Mr Wardley spat at Bird who spat back before launching his ferocious assault in which he used the three-inch craft knife "extensively"."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/4298825/Teenage-stab-victim-left-looking-like-human-spirograph.html
Don't you just love this couple? Beyonce & Jay-Z really look genuinely happy & in love at Obama's Inauguration. Black love is so beautiful.
I told you Michelle Obama was an elegant sophisticate! She looks splendid in that beautiful dress with the matching jacket.What a great looking couple!Here's more on her inaugural fashion choice from The Huffington Post:
"Michelle Obama looks particularly chic today in a pale yellow gown by designer Isabel Toledo. You can see more of her designs here, and read more about the designer herself here.Go here to see photos & videos: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/20/michelle-obamas-inaugurat_n_159344.html
I love that I was able to witness this day in history. Since I'm on the West Coast,I had to get up kind of early to catch Obama's Inauguration.Too bad I didn't have the clout or the dough to be there in person.I envy all of you lucky folks who were able to see it all go down firsthand.Isn't it great to feel that,as an African-American,you are included in this whole political process? I don't think there has ever been that many black people at any Inauguration.After seeing just how far Obama has ascended in this country,I know that change has already hit the black community in a very positive way.I believe we will see a lot more black people with political ambitions than we ever have before.
And that speech that he gave was truly inspiring.Here's more on that from Yahoo:
"Two years after beginning his improbable quest as a little-known, first-term Illinois senator with a foreign-sounding name, Obama moved into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth youngest president, at 47, and the first African-American, a barrier-breaking achievement believed impossible by generations of minorities.
He said it was a moment to recall "that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
Obama called for a political truce in Washington to end "the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."
He said that all Americans have roles in rebuilding the nation by renewing the traditions of hard work, honesty and fair play, tolerance, loyalty and patriotism.
"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."
With the economy in a long and deepening recession, Obama said it was time for swift and bold action to create new jobs and lay a foundation for growth. Congressional Democrats have readied an $825 billion stimulus plan of tax cuts and spending for roads, bridges, schools, electric grids and other projects.
"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works," the new president said."(END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/inauguration_rdp;_ylt=Aj_T79OoDtQL9zfR3ofXD0kuA6J4
In this video,you will see the black Virginia businessman who spent $1.6 million on the Inauguration.He wanted to help some black people who couldn't afford to attend this event be able to do so. And he did it out of the goodness of his heart & in the spirit of Christianity.
Well,you guys,it's almost official! Barack Obama will be inaugurated tomorrow. I can't wait & I'll be at a little party witnessing a truly historical moment in world history. It feels so good to have the person I voted for get sworn in. And that gets magnified by the fact that he is African-American.
Michelle Obama will become our first black First Lady.I really admire this elegant,beautiful sophisticate.She will bring more than style & glamour to her role as First Lady.There is no doubt in my mind that she will bring great wisdom & intellect to the forefront as well.But,according to this article from Politico,some folks are wondering just what type of black woman she is.How will she represent for the sistas? Here's more on the speculation out there from Politico:
"African-American women say she’ll upend age-old stereotypes of the angry black woman who can’t find a good man, or keep him when she does.
The one person who hasn’t really weighed in is Michelle Obama. And it’s got the cottage industry of people who pay close attention to the president’s wife – the historians, the cultural mavens, the social scene-setters — frankly a little confused.
That uncertainty, some say, relates to race – put simply, Obama is like no other famous black woman who came before her. She’s not a single workaholic like Condoleezza Rice. She’s not from the entertainment world like Beyonce. She’s famous, but in an entirely different way than, say, Oprah.
“I think that black women will constantly have to translate and explain who Michelle Obama is, I have heard people say that they don’t know any black women like her and she seems to be so aggressive, and why does she downplay her career and talk about being a mom so much,” said Beverly Guy-Sheftall, a women’s studies professor at Spelman College.
“She is going to be hyper visible and having always to explain what she means. But there is always the possibility that Michelle will get constructed as an atypical black women, like Condi, and people think that she is so special and so different that we can’t even think about her as a black women. We hope that doesn’t happen.”(END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17640.html
We live in a country where all speech is permitted,including ignorant,racist speech.Take this stupid racist forum called "Chimpout". I came across it on google when I was looking for this article about black Alaskans.On Google,I saw the title"Alaskan Niggers Feel Ignored By Sarah Palin;Say She's Not Sensitive To Their Whining". Even though this was written before Obama won,I think it's safe to say that we are not living in a post-racial America!Judging from the title of the site & the banner(pictured above),you would think that it's a site about chimps right.Especially since there are bananas falling continiously when you visit the site.By the content of this forum,it becomes sickenly apparent that this is a site dedicated to spewing racial hatred.Here's the link to this horrible site:http://www.chimpout.com/forum/showthread.php?p=105881
I've already done a posting about how Black Alaskans feel about their governor,Sarah Palin.Today she told commentator,Glen Beck,that since Obama won "color is no longer a barrier". Well, I hope she realizes what she said should be true,but that it is not. In his case,Obama was able to overcome the color barrier & become the first black president of the U.S. But,the barrier is still up in many cases all over this country.And we can look at the state of Alaska as an example of that.In case you didn't catch my previous post on this subject,you can get the gist of it from this excerpt from The Huffington Post:
"Gwen Alexander, the president of the African-American Historical Society of Alaska, told me that Palin stated defiantly that she had no intention to hire any minority staffers. And according to Bishop Dave Thomas, senior pastor of Anchorage-based African-American church Jesus Holy Temple, the Palin administration excluded black business owners from the Alaskan oil and gas pipeline board. "We wasn't even able or allowed to go into the meetings" to seek contracts for the pipeline, Thomas told me.
Palin further alienated Alaska's black community by becoming the first Alaskan governor in recent memory to not recognize the Juneteenth celebration of the emancipation proclamation. "She doesn't hire any black people, she doesn't have any on her staff, so it's not a surprise that she doesn't support our Juneenth celebration," Alexander said."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/how-sarah-palin-has-exclu_b_134403.html
This video has a review of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". It's one of the greatest pictures that I have seen in awhile. It takes place in Mumbai & showcases the poverty-stricken hard life of a child of the slums.There's romance,violence,& intrigue in this movie.As soon as I started watching it,I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.This movie is so poignant that a charity is using it to draw attention to the plight of the real "slumdogs". Here's more on that from the Telegraph:
"Slumdog Millionaire's success is being used by charity Save the Children is being used to highlight the true misery of living in the slums of Mumbai.Children living in India's slums have little chance of going from rags to riches, unlike the star of hit film directed by Danny Boyle.
The charity is keen to highlight the difference between the real children in India's slums and Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, who grows up as a "slumdog" in Mumbai but goes on to win Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Shireen Vakil Miller, Save the Children India's head of policy, said that the chance to go to school would be the equivalent of hitting the jackpot for these children.
She said: "Mumbai is a city of dreams where people think the streets are paved with gold. But many families who migrate there become trapped by poverty.
"In slums across India families live, sleep and eat in tiny shacks, working 24/7 in the desperate hope that they will be able to scrape together enough money to eat that night.
"One in four children is born into poverty in the country. For them hitting the jackpot simply means being able to go to school and get an education so that they can fight their way out of it."
More than 120 million children live in poverty across India, around twice the population of the UK."(END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/4287737/Slumdog-Millionaires-success-used-by-Save-the-Children-to-highlight-misery-of-slums.html
The focus has been on the Middle East whenever you talk about national security.But, with all of the violence from Mexico spilling over into the United States,folks are starting to worry that things are beyond control over there.In fact,some are saying that Mexico may become a bigger headache than Iraq for President Obama.Here's more from MSNBC:
"Retiring CIA chief Michael Hayden told reporters on Friday that that Mexico could rank alongside Iran as a challenge for Obama — perhaps a greater problem than Iraq.
The U.S. Justice Department said last month that Mexican gangs are the "biggest organized crime threat to the United States." National security adviser Stephen Hadley said last week that the worsening violence threatens Mexico's very democracy.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff recently told The New York Times he ordered additional border security plans to be drawn up this summer as kidnappings and killings spilled into the U.S.
The alarm is spreading to the private sector as well. Mexico, Latin America's second biggest economy and the United States' third biggest oil supplier, is one of the top 10 global risks for 2009 identified by the Eurasia Group, a New York-based consulting firm.
Mexico is brushing aside the U.S. concerns, with Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez-Mont saying Wednesday: "It seems inappropriate to me that you would call Mexico a security risk. There are problems in Mexico that are being dealt with, that we can continue to deal with, and that's what we are doing."
Still, Obama faces a dramatic turnaround compared with the last time a new U.S. president moved into the White House. When George W. Bush was elected in 2000, the nation of 110 million had just chosen Vicente Fox as president in its fairest election ever, had ended 71 years of one-party rule and was looking forward to a stable, democratic future."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the whole article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28719835/
I know that Malia Obama loves the Jonas Brothers.When Usher performed at the Inauguration concert today,she was getting plenty of snapshots of him.I wonder if her parents noticed.
I really liked the way that they had a lot of diversity in the performances. I'm guessing that was by design.I really love the fact that we have a president with such a diverse racial background.For that reason,a multicultural America is an idea that he will embrace instead of reject.
Dwayne Wade may have just had his most personal business put out there for the world to know. Since he is going through an extremely nasty divorce,his wife has made some serious allegations about him. We all knew about the adultery. Now, she is saying that he gave her an "unspecified STD". Yuck! Here's more on that from sports.rightpundits.com:
"Siohvaughn is technically not trying to sue Dwayne. She wants the names of all his sexual partners during their six years of marriage, one of whom might have been responsible for the disease! Now, apart from the all the finances that he would have had to handle… Dwayne’s all off-the-court business is about to be revealed in public.
She also says she has suffered ”grievous physical, emotional and mental injury” from the STD, diagnosed in the fall of ‘07. Dwyane and his ”paramour or paramours” are liable, she alleges. ‘Dwyane must disclose the identity of all of his sexual partners during the parties’ marriage.”
Now that is not good, at least for a person who was chosen as the ‘Father of the Year” in 2007 by the National Father’s Day Committee. The All-Star has two boys from this marriage and has been linked to actress Gabrielle Union before."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://sports.rightpundits.com/?p=1474
I am so excited because Season 3 of the Baldwin Hills is finally here! It starts Jan. 27,check your local listings for the time.I wonder if Gerren & Moriah are going to wind up back together. And I'm especially curious about Staci's pregnancy. There is a quick preview of the new season on Bet.com. This is a video of an impromptu interview with the cast members at the BET awards about Season 2."The Hills" is a really good show too.But,I can identify with the black people of "Baldwin Hills" much better.And for those who don't know,"all black people don't live in the ghetto", as Moriah states in the show's intro.
Is it just peanut butter products that are infecting people with salmonella or the actual peanuts that are found in numerous foods? Which is it,FDA? I don't think they have a good handle on this situation,as usual. At first,we were told to stay away from peanut butter.Now,it may be the peanuts that are found in various baked goods.And the only reason they suspect peanuts is because some folks don't recall ever eating peanut butter. So,what is causing this recent outbreak of salmonella poisoning? I wouldn't trust our bumbling government to find this information out in a timely fashion.Here's more from Yahoo News:
"The recall includes Austin and Keebler branded Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, in addition to some snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies.
Sandra Williams, a compliance officer with the Food and Drug Administration in Detroit, advised consumers not to eat the products and to contact a doctor if they have any symptoms.
"This is a very active investigation, but we don't yet have the data to provide consumers with specifics about what brands or products they should avoid," said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's food safety center. Although salmonella bacteria has been found at the Georgia plant, for example, more tests are needed to see if it matches the strain that has made people sick.
The investigation includes not just peanut butter, but baked goods and other products that contain peanuts and are sold directly to consumers. Health officials say as many as one-third of the people who got sick did not recall eating peanut butter.
Officials said they are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Under scrutiny are 32 of the 85 companies that Peanut Corp. supplies, because of when they received shipments of peanut butter or paste. The companies are being urged to test their products, or pull them from the shelves as Kellogg did.
The processing plant passed its last inspection this summer."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_bi_ge/salmonella_outbreak
The quality of this video is poor.But,as you can see from this CNN medical correspondent,Elizabeth Cohen,told people just last week that they didn't have to stay away from peanut butter altogether.Now,we are being told to stay away from it.Does anyone really know what's going on here? From this report,it appears that they don't!
