OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS AT WAR IN BRAZIL

If we swing the media spotlight away from the Middle East for a moment, the world might see that Brazil is experiencing an internal war of its own. The recent battle began when more than 1,000 policemen advanced on Alemao, the slum stronghold of a drug-dealing gang.

Rio de Janeiro officials are trying to make the city safer before it hosts the Pan-American games on July 13 and the city is also one of the host venues for the global series of Live Earth rock concerts on July 7.

As in most conflicts between warring homeland factions, the combatants are not the only casualties. Citizens suffer greatly as they all too easily get caught in the crossfire.

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NEW BLACK WEBSITE NO CREAM NO SUGAR IS HOT BABY!

GET YOUR FRESH CUP HERE!

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MUSIC INDUSTRY ATTACKS PAPER'S FREE CD BY HIS ROYAL BADNESS PRINCE

The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move drawing widespread criticism.

The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album.

Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.

One music store executive described the plan as "madness" while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores.

"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."

Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with tickets for his forthcoming concerts in London.

The Business Guardian Read more!

BLACK MEN ARE JOINING THE KKK IN RECORD NUMBERS

Wake Up Family!!!

In Philly last year, 414 people were murdered. An analysis of Police Department data shows that:

Black men age 15 to 29 are being killed in Philadelphia at a rate more than 30 times the average for all Americans. Last year, 166 African Americans in that age group were murdered in the city - 40 percent of all victims. That works out to 241 per 100,000 people.

The murder rate for the other 95 percent of Philadelphians was 17 per 100,000. The national rate is about 8 per 100,000.

What's sad family about this story is that it was published in 1997!

Now, on to the show. Read more!

TRING TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, BLACK MAYOR IN PHILLY STILL CAN'T WIN

Street Waits Like Everyone Else

Before Leaving IPhone Line

(AP) Mayor John F. Street abruptly ended his wait in line for an iPhone Friday after a passer-by asked him about the city's murder rate.

The brother -- whom some describe as "prickly" -- showed up outside an AT&T store at 3:30 a.m. like all the other tech nuts who are intent on claiming "first!"

No problem, right?

Well, suddenly it became a problem after a 22-year-old sporting a mohawk asked Street, "How can you sit here with 200 murders in the city already?"

Hizzoner told the man: "I'm doing my job!"

Listed in Time Magazine as one of the three worst big-city mayors in the United States in 2005, the 63 year-old politico had planned to stay in line for most of the day, waiting for Apple Inc.'s iPhone to go on sale at 6 p.m.

When he left at 11:30 a.m. with someone holding his spot, Mayor Street stated his intention to return later today.

Street said he wants the new device because he loves trying out the latest technology. Apple's new handheld would allow him to work some of the day outside the office, he said.

A good PR person would have advised this O.G. that, after all the recent scandals, his response was both stupid and unnecessary.

That's especially true in light of statistics showing Philly's murder rate climbing from last year with over 200 killed so far - the deadliest in nearly a decade.

"We don't have to be sitting in City Hall to be conducting city business," Street said.

Okay, Black man -- have it your way!

Read more!

MICHAEL ASKS MICHAEL: "WHAT...?!"

If young Michael could ask old Michael just one question, what do you think he would ask?

Submit your Michael asks Michael question and we'll publish it! Read more!

IF RICHARDSON KEEPS 37TH CONGRESSIONAL SEAT BLACK, IS BROTHER GIBSON NEXT UP FOR HER 55TH ASSEMBLY SEAT?

Black Politics In California Is On And Crackin'

Assemblywoman Laura Richardson won a two-month sprint to succeed the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald on Tuesday, besting a better financed and more experienced opponent with the help of labor and Black leadership.

Richardson won 37.8 of the vote, to 31.3 percent for Latina state Sen. Jenny Oropeza. Millender-McDonald's daughter, Valerie McDonald, finished a distant third with 9.4 percent.

"I just thank God," Richardson said Tuesday night, from a party at the Home Depot Center's Stadium Club in Carson. "It's not just about money and it's not just about the number of years you've served. It's about what's in your heart."

Millender-McDonald, who represented her district for 11 years, died April 21 of colon cancer.

The top vote-getters from each party will face each other in a runoff on Aug. 21. Because Democrats hold such a strong advantage, Richardson is a shoo-in for the runoff election.

The race drew attention initially as a test of African-American political clout, as leaders worked to hold on to a congressional seat that has traditionally been held by someone Black, even as its Latino population has grown rapidly in the last decade.

The state Black Legislative Caucus rallied behind Richardson, who served on the Long Beach City Council for six years before being elected to the 55th Assembly District last fall.

But the membership of the Congressional Black Caucus was divided between those who supported the assemblywoman and those who backed the late congresswoman's daughter.

That divide may resurface very soon, as folks begin jockeying to run for Richardson's 55th Assembly seat.

While their are rumblings that city officials in Compton and Long Beach want the gig, we got five on Carson Councilman Mike Gipson.

He has had to deal with quite a bit over the last few years as Carson Mayor Jim Dear has continuously bumped heads with the up and coming brother.

A White city councilman who replaced former Black Mayor Darryl Sweeney (currently imprisoned for criminal misdeeds while in office), Dear has been mentioned as a candidate.

Hizzoner may want to rethink that decision, however, given that a vocal group of angry residents, many of whom are Black, are currently organizing to recall him.

Former Los Angeles School Board Member Warren Furutani, who lost to Richardson in the Democratic primary last year, is also reportedly mulling another run.

A special primary election to fill the seat will likely be held toward the end of October or early in November.

Like the 37th Congressional seat, Democrats run it so any Republican in the district doesn't stand a chance!

SOURCE

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WILL SCIENCE RENDER BLACK MEN EVEN LESS NECESSARY?

The Possibility Seems Very Real

A team of scientists recently announced they had made artificial sperm from human bone marrow, and media reports abounded with the dire news that my goodfellas (and by extension, me) had been rendered unnecessary.

If a woman chose to do so, speculated tabloid journalists, she could make sperm from her own bone marrow, fertilize another woman’s egg — and voila!

“Men could be completely sidelined,” according to Britain’s Daily Mail.

“Women to Self Create,” blared the headline in Australia’s Daily Telegraph.

“Men beware!” began a story on one U.S. news Web site.

There are at least half a dozen reasons why such speculation is silly, some scientific and some practical. For example, as long as sex feels good and remains no more expensive than dinner and a bottle of wine, most people will use natural-grown sperm.

Still, I just want to know why you women are in such a rush to get rid of us. Are you trying to give us a complex or something?

Hmmm. In the near term, men may not be much different than the present. “The concept here that resonates with people is the idea of men not being necessary in some way,” Stock suggests. “But men are not really necessary at this point either.” Read more!

BOW DOWN CLEOPATRA AND SISTERGIRL NERERTITI: MEET QUEEN HATSHEPSUT

Egypt Identifies Mummy of Pharaoh Queen

Africa Gets Continental Airspace Authority

Crippling Four-Week Strike in South Africa Ends

Urban Population in Africa, Asia to Double by 2030

United States of Africa? Summit to Debate the Dream

'Ocean's Thirteen' Cast Donates $5.5M to Aid Efforts in Darfur

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WHAT'S THE POINT OF BLACK MUSIC MONTH ANYWAY?

Time to Represent?

By Jayar Jackson

President Bush invited many prominent names to the White House June 22 to celebrate Black Music Month, an annual observance and appreciation of African American singers, composers and musicians.

He invoked the usual laughter and applause from the attendees which included Department of Housing and Urban development secretary Alphonso Jackson, former BET owner Bob Johnson, and Warner Music Group executive vice president Kevin Liles.

Some of the performers were R&B singer KEM Owens, violinists Tourie and Damien Escobar, who rose above their tough surroundings to form a group called Nuttin’ But Strings, and 15-year-old Karina Pasian, who uses music to address many serious issues such as hunger, disease, and the genocide in Darfur.

Greg Collins, one of the key players in helping launch and name June as Black Music Month, was also on hand.

He told allhiphop.com, "The influence that Black Music has had on the culture of this country and the world needs to be continually recognized and given its proper place in history. In consideration of all of the negative publicity that surrounds different aspects of our music, this was truly a day to be proud!"

Why is Collins doing the Harlem Shake all around the issue that everyone knows he’s talking about, rap music.

In my mind, ideas such as Black Music Month and Black History Month were created to bring awareness and attention to the aspects of African American culture that the rest of America so easily forgets about.

When a non-Black American is asked what they think of when Black music is brought up, they probably think of rap and all of the negative attention it draws.

Why did Collins only slightly referenced this issue?

Although it was extremely important to highlight the struggles that KEM endured to make it, and the substance that Karina Pasian puts in her music, it is just as vital to address the reasonable questions, concerns, and countless misconceptions many Americans outside and inside of the Black community have regarding the most recognized form of our expression, hip hop.

No matter how many negative artists of the rap genre there are, it is our duty to take the opportunity of national recognition to emphasize real aspects of hip hop, the passionate and worthwhile lyrics that go into so many songs.

It is also our responsibility to address the widely known and commonly reported negative aspects as well. If anyone understands why there is so much apparent violence and misogynistic lines in the most popular genre of our music, it is us.

The majority of the population doesn’t have the interest to go beyond the commercialization of 50 Cents, Snoop, Dre, and Jay-Z to realize that even the negative parts are there for a reason and need to be addressed, not simply written off as “more pissed off Black men that can’t think of anything else but smoking, rims, and bitches.”

We have to stop going to the White House acting like hip hop is a small movement that will soon fizzle out. If we ignore it during the month we set aside to have the world celebrate it, there’s no reason for anyone else to pay attention to its importance and power, either.

Hip hop has reached every part of the world and influenced people that don’t know there are Black folks from all walks of life and backgrounds with something to contribute to every intelligent discussion.

We need to always point out to the people so far from the issues that affect us and our music where it’s all coming from and why. Understanding begins with sparking conversations and exposing people to the topic that simply don’t get it.

Maybe we should begin with the rest of America. Read more!

ATTENTION WALMART SHOPPERS: WE'VE GOT PLASMA TV'S FOR 5 BUCKS... PLUS TAX!

Always Low Prices?

We here at Three Bros love Walmart. We're like zombies!

Yes, we know saying this is not politically correct in some circles. But the bottom line is the bottom line -- why pay more???

Leave it to somebody in Monroe, Louisiana to take it to the extreme.

A brother from West Monroe decided he was going to drop the price of a plasma television from $984 to $4.88.

When the store officers stopped Simms on his way out the door, this dude had the nerve to then produce a receipt for the television.

Police arrested Chandon L. Simms, 23, at the retail store on a charge of felony theft. No word on the brilliant cashier who actually completed the transaction.

Then again, are they told to complete the purchase, then let security handle it?

Any Walmart employees out there? Do tell! Read more!

IMMIGRATION ISSUE SETTLED OVER CHICKEN & WAFFLES

I have been scratching my head on the "immigration issue" for several months. If millions of present aliens are legalized, will they, as some propose, really take jobs away from black people and other Americans? I don't think so. My rationale? I call it my Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles theory. Here it is:

A few months ago there was a state-wide strike in Los Angeles by Latino workers. I honestly didn't think it would affect me. However, I had a meeting that very same morning scheduled to be held at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffle restaurant on Pico Avenue. Roscoe's is one of the few lasting and legendary African-American restaurants in LA. Roscoe's would certainly be open, but it wasn't. Why? All of the cooks were Latino! So here's my conclusion: Black folks (or anybody else for that matter) just do not want the jobs a lot of illegal aliens hold now, or later.

Heck, if we did, we'd at least cook chicken and waffles in our own restaurant--but we don't--because why? WE DON'T WANT TO!

So I say, make the workers legal. Let them add to our taxable base. However, on the flip side, I'll be pissed off if the cost of my waffle goes up! Read more!

NOT GUILTY VERDICT FOR BLACK DEPUTY WHO FIRED AT LATINO SOLDIER BACK FROM IRAQ

Jury Finds In Favor of Ivory Webb Jr. On All Counts

After only two and half hours of deliberations, the jury Thursday afternoon returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts against Ivory J. Webb Jr., the former California sheriff's deputy who was accused of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm.

The charges stemmed from the Jan. 29, 2006, shooting of Elio Carrion.

Carrion, an Iraq war veteran home on leave, was the passenger in a Corvette that led Webb on a high-speed chase. The chase ended when the driver crashed on Francis Street in Chino, prompting Webb to hold the car's two occupants at gunpoint. A nearby resident caught the subsequent shooting on tape.

The tape appears to show Webb shoot Carrion as Carrion complied with the deputy's orders to get up off the ground.

Prosecutors claimed Webb was angry and out of control when he shot Carrion. Defense lawyers claimed the deputy shot because he believed Carrion reached for a weapon and lunged at him.

The San Bernardino County deputy, who lost his job as a result of the incident, showed no emotion throughout the monthlong trial. He sat stonefaced for the bulk of closing arguments Tuesday and Wednesday.

Upon hearing the verdict, however, the son of former Compton Police Chief Ivory Webb Sr. was clearly overjoyed.

Webb, however, is still not completely out of the woods. Federal charges as well as civil remedies may still be pursued, according to attorneys representing Elio Carrion.

DAILY BULLETIN

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HILLARY SOARS BEFORE BLACK AUDIENCE AT HISTORIC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AT HOWARD

Tavis Smiley has done it again!

But the real story is how Barack Obama, the presumed favorite going in, got his wings clipped by a politician that has a platinum "ghetto pass" because their last name is Clinton.

No, we're not talking about former president Bill Clinton.

Surprisingly, it's Hillary "Holla At Ya Girl" Rodham-Clinton that gets major kudos for her commanding presence before an audience of who's who in Black America at Howard University.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PBS DEBATE:

WINNERS

* Hillary Clinton - In tuned, commanding presence. Stylist hooked her up!

* Barack Obama - Well spoken (as always), Competent (as always), No home run (Again!)

* Kucinich - "If Darfur had oil, this administration would be occupying it right now!"

LOSERS

* Biden - Aids test with Obama? Barack quickly clarifies - "I was with Michelle!"

* Richardson - What do you mean he was there - Where???

* Edwards - Why was he there? We want more Elizabeth versus Coulter trash talk.

MISCELLANEOUS

* Gravel - Comic relieve, once again he didn't disappoint.

* Dodd - So, are you throwing your 3% to Hillary or Barack?

Congressional members John Lewis, Diane Watson, Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson and Barbara Lee were on hand to co-sign on their presidential candidate of choice. Professors Eric Dyson and Cornel West were also present, with activists Harry Belafonte and Rev Al Sharpton clearly making their presence known.

Even artists such as the legendary Ruby Dee and celebrated author-turned-crazy-angry-Black- woman Terry McMillian were seated inside the historically black, Washington DC campus auditorium.

Dubbed the All-American Presidential Forums, the debate featured Michelle Michael on NPR Radio, Dwayne Wickham of USA Today, Ruben Navarette of the San Diego Union Tribune, and of course the ubiquitous radio and television talk show host responsible for making the live PBS debate possible.

"Never before, since the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, has a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color and a black moderator queried a group of presidential candidates in prime time," Tavis said, beaming with pride.

We're right there with you Black man. You did your thing and we salute you, Denise Pines and the team.

Bravo!

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SUPREME COURT PUTS BLACK FOLKS ON A TIMEOUT, STRIKES DOWN USING RACE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Justice Breyer's Dissent Says It All, "Never Have So Few Done So Much So Quickly."

The Supreme Court dealt a severe blow to school integration efforts today, ruling that the U.S. Constitution does not allow students to be assigned particular schools based on race, even when the goal is as lofty as campus diversity.

Correction, not campus diversity - but rather equal access to the more desirable public education "certain" communities afford their young people.

Never mind that a huge percentage of schools in urban areas have lower paid, non-credentialed teachers with higher rates of absenteeism.

Let's ignore the deplorable physical conditions and overcrowding at these campuses.

All that's important here is that White parents, ticked off because their children were turned away from their preferred schools simply because they were White, ultimately got their way.

The court's most conservative members, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, actually wanted to go further and ban all school district efforts at racial balancing. In Roberts' parrallel universe, these efforts violate the principle of a "color-blind'' Constitution.

The reality is, the constitution -- hell, the entire country -- is anything but colorblind.

According to a report by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, Whites made up 58 percent of the nation's public school enrollment in 2003, but the average White student attended a school that was nearly 80 percent white.

African Americans accounted for 17 percent of all students, but the average Black student attended a school that was 53 percent Black. Latinos made up 19 percent of enrollment but attended schools that were typically 55 percent Latino.

Nevertheless, the Bush administration sided with the plaintiffs.

Allowing "the use of a racial classification to achieve a desired racial balance ... would remove the critical requirement that individuals be considered as individuals,'' Solicitor General Paul Clement, argued in court papers.

The Seattle system at the center of the case -- suspended since 2002, when it came under legal attack -- gave officials in the 46,000-student high school district a list of factors to consider when a school had more applicants than space.

The first factor was whether a student had a brother or sister at the school, and the second was whether the student's race would move the school closer to the district population of 40 percent white and 60 percent minority.

In Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville, the 97,000-student district was under a court desegregation order until 2000.

To avoid resegregation, officials said, they established guidelines of between 15 and 50 percent African American enrollment at each school. Overall Black enrollment in the district is 36 percent.

The 5-4 decision came over five decades after the court unanimously outlawed racial segregation in public schools and declared that segregated schools are inherently unequal.

Dissenting justices said the ruling endangered the principles of racial equality established in the landmark 1954 ruling, Brown vs. Board of Education.

"The last half-century has witnessed great strides toward racial equality, but we have not yet realized the promise of Brown,'' said Justice Stephen Breyer. "To invalidate the plans under review is to threaten the promise of Brown.

Today's decision to strike down race-conscious enrollment systems in Seattle and Louisville, Kentucky will impact similar to programs in hundreds of school districts nationwide.

"This is a decision that the court and the nation will come to regret."

Honestly, this unfortunate ruling is the best thing that could happen to us.

Black people are being told -- straight out -- that America is done. The country is over trying to right the wrongs of slavery, Jim Crow, environmental racism, housing discrimination, and a litany of other "color-blind" activities that folks in both the public and private sector - and their ancestors - have benefitted from.

Brothers and sisters, you better wake-up and handle your business. It's a new day family!

San Francisco Gate Read more!

FOR YOU KARAOKE FANS: NE-YO'S BECAUSE OF YOU

IS IT US, OR IS THIS SONG REALLY CATCHY?

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THE JESSE DAVIS CASE: SHAWN KEMP, BOBBY CUTTS, AND NIKKI GIAVASIS' LOVE OF BLACK MEN

You remember former NBA Cleveland Cavalier Shawn Kemp, don't you?

It was almost 10 years ago that Sports Illustrated wrote a cover story about professional athletes having out-of-wedlock children.

BREAKING NEWS: BOBBY CUTTS JR. TAKES THE STAND!!!

At the time, Kemp had fathered seven children by six women. That was in 1998. And that was before Nikki Giavasis.

The same Nikki Giavasis who got knocked up by Bobby Cutts Jr.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know all about the Jessie Marie Davis case and Cutts being accused of murdering the 9-month pregant Ohio woman.

The white mother of Cutts' two year-old son Blake was also believed to be carrying the Black police officer's daughter, who was to be named Chloe.

Before all the drama with Cutts, however, Shawn Kemp was known for (pick your favorite) drug problems, being overweight, fathering children, and being a pretty darn good basketball player back in the day.

Now his name has resurfaced in the media because of Nikki's thing for triffling brothers.

Just as we're hearing that Kelly Schaub Cutts (also white) is filing for divorce from Cutts, 30, we can't help but explore the connection that Cutts had with Kemp.

Reports are that after Bobby Cutts and Nikki Giavasis broke up, Cutts went to her apartment, but when she did not answer, Cutts then broke down the door.

Who was inside with Giavasis? Shawn Kemp.

Back in 2001, Nikki Giavasis admitted that Kemp was the father to her second child. Giavasis was interviewed by WEWS and stated, “"I could have cared less about his (Kemp) money, I loved him and he said he loved me," the White bikini model and actress was quoted as saying.

"Getting pregnant, I wouldn't say I regret it because I love my son and he deserves a good life." At that time, in 2001, Nikki was getting $2,500 a month from Kemp for child support, but wanted more...

This story and everyone involved in it just gets more and more intriguing. Stay with Three Brothers And A Sister as we provide you with all the updates!

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DADDY DIARIES # 477 - ILLEGITMATE CHILDREN OF BLACK NBA STARS ASK, "WHERE'S DADDY?'

This Story Came Out Ten Years Ago. Has Anything Changed?

Nearly one-third of all children in this country are born to unwed mothers.

But this week, Sports Illustrated reports that among professional athletes out-of-wedlock births are epidemic.

And of athletes in the major sports leagues, those in the NBA appear to have the greatest number of cases. According to SI, one of the NBA's top agents says he spends more time dealing with paternity claims than he does negotiating contracts.

The agent tells the magazine that there might be more kids out of wedlock than there are players in the NBA. According to Sports Illustrated, Larry Johnson of the Knicks is supporting five children by four women, including two he has with his wife, and Shawn Kemp of the Cavaliers, who is not married, has fathered seven children.

Other NBA players who have been the subject of paternity-related lawsuits include Patrick Ewing, Juwan Howard, Scottie Pippen, Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, Hakeem Olajuwon and Gary Payton, as well as Larry Bird, who is now the coach of the Pacers, and current NBC game analyst Isiah Thomas.

Click here for more about this story and the interview with then SI Senior Editor Sandy Bailey. Read more!

TAMEKA FOSTER ON USHER: THAT JUST MY BABY DADDY!

CHEERS!

Usher is expecting bigger things than a new album. The brother announced Wednesday that he and fiancée Tameka Foster are expecting their first child together.

At least he's hooking up with a sister. And putting a ring on her finger!

Are you listening Lebron James, T.I., and Carmelo Anthony???

"We are extremely excited at this point in our lives, planning our wedding and the joy that comes with expecting our first child together," the couple said in a statement released to The Associated Press.

"We hope people will be happy for us and respect our privacy during this happy period in our lives."

The baby is due in the fall, according to a representative for Usher. This would be the first child for the superstar crooner-actor, the fourth for the recently divorced Foster.

This is shaping up to be a busy year for Usher. Besides his marriage and a baby, he is expected to release the follow-up to his 8-million selling, Grammy-winning album "Confessions," released in 2005.

He also has a fragrance due out in September.

Read more!

BLACKS AND WHITES ALL AGREE - WITH DEATH OF IMMIGRATION BILL, BUSH IS IN TROUBLE!

Bush Is Getting Pimp-Slapped In Every Direction

President George Bush's comprehensive immigration reform plan, dodging attacks from the left and right for weeks, survived “poison pill” amendments, and was once pulled from the Senate schedule failed its most important test today.

Black Caucus Accused of Selling Out on Immigration

Taking no questions at a hastily arranged press conference, watching Bush concede that he has lost yet another battle makes one thing perfectly clear: this thing is dead family!

The bipartisan coalition that had shepherded the measure through so many obstacles failed to get the 60 votes necessary to end debate. The final vote was 46-53.

Black Congressman John Conyers Slams Bush

Until today, it was unclear whether the bill would survive the cloture vote. But in the end, opponents of the measure from both sides of the political spectrum gained enough support to derail the legislation.

White liberals felt it did not go far enough in protecting illegal immigrants, while White conservatives rejected the bill because they felt it would grant amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.

More Republicans Not Feeling Bush's Iraq Surge

Repeated requests for comments from African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native-Americans proved futile.

Hat Tip: The Hill

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BABIES AND BLOGGING AND... OH BROTHER!

Toni Morrison says that she wrote her novel "The Bluest Eye" with a baby in one hand and a pen in the other.

I'm a writer too. But I am also a single Black man with no children and the only feedings to be concerned with are my own caloric gorge-fests--so I didn't quite appreciate Ms Morrison's statement--until now.

For the past few days I've been watching my goddaughter Milan, a 5-month old cherub, ALL BY MYSELF, while her parents put some much needed time into their career endeavors.

To laundry list all of the baby maintenance considerations I've undergone would be about exciting as well, showing baby pictures, of the same baby, as they miraculously grow from one cute little position to the next--in a day. Plus, most of you, who have children, know this stuff all too well.

However, what I am still trying to wrestle with is how to simply type this blog and all the other writing tasks on my plate with a baby slung over my shoulder.

I'll guess I'll get the hang of it--especially if I plan on being somewhat productive over these next few days. And in getting it, not only will it undoubtedly further my appreciation of writers like Toni Morrison but also deepen my respect for full time parents in general.

Uh oh, Milan just, well... you can imagine.

Now while I'm sitting here gagging, she's giggling.

Babies! Read more!

A BLACK MAN WRESTLES WITH CHRIS BENOIT'S DEATH AS THE FBI RAIDS HIS DOCTOR'S OFFICE

Chris Benoit Just Might be the 3-Count for Wrestling

by Jayar Jackson

I’m willing to admit it, I was caught up in the male soap opera that is professional wrestling a few years ago in 2000.

LATEST: BENOIT'S DOCTOR ARRESTED!

Everyone made fun of it, but when Monday Night Raw came on and you got to hear The Rock so eloquently talk smack and back up the well-written script on the wrestling mat, we snuck to the safe house of other pathetic fans and cheered it on.

Doctor Gave Testosterone To Benoit, His Office Raided Last Week by FBI

“No dog, I didn’t see Stone Cold Steve Austin get up from 15 metal chair blows to the forehead and win the match with one flying elbow. I was gone writing my midterm paper.”

While I lost interest in it after a couple of years, the story being played out in real life should be endangering the entire existence of the sport.

In the latest real life soap opera involving the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), formerly the WWF (Federation), another immensely popular figure has traumatically died in an apparent double murder-suicide.

Wrestling champion Chris Benoit, 40, was found dead along with his wife, Nancy and 7 year-old son, Daniel inside their lavish Fayetteville, Georiga home.

The deaths were caused by asphyxiation due to strangulation and suffocation before Benoit took his own life by hanging himself with a cord from a home weight machine.

As more facts keep coming out, the horror and disbelief that has stricken millions of wrestling fans will undoubetedly wane.

WAS THIS THE REASON BENOIT SNAPPED?

Often criticized for being obviously fake, the king of wrestling entertainment, WWE, has most recently been fighting charges of rampant steroid use among their most popular figures.

Drug related deaths have taken the lives of several popular wrestlers over the past several years.

In 2003, “Mr. Perfect," Curt Hennig was found dead in a Florida hotel room, just before a scheduled wrestling match. The Tampa Coroner and Medical Examiner's offices declared acute cocaine intoxication the official cause of his death.

His father said steroids and painkillers contributed to his death.

Wrestler Eddie Guerrero was found unconscious in 2005 inside a Minnesota hotel room by his nephew, Chavo.

An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure, caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He was also linked to steroid use.

So surprisingly, when Sheriff Lt. Tommy Pope discovered “a lot of prescription medication” in the Benoit home, it doesn’t take a toxicology expert to figure out that 2+2 equals illegal steroid use contributed to yet another wrestling tragedy.

Although some medical professionals say proof of a link to extreme rage brought on by steroids, also known as “roid-rage,” is unlikely to surface from toxicology reports, the accounts of numerous ex-wrestlers suggest that there are no other alternatives.

Former professional wrestler Del Wilkes said athletes use steroids to gain strength and size, with the drugs sometimes causing "moments of uncontrollable rage."

Wilkes also said the drugs can also cause "tremendous" depression "when guys are coming off of them after long usage.

As WWE Chairman Vince McMahon continues to strongly denounce all accusations that the killings were connected to steroid use, more damning evidence of the opposite leaks out.

They claim that roid-rage couldn’t have been involved because Benoit tested negative in April. They also point out the two Bibles that were found next to the wrist and ankle bound Nancy Benoit and the murdered son. This apparently shows premeditation, not rage.

Am I the only person that heard the account from people that were very close to the use of steroids when they said it causes uncontrollable rage and then tremendous depression?

It took Benoit all weekend to take the lives of his entire family before realizing what he had done and depressingly taking his own life on the last day.

Are we so wrapped up in the excitement of a red-faced, pissed off, bump covered, over-grown ass man, relentlessly acting like he’s pulling on the arm of a counterpart that we’re going to believe this?

Imagine for a second that the reborn, immensely popular crossover career of singer Justin Timberlake has come about due to an injection or pill that he could take to make his voice smoother, and make his dance moves be likened to that of Michael Jackson.

Would we sit by, applaud and call him a hero if these pills turned him green and made him rip his shirt off as he beat the life out of his girlfriend and any innocent child in the vicinity? Hell no!

So for every time someone calls Chris Benoit a hero and believes the asinine comments from the mouth of Vince McMahon, I’m going to call him an enraged victim and murderer of two.

Maybe I’m a grumpy old man caught in a 27 year old body, but where can I find footage of “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns?

Those were the days! That's when beating the hell out of each other only made you live uncomfortably in old age, not keeping you from ever seeing it. Read more!

BARACK BLOWS UP, WHILE EDWARDS WASTES TIME ON SKINNY WHITE BLOND ANN COULTER!

Obama Draws More Donors to His Campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has improved on his stunning support in the race for campaign cash, raising his total number of donors to nearly 250,000 people in the first six months of the year.

The freshman Illinois senator impressed rivals in the first quarter when he reported 104,000 donors, but he surpassed the mark in the second quarter with 138,000 more opening their wallets, the campaign told The Associated Press.

John Edwards Wife Wants To Give Coulter A Well-Deserved Beatdown

The campaign won't say yet how much the donors have given, but the large number suggests their fundraising will be competitive with the $25.7 million he raised in the first quarter. A campaign official speaking on the condition of anonymity tried to tamp down expectations by disclosing that the average donation in the second quarter is likely to be less than the roughly $247 in the first quarter.

The campaign was announcing a goal Thursday of attracting 250,000 donors by midnight on Saturday, the next money reporting deadline. It was 7,214 short as of Wednesday.

MICHELLE OBAMA: THIS BLACK MAN IS "READY TO LEAD!"

The campaign said it collected 335,953 contributions - meaning that many individuals made repeat donations - and its goal will be to reach 350,000 by the deadline.

Barack's Theme Song "Wake Up Everybody"

Read more!

PARIS HILTON & LARRY KING: LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY

Aren't We Tired of Her Yet?!

Los Angeles - Paris Hilton, in her first interview since being released from jail, told CNN's "Larry King Live" she has a new outlook on life and sees her time in jail as a "blessing in disguise."

Hilton served a 23-day sentence for violating her probation on an alcohol-related reckless driving conviction.

"I think in life, everyone makes mistakes, and you have to learn and grow from them," Hilton said. "I've been a little immature in the past and made some wrong choices, but I've learned from them, and that makes me the person that I am today ... I have a new outlook on life."

Hilton, 26, described jail life to King, saying her meals consisted of "mystery meat" and "jail slop" but countered reports of drastic weight loss, saying she had only lost a couple of pounds. Her fellow inmates were "really nice," she said, and the hardest thing for her was speaking to her family through glass -- particularly on Father's Day when she could not give her father a hug.

Asked whether she took any portion of her sentence lightly, Hilton said, "I was locked in a cell for 3 1/2 weeks. It was a horrible experience. I did my time."

Meanwhile, US Weekly flips Paris the bird.

And of course, leave it to our dear Sistah to keep it real.

Courtesy of AlaskaReportNews. Read more!

WHY I LOVE BEING BLACK: JENNIFER HUDSON AND JENNIFER HOLIDAY AT THE 2007 BET AWARDS

ANY QUESTIONS?

Read more!

TAKIN' U BACK: 2004 BET AWARDS

THIS IS THE REASON BET BROUGHT MONIQUE BACK FOR 2007

Read more!

2007 BET AWARDS RED CARPET HIGHLIGHTS

Courtesy of BlackTreeMedia Read more!

DEATH OF A LABEL QUEEN

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apparel designer Liz Claiborne, who started the namesake U.S. company Liz Claiborne Inc., has died, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.

Claiborne, 78, was ailing from cancer and died at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Tuesday, her assistant said.

Claiborne founded the company in 1976 with her husband Art Ortenberg, a textile industry veteran, and two others, and retired in 1989.

Read more!

THE MEN BROUGHT IT AT 2007 BET AWARDS - OKAY, MAYBE A FEW DIDN'T!

MARIO, WHAT'S UP WITH THE T-SHIRT?


REGGIE BUSH CAME SUITED UP. WELL DONE BLACK MAN!

ROBIN, ROBIN ROBIN... NO!

THERE'S THAT T-SHIRT AGAIN MARIO. YOU'RE TAKING AWAY FROM HENRY SIMMONS AND BIG BOI'S VIBE.

COMMON IS THE MAN, BUT JOHN SINGLETON LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY'S GRANDDADDY

MUSIQ IS SUCH A BAD BROTHER MUSICALLY, WE HAVE TO GIVE HIM HIS PROPS

Read more!

YOUNG BLACK PILOT COMPLETES HISTORIC TRIP AROUND THE WORLD AND MAKES US PROUD!

Audacious Brother Is Youngest, First Black To Go Solo Globally

(AP) A 23-year-old aerospace student who built his plane from more than $300,000 in donated parts took off hoping to become the youngest person and first black pilot to fly around the globe alone.

Barrington Irving planned to arrive back at Opa-locka Executive Airport on April 30 in his single-engine Lancair Columbia 400. He was set to fly last year, but a lack of funding delayed his $1 million project.

Today, Irving glided into Miami after a three-month journey he hopes will be an inspiration to inner-city kids.

A crowd of about 2000 people erupted in cheers as Barrington Irving landed at Miami's Opa Locka airport after flying a few low passes over the tarmac.

“I'm home,” a jubilant Mr Irving said.

“The flight was a long flight that challenged me mentally and physically,” he said. Mr Irving had initially hoped to complete his voyage in about one month, but took three times as long as he braved sandstorms, snowstorms and a tropical storm.

He flew a single-engine Columbia 400, which he built with more than $US300,000 ($355,260) in donated components. The Jamaican-born aerospace student hopes the trip will be an inspiration to children in poor, urban neighbourhoods.

“I want to show them they can do more with their lives than resort to violence,” said Irving.

Irving was born in Jamaica and grew up in Miami. He said he saw little chance for success until he met a Jamaican-American pilot at his parents' Christian bookstore. The pilot, Gary Robinson, took Irving to see a Boeing 777.

The 15-year-old was mesmerized. He turned down college football scholarships to become a pilot. Irving is now studying at Florida Memorial University; he has private and commercial pilot licenses.

He also founded Experience Aviation, a Miami-based organization that encourages minority youths to pursue aviation careers.

"Even with the challenges, everything is starting to fall in place, " Irving said prior to launching his historical journey. "It's just my time."

We agree. Do yo' thang Black Man - Welcome Home!

Read more!

JESSE MARIE DAVIS: ONCE WHITE WOMEN GO BLACK, THEY DON'T COME BACK!

This Doesn't Surprise Us - What About You?

Before Bobby L. Cutts Jr.’s court appearance Monday, fliers were slid underneath windshield wipers of nearby cars and handed out to those walking by.

“White ladies beware,” the fliers read, “once you go black, you might not come back!”

Six members of the Parma-based branch of the National Alliance, a separatist group that’s based in West Virginia, distributed hundreds of them downtown.

COURT BARS CUTTS FROM SEEING 9 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

With a crush of media and curious citizens on hand for a case that’s drawing national attention, the National Alliance used the opportunity to perform, in the words of the organization’s chairman, Erich Gliebe, a “public service.”

Below photos of Cutts, a black Canton police officer, and Jessie M. Davis, the pregnant white woman from Lake Township who Cutts is accused of murdering, the flier delves into the “dangers” of interracial relationships.

Included on the flier is a photo of O.J. Simpson with his arm around Nicole Brown Simpson.

Moniquec Conner, president of the Canton chapter of the NAACP, isn’t overly concerned. “Whoever was writing those fliers and doing that, it’s simply a sign of ignorance,” Conner said.
“We are in this together.”

But Conner said “considering all the hate fliers and the different things that are going on ... I’m concerned with the additional crime that this could lead to.

KELLY CUTTS HAS FILED FOR DIVORCE & IS REQUESTING SUPPORT FROM BOBBY CUTTS

Erich Gliebe, chairman of the National Alliance, said his group’s flier distribution will continue throughout the Cutts trial.

Gliebe said Davis “was uneducated to the dangers of interracial relationships,” and in an attempt to reduce what he said is a significant risk to white women, members of his organization will distribute “thousands and thousands” of the fliers in the Canton area “as long as the trial lasts and perhaps even beyond that.”

Conner said the way Patty Porter, Davis’ mother, is handling the situation has helped and will prevent Davis’ death from becoming a matter of race.

“I feel that if (Porter) was preaching hate, hate, hate, hate, it might become a different issue, but she’s not that kind of a woman,” Conner said. “I don’t see this case creating a racial war. What I do see is outsiders, just foolishness, attempting to create one.”

Canton Rep
Read more!

BLACK GAY STUDENT WANTS HIS KISS IN THE YEARBOOK, WHILE GENARLOW WILSON IS DENIED BAIL FOR TEEN ORAL SEX

NJ Superintendent Apologizes to Black Gay Student

Newark schools superintendent Marion Bolden made a public apology to a group of assembled students on Tuesday before talking personally with Andre Jackson, the 18-year-old student whose photo she had ordered blacked out of 230 school yearbooks because it depicted Jackson in a kiss with his boyfriend.

Said Bolden: "We have to own up to the fact that it was a homophobic moment. That's what everybody's afraid to say. There are sensitivity issues we need to talk about as a result of this."

As a parent, I personally don't want to see anybody kissing in my kids high school yearbook - two males, two females, male-female, pick one!

According to the Associated Press, "Bolden said she arrived at the school Tuesday to find [Jackson] reluctant to speak with her, but that the two spoke after she made a public apology to the assembled students. 'He said he felt a lot better,' Bolden said. 'He said he's had more issues around his coming out from outside school than in school, so it was particularly hard for him.'

During her public remarks, she said the picture of Jackson kissing his boyfriend was not appropriate for the yearbook and that, if it was to be removed, two pictures of heterosexual couples kissing should have been removed as well."

We agree. Just the thought of Genarlow Wilson still being on lockdown for having consensual oral sex with a 15 year-old girl when he was 17 should put everyone on notice!

Speaking of Wilson, the insanity continues. A judge has just denied his request to be released on bond pending his appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court.

NO OFFENSE TO GETTING YOUR FEELINGS HURT ABOUT A YEARBOOK PHOTO, BUT GENARLOW'S CASE IS WHAT REALLY NEEDS OUR FOCUS.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! Read more!

VENUS TELLS SERENA & OTHER BLACK ATHLETES TO BOW DOWN!

Venus Rallies to Victory at Wimbledon

Baseball is Stepping Up to the Plate for Black Kids

Shaq Attacks Child Obesity The Only Way He Can - On TV

Barry Bonds Does Not Have White Mainstream Support

Will Kevin Garnett Becoming A Laker Placate Kobe?

Read more!

GENARLOW WILSON TOPS THE NEWS MOST BLACK FOLKS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT

Group Offers $1 Million for Genarlow Wilson's Bond

Radio One's Quarterly Profit Slips as It Revamps Strategy
Racially Charged Beating Trial Gets Started in Louisiana

Black Students in VA, MD Outdo US Peers in AP
Pittsburgh: Wide Racial Income Disparity
Michael Jackson and R. Kelly Sue Jay-Z's Club

First Lady Begins Africa Tour on AIDS
32nd NABJ Convention to Be Held in Las Vegas
Wachovia Sponsors National Conference on Black Philanthropy

Read more!

What Is 3 1/2 Inches Long And Can Satisfy A Woman EVERY TIME?

HERE IT IS!

Read more!

WHY WERE FOLKS DRUNK & LOOKIN' CRAZY IN PUBLIC AT THE 2007 BET AWARDS

KIM COLES SHOWS RAVEN WHAT SHE'S GONNA LOOK LIKE IN ABOUT 25 YEARS

UNDERAGE DRINKER CHRIS BROWN


OVERAGE DRINKER BOOTSY COLLINS WITH FIDDY "TACKY" SENSELESS


VIVICA FOX IS ONE COCKTAIL AWAY FROM PICKING UP ANOTHER DUI

FLAVA FLAV AND HIS CREW, FRESH OUT OF REHAB

DIDDY & LIL KIM SIPPED SOME _______ BEFORE THEY PERFORMED

SO WHO WAS EVE'S DESIGNATED DRIVER?

Read more!

BLACK WOMEN WHO SPARKLED AT THE 2007 BET AWARDS

NO WONDER EVA WON AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL

IS THAT AMERIE WINKING AT US? BACK AT-CHA SEXY LADY


SELITA EUBANKS WAS TRYING TO CATCH SOME LOVE WITHOUT NICK CANNON LURKING IN THE BACKGROUND

ALL HAIL TO THE 'HAIRSPRAY' QUEEN, DIVA LATIFAH

MELYSSA FORD'S BODY: ENOUGH SAID!

ALICIA KEYS WAS GLOWING


BEYONCE...

WE LIKEY!

Read more!

LAURA RICHARDSON KEEPS CONGRESSIONAL SEAT BLACK IN WIN OVER LATINA STATE SENATOR

UPDATE: RICHARDSON WINS - CLICK HERE!!!

The BET Awards aired yesterday, topping off quite a year for actress/singer Jennifer Hudson.

The American Idol loser turned Dreamgirl pushed through adversity and is now at the top of her game.

Hudson was obviously stealing notes out of Laura Richardson's playbook.

Receiving 37.8% of the vote, the Democratic assemblymember won big last night and -- absent global warming killing us all -- will be the winner on August 21, 2007 in a runoff election.

Richardson will go up against the top Republican vote getter who received 7.6% of the vote and the Green Party and Libertarian candidates who received even a smaller proportion of the votes.

With her decisive victory over a dozen candidates in the Democratic primary --each vying to replace the late Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, Richardson has indeed landed her dream job.

I saw Laura Richardson last Friday and the first thing I noticed was that she had slimmed down.

"Hey you! It's been a long time." Laura said. "You look great," I retorted.

"I'm trying. I've been going to the gym."

By the looks of things, Laura's been hitting more than the weights. Over the last ten years, she has been relentless about serving the community in an elected capacity and living her life's purpose.

Having grown up in a Teamster household, Laura and I met in the late 1990's when she first launched a bid to get on the Los Angeles School Board. Lacking money, name recognition and the support of other Black elected officials, she lost. Big time!

Undeterred, she ran again for a different position. She lost.

Having accumulated fans and supporters who believed in her, Richardson made one last ditch effort to run for a seat on the city council in Long Beach.

To say the election was controversial was an understatement. Even after her narrow victory, the person she ran against demanded a recount - ultimately conceding that she was the rightful victor.

Laura went on to serve Snoop Dogg's old stomping ground faithfully, contributing to this port town and fifth largest city in California in such a way to help it become a vibrant, desirable place to live, shop and raise a family.

It was only a matter of time before this biracial, formerly married sister would ascend to the California State Assembly.

After winning an unprecedented three elections in Long Beach, this time she had back-up. With endorsements from the Black elite, and a proven track record, Richardson was sworn-in November 2006 to a seat her mentor has once held.


Prior to Congresswoman Juanita Millender McDonald representing the 37th Congressional District, she earned her political stripes by serving on the Carson City Council. McDonald then went on to win the assembly seat Richardson subsequently captured.

After former Compton Mayor Walter Tucker, pictured right, resigned his seat in Congress over corruptions charges that landed him in prison (Kappa brother Mervyn Dymally - the first Black Lieutenant Governor of California - previously held the seat), Juanita McDonald was ready for the national stage.

Beating out several challengers, including former Compton Mayor Omar Bradley, Juanita McDonald joined Maxine Waters, and later Diane Watson, as the representatives giving a much needed voice to Southern Californians in general, and the Black community in particular.

Stricken with cancer last year, Congresswoman McDonald left her mark on Washington and Southern California politics.

And Laura Richardson knows that the baton has now been passed on to her.

Under California law for special elections to Congress and other partisan offices, if no candidate receives an outright majority, the top vote getters from each party in the special election primary race face off in the special election general contest.

Richardson beat out Democratic State Senator Jenny Oropeza who received 31.3% of the vote in this heavily Democratic district.

With 18 candidates on the ballot, getting that majority now was difficult. Turnout was 11.2% despite the infusion of independent expenditures and a tug of war between tribal casino interests organized labor and between some Latinos and Blacks as to this seat.

Richardson, who is the Assistant Speaker pro Tem of the Assembly, despite being elected to that body just last November, will continue to serve in the Assembly. At age 45, even with demographic shifts in the district she will likely remain in the Congressional seat for many years.
Richardson will remain in the Assembly for another two months and Oropeza will continue to serve in the State Senate. Oropeza has wished her well.

There will be a special election for the 55th Assembly District seat, a Democratic stronghold, after the end of this year's regular session of the legislature and before the legislature reconvenes and the second year of the 2007-08 term begins in January. Read more!

IF PUFF CAN DO BROADWAY, WHY NOT SPIKE?

If there is one universal truth about Spike Lee it's that the man is gutsy.

In a move that has the Broadway vanguard choking on their crumpets, the director of "Do The Right Thing" and "Malcolm X" is slated to direct "Stalag 17" for the Broadway stage.

It's not so out of the box for film directors to try their hand at theater work, but here's the rub with Spike: He has never worked in the theater and couldn’t recall the last play he attended.

Yet he's confident that he'll do a great job. We're sure he will. That's our Spike! To read more on this story, go here. Read more!

OUR YOUTH COULD DECIDE OUR FUTURE

A New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll finds that young Americans are leaning to the left on national issues like health care, immigration, gay marriage and the war in Iraq. Our hope is that they also lean into the voting booths and make their voices heard when election time comes around. The signs though are hopeful. The percentage of youth ages 18 to 24 who reported voting and registering to vote was higher in the 2004 presidential election year than in 1996 or 2000 (42 percent reported voting in 2004, compared with 32 percent in both 1996 and 2000). To read more about this poll and find out what our young folks are thinking, go here. Read more!

CIRCLE OF LIFE----DEATH, FALLEN HEROES

THIS WEEK, THE PENTAGON RELEASED THE NAMES OF 26 SOLDIERS AND MARINES KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

Army SSG Michael A Bechert, 24, of New Castle, IN
Army CPL Dustin R Brisky, 26, of Round Rock, TX
Army PFC Michael P Pittman, 34, of Davenport, IA
Army SGT Danny R Soto, 24, of Houston, TX
Army CPL Zachary A Grass, 22, of Beach City, OH
Army SSG Roy P Lewsader, Jr, 36, of Belleville, IL
Army 1LT Frank B Walkup, IV, 23, of Woodbury, TN
Army PFC David A Wilkey Jr, 22, of Elkhart, IN
Army CPT Joshua E Steele, 26, of North Henderson, IL
Army SFC Christopher D Henderson, 35, of Hillsboro, OR
Army SFC John M Hennen, 26, of Vinton, LA
Army SGT Richard K Parker, 26, of Phillips, ME
Army PFC Larry Parks Jr, 24, of Altoona, PA
Army SGT Eric L Snell, 35, of Trenton, NJ
Army SGT Derek T Roberts, 24, of Gold River, CA
Army SPC Val J Borm, 21, of Sidney, NE
Army SPC Farid Elazzouzi, 26, of Paterson, NJ
Army SPC Darryl W Linder, 23, of Hickory, NC
Army SFC William A Zapfe, 35, of Muldraugh, KY
Army PFC Joshua S Modgling, 22, of Las Vegas, NV
Marine Sgt Shawn P Martin, 30, of Delmar, NY
Marine SSgt Stephen J Wilson, 28, of Duluth, GA
Army SGT Dustin J Perrott, 23, of Fredericksburg, VA
Army PFC Jacob T Tracy, 20, of Palestine, IL
Army PFC Raymond N Spencer Jr, 23, of Carmichael, CA
Army SPC Karen N Clifton, 22, of Lehigh Acres, FL

HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT ABOUT NOW?
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PRAYED FOR OUR TROOPS? Read more!

BET 2007 AWARDS: THE CAMERA SAYS IT ALL!

Ashanti looking like a princess without her Nelly, we mean prince!

Move over kiddies - Mama Gladys and Auntie Pattie will show you how it's done

You won Jordin Sparks, stop looking like you really don't belong!

If Ciara is throwing out money, please fling some our way. Seriously!

Read more!

EVERYONE - EXCEPT 50 CENTS - WAS DOWN WITH "I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD" THEME AT 2007 BET AWARDS

The BET Awards started off with a dream.

No, I'm not talking about ANTM Toccara's wardrobe malfunction. And certainly not Erikah Badu's Diana-interpretation -- that was a nightmare!

We're talking about the uniting of "Dreamgirls" Jennifer Holliday and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson.

Though Hudson won a best supporting actress Academy Award for her role as Effie in the movie "Dreamgirls," it was Holliday who originated the role on Broadway and made the song "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" one of the most memorable performances in music.

The night's most touching performance was O'Jays singer Eddie Levert's tribute to his late son, singer Gerald Levert, who died in November 2006.

The elder Levert was joined by Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams for a heart-wrenching rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings," which Gerald Levert often performed.

Gold was the color of the night as Beyonce took it to a whole new level.

She graced the stage - after winning the night's first award, video of the year for "Irreplaceable" - in gold robot gear, which she whittled down to sleek gold lame' pants and a matching bra top for a rousing rendition of her dance anthem, "Get Me Bodied."

Was it me, or did Kelly Rowland really come into her own tonight when the former "Destiny's Child" alum performed her solo hit "Like This" with Eve.

Her body was slammin'!

Looks like Rowlands is going to do whatever it takes to sell those units. We won't hate on you Kelly -- go' head and shake yo moneymaker.

While the ladies were tasteful in their presentations, 50 Cent took us -- unfortunately -- back to the Don Imus days when he performed "Amusement Park," which was bleeped several times because of the vulgarity.

Perhaps with that performance in mind, Ross, as she accepted her lifetime achievement award, implored performers to keep it clean.

"I have tried to keep the standards high," she said. "We do not have to say the F-word, we do not have to pump and grind, we do not have to some of these things to have longevity in our career. ... I will do the diva master class for you!"

Speaking of the master of class, Don Cheadle brought substance to the awards show when he accepted the humanitarian award for his efforts to bring attention to the crisis in Darfur.

Personally, that's what being "black and proud" is all about.

We also want to give props to Forest Whitaker for his Best Actor nod. It's good to see real brothers representing, even if Michael Clarke Duncan had to fill-in for brother Whitaker.

I don't know about you, but I'm not buying Fiddy's music or his vitamin water. I'm done!

Finally, show host Mo'Nique made a splashy entrance of her own.

Introduced by boxing announcer Michael Buffer, who shouted, "Are you ready to jiggle?," she was joined by a bevy of plus-sized dancers in matching silver minidresses as they performed Beyonce's song "Deja Vu" music-video style.

The comedian, who has hosted the show twice before, previously opened the show with a booty-shaking rendition of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love."

Original story by AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen

Read more!

NE-YO NABS ROBIN THICKE'S GHETTO PASS, WINS FOR BEST MALE R&B ARTIST

Silky-smooth singer Ne-yo captured the title of best R&B artist at the 2007 Black Entertainment Awards.

Although White crooner Robin Thicke was favored to win and make some history, it looks like tonight was all about Neo.

And let's be real family, Thicke is an amazing studio singer. Everytime we see him perform live, however, doesn't it always sound like he's straining?

That said Robin, you still gets much love over here at Three Brothers, especially with that fine Black wife of yours.

Paula Patton you better watch your back. Our sistah over here is addicted to your husband. Read more!

T.I. AND LUDACRIS TAKE THEIR FIGHTIN' AND FEUDIN' TO THE STAGE AT THE BET WARDS

2007 BET Best Hip Hop Artist - T.I.

After Vivica Fox in that gold lame number handed rapper T.I. his award for Best Hip Hop Artist, T.I. started off with the obligatory thanks you.

But then, in a rare moment of manhood, The ATL king acknowledged acting unroyal earlier this week. That's right family, T.I. apologized for his ghetto antics when he attacked rival Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu during a luncheon in California on Sunday.

T.I. -- real name Clifford Harris -- was attending the event hosted by Warner Music Group in Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood when he allegedly punched Zulu in the face. The altercation follows a three-year feud with rival Ludacris.

The pair fell out in 2004 after T.I. took offense to a scene in one of Ludacris' music videos, in which a man wearing a top similar to that of the rapper's Trap Muzik record label is seen getting beaten up.

T.I. recently reignited the feud by claiming he deserved to win the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album over Ludacris.

Looks like he got some vindication tonight, as he bested Luda, Diddy, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z to walk away with top bragging rights.

Ludacris made up for it, however, by taking the night's award for Best Collaboration with Mary J. Blige for the song "Runaway Love."

"People talk about hip-hop not having content. This song proves there is content in hip hop."

Ludacris went on to talk about how music changes lives and how his foundation is making a difference in people's lives. Asked to comment on T.I., his response was,"F*** that Mutha*****."

Okay, he really didn't say that. But wouldn't it have been wild if he had! Read more!

JENNIFER HUDSON WINS BEST ACTRESS AT THE 2007 BET AWARDS

"I can't believe I'm still winning awards!"

It's been one helluva year for American Idol loser Jennifer Hudson.

The full-figured "Dreamgirl" with the powerhouse voice snatched that Best Actress title from fellow sisters Angela Bassett, Tichina Arnold, Chaundra Wilson and some other also-rans.

Then she came back and won the Best New Artist music category. YOU GO!

Jennifer was looking fierce as she accepted the award from Rihanna (looking like a caramel Marilyn Monroe with a white number that was working those hips) and singer Chris Brown.

Hat tip for Chris - don't plug your new album release just before you read the winner's name. That's tacky young buck. Straight out!

Before we move on to the Kelly Rowland versus Beyonce matchup, we have got to give more props to Hudson. This talented sister, along with co-star and fellow Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy, are among the list of actors recently invited to become Oscar voters, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced.

The Oscar winner joins an ecclectic mix of folks, including Jennifer Aniston, Daniel Craig (the new James Bond) and Steve Carell (star of The 40-Year-Old Virgin.) Read more!

HEAVY D WEIGHS IN

Legendary Rapper and Actor Enters The World of Blogging (and he has something to say!)
"Honestly, I had heard of blogging but until my friend and writing partner, Avery O Williams, showed me what it was all about and suggested this as a new way for me to reach my fans, I was really clueless about it. Now I get it..." Read more, go here. Read more!

WILL THERE BE DRAMA AT THE BET AWARDS?

Over the past six years the BET Awards have proven to provide more buzz, more entertainment and more post-show excitement than the network whips up with its entire programming for an entire year. With a slate comprised of legendary divas, film and real life dreamgirls, white artist nominees and a canceled main category, this year's award show has the elements to prove it will be no different. To read more, go here. Read more!

PARISH PRIEST DISMISSES ORGAN GRINDER FOR SELLING SEX TOYS

A parish in Wisconsin has fired an organist for selling sex toys as her side business.

Organist Linette Servais had played the organ and directed the choir at St. Joseph Catholic Parish in rural New Franken, and was an active member in the church community.

The Washington Post reports that Father Dean Dombroski called her into his office, and gave her the ultimatum. The 50-year-old organist was told to either quit working for Pure Romance (an Ohio-based "romance-enhancer" business) or quit volunteering at St. Joseph's.

Servais was able to reconcile her double duty shifts, as a service to all Christian women in need of some special assistance.

The Post quotes her as defending her sideline job as "empowering women and helping them strengthen their relationships."

She is a cancer survivor whose treatment left her "sexually dysfunctional," and she found solace in a friend and fellow cancer patient who confided that she was similarly "broken." As a result, Servais felt "called as a Christian to help women, especially those who have sexual problems resulting from cancer."

Father Dean laid down the law and decreed that "sex gratification toys and organ music did not mix," and issued a letter to the parish which stated the following:

"Linette is a consultant for a firm which sells products of a sexual nature that are not consistent with Church teachings." Because in his opinion she no longer "model[ed] the teaching of [their] faith," she was let go late last year. Since that time however, most of the choir has quit in protest and begun meeting at Servais' house.

The sex toy scandal and Linette's dismissal now appears, according to the Post, to be "tearing apart the parish community."

Read more!

SEND US MONEY OR WE'LL ABORT OUR BABY: COUPLE HOLDS FETUS HOSTAGE

A 3 BROTHERS AND A SISTER EXCLUSIVE

Recently, someone sent us a web site we had to see for ourselves to believe.

At HelpMyBabyLive.com an allege couple alleges that they found out that the girlfriend was pregnant. However, they are crying broke and say that if they can't raise $50,000 over the next three months, they are going to abort their baby/fetus.

We couldn't believe it. In our news research, we have yet to see any other outlet cover this story. The couple are anonymous (of course) and claims they have raised over $12,000 so far.

All we can say here is, what on earth has the world come to? Obviously an apparent end to any semblance of moral decency.

Read more!

Forget 5th Graders: Can You Hang With The 10 Year Olds?

These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted ever! y year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy,with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "S."

Scroll Down to Get The Answers To Quiz:

1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends . . Boxing

2. The North American landmark constantly moving backward is Niagara Falls (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons . . Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside . . Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. (The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they a re snipped off at the stems)

6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with "s". Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

PLEASE DO YOUR PART....... Today is National Mental Health Day. You can do your part by remembering to send an e-mail to at least one unstable person! Read more!

OH HELL NO! FOLKS ARE TRYING TO NAME THEIR KID'S SATAN?!?!!

Another Family Has Given Their Little Girl 27 Names!

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - New Zealand authorities have blocked a couple's bid to officially name their new son "4real," saying numerals are not allowed.

You want to name your kid what????????

Pat and Sheena Wheaton said they decided to name their new baby "4real" shortly after having an ultrasound and being struck by the reality of his impending arrival.

But when the parents filed the name with New Zealand's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, they were told names beginning with a number were against the rules.

In Honor Of Famous Boxers, Autumn Brown Has 25 Middle Names

The government is now negotiating with the parents about the name under a policy that says all unusual names must be given case-by-case consideration.

"The name has not at this stage been rejected," Registrar-General Brian Clarke said. The rules are designed, however, to prevent names that are "likely to cause offense to a reasonable person."

Satan and Adolf Hitler were proposed names that have been declined, Clarke added.

If no compromise has been reached by July 9, the baby will be registered as "real."

Their gonna name that baby REAL??????

New Zealand law requires all children born in the South Pacific nation to be registered with the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry within two months of birth.

ABC has the story, plus video.

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MURDER: A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN

In light of the Jessie Davis story, unfortunately, her circumstance is becoming far less unique.

According to a 2005 study of the American Journal of Public Health, 31% of all pregnancy deaths between 1991 and 1999 were the result of homicide.

Only pregnancy-related complications ranked higher as a cause of death.

According to the study, the top cause of injury-related deaths among non-pregnant women, aged 15-44, was traffic accidents, followed by suicide, and then homicide.

So with the stories in addition to Davis - Laci Peterson, LaToyia Figueroa, and Valerie Oskin - the Center for Disease Control also said that aside from medical complications, murder is the leading cause of death for a pregnant woman.

Furthermore, these women are killed in most instances by the father of the baby who is either a boyfriend or spouse.

Warning ladies, be careful with just who you hook up with. It gives a whole new meaning to the term high risk pregnancy.

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BOBBY CUTTS: THE ALL TOO FAMILIAR STORY OF YET ANOTHER BLACK MAN ON LOCKDOWN

Like So Many African-American Males, This Brother Had 'Issues'

Bobby Cutts Jr.'s oldest daughter, Taylor, was born out of wedlock to a Nikki Giavasis in 1997. A younger daughter, Breonna, was born to another woman in 2001, shortly before Cutts married her.
His son, 2-year-old Blake, was born to girlfriend Jessie Davis while Cutts was separated from his wife. His daughter, Chloe, was due July 3rd.

But now Cutts, 30, is accused of murdering Jesse Marie Davis and their unborn child.

"There's a lot of little children being absolutely devastated over this," Davis' mother, Patricia Porter, said Monday outside Canton Municipal Court. "We can't forget them."

Davis, 26, was missing for about a week before her body was found in a northeast Ohio park Saturday. A former Canton police officer, Cutts is accused of killing Davis and the fetus June 14 at her home in nearby Lake Township.

Cutts' stepmother, Barbara Cutts, on Monday called her stepson a generous man who was good with kids and coached youth soccer, basketball and football.

She said she and Cutts' father last saw him Saturday at his house in Plain Township outside North Canton, where he appeared drained and exhausted.

"It's very hard to accept," said Barbara Cutts, 46, a nurse's aide. "A lot of people are looking at him like a bad person, but he's not, he really isn't."

WHERE DA' WHITE WOMEN AT?

Cutts and model Nikki Giavasis met while attending nearby Walsh University. Taylor has lived with Giavasis for most of her life in California, but Cutts challenged the custody arrangement in 2005.

Hours before Cutts' arraignment, Stark County Family Court Judge David Stucki dismissed a custody case here, citing the charges against Cutts as one factor in his decision. Another custody dispute over Taylor is ongoing in a California court.

"The family has deliberately tried not to burden her (Taylor) with this," Jakmides said, referring to the murder case. "They've tried as much as possible to keep her from the media storm."

Susan Hulit Burns, Taylor's court-appointed guardian, said she was bothered by how often Giavasis switched apartments and daycare providers. She said she was also bothered that Cutts "conceived a child during his separation" from his wife, according to a June 2006 court filing.

In 1998, Cutts was accused of breaking into Giavasis' home while she was inside with former NBA player Shawn Kemp of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Baby daddy Kemp is now paying Giavais upwards of $20,000 a month in child support.

Cutts pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge and was sentenced to three years' probation.

Trying to get his life in order, Cutts became a Canton police officer. He soon met his future wife, Kelly Schaub.

A neighbor said he heard that Schaub (who is also White) met Cutts when she called police to her Crescent Road home.

In July 2001, Schaub and Cutts married, two months after their baby girl Breonna was born.

Cutts seperated from Kelly in 2003 while facing criminal charges after his police supervisors alleged he had given his gun to a drug-dealing cousin.

Cutts was acquitted and an arbitrator ordered Canton to rehire him with back pay.

During the separation, he and Jessie Davis conceived Blake, born in December 2004. On Monday, Porter was granted temporary custody of the boy in Stark County Family Court.
It was Blake who provided investigators searching for Davis their first clues earlier this month, saying: "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug." Porter found the boy home alone on June 15, with Davis missing, furniture toppled in the bedroom and a pool of bleach on the floor.

Porter said Monday she's not sure who Cutts is anymore. "We knew Bobby Cutts up to a certain day in this and from that day on we did not know him at all," she said. "I don't think my daughter ever knew him either."

Cutts played football, wearing No. 9, at GlenOak High School, a suburban school whose most famous graduate is goth rocker Marilyn Manson.

After he became a police officer, Cutts also played semiprofessional football with the Massillon Bengals in the Ohio Valley League and in 2005 was drafted by the Canton Legends of the Atlantic Indoor Football League.

Cutts played softball the evening of June 13 and then spent about four hours at a sports bar in Canton. He told The (Canton) Repository last week that he called Davis that night - the day before he's accused of killing her - and that it was the last time they spoke.

Original Story by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (AP) Read more!

TODAY'S EDITION OF SAME GAME, DIFFERENT PLAYERS

WANT THE REAL STORY? CLICK THE NAME

BILL COSBY & THEO - STILL SCHOOLIN' AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!


FIDDY CENTS & JESSE JACKSON - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHEDDA!

WENDY WILLIAMS & ROBIN GIVENS - GET YOUR WEAVE STRAIGHT TAMEKA 'USHER'S BEARD' FOSTER!

SUGE KNIGHT ON TUPAC - THE PARTY'S BEEN TURNED OUT, LET'S MAKE 'HAPPY' MUSIC

SHERIFF LEE BACA TO JUDGE SAUER & PARIS - CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

WANDA SYKES & CHRIS ROCK - THE FUNNIEST HO'S AROUND?

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IRAQ: BLACK, WHITE, HISPANIC, ASIAN & NATIVE AMERICAN SOLDIERS ARE COMING HOME BROKEN

Government Struggles to Care For Wounded GI's

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE (AP)

More than 800 of them have lost an arm, a leg, fingers or toes. More than 100 are blind. Dozens need tubes and machines to keep them alive. Hundreds are disfigured by burns, and thousands have brain injuries and mangled minds.

These are America's war wounded, a toll that has received less attention than the 3,500 troops killed in Iraq. Depending on how you count them, they number between 35,000 and 53,000.

REPUBLICAN SEN. RICHARD LUGAR SAYS IRAQ 'SURGE' NOT WORKING

More of them are coming home, with injuries of a scope and magnitude the government did not predict and is now struggling to treat.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Drazen. a medical editor and adviser to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "The military simply wasn't prepared for its own success" at keeping severely wounded soldiers alive.

BULLET POINTS:

* For every U.S. soldier or Marine killed in Iraq, 15 others have survived illness or injury.

* Traumatic brain injury is prevalent, with only an estimated 2,000 cases treated.

* Back home, concerns about care are rising among Republicans and Democrats.

* Mental health problems loom large.

No one knows what the ultimate cost will be, with estimates the lifetime health-care tab for these troops will be $250 billion to $650 billion.

Shifting Focus From The War, George Throws Black Music Month Party

As of June 2, 25,830 troops had been wounded in action. Another 27,103 had non-battle-related air transports. Of those, 7,188 had injuries.

President Bush, we have got to bring our troops home. Now!!!

Read more!

BLACK ACTIVIST TED HAYNES VERSUS BLACK ACTIVIST NAJEE ALI ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN LA

This is the best example of where Black folks are on the issue of illegal immigration. The fact is we are all over the map!

Ted Haynes is a homeless activist and now unabashed Republican married to a White Woman who recently linked up with the Minuteman Militia.

Najee Ali (pictured with the bullhorn in the lower left corner) is a former criminal who turned his life around, converted to Islam, and now is a Reverend Al Sharpton in training.

Ali denounces the miscegenation of hip hop and rap, rallies against the deplorable conditions at Martin Luther King Hospital in Watts, California, and is planning to work with Paris Hilton on exposing the state of the criminal justice system.

This clip is when the two brothers met face-to-face in Leimert Park on June 23, a spot in Los Angeles with a large population of lower to upper economic African-Americans reside.

While we admire Ali's passion, this brother has to go with Ted Haynes on the immigration issue.

What say you? Read more!

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY PARIS IS FREE AT LAST!!!

Something Tells Us Paris Hilton Is Not Exactly What Dr. King Had In Mind!

Was Hilton treated fairly when she was sentenced.

We've got the story!

For the latest, TMZ has all the details!

Read more!

BEING GAY IS STRAIGHT SHOT TO STARDOM FOR BLACK KENTUCKY SPRINTER

This Brother Is On His Way To Making History!

INDIANAPOLIS — She was trying to stay focused on her 200-meter final, but Torri Edwards did not want to miss watching Tyson Gay run the same distance Sunday afternoon at the U.S. championships.

What she and 7,407 spectators saw means everyone will be watching Gay closely between now and the 2008 Olympics.

"That was phenomenal," Edwards said.

Despite a slight headwind, Gay won in 19.62 seconds, the second-fastest 200 in history. Only Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 from the 1996 Olympics remains ahead.

"A lot of people think it's reachable, but it's extremely far to 19.32," Gay said after completing a 100-200 meters double at the meeting, the U.S. trials for August's world championships he.

"I was running scared. I wasn't thinking about any time. I was trying to get away from (world silver medalist) Wallace Spearmon as fast as I could."

Stardom now is a lot closer to Gay, 24, who describes himself as "just a country boy from Lexington, Kentucky." By the stopwatch, his performance at the national meet was the best 100-200 double in history.

Want to know more about this Black man? Get it here. Read more!

DADDY DIARIES # 476 - TIGER'S FIRST BORN, SAM ALEXIS WOODS

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FATHER BLACK MEN!

JUST THINK, BOBBY CUTTS JR. COULD HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS TOO!

Read more!

FOXY BROWN GETS A BEAT DOWN BY EX WHO IS A PIMP!

Sassy and foul-mouthed female rapper Foxy Brown just lost a whole lot of street cred. The NY Daily News reports that the rabble rousing rhymer whose real name is Inga Marchand, was attacked Saturday by three of her ex-boyrfriend's hoes! Yep, HOES!

Foxy has reportedly dumped her beau after finding out he was a bonafide pimp. He must have not taken it very well and allegedly called on three of his girls to teach Foxy a lesson, while she dropped him off in the East New York section of the city.

"This ex-boyfriend called some of his women, and they pounced on her," a police source told the paper.

"They beat her bad. They ripped out her hair weave. Her hair was a mess - and that seems to be what she cared about most."

As if to add insult to injury, the thuggish gals stole Foxy's handbag (most likely over-sized, gawdy and from an upscale designer) and $500 dollars in cash.

The sources added that Brown originally met her fling at a recording studio and was unaware of his spotty past. After the fracas, Brown filed a complaint at the local precinct and took a ride with officers to point out the alleged offenders.

For reasons that we'll never figure out, Brown eventually stopped cooperating with the police when her rep arrived on the scene. It's hard to blame the guy though, his client has a penchant from sticking her foot in her mouth and catching months of probation. She's currently serving three years.

A Probation spokesman refused to comment to the paper but it's noted that probationers are not supposed to hang with known criminals.

I couldn't help but wonder after this latest Foxy Brown incident when she's going to put an end to damaging her police record and actually put out another good music record.

Posted by Emmis Rodriguez June 25, 2007 (0) courtesy of The Bosh.com.

Read more!

BOBBY CUTTS: IF ONLY JESSE MARIE DAVIS COULD HAVE TALKED TO NIKKI GIAVASIS

The Davis Family: "We do not want vengeance, we want justice!"

During Bobby Cutts' arraignment today for the murder of pregnant Ohio woman Jesse Davis, a man representing himself as Bobby's uncle was reportedly ticked.

While Black family members of Cutts, 30, and Myisha Ferrell, 29, were forced towards the back of the courtroom, the Davis family, mostly White, were seated front and center.

"What kind of Christian woman gets pregnant with two children by a man already married to another woman," the uncle was quoted as saying.

What would likely be 2 year-old Blake's great-uncle, Fox News reported that this man, refusing to give his name, also blurted out with contempt, "What kind of justice is this?"

Now keep in mind, Cutts was a police officer.

Is it us, or does this sound a little strange??? And how does former NBA baller Shawn Kemp fit into this whole thing with Cutts and L.A. model Nikki Giavasis?

At a news conference following the arraignment, Patti Porter said when she stood up to look her daughters boyfriend Bobby Cutts straight in the eye, "I wanted him to see us. I was disgusted and I wanted Bobby to see it. But I saw nothing in his eyes. They were blank."

Jesse's mother went on to say that when she and Cutts made eye contact, it felt like her entire life had prepared her for that moment.

Insisting on clearly the air about past media reports that she initially supported Cutts, Porter was quite transparent about where she was coming from.

"We prayed it was not him. that's my grandson's father. But I never said I supported Bobby Cutts."

Jesse's 20 year-old sister, Whitney Davis, chimed in with "everyone knows he did it."

As for the five million dollar bond, Porter stated she wish the judge had set it for ten million, with five million set for Myisha Ferrell. Ferrell's bond was ultimately set at $500,000.

Whitney Davis also provided a window into just how much others have been touched by her big sister's brutal slaying. She spoke about a married couple who actually gave their wedding rings to the family in a show of solidarity.

While she was still wearing the rings, it was announced that Davis would be soon returning them to the couple.

As for little Blake who was left alone after possibly seeing his mom killed, his grandmother indicated that he was doing as well as could be expected. "He calls her on an old cell phone and talks to her," Porter said.

Jesse's mother clearly wanted the world to know the toll of losing her daughter Jesse, 26, has taken on her family."This is an unbearable loss. No words can express the heartache."

Porter also spoke about how others were being impacted by the tragedy. "Everyone is devastated by this, his family and the other children as well."

Holding back tears, Porter continued. "Jesse was like a pink cashmere in a pile of trash, she did not fit into this scenario at all and what people are saying about her is just not true."

"They don't even know her!"

Hear Nikki Giavasis tell her story about Bobby's "dark side."

Giavasis never met Jesse but spoke very highly of her on MSNBC with Dan Adams. With her attorney next to her, she also indicated that a judge today dismissed Cutts's petition for custody of their daughter. Giavasis had been waiting eleven months for a decision granting her full custody of her child.

Read more!

PLAYING THE RACE CARD! THE BOBBY CUTTS CASE IS ALREADY PITTING BLACKS AGAINST WHITES

The first Anonymous said: "TYPICAL N***** TALK..."

The second Anonymous had this to say: "the problem you all face is thatits always about the blcaks being victims....blah blah blah...grow up and realize you are not victims...the victim is jessie who is now dead because of a brother!!!!"

The third Anonymous said: jessie davis was a n***** loving tramp who could not keep her legs closed every time she got jungle fever. The whole country knows (except for the jig-a-boos)that black men are six times more likely to commit murder than whites. Why are we honoring this slut.....she got what she deserved.

These are just some of the comments we have received concerning the Jesse Davis case.

In addition to an inability to articulate any semblance of a reasoned argument, these folks are just straight cowards.

If you have something to say, be brave enough to tell us who you are.

Go ahead, try using spellcheck after you take off that hood.

We dare you!

As to the Davis family, our thoughts and prayers are with you!

Read more!

QUICKIE: DIJIMON HOUNSOU, NO CREAM - NO SUGAR

Forget about his next movie, read our next post to find out what Armistad is up to now! Read more!

ADD REALITY SHOW TO KIMORA SIMMONS DRAMA-FILLED LIFE

Is Djimon Hounsou Co-Signing On This Foolery?

Read more!

THE BOBBY CUTTS CASE ALMOST, ALMOST MADE US FORGET ABOUT DARFUR

France Brings Big Powers Together for New Push on Darfur

Jamaica: Students March to Highlight Children's Rights

Liberia's Taylor Again Absent as Trial Resumes

Zimbabwe Currency Crashes; Inflation as High as 9,000%

Haiti Studies Creation of Security Force

Sudan Must Stop Trying to Limit Darfur Force: Rice

Rays of Hope for Africa's AIDS Children

New US Africa Command Not for Combat, Says Defense Official

Affirmative-Action Debates Tests Brazil's Notions of Race

Read more!

BLACK COLLEGE ENROLLMENT UP IN THE SOUTH

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- For the first time ever in the South, blacks are as well represented on college campuses as they are in the region's population as a whole -- something not yet true of the country overall.

The milestone is noted in a new fact book to be released Monday by the Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit organization that promotes education.

In the 16 states measured, the number of blacks enrolled in colleges has risen by more than half over the last decade. They now make 21 percent of college students and 19 percent of the overall population.

The number represents progress but it also has to be seen in context. A major contributing factor is the South's rapidly growing Hispanic population, which has reduced the proportion of the population that is black, and thereby made the milestone easier to reach mathematically.

And educators also stressed that the number should not obscure the persistent achievements gaps affecting blacks both in the South and nationally. In particular, black enrollment rates for college-age students, while improving, still lag well behind those of whites, as do the graduation rates of black college students.

With a college degree now almost a prerequisite for high-paying jobs, those achievement gaps pose an economic threat -- and the South will be on the cutting edge of that. In 2005 about 61 percent of public high school graduates in the South were white, the education board said, but by 2018 that figure is expected to be 45 percent.

For more on this story, click here.

Check Out One Good Reason to Attend a Black College

Read more!

BOND SET FOR CUTTS IN THE MURDER OF JESSIE DAVIS

BREAKING NEWS

Bond was just set for Bobby Cutts, Jr. for $5 Million in the murder of Jessie Davis and her unborn fetus which is believed he fathered.

The preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to go to trial is scheduled for July 2, 2007.

Canton Municipal Court Judge John Poulos set bond for Myisha Ferrell, the high school friend said to have helped Cutts, at $500,000. She allegedly is facing a Class 3 felony filing of helping Cutts after the murder occured.

Ferrell's hearing will take place on the same day as Cutts at 2:00pm. Cutts' prelim is scheduled at 1:00PM.

For more, stay tuned here at 3 Brothers and a Sister.

Check out previous stories by clicking here and here.

Read more!

CONFESSIONS OF A NEWS MEDIA HO

I Have A Confession To Make.

I, like most, have allowed myself to get caught up in the ho/pimp game of gossip cleverly disguised as news and information.

I used to just amusingly and affectionately refer to myself as a "news junkie." However, as one who has a commitment to trying to live as authentically as possible, I must admit that I too am a media ho.

This is such a hard reality to accept. But I am afraid it's true. Sure, I have had occasion to sound self-righteous here and talk about how the media distracts us from the real issues.

But in reality, they couldn't do it if we didn't let them. The media are the pimps, we are the hos and the advertisers are the johns. We are all culpable in this mess of mind-numbing psychological B.S. designed to essentially distract us from our own mundane lives.

Are we really ready to allow the cast of characters of Jessie Davis, Bobby Cutts, and Myisha Ferrell takes us there one more time?

For more, click here. Read more!

SHIRLEY BASSEY: THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A TRUE BLACK DIVA

Shirley Bassey narrowly escaped death after the helicopter she was in developed a fault and was forced to make an emergency landing.

With huge hits like "Hey Big Spender," "Love Story" and "Goldfinger," the bigger than life international superstar was on her way back from Glastonbury festival to London when the aircraft began to make noises, swooped low over homes and touched tree tops on its way down.

The helicopter landed at eight last night in Collingwood College in Camberley, Surrey, amid howling winds, rain and fog minutes after coming within inches of pylons and wires.

Dame Shirley, 70, then emerged from the helicopter in wellingtons. One onlooker said she told the crowd: "We are so sorry to have bothered you. May I please use someone's toilet? And a cup of tea would go down a treat."

The Welsh singer with a Nigerian father has had quite a journey. Pregnant at 16, losing a child to what many saw as suicide, lots of other drama, and great music has made us take a new look at someone who has truly lived.

More...

For you young folks, Bassey voice serves as the hook to Kanye's "Diamonds Are Forever."

You better bow down, recognize, and check out her website!

Read more!

BOBBY CUTTS IS NOT THE ONLY BLACK MUTT IN THE DOGHOUSE!

If It's Black, We're On It!

(AP) - Bad dog! Charlie the black lab is in trouble, again, after driving his owner's car into the Pend Oreille River.

Coupled with the dog’s destructive habit of chewing on the family’s furniture, Wednesday’s incident brought Charlie’s damage toll into the thousands.

Luckily for Charlie, his owner has a sense of humor.
“He doesn’t know what he did,” said Mark Ewing, who watched as his Chevy Impala sank in the river.

Ewing had just returned home from picking up a pizza. As he walked to his home, Charlie jumped into the car through an open window and apparently knocked the vehicle into gear.

"He somehow got the car into neutral," Ewing said. "My car just went boom, down an incline and into the drink."

Ewing could only watch as his Chevy Impala sank into the river. No dummy, Charlie jumped out of the window as the car went downhill.

LATEST ON THE JESSE DAVIS MURDER

"There's nothing weirder than looking at your car cruising down your driveway when you're not in it and seeing your dog jump out and then watching your car go splash," Ewing said.

Actually, things got a little weirder when the tow truck driver showed up.

Before the driver dove into the water to hook the car up to his truck, he asked Ewing to hold his dentures.

"My car's in the drink, I've got dentures in my hand and this guy Keith from Clyde's Towing goes swimming," Ewing noted. Read more!

BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO BE MORE TECH SAVVY - SO YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS!

Stay tuned for more tech tips family. We got your back!

Read more!

D.C. COURT RULES AGAINST BLACK JUDGE IN FAVOR OF ASIAN DRY CLEANERS IN $54 MILLION LAWSUIT

The Brother Should Have Settled This Case A Looong Time Ago!

A D.C. judge ruled in favor this morning in the $54 million lawsuit over a dry-cleaning dispute involving a single pair of pants, which garnered international media attention when it was tried earlier this month.

Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff issued a written opinion in the case of Roy L. Pearson Jr. vs. Soo Chung et al., in which Pearson argued that the dry cleaners owned by Chung and her husband did not make good on its promise of "Satisfaction Guaranteed."

Pearson, an African-American administrative law judge in D.C., has represented himself in the lawsuit.

He had shed big crocodile tears in the courtroom while outlining his years-long battle with Custom Cleaners over a pair of suit pants, which he argued were lost after he brought them in to have the waist let out. Man-up your honor!

Pearson was seeking $500,000 in attorney's fees, $2 million for his "discomfort, inconvenience and mental distress" and $51.5 million that he said he would use to help other D.C. residents sue businesses for similar claims.

Originally, Pearson had sought $65 million.

As a result of his loss, Pearson could be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees incurred by the owners of Customer Cleaners. Professionally, he could find himself out of his $96,000-a-year job with the District government.

The case has been widely covered by the U.S. media and Korean news organizations, whose interest was piqued because the Chungs are Korean immigrants.

In researching his case exhaustively -- many would say obsessively -- over the years, Pearson became an expert on D.C. consumer law, an expertise that Bartnoff acknowledged during the trial.

But she also warned Pearson after closing arguments that she would take care to ensure that the city's laws are not applied inappropriately.

"This is a very important statute to protect consumers," the judge said June 13. "It's also very important that statutes like this are not misused."

Read more!

NO SHOWCASE FOR ROSIE, THE PRICE JUST WAS NOT RIGHT

TV Watchers Boycott 'The View' In Protest

Speaking Of White Girls, Jolie Responds To Casting Drama

Singer Alicia Keys Insists On Acting

Black Teens Are Tearing Up Downtown Disney

BET Announces Award Show Lineup

Foxy "Weave Me Alone" Brown Robbed in NYC

Even Wanda & Morgan Couldn't Save "Evan Almighty"

But Freeman Will Carry The Story Of Nelson Mandela

What's Up With Rappers T.I. & Ludacris?

Tracey Edmonds & BabyFace Divorce Makes Way For Eddie

Read more!

BROKE BLACK SPRINTER MARION JONES HAD TO SELL HER MAMA'S HOUSE FOR CASH!

Why Are People All Up In Ms. Jones' Business - Us Included?

Marion Jones won a record five track and fields medals, including three golds, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The Los Angeles native snagged multimillion-dollar endorsement deals.

We where actually at a Macy's Passport event a few years back in Santa Monica, California where Jones bought a very, very expensive motorcycle for charity like she was buying a miniature one at Walmart (Don't trip, we love us some Walmart!)

Sitting literally a few feet away from her, we got the sense that the toy was for her baby boy's daddy Tim Montgomery, the "World's Fastest Human."

From the looks of things, life seemed pretty good. Then again, you know folks like to front in Hollywood!

Is that why folks are now whispering that Jones, the one-time millionaire, is broke?

MSNBC is reporting that Marion's bank account has dwindled down to a paltry $2,000 as she desperately tries to fend off court judgments, according to recent court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

A legendary American athlete of half Belizean and half African American descent, last year a bank foreclosed on her $2.5-million mansion in an area of Chapel Hill, N.C., where Michael Jordan was a neighbor.

Jones, 31, was also forced to sell two other properties, including her mother’s house, to raise money.

The sistah's financial woes were revealed in a 168-page deposition in a breach-of-contract suit she filed in Dallas against veteran track coach Dan Pfaff.

Pfaff countersued and won a judgment against Jones for about $240,000 in unpaid training fees and legal expenses.

Legal bills have plagued Jones since 2003, when suspicions of drug use emerged and she was linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) after a federal raid.

Jones retained attorneys for her BALCO grand jury testimony, for negotiations with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in her fight to avoid being banned from competition, for a defamation lawsuit she filed against BALCO founder Victor Conte, who accused her of taking performance-enhancing drugs, and for taking on Pfaff in her breach-of-contract suit.

Jones' Agent, Charles Wells, Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud - Faces Banishment

Last year, a Jones urine sample tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug EPO. Jones immediately quit a European track tour and returned to the United States.

Although she was cleared when a backup sample tested negative, she missed at least five major international meets, forfeiting an estimated $300,000 in appearance and performance fees.

In her prime, Jones was one of track’s first female millionaires, typically earning between $70,000 and $80,000 a race, plus at least another $1 million from race bonuses and endorsement deals.

In 2000-01, she competed in 21 international events, including the Sydney Olympics, where she won five medals — three gold.

Dubbed "the fastest woman in the world," Jones won the California state championship in the 100 meters four years in a row when she was just beginning to blossom in high school.

She was invited to participate in the 1992 Olympic trials, and, after her showing in the 200m finals, would have made the team as an alternate in the 4x100m relays, but she refused the invitation.

After winning further statewide sprint titles, Marion accepted a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina in basketball, where she helped the team win the NCAA championship in her freshman year.

When Jones lost a spot on the 1996 Olympic team because of an injury, she decided to concentrate on track and field.

The rest, as they say, was history!

Keep your head up Ms. Jones. If all this true, maybe God's just trying to tell you to slow your roll! Read more!

DIGITAL DIVIDE: WHILE WHITE FOLKS GO CRAZY OVER THE IPHONE, BLACK FOLKS STILL DON'T "DO" EMAIL!

There's Hype, Hysteria And History!

No, we're not talking about Three Brothers And A Sister getting the most traffic we've ever had since we launched three month's ago!

This is all about Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s upcoming iPhone.

Set to launch Friday, will the gadget - which triples as a cell phone, iPod media player and a wireless Web device - be as "revolutionary" as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has claimed?

Remember the television ads for the Motorola RAZR?

The commercials showed off the sexy, thin profile of the clamshell handset and seduced more than 50 million people from 2004 to 2006 to buy it, making it the most popular cell phone ever sold.

Meanwhile in New Orleans, an older black patron is having trouble signing into the library computer. He approached the help desk, and an employee accompanied him back to the machine to assist.

It turned out that the man was doing signing in properly, but instead of typing in the password "006" he was typing in "OO6."

Are you tech-savvy enough to discern the problem? If so, you just passed the digital divide test.

If not, then I'll tell you that our older friend had confused the letter "O" with zero "0," something that used to be inconsequential, back in the day when cheaper typewriters had neither a "1" nor "0"; instead using the lowercase "l" and uppercase "O".

Now, of course, such a misunderstanding poses a barrier to access, trivial though it might be. Read more!

BLACK WOMAN ACCUSED OF HELPING BLACK MAN KILL WHITE WOMAN

Canton, Ohio (AP) - A former classmate of a man suspected of murdering a pregnant woman was arrested Sunday on a related obstruction of justice charge, the FBI said.

Myisha Ferrell was arrested hours after the body of 26-year-old Jessie Davis was found in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, still carrying her dead, nearly full-term fetus.

For a Sistah's perspective, click here.

Davis, of Lake Township near Canton, was reported missing after her mother found Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, home alone, with bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor. Blake gave investigators some of their first clues, saying: "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug."

Want more about Myisha? Check this out!

UPDATE: Fox News is reporting that Jesse Davis was actually murdered inside her own, then wrapped inside the rug as 2 year-old Blake watched. The child is now with his maternal grandmother.

Let's make sure we say a prayer today for Blake Cutts, family. Not only was he left alone when this horrific tragedy occurred, now this biracial little boy is without a mother, sister, and in all likelihood, a father (and we do use this term loosely!)

Currently only state charges are pending. If the feds get involved, however, Bobby Cutts Jr. could be faced with the death penalty under a federal statue enacted after the death of Laci Petterson. FYI, Ohio is a death penalty state. In fact, some of these folks are even looking for pen pals.

As Americans are starting to question the use of the death penalty, will this case cause some folks to rethink their position?

Read more!

ELECTED ILLEGAL ALIEN FACES DEPORTATION

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- All of her life, Zoila Meyer believed she was an American. She even won election to the City Council of Adelanto.

But now she is facing a threat of deportation for illegally voting, because she never became a citizen after being brought to this country from Cuba when she was 1 year old.

"To be honest with you, I'm scared. How can they just pluck me out of my family, my kids?" the 40-year-old mother of four said in a telephone interview Friday.

"If they can do this to me, they can do it to anybody," she said.

After Meyer was elected to the council in Adelanto in 2004, someone told officials that she was born in Cuba, prompting an investigation.

Eventually, "the police came to me and said, 'Zoila, you're not a citizen. You're a legal resident but you're not a citizen,"' said Meyer, who now lives in the San Bernardino County desert town of Apple Valley, near Adelanto.

She resigned after 10 weeks in office in Adelanto, a town of about 23,000.

For more, click here. Read more!

JESSE JACKSON DOESN'T MIND THE SPOTLIGHT, UMMM... WE MEAN GETTING ARRESTED -- FOR THE CAUSE!

(AP) CHICAGO — Reverend Jesse Jackson was arrested Saturday at a demonstration outside a south suburban gun shop.

According to Fox News, he was charged with one count of criminal trespass to property.

The 65 year-old leader of the Rainbow Push Coalition was arrested when he refused to move away from the entrance to Chuck's Gun Shop in Riverdale, police said.

Just out of curiousity, how old is the little girl Jesse fathered out of wedlock while still married to his wife? Did she send him a Father's Day card? We know, one story at a time!

Jackson has protested with other community activists outside the shop in recent weeks after a 16-year-old honor student was gunned down on a city bus.

Police said the shooting was gang-related but the teen was not the intended target.

Jackson, who says the gun shop's proximity to Chicago provides gang members and criminals easy access to firearms, has used the protests to call for stricter gun laws.

Two teens have been charged as adults with taking part in the May shooting of Blair Holt, an honor student at Julian High School.

Read more!

DID THIS BLACK WOMAN HELP BOBBY CUTTS KILL HIS PREGNANT WHITE WOMAN ON THE SIDE?

Can This Case Get Any More Strange?

The pregnant body found Saturday in a park was that of 26-year-old Jessie Davis, whose due date was July 3, the Summit County medical examiner's office said.

MSNBC is reporting that the fetus was still in Jesse's womb.

Bobby Cutts Jr., the Black police officer who authorities suspect is the father, is charged with two counts of murder.

The FBI have also arrested a Canton sistah on an obstruction of justice charge. Myisha Ferrell, described as a former classmate of the Ohio man being held for arraignment on murder charges, was detained after authorities broke down her apartment door Saturday night.

Justin Lindstrom, 27, an upstairs neighbor of Ferrell's, said officers spent two hours searching the woman's apartment before leaving with several full, brown paper bags and bottles of bleach from the basement.

Lindstrom said he never really hit it off with Ferrell, who lives in the apartment with her 11-year-old daughter.

"She's not exactly your ideal neighbor. She and I haven't gotten along since day one," said Lindstrom, who moved into the building in January. He said she had parties every night. "We're talking carloads at a time - four and five carloads - and until 3 or 4 in the morning," Lindstrom said.

Okay, now we're thinking there may be a drug connection here. Or was this woman Bobby's new lady? And why was Jesse Davis with this guy? It doesn't add up family.

Myisha Ferrell worked at a Denny's restaurant until quitting her job Friday. Carrying (and obviously eating) those Grand-Slam breakfasts day after day was clearly getting old!

FBI agent Scott Wilson said Ferrell was to be arraigned on Monday with Cutts.

For more of the story of Scott Peterson in black face, click here.

Read more!

BUT DAMN #232 REAL ESTATE: I ALMOST LOST MY HOUSE, RENEGOTIATED MY LOAN, BUT NOW THE IRS WANTS TO TALK TO ME

I was in big trouble, seriously behind on my mortgage.
The bank was set to foreclose... Then a miracle ...
The bank saved me, they renegotiated me to a new loan and forgave $10,000 of debt.

BUT DAMN! The IRS wants to tax me on the $10,000!!

Yup, Right now that's the way it works.

Ok let's say you are in a similar situation and the lender WON'T renegotiate.

But, they agree to a SHORT SELL. Meaning instead of losing your house, you sell your house. You sell it, however, for $15,000 less than what is owed on the mortgage, hence "SHORT SELL."

But hey, the lender says, "that's cool well take what ya' got and we will forgive you for the $15,000!!" Boy, at this point you are pretty pleased. Until ...

The IRS lets you know they have received a 1099 from the lender for the $15,000 and now the IRS considers that $15,000 as INCOME!!!

The solution: Pray for The Mortgage Cancellation Tax Relief Act of 2007 (HR1876)

Basically this bill will have the sensitivity and compassion for all you have gone through this degrading, stressful and just plain awful experience. This bill would relieve you from any IRS obligation. But until it passes, however, know the consequences.

A nod to kenharney@earthlink.net Read more!

SUNDAY MORNING FUNNIES: WE MISS THE BOONDOCKS

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SUMMER PART 1: THE WEATHER IS FINE ... BUT WHAT THE HELL TO DO WITH THESE KIDS

WHY- WHY- WHY, SHOULD WE KEEP THE KIDS BUSY?

The kids are out of school and they have the long lazy days of July and August ahead. They could spend their summer days in front of the TV or your children could be using their imaginations to create projects that are a reflection of their own unique talents.

Does it matter what kids do on their summer vacation? After all, they are in school 10 months of the year and most do take some art classes. Don’t they get enough art classes in school?

Creative and artistic are not the same thing. Creativity is an approach to life. Creative thinkers know that problems have many different solutions. When they encounter an obstacle, they find a way around rather than giving up. They have to be willing to take risks as they learn new skills. These are important life skills that need to be encouraged in children.

Summer activities, childrens crafts and science projects give children the opportunity to learn and practice these skills. Even if they follow a project guide exactly, they will still to make decisions about shades of colors and where to place items. Once they are familiar with the project, most children will want to make it again. That is when they get really creative. First the colors change, then the shapes, and suddenly it is a new project from their own imagination.

Creative projects encourage children to find the resources to make what they want, rather than opening up a box that has all the supplies in one place. The first project in the weekly project list (see below) uses an old knee-hi or pair of pantyhose. What if none are available? Should the children wait until someone else finds all the ‘right’ materials. No, have them start thinking about what they could substitute. Would an old sock work? How about a dish cloth? It is fun to sit back and watch children solve their own problems.

COMING LATER TODAY--- THE WHAT WHAT WHAT TO DO!
STAY TUNED AND CHECK BACK LATER TODAY! Read more!

PROOF THAT CHENEY IS BOTH GRINCH & GANGSTA

Vice President Cheney's office has refused to comply with an executive order governing the handling of classified information for the past four years and recently tried to abolish the office that sought to enforce those rules, according to documents released by a congressional committee yesterday.

Since 2003, the vice president's staff has not cooperated with an office at the National Archives and Records Administration charged with making sure the executive branch protects classified information. Cheney aides have not filed reports on their possession of classified data and at one point blocked an inspection of their office. After the Archives office pressed the matter, the documents say, Cheney's staff this year proposed eliminating it.

The dispute centers on a relatively obscure process but underscores a wider struggle waged in the past 6 1/2 years over Cheney's penchant for secrecy. Since becoming vice president, he has fought attempts to peer into the inner workings of his office, shielding an array of information such as the names of industry executives who advised his energy task force, costs and other details about his travel, and Secret Service logs showing who visits his office or official residence.

The aggressive efforts to protect the operations of his staff have usually pitted Cheney against lawmakers, interest groups or media organizations, sometimes going all the way to the Supreme Court. But the fight about classified information regulation indicates that the vice president has resisted oversight even by other parts of the Bush administration. Cheney's office argued that it is exempt from the rules in this case because it is not strictly an executive branch agency.

For more, click here.

Read more!

SUMMER PART 2: MY KIDS ARE BORED AND DRIVING ME CRAZY. HELP ME AND HELP ME QUICK!

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WHAT-WHAT-WHAT TO DO WITH THESE KIDS?

We've previously talked about "why keep the kids busy this summer", now lets get a game plan of what things we can do.

First off these next activity ideas don't take a lot of money. We are talking really cost effective. You know how we do it. How many times have the kids gotten a big expensive present only to be bored with it after 30 minutes, but when you look, they have spent the last Two Hours playing with the box the toy came in. I recall my nephews, favorite toys weren't the electric fire truck, (though we did enjoy crashing Johnny Lighting cars in mid air) his favorite toys were a stick and a bandanna. It is all about the imagination and what you can challenge them too. So check these summer helpers out.

1) Start a garden. Kids love to watch things grow! It all starts with a couple of 15 cent packets of seed and go for it.

2) Painted Shirts and pants. They paint the walls they paint the floor they paint each other. You have some old paint (not oil base), lying around and some old clothes (floods) they should have stopped wearing last Christmas.
Let the kids create a work of art they can wear!

3) Pet Rocks. Don't laugh! If you could have been this brilliant 25 years ago... You'd be spending this and every summer on the French Rivera. Kids can let their imaginations run wild when creating creatures out of rocks. They can think about how to use the different shapes to make their own creation.

4) Start a Journal. Wow what a concept, writing your thoughts down and maybe even creating your own story. I even saw the old style diaries and notebooks at the 99cent store last week. Everything old is new again!

5) Rain Sticks. Those kid run through rolls and rolls of paper towel. And I throw all the tubes into a cabinet for later arts and craft projects and this is one. Rice inside the tube tape paper over the ends. It doesn't stop there, 'cause they really ought to decorate them with their favorite animal pattern.

Kids love to listen to the sounds of these sticks. They are amazed when they discover that paper and rice really does sound like rain.

6) Make an Innuksuk. A what??? Have you ever wondered about those stone piles on the side of many highways? Have you wanted to try to make one?

7) Treasure Hunt. Ok save this one for the finale when it is Fourth of July, Labor Day or a big summer birthday, when you are watching your kids, your sisters kids, your no good cousins kids and every kid you wondered if somewhere down the line could be your kid. YOU make the clues and have them paired up in teams of 2 to five. So they have to work together, (ANOTHER BRILLIANT CONCEPT) The list has them gathering things all over the yard and house. Then they put everything together and maybe the first letter of every thing they collect spells out where you have left the McDonald's coupons. YES, there has to be a pay off in a Treasure Hunt! And even some of the things they have to collect to solve the puzzle can be edibles, or stickers or ... you fill in the blank. You know you can be a little creative yourself. And whats the pay off for all your hard work ... This Treasure Hunt Keeps a large group of kids amused FOR HOURS!!!! Need I Say More?

Read more!

OBAMA DENOUNCES THE HIJACKING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

(AP) Sen. Barack Obama told a church convention Saturday that some right-wing evangelical leaders have exploited and politicized religious beliefs in an effort to sow division.

“But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart. Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before a national meeting of the United Church of Christ.

“At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design,” he said.

“There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its No. 1 legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich,” Obama said. “I don't know what Bible they're reading, but it doesn't jibe with my version.”

For more, click here. Read more!

IS THE WIFE OF BOBBY CUTTS A BLACK WOMAN? YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW, DON'T CHA???

Or Is Kelly Cutts White? Let's Keep It Real Folks - Isn't That The Question Everyone's Asking?

Now that we've heard the horrible news about Jesse Marie Davis, we just can't help speculating about the obvious racial dynamic at play here.

Here you have this strapping, obviously troubled Black cop with a strong fetish for White women now being accused of killing one of them.

GET THE LATEST ON THE JESSE DAVIS, BOBBY CUTTS MURDER CASE AND READ ABOUT THE DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS KELLY CUTTS STARTED

If it turns out that all the women are white, Black women will simply write Bobby L. Cutt's Jr. off as yet another Negro who lost his mind for THE standard of beauty perpetuated throughout the world.

However, if Kelly Cutts, 28, is Black, sistahs will start testifying not only about the lack of good brothers, but the overall state of male-female relationships in our community.

Once you subtract the ones that are gay, married, and only date non-Black women, all that's left are boneheads who don't even have the decency to take off their skullcap before snapping a picture of themselves for BlackSingles.com.

KELLY CUTTS RACE IS REVEALED HERE!

What's fascinating, however, is why Whites are so curious to know the race of Mrs. Cutts. Just in the last day alone, we've had over 500 visits to our site, hopping that we would disclose this absolutely irrelevant, yet intriguing morsel of information about Kelly.

In fact if you're reading this right now, you've already proven the point!

Irrespective of how much Americans talk about a melting pot and how we shouldn't look at race, it still matters folks.

After reading the comments some folks left, we believe you'll understand why. (Warning: They're explicit!)

Read more!

MEDIA ALERT: HILTON'S GETTING OUT AS BOBBY "O.J. PETTERSON" CUTTS GOES IN FOR JESSE'S MURDER

The discovery of a body in a national park believed to be a pregnant White woman who vanished from her home brought a tragic end to a massive search in Canton, Ohio.

Jessie Davis, 26, who was due to deliver a baby girl on July 3, was reported missing after her mother found Davis' 2-year-old son home alone, bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor.

CLICK HERE: JUDGE SETS BAIL AT 5 MILLION

What is believed to be Jesse's body was recovered in Summit County at 3:30pm Saturday, thirty minutes away from where she was missing.

Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, who is the father of Davis' son but is married to another woman, is the one who actually led them to the body about twenty miles away, according to media reports.

An African-American police officer believed to be the father of Jesse Davis' unborn daughter, Cutts has been arrested on two counts of murder. The unborn infant was going to be named Chloe.

Did he cut a deal to be spared the death penalty???

Investigators had been silent until they announced Cutts was taken into custody Saturday and was to be arraigned on Monday.

Cutts has said he and his wife are separated and that she knew about the affair with Davis. The million dollar question we want to know is what race is Kelly Cutts? We can't see a Black woman put up with all this madness. Can you????

Another White woman with whom he had a daughter actually moved to California to get away from the brother. Actress, singer, bikini model Nikki Giavasis had been saying that based on the violence she had experience with him, Cutts' involvement was highly probable.

Cutts has been on paid administrative leave from his job.

This case has the racial dynamics of OJ "Leave Those White Women Alone" Simpson, and the pregnant woman dynamic of Scott "Laci Petterson Was Killed By Amber Frye" Petterson.

Here's Cutts maintaining his innocence:

The pastor of the church Cutts attends had been praying with him every day and said as recently as Friday that Cutts, as a police officer, understands why the boyfriend of a missing woman would be under scrutiny.

According to Fox News, Cutts gathered family and loved ones, apologized and then admitted to having someething to do with Jesse's disapeprance. Cutts also allegedly stated that he was there when Davis died, but that he absolutely did not kill her.

Apparently something happenned, Jesse died, Cutts panicked and he had a friend (some are speculating it was another woman) help him bury her. Check out what his wife Kelly Cutts has to say!

Clearly a magnet for drama, the Canton Police Department had tried to fire Cutts in 2003 when authorities conducting a drug raid on his cousin's home found Cutts' handgun hidden under a mattress. Canton police officials said Cutts gave the gun to his cousin for protection and said Cutts was lying when he reported the gun stolen.

A federal arbitrator ordered the city to reinstate the officer, saying police had not proved the allegation.

Officer Cutts pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge in 1998 after he was accused of breaking into the home of a former girlfriend. He was sentenced to three years' probation. There are also reports that Cutts had his wages garnished because he was not paying child support for Jesse's now motherless son, Blake.

"There is no denying that this has resulted in giving a black eye in the opinion of the local community as well as the opinion of the rest of the nation," Canton Police Chief Dean McKimm said of Cutts' arrest.

Each person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Black people all around the world are saying the exact same thing. DAMN! Is this "If I Did It" the sequel???

GET UP TO THE MINUTE UPDATES ON THIS TRAGIC CASE HERE

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BLACK FOLKS HAVE SEX MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE: WHO KNEW?

Blacks are more likely to report having 15 or more partners in a lifetime (46 percent men and 13 percent women) than other races or ethnic groups.

How many sex partners have you had?

Now the federal government says it has authoritative statistics, documenting that men are far more likely to play the field than women.

(AP) A new nationwide survey, using high-tech methods to solicit candid answers on sexual activity, finds that 29 percent of American men report having 15 or more female sexual partners in a lifetime, while only 9 percent of women report having sex with 15 or more men.

The number of lifetime female sexual partners for men was seven; women -- four.

In previous federal surveys on these topics, participants were asked questions in face-to-face interviews. The Center for Disease Control believes that caused underreporting of behaviors which might be viewed negatively.

This time, data was gathered from 6,237 adults, aged 20 to 59, in what are called computer-assisted self-interviews - a method designed to provide complete privacy and produce more honest answers.

The participants wore headsets, heard the questions, then touch the screen with responses. There's no one else in the room and they were able to take as long as they wanted.

Among the other findings:

About 96 percent of U.S. adults have had sex.

Sixteen percent of adults first had sex before age 15, while 15 percent abstained from sex until at least age 21.

The proportion of adults who first had sex before age 15 was highest for non-Hispanic blacks (28 percent) compared to 14 percent for both Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites.

Six percent of blacks abstained from sex until age 21 or older, fewer than Mexican-Americans (17 percent) or non-Hispanic whites (15 percent).

Twenty-five percent of women and 17 percent of men reported having no more than one partner of the other sex in their lifetime. Read more!

OLD SCHOOL: PUSH-IT! FROM THE FUNKY RAP DIVAS KNOWN AS SALT-N-PEPA

Now this is when rap and hip-hop was da bomb!
Read our next post to find out what these ladies are up to!

Read more!

EXTRA EXTRA! WE GOT YOUR BLACK ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Salt-N-Pepa Reunite for VH1 Reality Series

Shemar Moore Cops A Plea For DUI Case

Lauryn Hill Suits Up for Second LP

Couple Face 30yrs for I.d. Theft of Nia Long, Ashanti

Black Winemakers a Small but Dedicated Group

50 Cent Lands Role in New De Niro/Pacino Flick

Speaking of 50, Wasn't He In Court For Child Support

Nike Will Honor Deal with Michael Vick

Abysmally Few Minority-Owned Radio Stations

Read more!

EDDIE MURPHY: THAT JUST MY BABY DADDY!

Tracey Edmonds Just Got "Punked"

Eddie Murphy is the father of "Scary Spice" Melanie Brown's 2-month-old daughter, Brown's rep confirms to PEOPLE.

The results of the DNA test, which Murphy took on June 11, were received by Brown on Thursday afternoon, says rep Liza Anderson.

"He's the baby's father, it's official," says a source close to Brown. "The baby is undoubtedly, 110 percent his."

So what's the real reason Donkey didn't take home Oscar gold for his Saturday Night Live, umm.., we mean "Dreamgirls" performance? Kharma is a b**** family. Read more!

OPRAH & DENZEL HOOK UP!

Oprah Winfrey, host of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, has yet another project that will hit the theaters next year. The Great Debaters, in which she serves as a producer, is a drama starring and directed by Denzel Washington.

The upcoming movie isn’t Winfrey’s first work as a producer. A part from hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show, she also serves as the talk show’s producer, as well as on shows and films like Before Women Had Wings, The Women of Brewster Place, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Amy & Isabelle, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy just to name a few.

As for Washington, this is his second directorial job following the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, in which he also served as one of the producers.

Written by Robert Eisele and Suzan-Lori Parks, The Great Debaters is based on a true story of Melvin B. Tolson. As a professor at Wiley College in East Texas, he has been inspires by his students to create the college’s first debating team, which successfully conquered Harvard in the national championships.

For more, click here.

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BASSETT TO STAR IN PERRY'S 'MEET THE BROWNS'

Tyler Perry is popular with the ladies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he has just nabbed beauty Angela Bassett for a co-starring role in his theatrical adaptation of Meet the Browns.

This will be Perry's fifth film for Lionsgate. It will revolve around Bassett's character, Brenda, a single mother living in Chicago. She is faced with the task of taking her entire family to Georgia. She arrives there for the funeral of her own father, whom she has never met. In the process, she ends up meeting the Brown's, her father's fun-loving side of the family. There is also a romance thrown into the mix just for good measure, and to keep Bassett on her toes.

The film will be released in early 2008, probably in February.

Read more!

OBAMA: GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER

Obama Campaign Picks 4 for Dinner with the Senator

By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON - They are not wealthy. Their home states are politically symbolic. Their occupations or their circumstances suggest salt of the earth.

Four contributors to Barack Obama's presidential campaign, chosen from among thousands of donors, will sit down for dinner with the Illinois senator next month at a Washington, D.C., restaurant.

The two men and two women were announced as winners of a small donor solicitation campaign that was as much about raising money as it was about building a vast network of supporters from across the country who supplied biographical data and gave reasons for their support.

There's Michael Griffith, a miner from Nevada; Margaret Thomas-Jordan, a Louisiana mother of two whose husband is serving a 15-month tour in Iraq; Haile Rivera, a community activist and mentor from the Bronx in New York; and Jennifer Lasko, a Florida firefighter and paramedic who was a registered Republican until 2000.

Obama aides won't say how much money the solicitation raised and would only say that "thousands" responded to it. The campaign will pay the transportation and dinner costs for the four supporters. The selection was not a drawing or a lottery, which could have created problems with some states' gaming laws. Instead, the campaign culled through the entries looking for diverse backgrounds and personal stories. Finalists were interviewed over the weekend and winners were notified on Sunday.

"The goal was to pull together a group of people who might otherwise not sit down and have dinner together," said campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Lasko, an Army officer until shortly before the first Persian Gulf War, said she has opposed the war in Iraq from the start. "He has the best chance of overcoming the negativity of the political atmosphere in our country right now," she said of Obama.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

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WASHINGTON'S HEAD NEGRO IN CHARGE HAS FOLKS ASKING - WHERE THE BROTHERS AT MAYOR?

In City Brimming With Black Talent, Black Writer Laments The Lack of Color In Fenty's Cabinet

Story By Courtland Milloy

By now, you'd think D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty would be feeling the heat. When a black mayor takes the helm of a majority-black city and starts replacing black Cabinet officials with white ones, you'd expect him to get at least some static.

Not Fenty. He appoints a white police chief. Good reception. Names a white fire chief. Cool. White city administrator. Hailed as one of the best. School chancellor is Korean American. He's thinking outside the box.

"When I'm out in the community, most people are telling me that they want officers walking the beat, more aggressive community policing and reductions in crime. Nine out of 10 people I meet want the schools fixed. They are not asking for one type of person for the job -- the issue is getting the job done."

Fenty, 36, is fast emerging as the District's first black mayor who is not particularly race conscious. Moving about the city like an old-fashioned ward boss, brim of his black hat turned down on his bald head -- all the while sending a message that as long as the city's top dog is black, nobody has to worry about his subordinates being white.

As unbelievable as this may sound, Black people want competent folks handling our business as well. What pisses us off is when we're denied opportunities because of our melon-rich skin, while some White men in this day and age still -- perhaps subconsciously-- feel entitled to all the goodies.

Look no further than the 2008 Presidential Election and the Obama dilemma both Democrats and Republicans are struggling with. Who's going to stop talking about his race first, Blacks or Whites?

Let's put five on it. Read more!

YEAH, I SAID IT: WHY CAN'T D.C. FOLKS FIND SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES MARION BARRY?

WASHINGTON -- D.C. City Councilman Marion Shepilov Barry Jr., 71, is scheduled to return to federal court today to argue why he shouldn't be put in prison for not filing his taxes on time.

Brothers and sisters, we have given this Black man chance after chance after chance...

Enough is enough! This brother was allegedly once an Eagle Scott has got to go! And at this point, I don't care who replaces him.

Even if it's someone who ain't Black. Yeah, that's right, I said "ain't."

Prosecutors said the former mayor and Alpha fraternity man (Kappa Alpha Psi would not stand for that!) violated his parole. He's on probation for a 2005 misdemeanor criminal-tax violation and faces up to a year in prison.

Just last week Barry was in a D.C. Superior Court where he was acquitted of driving under the influence charges.

Councilman Berry, I wish we knew how to quit you!

NBC Read more!

IS IT US, OR DOES RIHANNA'S NEW "SHUT UP AND DRIVE" SOUND LIKE A RIP-OFF FROM...

TELL YOU WHAT, WE'LL LET YOU FILL IN THE BLANK_______________ Read more!

PARIS HILTON - 2, LA PROSECUTOR ROCKY DELGADILLO - 0

Paris Continues To Wreak Havoc On Delgadillo's Rocky Political Career

Now being accused of using staff for non-work related purposes, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is definitely not having his best week ever!

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the city's top prosecutor illegally enlisted members of his office staff to run personal errands and baby-sit his two boys, ages 6 and 3, including taking them to museums and other local attractions.

Through a spokesperson, Delgadillo confirmed yesterday that this in fact did occur. "On occasion, city staff members -- some of whom the city attorney has known for many years -- have watched the Delgadillos' children on their own personal time," according to the statement.

Is Rocky permanently burnt? The city attorney has been the subject of multiple disclosures in recent days, all reflecting inattention or an above-the-law attitude.

There are even details coming forth about Michelle Delgadillo's business license lapsing, and her failure to file tax returns for the venture.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Delgadillo was sentenced to one year of summary probation and ordered to pay fines totaling around $1,300 for a 1998 driving without a valid driver's license misdemeanor. She pleaded no contest to the charge as well as failing to appear in court.

The sentencing came two days after Delgadillo's Ivy-league Latino husband admitted he had "occasionally" allowed his wife to drive his city-owned vehicle for personal errands, a possible violation of ethics rules.

In the last three years, the Delgadillos were chronically late in paying fines for at least five parking tickets. Michelle Delgadillo had an accident in 2004 while driving her husband's city-assigned GMC Yukon, which was repaired at taxpayer expense. The city attorney has now reimbursed the city for the $1,222 repair.

The disclosures began after Delgadillo's office insisted Paris Hilton serve a 45-day prison term for violating probation by driving with a suspended license.

Sheriff Lee Baca, who unsuccessfully tried to have Hilton serve her sentence at her Hollywood Hills home, candidly maintained that hotel heiress was subjected to a harsher standard than normal by the courts because of her celebrity status.

And she was, as we reporter here.

Paris, 26, is scheduled to be released this Tuesday, June 26.

Meanwhile, read here how Rocky is being investigated by the City of Los Angeles Ethics Committee as well as the California State Bar! Yikes!!! Read more!

I DON'T CARE WHAT AL SHARPTON SAYS, JUNETEENTH HAS BECOME A JOKE

Milwaukee Police say a 33-year-old man has a broken tooth and cuts all over his face after a group of teenagers pulled him from his car and beat him following Milwaukee's Juneteenth celebration.

JUNETEENTH? The day all Black folks were considered free? The descendant of slave's 4th of July Juneteenth? The time for assessment, self-improvement and planning for the future Juneteenth? This must be a mistake.

While Black Presidential Candidate Barack Obama was texting people to join his movement, a few blocks away - still in Wisconsin mind you - a group of girls are throwing some serious punches.

When police went to break up the fight, the department says a 17-year-old girl started punching and kicking a 15-year veteran officer.

Police say there was also a fight earlier in the day where three different women were fighting. A 15-year-old boy reportedly tried to break up the fight when an 18-year-old man got involved in it.

According to police, the 18-year-old got angry, walked away and told the boy he was coming back with a gun. The 18-year-old did in fact return with a gun and fired five shots into a crowd where the boy was standing. The 15-year-old's 39-year-old uncle was hit in the shoulder.

It's the second year in a row that violence has broken out at the celebration.

In Texas, David Morales, 40, was beat to death on Tuesday June 19 night near a local Juneteenth festival in Austin after accidentally running over a small child.

Police say anything between two and 20 attackers beat Mr Morales after the driver stopped following the collision which involved him purportedly driving at a low speed.

It is thought that up to 25 onlookers may have seen the fatal assault.
Some people think all this violence takes away from the real meaning of Juneteenth. WRONG!

The violence is telling us that if we're fighting and destroying each other on a day marking the end of slavery, then we don't deserve to be free.. or alive.

The solution? Re-enslave those that can't be killed quickly with little to no effort.

Desperate times demand desperate measures. We keep hearing Bill Cosby lecture us but not enough folks wants to listen. While I accept that Bill Cosby has his own personal issues, what he's saying is on point: We are a mess!

Activist C. Delores Tucker was dogged when she was spoke out about rap disrespecting women in the 90's. Then Don Imus threats our women like St. Louis rapper Huey, and suddenly we realize that she had it right all along. Problem is, this came AFTER her death!

Are we going to do the same thing to Cosby?

PEOPLE, PEOPLE - THIS IS JUNETEENTH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!

Is this site on????

Read more!

OUR TEENS ARE GETTING CRUNKED & HOOKING UP ONLINE AND WE DON'T HAVE A CLUE

Per Study, Drugs And Sex Prominent In Teen Online Chats... Right Huey?

Parents who think their teens' online conversations with peers are innocent may want to reconsider.

A new study shows 1 in 10 of their messages discuss drugs or sex.

This story and video doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. Meanwhile many of us grown folks adults are unwilling to learn about this new technology because we "can't relate."

Look Black people, get your ass online! If you're reading this, pass on this site to someone. Enough with this digital divide ish. We can't blame the White man or feign ignorance anymore.

We gotta keep it real up in here! Don't believe me, check out Huey's 'Pop, Lock It, Drop It"

ANY QUESTIONS??? Read more!

WITH THE WAR FLOUNDERING, CONDI RICE IS NOW INTENT ON BRINGING SEXY BACK!

Condelezza made the list of Maxim's Bachelorettes of the Year. We had no idea that the Secretary of State - Ms. Rice if you're nasty - had it like that!

Thanks Young, Black and Fabulous

Read more!

DADDY DIARIES #473 FATHER'S RIGHTS, WHO CAN I TALK TO FOR FREE

Ok, ladies time for equal access to our kids. We are willing to man up with the child support. But when do I get to see my kids and what about joint custody. I really don't have it all that good if the only time I hear from you or my kid is when he needs something or you decide I should pay for summer camp or my half of the private school.

I miss those goodnight kisses and saying our prayers together and you know he really does like my pancakes in the morning better than yours. So how about joint custody two weeks with you, two weeks with me. Who cares if there is another woman in my life. Your are free to get a man.

Noooo I'm not having other women sleeping in my crib when my daughter or son is over. So who do I have to talk to, because you are being impossible! Brothers before you call the lawyer, here are some people you might want to talk to who are FREE:

1) Father's Rights Network Team Homepage
The Father's Rights Network is one of the True FREE Resources for Fathers, and Parents who are either Separated or ... Media Contact Information. How to Change ...www.abs-comptech.com/frn/frnhome.html

2) Fathers' Rights and Equality Exchange (FREE)
Nonprofit organization dedicated to the premise that parenting is a 50/50 proposition between mothers and fathers.www.vix.com

3) Affordable Legal Help, Father's Rights Specialists (800) 983-7258
Onsite legal staff and Family Law Attorneys. Free consultation available anytime ... Personal information is kept completely confidential. First Name: Last ...www.affordablehelp.org

4) Fathers' & Dads' Rights
Free fathers rights information for men in all states with free documents and tactics to win fathers rights ... the constitutional equal right of a father to ...www.fathersrights.org

5) Fathers Rights Foundation
Offers resources to fight for custody and visitation includes how to minimize support and guide to fathers rights.www.fathers-rights.com

6) Website for Parental Alienation Syndrome, Father's Rights, FREE Info
FREE INFORMATION for Alienated Dads and Moms (in the USA, it's mostly Dads) ... EVIL woman who thinks her Ex has no right to see his own kids, and the bias ...www.alienated-fathers.com

Be a father to your child'>CHECK OUT THIS RAP ARTIST'S TAKE ON FATHEHOOD

Read more!

OKAY BLACK FOLKS: IS IT AX OR ASK???

Garrard McClendon, professor of Education at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Indiana, has written an interesting book called “Ax or Ask? The African-American Guide to Better English."

McClendon penned the book to, “teach African Americans how to speak mainstream American English in order to avoid employment and educational discrimination and exclusion due to dialect.”

McClendon's website gives you more to chew on. Check it out! Read more!

MARRIED BLACK COP AT THE CENTER OF MYSTERY INVOLVING MISSING PREGNANT WHITE WOMAN

BREAKING NEWS: MYISHA FERRELL DESCRIBES AT TRIAL HOW BOBBY CUTTS BROUGHT JESSE'S DEAD BODY TO HER!!!

Shocking Development: Did Mrs. Bobby Cutts Jr. Know About Jessie Davis and her kids?

While waiting for DNA tests to confirm whether an abandoned newborn is that of Jessie Marie Davis, Jessie's boyfriend's wife may not have known that he and Bobby were not just creepin' but had a child together.

This is the case involving the pregnant 27 year-old Ohio woman who has been missing since last June 13. Authorities still have no leads or suspects in the case.

TRIAL COVERAGE: DETAILS EMERGING IN SHOCKING CASE OF HOW THIS MAN ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED THE CRIME

Jessie was last heard from when she spoke to her mother, Patricia Porter, by phone on Wednesday.

When Porter arrived at the residence last Friday morning she could not locate her daughter. Instead, she found her two-year old grandson in his room. "I said ... 'Where's Mommy?'" Porter said. "And he just said, 'Mommy broke the table, and Mommy's in the rug.'"

Add to the madness that Bobby Cutt's wife may not have known of her husband's relationship with pregnant Jessie, or their son Blake, and who needs "All My Children?"

Why? because suddenly we've got a potential motive for the wife of a cheating husband, especially if she's a sistah.

First it was reported that Kelly Cutts knew about her husband's relationship with Jessie, and was ok with it. Now Fox News is saying Jessie's co-worker and friend Diane is claiming that Kelly 'may not have known' about Jessie, Blake, or her unborn child Chloe.

Bobby, 30, says otherwise, while confirming that he and Kelly are currently separated.

Diane also said that Jessie and Bobby got along really well, and had a good working relationship. In fact, there was no indication that Jessie was having any problems with anyone.

While Jessie was known for always talking about how wonderful of a father Bobby is, of course the mainstream media is now painting a different picture.

Cutts, who has several perjury convictions, may have been physically and verbally abusive to his daughter with another white woman named Nikki Giavasis.

The well-known former football jock with O.J. Simpson tendencies no longer has a relationship with her or his daughter.

While police aren't calling him a suspect, Cutts claims he is certainly being treated like one. And he himself is a cop!

Meanwhile, police have discovered a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket and fed, on the porch of a couple's home 45 miles away from Jessie Davis. Everyone's now wondering if it's the missing mother's child. And if so, does that mean Davis is still alive? Read more!

STAR JONES PUSHES SHRILL NANCY GRACE OUT FROM COURT TV INTO A LAWSUIT

Grace Goes to Court Kicking And Screaming

(AP) -- A Florida judge has ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that CNN/Court TV's Nancy Grace pushed the mother of a missing toddler, Melinda Duckett, to suicide through aggressive questioning on her show will be tried in federal court.

The lawsuit, filed in November 2006, names the self-righteous host and CNN as defendants. The reason a federal court is handling the case filed by Duckett's relatives is because the involved parties are from different jurisdictions.

Grace grilled Duckett on Grace's CNN Headline News show in September 2006 about the disappearance of her two year-old son, Trenton.

Duckett fatally shot herself before the network aired the pre-taped interview. Authorities believe Trenton is still alive, and have named Melinda Duckett as the prime suspect. Read more!

STAR JONES IS A BLACK WOMAN THAT DOES NOT PLAY THAT!

Sistagirl Star Jones Reynolds is hitting back against rumors that her marriage is a bust – and threatening to take folks to court for spreading lies and creating unnecessary drama.

"These categorically false stories and their continuation are clearly being generated by someone for vindictive reasons alone," the former "View" cohost, 44, says in a statement issued by her publicist.

This is not the first attack on the couple, with persistent rumors that her man Al Reynolds is a big fan of "Queer As Folk" and "Noah's Arc."

The statement goes on to say that the couple's "legal representatives have been investigating the source and motivation of these boldfaced lies for some time now and are very close to exposing the individual who has perpetrated them. At which time, appropriate legal action will be taken."

On Wednesday, the New York Post reported that Reynolds has been telling friends she's "heartbroken" because her marriage is falling apart.

Speaking about taking someone to court, check out the latest with the Anna Nicole Smith judge on our next post. Read more!

FOUR BLACK JUDGES, THREE HISPANIC ONES, AND NOW TWO JEWS???

Greg Mathis is straight ghetto. Marilyn Millan is saucy. Joe Brown is firm and Judy is tough as nails.

But when Judge Larry Seidlin gets his own courtroom show, they better put a big box of tissues on the bench.

Seidlin, the former New York cabbie turned weepy Florida judge, catapulted into the national spotlight when hizzoner presided over the fight over where to bury Anna Nicole Smith.

WHAT'S THIS ABOUT ANNA'S X-RAYS SHOWING UP NEAR THE JUDGE'S RESIDENCE?

Seidlin has apparently inked a deal to develop a 2008 show with CBS Television Distribution and is slated to film a pilot in L.A. next month, Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported on its Web site.

The Bronx-born jurist is leaving his court job after spending a week in Hollywood meeting with TV execs in search of a deal. His last day on the bench is July 31, according to his letter of resignation. Read more!

DO BLACK WOMEN HAVE A REASON TO BE ANGRY?

HERE'S OUR MOST POPULAR VIDEO FAMILY

Tell us what you think of our sister's perspective.

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WHY BLACK WOMEN ARE REALLY ANGRY!

Has anyone else notice that after his first Black wife Marguerite, OJ ONLY dates WHITE WOMEN? Right after the death of their child who drowned in the family's swimming pool under mysterious circumstances, OJ started seeing Nicole Brown.

Since then, you have never seen him with Asian, Hispanic or Native American women. It's always mostly blonde, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, Mrs. Tiger Woods-type women.

Does the saying, "Once you go Black" only refer to brothers??? Read more!

DADDY DIARIES #472 - TAKING YOUR BLACK SON TO WORK!

D'Angelo Ortiz learns about batting from dad, David Ortiz

Little D'Angelo Ortiz, age 2, listens closely to his father's, David Ortiz, batting advice on Sunday, June 17 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

David, a player with the Boston Red Sox was preparing for his game against the San Francisco Giants. The 31-year-old and his wife, Tiffany, also have two daughters, Jessica, 10, and Alexandra, 6.

SOURCE

Read more!

BARACK IS NOT GIVING HILLARY A 'GHETTO' PASS

Who Is Getting The Black Female Vote?

Despite Maya Angelou's Endoresment, Hillary Clinton is ticking people off. They've even started booing her!

It happened again this morning at the Take Back America conference, sponsored by the lefty activist group Campaign for America's Future here in Washington.

At this same conference last year, The New York Senator was booed for her position on the war in Iraq.

This morning, Clinton was enthusiastically received as she bashed the Bush administration — "a stunning record of secrecy and corruption" — but the crowd became less friendly when, at the end of her speech, she turned to Iraq.

But not before she tried to do a Soprano-like spoof promoting her candicacy:

Ok Barack, now that your Hooter girl with the crush has you all over YouTube, whacha gonna do bad boy? Read more!

TWO BLACK FIREFIGHTERS AMONG NINE KILLED IN BLAZE AT CHARLESTON FURNITURE STORE

South Carolina honors victims of worst firefighter disaster since 9/11

Fire swept through a furniture warehouse, collapsing its roof and killing nine firefighters, including two African-American men, inside.

The men ranged in age from 27 to 56 and together had 131 years of experience with the Charleston Fire Department, a department with only 237 firefighters in 19 companies located throughout the city of about 106,000.

At 56, James "Earl" Drayton, known around the fire station as "Squirrel," was the oldest of the group. With 32 years on the job, he could have been enjoying retirement.

The other brother was Firefighter Melven Champaign, 46, whose length of service was 2.5 years. Champaign was nicknamed "Pimp Daddy" because of his flashy clothes. But the name belied his love of Bible study.

Two employees in the building were rescued from the blaze, which broke out at about 7 p.m. Monday June 18 in the Sofa Super Store and warehouse.

It was the worst single incident to claim firefighters’ lives since the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed 340 firefighters, two paramedics and a chaplain.

Car dealership salesman Shahid said he saw firefighters rescue four people from the building. “They were struggling. They were covered in black soot. They looked scared out of their minds,” he said.

He later told CNN the roof collapsed too quickly for anyone to escape. “It came from nowhere,” he said. “It was a standing structure and five seconds later it was on the ground.”

Herb Goldstein, who had owned the store for 15 years, said in a statement there were no words to express his sorrow.

“All of us at Sofa Super Store are devastated and heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the heroic firefighters who lost their lives,” he said.

While negative press and Black men seem to go hand in hand, it's nice to know that we have brothers who our children can still look up to. The remaining seven warriors are listed below:
Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, Age: 37, Length of service: 9 years, Capt. Mike Benke, Age: 49, Length of service: 29 years, Assistant engineer Michael French, Age: 27, Length of service: 1.5 years, Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, Age: 48, Length of service: 30 years, Engineer Mark Kelsey, Age: 40, Length of service: 12.5 years, AP Capt. Louis Mulkey, Age: 34, Length of service: 11.5 years, Firefighter Brandon Thompson, Age: 27, Length of service: 4 years

Our thoughts and deepest prayers go out to the family and community out in Charleston.

MSNBC Read more!

BREAKING NEWS: BLACK WOMEN DISGUSTED WITH O.J. AS MANUSCRIPT IS RELEASED ONLINE!

TMZ has obtained a copy of the infamous manuscript by killer OJ Simpson where he outlines IF he had killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, HOW it went down.

Get ready folks, it's disgusting.

In an excert from the book If I Did It, the manuscript begins with the passage:

I'm going to tell you a story you've never heard before, because no one knows this story the way I know it.

It takes place on the night June 12, 1994, and it concerns the murder of my ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her young friend, Ronald Goldman.

I want you to forget everything you think you know about that night because I know the facts better than anyone.

I know the players. I've seen the evidence. I've heard the theories. And, of course, I've read all the stories: That I did it. That I did it but I don't know I did it. That I can no longer tell fact from fiction. That I wake up in the middle of the night, consumed by guilt, screaming.

As for the murders, Simpson describes a chilling scene:

Nicole moaned, regaining consciousness. She stirred on the ground and opened her eyes and looked at me, but it didn't seem like anything was registering.

I looked over at Goldman, and I was fuming. I guess he thought I was going to hit him, because he got into his little karate stance. "What the fuck is that?" I said. "You think you can take me with your karate shit?"

He started circling me, bobbing and weaving, and if I hadn't been so fucking angry I would have laughed in his face. "O.J., come on!" It was Charlie again, pleading.

Charlie walked over and planted himself in front of me blocking my view. "We are fucking done here, man-let's go!"
I noticed the knife in Charlie's hand, and in one deft move I removed my right glove and snatched it up.

"We're not going anywhere," I said, turning to face Goldman. Goldman was still circling me, bobbing and weaving, but I didn't feel like laughing anymore.

"You think you're tough, motherfucker?" I said. I could hear Charlie just behind me, saying something, urging me to get the fuck out of there, and at one point he even reached for me and tried to drag me away, but I shook him off, hard, and moved toward Goldman. "Okay, motherfucker!" I said. "Show me how tough you are!"

Then something went horribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can't tell you exactly how. I was still standing in Nicole's courtyard, of course, but for a few moments I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there, when I'd arrived, or even why I was there.

Then it came back to me, very slowly: The recital-with little Sydney up on stage, dancing her little heart out; me, chipping balls into my neighbor's yard; Paula, angry, not answering her phone; Charlie, stopping by the house to tell me some more ugly shit about Nicole's behavior. Then what? The short, quick drive from Rockingham to the Bundy condo. And now?

Now I was standing in Nicole's courtyard, in the dark, listening to the loud, rhythmic, accelerated beating of my own heart. I put my left hand to my heart and my shirt felt strangely wet.

I looked down at myself. For several moments, I couldn't get my mind around what I was seeing. The whole front of me was covered in blood, but it didn't compute. Is this really blood? I wondered. And whose blood is it? Is it mine? Am I hurt?

O.K. Now I'm scared! Not because of that, but because of this:


Black folks, especially sistahs, are so done with O.J. Here's why. Read more!

GAYS WANT WASHINGTON BACK ON TELEVISION

New York - Isaiah Washington is getting some unexpected support in his bid to return to "Grey's Anatomy" - a petition drive spearheaded by a prominent lesbian and gay activist who insists he shouldn't have been axed for his homophobic remarks against co-star T.R. Knight.


Jasmyne Cannick, who worked with Washington on the Pan African Arts Festival, said she's infuriated ABC booted Washington from the show's upcoming fourth season for using an anti-gay slur against Knight during a scuffle on the set and believes it smacks of racism. So she's launched a petition - which had 1,233 signatures as of last night - to get the actor his job back.


The petition says Washington's firing "further adds to a disturbing new trend at ABC wherein minority actors have been dismissed at an alarming rate over the past two years. Blacks, including . . . Star Jones ('The View'), Harold Perrineau ('Lost'), Alfre Woodard, Mehcad Brooks and Page Kennedy ('Desperate Housewives') have been let go . . . One must ask themselves, what is going on? . . . While we don't approve of use of the F-word at the Golden Globes, Washington has since apologized and gone on to perform community service by way of a public service announcement for the very organizations that have been orchestrating his dismissal. But it seems it wasn't enough."

The actor came under fire last fall after getting into an altercation with Patrick Dempsey, during which he slurred Knight. He later repeated the word at the Golden Globes. Washington later apologized, checked into rehab and met with gay leaders.

For the series of events that led up to this point, click here. Read more!

FORGET THE TABLE DANCE: CAN A BROTHA GET A HAIR CUT?!

NEW YORK, June 18 (UPI) -- A lawsuit filed by a New York man has accused a hairstylist on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship of having refused to cut the man's hair because he is black.

Court papers show Gordon Gainer has accused the unidentified stylist of refusing him service due to his race while he was on board a cruise last March, the New York Post said Monday.

Rainer said when he visited the Norwegian Dawn's salon during his cruise, the female stylist had no qualms about telling him why he would not receive service.

"She looks up to me, and she says, 'We don't cut black,'" Gainer said of the cruise employee. "I looked down, I said, 'What do you mean?' and she said, 'We don't cut black hair.'"

Gainer, who was on the cruise as part of his honeymoon, is seeking a full refund of both newlyweds' fares and punitive damages in the suit.

For more, click here.

Do you think Norwegian Cruise Lines would hire these guys?

Read more!

CAN ANGELINA JOLIE BE A RACIST?

Can a White Woman with an Asian Son and Black Daughter Be a Racist?

NEW YORK, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- While shooting a scene for "A Mighty Heart" in Mumbai, India, two of Angelina Jolie's bodyguards were arrested after a scuffle at a Muslim school, and Newsweek was there, alongside Jolie, as the events unfolded.

Last November, while Jolie was shooting a scene at a Muslim school in Mumbai, India, actors for the movie, dressed in Pakistani police uniforms and holding AK-47s, stood in the courtyard while children were in class. That afternoon, when parents showed up to pick up their kids, the gates were closed to keep paparazzi out. When parents became anxious, the school opened the gates, and the paparazzi flooded in with them. A scuffle ensued when the film's security guards tried to hold back the crowd.

Although no one was injured, the following morning, two of Jolie's bodyguards were arrested for intimidation. Unnamed sources in local newspapers claimed that the white, British guards had shoved parents and kids and called them "bloody Indians" and "bloody Muslims." The event escalated into an international incident, and Jolie had gone from being the most famous star in India to its most famous racist.

The following day Jolie told Senior Writer Sean Smith, who was in India with her at the time, "People advised me that this movie was politically dangerous. I thought maybe I shouldn't touch this. Maybe it would do more harm than good."

Deeply frustrated by the situation and the accusation, Jolie tells Smith in the June 25 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, June 18), "We've become so eager to accuse people of being racist, but I would rather they make up almost any other story -- about me sleeping with someone, anything -- but that," she says. "It's not only a crazy accusation, but it's the most insulting thing you could say about me, that I would employ someone who would be disrespectful to someone's race or would harm a child. They take care of my kids."

For more, click here.

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SOME GUYS GOT IT LIKE THAT...JAY Z

JAY Z AND BEYONCE ON HIS YACHT.

Maybe you didn't hear me?

SOME FELLAS GOT IT LIKE THAT.

Read more!

KOBE BRYANT GOES SOPRANO, PUTS HIT OUT ON WITNESS!

We've heard of Kobe the 3 NBA Titles superstar
We now even know Kobe as the whiner ...
But KOBE THE KILLER???
Kobe giving the OK to take somebody out??

Well that's what former bodyguard Patrick Graber says. He is releasing a book called Dead Women Tell No Tales: the truth about the Kobe Bryant Rape Case.

Graber says Bryant had wanted to put the "hit" on a witness in his Colorado rape case.

Graber and Bryant met in July 2003 in Kobe’s luxury Westwood apartment where the player was 'entertaining' his two mistresses.

Bryant proposes to his bodyguard to eliminate the witness in the Colorado rape case. Now those of you who only faintly remember what happen, here's a refresher:

Graber was arrested in suburban El Segundo by undercover sheriff's investigators who had met with him previously and set up a sting in a supermarket parking lot. Detectives said Graber wanted $3 million to carry out the "Hit" plan and had arranged to pick up a $1 million payment.

The investigation began when Bryant's security staff reported receiving a letter offering to solve the basketball player's problem. The letter was signed "Yuri." Investigators said Graber claimed to have ties to Russian organized crime.

The defense attorney said it would be hard for prosecutors to prove that Graber had the intent and means to carry out a crime. He noted that Graber has one prior conviction, for fraud, in Switzerland.

But what about Kobe??

Catch the whole story on the website for Graber's book. Read more!

OBAMA: IN CELEBRATION OF CHILDREN & FATHERS

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SUMMER: A TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR CHILDREN

The images of Black children unfortunately are not as balanced in the mainstream media as they should be.

I will admit that I am grateful for the positive images of our children through such entities as Disney and NBC - with shows like That's So Raven and of course The Cosby Show and A Different World.

Yet, in our everyday reality, the negative images pertaining to our children in the news media still out-weigh the positive images of Black children I see everyday in my neighborhood and the school my child attends.

As they say in journalism, if it bleeds, it leads.

For more, click here.

Who Can Forget the Days of Summer Gone By?

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ARE BLACK FOLKS REALLY INTO JUNETEENTH?

Juneteenth Celebrates Historical End of Slavery

Black Folks Lament Lack of Enthusiasm

Many Want Texas Spot Founded in 1872 for Juneteenth Site

Dead Prez Celebrate Juneteeth with Performance in DC

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CHIEF LATINO PROSECUTOR TRIES TO SLAM PARIS HILTON AND GETS SUCKER-PUNCHED INSTEAD

With a huge, "I'M SORRY!", Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo confesses that his wife drove, dented official vehicle.

After ducking questions for more than a week, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo admitted Monday that his wife was behind the wheel of his city-assigned SUV and driving with a suspended license when she damaged it in an accident three years ago.

The termed-out Delgadillo, rumored to be eying a run for District Attorney after his failed bid to become California's Attorney General, reportedly teared up as he faced a swarm of reporters.

Rocky, who can thank Congressional Black Caucus member Maxine Waters for handing him the Black vote in an upset victory in 2001, is taking some body blows and is clearly on the ropes.

BREAKING NEWS: PARIS DOING BETTER IN JAIL

Well, blame it on Paris Hilton for temporarily dashing Delgadillo's future 'Obama White House' aspirations.

Trying to land some punches by insisting that the celebutante be severely punished for driving on a suspended license, folks are now questioning the 46 year-old Harvard politico's honesty over the city footing the tab to repair the vehicle.

Count on the Hilton media frenzy to not make this controversy go away anytime soon. And don't think Latino L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca is not looking over his shoulder as well.

Paris - 1, Rocky - 0

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DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT SOME IDIOT PAYING A GRIP FOR O.J. CLOTHES?

Do you have $125,000 and a desire to own an infamous piece of clothing worn by a double murderer?

Then you have way too much money on your hands!

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KENYANS REACHED FOR THE DREAM OF HOME OWNERSHIP

NAIROBI - Traipsing through the Nairobi Exhibition and Convention Center on this weekend were small-business owners, teachers, civil servants, farmers, recent college graduates and others, who make up a group of Kenyans often invisible to the outside world: neither desperately poor nor outlandishly rich but someplace in between.

On a continent where people are often trying to escape or simply survive, here were people perusing six-burner stoves who said they wished to stay, aspiring homeowners who have been fueling what amounts to a construction boom in this east African city of skyscrapers and rusted slums; leafy, moneyed neighborhoods; and lately, it seems, a thousand half-built cinder-block condominiums with pools, gyms and broadband Internet.

Although the Kenyan economy is growing at 6 percent a year, economists are uncertain whether the proliferation of new housing and accompanying mortgages reflects a growing middle class or simply a more prosperous one.

"Looking at these houses, you see a whole life," said Nicholas Kinoti, a clothing designer with his own shop, which caters to a wealthy clientele. "I thought instead of paying rent, I could adjust and pay a mortgage."

He was among dozens swarming the booth for a new development of Kansas-made prefabricated houses called Green Park, whose managing director is a former aid worker who once dealt with the Ethiopian famine.

What the rest of Stephanie McCrummen's piece? Get it at MSNBC Read more!

EXCUSE ME GARCELLE AND STACEY: SINCE WHEN DID BLACK MEN START READING PLAYBOY?

According to Playboy’s Cyber Club, Garcelle Beauvais has posed for the August issue of the men’s magazine which hits news stands at the beginning of July.

It seems the Haitian American former model is following in the footsteps of another Black actress and mother, Stacey Dash, who also recently took it all off for the pages Playboy Magazine.

Are these sistahs, along with Vanessa Williams, being exploited ladies, or are they just giving over-40 women like Demi Moore some competition.

Like they say, Black don't crack...

with Photoshop!

And what's all this we hear that after getting butt-naked, Garcelle got knocked up with twins?

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THE TIGER KING INTRODUCES THE WORLD TO SIMBA, UM... WE MEAN SAM

Behold! Tiger Has A Female Cub.

Sam Alexis Woods, you are one lucky baby.

Less than 24 hours after Tiger Woods finished second at the U.S. Open on Father's Day, his wife gave birth to a daughter.

How appropriate that this was the first Father's Day without his father, Earl Woods, and yet now he's a dad.

It's the circle of life family!

"Both Elin and Sam are doing well and resting peacefully," Woods wrote on his website of the early Monday morning delivery. "We want to thank our doctors and the hospital staff for all their dedicated and hard work. This is truly a special time in our lives and we look forward to introducing Sam to our family and friends over the next few weeks. We thank everyone for their well wishes and continued respect of our privacy."

Unlike Lebron James who had no plans on missing the NBA Finals for the birth of his second son, Woods had said he would miss a major if it meant seeing the birth of his little girl. Now the brother won't have to, but it's not clear how his upcoming schedule will be affected. Read more!

AFTER THE LAWSUIT, CAN MICHAEL JACKSON AND BROTHER RANDY BURY THE HATCHET?

Lawyers for Michael Jackson settled a lawsuit Monday brought by a New Jersey finance company that claimed Jackson cheated it out of $48 million.

The lawsuit by Prescient Acquisition, a Hackensack, N.J., firm, was settled just as jury selection was set to begin in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Terms of the settlement were not released.

Steven Altman, a lawyer for businessman Darien Dash, who owns Prescient, said Dash was owed the money for helping Jackson refinance a $272 million bank loan and secure $573 million in financing to buy Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people )'s half of the Beatles' song catalog that Sony co-owned with Jackson.

Michael Jackson, 48, had claimed he was nearly swindled out of his fortune during his 2005 child molestation trial and that it was his brother Randy Jackson, 45, was responsible for the set of circumstances that brought about the suit.

Aside from all the finger-pointing, we can't imagine that during the height of Michael's child molestation trial, Randy would try to dog him his brother while the world was watching.

Like the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

What say you? do you think Michael got played, or is The Gloved One not quite all there? More importantly, can you ever be close to a family member after a lawsuit? Read more!

WYNTON MARSALIS INVITES YOU TO THE 'NEW RENAISSANCE'

Photos of Wynton Marsalis can give the impression of a man with a cool demeanor.

Not in that Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie kind of way, but in an urbane, upright, elegant and well-scrubbed way.

When Black America Web's Reginal Thomas talked to the 45-year-old jazz trumpeter, he was led to think otherwise.

Beneath the seemingly detached calm is a torrent of passion -- for education, the community, the arts and the synergy among them.

It is the music, however, where Marsalis’ tone seems clearest.

“The groove identifies the dance, and the dance is the vitality of the piece,” he said.

It’s a point Marsalis has been making with his gift since he released his first album. His latest album, “From Plantation to Penitentiary,” echoes some of those same themes, tracking the journey of black Americans from slavery to today.

Now, as artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, Marsalis is involved in numerous education programs that introduce music to children. Whether it is in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged streets of his native New Orleans, or the boroughs of New York City, Marsalis is on a mission.

It's his world, and we are just a captive audience:


While getting the latest about 'Confessions Of A Video Vixen' author Karrine Steffans videotaping Bobby Brown's trffling manhood is pure dessert, sometimes we need a hearty meal in our diet family.

Speaking of Bobby.... Read more!

KARRINE 'SUPAHEAD' STEFFANS PUTS BOBBY ON BLAST

Bobby Brown Fesses Up About Whitney Houston

Rite Of Passage Includes 'Beautillion' For Young Black Males

Black Media Tries To Grab That Almighty Ad Dollar

Through Jim Crow Black Entrepreneurs Persevered

Obama A 'Renegade?' Per U.S. Secret Service

Black Mass Governor Commemorates End of Slavery

My High School Classmate D.L. Hughley Protested By Blacks

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QUICKIE: ANGELINA JOLIE'S GIRLS - EBONY AND IVORY

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JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL: BLACK CHURCH TO RAFFLE CAR TO REVIVAL ATTENDEES?

One person will get more than just religion by attending a revival.

Pastor Monty and Camilla Weatherall are giving away the vehicle in hopes it draws more people to their four-day spiritual event, scheduled to run Wednesday through Saturday at Deliverance Mission Christian Church in Belleville, Illinois.

On Saturday, after the close of a 90-minute sermon, someone will win a blue 2007 Chevrolet Aveo. The catch is, you have to be present to win.

The Weatheralls say church leaders supported buying a car valued at 12-thousand-500 dollars as a way to bring more members to the congregation of 285.

"We're always going to center everything around Christ," Monty Weatherall said of his nondenominational church.

Weatherall said he'd like to see the crowd for the final sermon and car giveaway to reach 2,500, even though the gym seats about 1,700. From that large group, church leaders are praying that at least 200 people accept Jesus as their savior.

Only those who are not members of the church are eligible to win. There will be no offerings taken the day of the car drawing. The church did not want to put up any obstacles that might prevent someone from taking a chance at winning a car.

"Churches have developed the negative of being judgmental," Weatherall said. "We hope that the winner will say: "I came to win a car but got something more valuable —Christ in my life."

My radar is instinctively saying what the **$?&** hell is this ish... forgive me Father!

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THE WAY TO A BLACK MAN'S (AND A FEW SISTAHS) HEART

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TODAY'S HOROSCOPE: CANCER, AND MY NAME IS LARRY!

Zodiacal Considerations

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You want to connect with people to ensure everything's OK. Don't make problems out of little things, as this can itself cause irritation. Be easy-going, let go of little matters.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You feel it's time to pamper yourself but this could move from necessary self-care to sheer self-indulgence unless you're careful. Don't pay for more than what you really need.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Today, you are sometimes outgoing and friendly then sometimes vain and selfish. In some way, you are highly concerned with what people think of you, so you need to understand what they respond well to.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You benefit from assisting others in the background. This is not a good time to try to make yourself conspicuous. You may be "invisible" but you gain self-respect by doing a good job and holding people together.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your position in an organization can be under question. Friends can seem unreliable or you may not be showing enough loyalty or likeability to your friends. Be aware when feelings become out of sorts.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can be the center of controversy today. You can attract loyal followers and sharp critics. It's important to mend fences while retaining respect. Don't think you can get it all your own way.



SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are engaged in profound discussions of policy today. There is an underlying philosophic component that should be made explicit in order to make progress. Agreement comes after hard work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your need for companionship can border on the obsessive. Be aware of the impulses arising in your mind and examine them rather than giving in to them. Put relationships on a sound basis.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Friction between you and a partner is a matter of great concern. Don't let matters rest but do be sensitive to the amount of pressure others have to making them better.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): It's very important to cultivate tranquility today. The amount of emotional disturbance affects your health. Relaxation methods and treatments based on physical or sensory modalities are most useful.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You want approval very much but don't sacrifice dignity to get it. People who admire self-possession and integrity are really the ones you want to have around you anyway.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your attention is directed toward discord in the home. There are tensions among family members needing your role in reconciling them. You should focus on matters of fairness, not blame. Read more!

SAY WHAT? TEACHER GETS BUSY WITH 13 YEAR-OLD DATING HER DAUGHTER

Teacher Fired After Being Accused Of Having Sex With Middle School Student

Football Coach Zach Simones, who coached the 13-year-old boy, said he is sickened by the incident. "He was dating the lady's 13-year-old daughter before this happened," said Simones.

A middle school teacher in Prescott, Wis. has been fired and the Pierce County Sheriff is investigating claims she had sex with a 13-year-old student according to CBS Minneapolis station WCCO.

The 38-year-old woman was a substitute at Prescott Middle School.

The student's father said he found the two having a middle of the night rendezvous together at the teacher's home after the boy stole his mother's car.

Sources said the woman's husband and 13-year-old daughter were home at the time.

The father filed a restraining order which claims the two had sexual intercourse. He said he has copies of e-mails between the two.

The woman taught at both the middle and high schools, but the superintendent said his investigation has turned up no other students who were involved with this woman.

The school superintendent also said the teacher and student did not meet in the classroom. Read more!

PACMAN IS A BLACK MAN WHO CAN'T SEEM TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE

Does This Addict Have A Death Wish Or What?

DECATUR, Ga. - MSNBC is reporting that suspended NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones is being sought by police for questioning about a shooting early Monday involving members of his entourage after a fight at an Atlanta strip club.

The Tennessee Titans cornerback is currently on suspension following a melee and shooting at a Las Vegas strip club.

We know the deal here family. This brother clearly has a sex addiction!

Jones, his group and three other people got into a fight, apparently over a woman, to a club around 4 a.m., officer Ariel Toledo said.

Having been arrested five times, this Black man is a magnet for trouble. Jones' failure to report two of those arrests to either the Titans or the NFL led commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Jones in April for one season.

Jones, however, has not been convicted of any crimes since being drafted in 2005.

He was the Titans’ best defensive player in 2006 with four interceptions. Two of those came in their stunning rally from a 21-0 deficit for a 24-21 victory over the New York Giants in the final 10 minutes. He also led the NFL in punt return average and tied a team record by returning three punts for touchdowns.

But Jones has done little to help his image as a troubled, out of control ghetto baller.

The cornerback agreed last week not to appeal the suspension. The 23-year-old player could be reinstated after 10 games for good behavior if he adheres to conditions set by Goodell and is not arrested again. Missing the entire season would cost him his salary of nearly $1.3 million. Read more!

NO, REALLY - DO CORPORATIONS DIS BLACK MBA'S AND IS THAT A BAD THING?

Statistics show a rise in black entrepreneurship. Let explore two views on this:

CON: by Barbara L. Thomas, National Black MBA Assn.

When the U.S. Census Bureau reported last year a remarkable jump in African Americans’ entrepreneurial activity, it sounded like good news.

On reflection, however, the question arises: What’s really behind all these new businesses? What could cause a 45% jump in the number of black-owned businesses in just five years?

Consider the news that chilled New York City’s enormous advertising industry just as the Census Bureau was reporting the rise in African American entrepreneurship.

The city’s Human Rights Commission threatened major firms with sanctions because the industry’s woeful record in hiring and promoting African Americans had scarcely improved in the 30 years since the commission last looked. Thirty years!!!

Many African Americans take the entrepreneurial route at least in part because, for them, the corporate ladder is missing some rungs. They may be successful on their own, and they may be happy—but it won’t be because Corporate America tried so hard to keep them.

As president of the National Black MBA Assn., I am privileged to work with corporations trying to improve the diversity of their workforces.

And I’m optimistic. I won’t deny for a moment the problems, but I’ve seen such change, just in my own lifetime, that I never doubt the even greater progress that lies ahead.

PRO: A Step Forward, Not a Retreat
By BW.com Staff

Frustration with the MBA’s sluggish return on investment in Corporate America knows no race. (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/16/07, "MBA: A Mere Option?").

Perhaps the number of black MBAs who have traded the executive suite for entrepreneurship is disproportionately high.

Couldn’t it simply mean more of the businesspeople had enough gumption to say: "I’m tired of sitting in endless meetings and going through seven layers of management to get a simple yes or no. I don’t want to wait... Let me create my own enterprise and do things my way."

African American entrepreneurship has long had a profound effect on U.S. culture. Striking out on one’s own takes more talent than coasting along at a giant corporation.

And the fact is, entrepreneurship has always served as a ticket to success for up-and-coming ethnic groups. And thanks to globalization, the Internet, and free trade, entrepreneurs of all extractions can contribute to U.S. strength in the world economy, too.

BUSINESS WEEK

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SEX PLOT AGAINST FIRST BLACK MEMPHIS MAYOR TAKES NEW TWIST

It Started With An Alleged Plot To Set Da Mayor Up Marion Barry Style.

Now the sistah in the middle of the controversy has been arrested.

Gwendolyn Smith, 29, was taken in Friday for smoking weed while on probation for an unrelated 2004 forgery conviction.

A former Memphis strip club waitress, Smith has told police she was recruited by political enemies of Mayor Willie Herenton, 67, to seduce him and videotape their sexual encounter.

VIDEO OF DRAG RACING TRAGEDY IN TENNESSEE THAT KILLS SIX YOUNG SPECTATORS, AND LEAVES THREE CRITICAL

Vowing to run for re-election to a fifth term this October, the city's first elected black mayor has easily won re-election since his initial victory in 1991 in the closest mayor's race in Memphis history.

The Tennessee mayor held a news conference last week thanking Smith for exposing the alleged plot, but refused to name the critics he believes were behind it. He described them as a group of wealthy businessmen.

Smith surrendered for arrest Friday afternoon in Nashville, in the custody of two Memphis police officers, on a warrant.

Her parole was violated when she tested positive for marijuana, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for Nashville police.

Smith contends she was offered $150,000 to take part in the sex-scandal plot by Richard Fields, a well-known Memphis lawyer long involved in civil rights causes.

Fields, who represented Smith in connection with the Nashville forgery charge, denied the allegation and described her as a drug abuser and scam artist "desperate for money."

With Herent