MY LATEST BLOG POSTINGS!

SWIRL HISTORY

5.06.2008



This June 12th, the swirl society will celebrate "Loving Day" which is a holiday for interracial couples named after the two people whose marriage overturned miscegenation laws across the nation. Some people refer to Mildred (black) and Richard (white) Loving as the parents of American interracial marriage. We all know that swirling has gone on since the beginning of time, but in America, this is a landmark decision, so it's appropriate. These weren't political, defiant attention seekers. They were very simple, basic people and had no idea when they were arrested for "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth(VA)," they would have a place in history.

Richard Loving died in a car accident several years ago, but Mildred Loving died last Friday at age 68. So think of her on the 12th of June.
Mildred Loving Followed Her Heart and Made History - washingtonpost.com
“Matriarch of Interracial Marriage” Dies At 68 / Stereohyped
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PIC OF THE DAY



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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UPDATE


Another article on how the work Prince William County in VA is doing is influencing other surrounding DC counties. This one in a Maryland county where Hispanics changed the culture quickly and felt welcomed for a long time. Immigrants Feel Less Welcome in Frederick - washingtonpost.com "Suddenly, however, their presence is igniting a controversy that some fear could escalate into the kind of war over illegal immigration that has torn apart Prince William County. In the past month, the Frederick County sheriff has joined with federal authorities to identify and deport illegal immigrants, and county commissioners have proposed legislation to ban free translation of county business and require public schools to track down students who are in the United States illegally."
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60-Plus Illegal Immigrants Found In Big Rig - Local News Story - KNSD "Border Patrol officials said Monday that they arrested more than 60 illegal immigrants over the weekend during a traffic stop. Authorities said they stopped the semi truck in East County at a checkpoint near the Kitchen Creek Road exit on Interstate 8 on Saturday at about 9:15 p.m. Border Patrol officials said they interviewed the driver, who admitted being an illegal immigrant."
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PEOPLE MUCH HOTTER THAN YOU



Another reminder that you are all just a bunch of bums & slugs. People's Beautiful People selection has been released and let's see about the color. Hudson, New Moms, Gossip Cast Deemed Beautiful - Yahoo! News.

Halle Berry (12th time on the list - go girl)
Nicole Richie
Jessica Alba
Christina Aguilera
Iman
Salma Hayek
Mary J. Blige (my life - top 10 songs)
Ton Park
Eva Longoria
Jason Taylor
Zoe Saldana
Cash Warren



Check out the issue if you want to see more.
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NEW GROUP TO SUPPORT


My favorite blog, Booker Rising, turned me on to this group. It's a wonderful thing, so check it out. Future Black Men of America, Inc. "Striving to help young Black Boys become responsible Black Men.""Future Black Men of America, Inc. (FBMA) is an organization designed to improve the quality of life for African American males. We hope to improve their chances of success by encouraging them towards success in education, emphasizing the importance of morals, values, ethics, and spirituality, and by empowering them to become socially and economically responsible for our society."
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HOW CAN SHE SUPPORT OBAMA?



After reading this Newsweek article, Why Oprah Winfrey Left Rev. Wright's Church, I just don't understand how Oprah can support Obama? She left the church and he stayed. Doesn't that mean he represents and agrees with everything about and in that church? What a hypocrite. And kudos to Newsweek for finding a way to drag this s*&^ out even longer.

Like 75% of the other people at that church, she joined to get an "in" with the movers and shakers in Chicago in 1985, when she was only a Goddess-In-Training. But then she decided to leave and Newsweek says that Wright was one of the reasons.

"According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright's more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America's favorite daytime talk-show host. "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey's personal sentiments. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart. She's been around black churches all her life, so Reverend Wright's anger-filled message didn't surprise her. But it just wasn't what she was looking for in a church." Oprah's decision to distance herself came as a surprise to Wright, who told Christianity Today in 2002 that when he would "run into her socially … she would say, 'Here's my pastor!' " (Winfrey declined to comment. A Harpo Productions spokesperson would not confirm her reasons for leaving the church.)"
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LAW FIRM GHETTO

5.05.2008


Interesting article. If they are placing minorities with the same credentials in lower level positions, then that might be a problem. However, if these minorities are not at the same level in terms of LSAT, GPA & Class Rank, then I think they should be happy they're getting a chance at such a big law firm. I can understand how unappealing this would be if there is a glaring segregation. I wouldn't want to be in that environment.
BigLaw ‘Ghetto’? Former Staff Attorney Raps Covington’s D.C. Office ABA Journal - Law News Now
Yolanda Young: Law Firm Segregation Reminiscent of Jim Crow - The Huffington Post

"A former staff attorney at Covington & Burling's office in Washington, D.C., contends that the law firm is improving its diversity profile by hiring black lawyers for low-level "ghetto" positions. And, if that's true, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog suggests, Covington may not be the only BigLaw firm to do so. Although the firm's black staff attorneys come from big-name law schools, several white associates and partners graduated from less prestigious institutions, former staff attorney Yolanda Young contends in an article she authored on the Huffington Post blog. Meanwhile, she writes black lawyers account for less than 5 percent of the partners and associates in Covington's Washington office, but almost one-third of the staff attorneys."

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THE R-WORD

UPDATE: After reading more about this story, this guy is a total douche, so I think the students might be perfectly justified.


We all have prejudices. Anyone who says they don't is either oblivious to their own prejudice, an idiot or lying. This alone is not racism.


We all know those people among us who look at everything a white person might say about race that they don't like or are offended by as racism and they have no hesitation in calling that person a racist. Racist is a hard label to shake off. Once you're called one, deserved or not, there isn't much you can do to shake it off. Hell, look at Obama. He's being called a racist just because his preacher was called one. You can be a racist by association. Fear and defensiveness of this label is one of the reasons why we can't have any substantive conversation about race.


Most reasonable people of all races know that playing the Race Card is a weak-minded person's game, but many people still fall for it. There is real racism out there and there are real racists in positions of power and influence, such as a professor having power & influence over students, with potential recruiters and other faculty. So, if you have any interest in fighting and exposing real racism, then I think you should have a problem with these crying wolf attacks. And I have no problem with someone filing a defamation suit as this professor has. Now, if the students have more than the fact that he is against affirmative action as their basis for calling him a racist, he's in trouble, but it doesn't seem they do. And I'm sorry, but anyone who has a brain knows that The Onion is famous for its equally offensive articles on just about everything; particularly things people consider above jest. Law Prof Sues Students, Says They Defamed Him by Calling Him a Racist ABA Journal - Law News Now.


"The suit by Richard Peltz says he took part in a legitimate debate on affirmative action at the invitation of the Black Law Students Association, the NYTimes reports. The two student defendants, Valerie Nation and Chrishuana Clark, are 3Ls. Besides the students, the suit names the local chapter of the student association, an association of black lawyers called the W. Harold Flowers Law Society in Little Rock, and the law society's president, Eric Buchanan. Members of the law students association had complained in a March 2007 letter to the law school dean about a 2005 incident in which Peltz showed a satirical article from The Onion about the death of Rosa Parks, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports."



Now, I would be more interested in finding out more about the latter part of this sentence: He also was accused of criticizing affirmative action and promising to award an extra point to black students who scored the same as whites on an exam. Racist or just a jackass?
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UPDATE

Border Patrol lets some illegals go — over and over again - Yahoo! News "Gonzalez and a group of other women and children — all Indians from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca — have no interest in staying in the United States. All they want to do is panhandle outside El Paso businesses, using the children as lures.At the end of a productive day, they wait for the Border Patrol to come pick them up and drive them back to the border. Little dramas like this play out day after day, accounting for thousands of arrests but hardly any prosecutions in the past several years."
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PIC OF DAY

CONRAD HOTEL'S UNDERWATER RESTAURANT IN MALDIVES
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OBAMA STILL STANDING

CBS Poll: Support For Obama Rebounds, In Wake Of Controversy Over Former Pastor, Illinois Senator Builds Lead Over McCain, Clinton "Democrat Barack Obama appears to have rebounded from some of the damage caused by the controversy surrounding his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll."

Poll: Voters approve of Obama's handling of Wright situation - washingtonpost.com

"Positive assessments of how Obama has handled the situation with Wright are also reflected by a continued lead over fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton in his battle for their party’s nomination. Among Democratic primary voters (those who have voted or plan to vote in a Democratic primary) Obama’s lead over Clinton has increased -- he now leads Clinton by twelve points, 50 percent to 38 percent. That’s up from his eight point lead in the poll released just a few days ago."




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WELFARE ROLLS UP


States' welfare caseloads starting to rise - USATODAY.com"State welfare rolls, which declined for more than a decade after a 1996 overhaul of the nation's cash-assistance program, are beginning to rise, due in part to the struggling economy. Federal data for the last half of 2007 show welfare rolls rose about 0.6%, and 27 states reported increases. That follows a decline of 68% since the federal law imposed work requirements, time limits and penalties for recipients who don't follow the rules."
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WE'RE # 2!!!!!


Is the fact that our Superpower status will not last forever finally getting through to people? Yes, we will recover from our current downslide, but the future is in China, India and yes, even Russia. We see this as they slowly replace us in many of the areas that we were 1st, best or only.

Fareed Zakaria’s ‘The Post-American World’ Newsweek International Newsweek.com "American anxiety springs from something much deeper, a sense that large and disruptive forces are coursing through the world. In almost every industry, in every aspect of life, it feels like the patterns of the past are being scrambled. 'Whirl is king, having driven out Zeus,' wrote Aristophanes 2,400 years ago. And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people.

Look around. The world's tallest building is in Taipei, and will soon be in Dubai. Its largest publicly traded company is in Beijing. Its biggest refinery is being constructed in India. Its largest passenger airplane is built in Europe. The largest investment fund on the planet is in AbuDhabi; the biggest movie industry is Bollywood, not Hollywood.

Once quintessentially American icons have been usurped by the natives. The largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. The largest casino is in Macao, which overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenues last year. America no longer dominates even its favorite sport, shopping. The Mall of America in Minnesota once boasted that it was the largest shopping mall in the world. Today it wouldn't make the top ten. In the most recent rankings, only two of the world's ten richest people are American. These lists are arbitrary and a bit silly, but consider that only ten years ago, the United States would have serenely topped almost every one of these categories."
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NO SOUP FOR YOU!

5.02.2008

I'm from Evanston. It's a pretty liberal town & Northwestern is somewhat liberal. Either way, they love Obama big time in Evanston. Rev. Wright's honorary degree canceled by Northwestern - Yahoo! News. ``In light of the controversy around Dr. Wright and to ensure the celebratory character of commencement not be affected, the university has withdrawn its invitation to Dr. Wright,'' Cubbage said.



Northwestern Univ. cancels honorary degree for Rev. Wright - On Politics - USATODAY.com
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QUOTE OF THE DAY

" If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years. "

----Bertrand Russell
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TEXT FOOLISHNESS


My feelings about that whole Detroit fiasco have been made clear. His carrying on with this chick is pure foolishness. And you might say, it's nobody's business, but there are reasons these types of relationships among politicians & their staff are discourage. It's not my business, but it is the business of Detroit citizens. My problem is that he lied under oath. My problem is that with all the economic problems in Detroit, how can this city move on when this man won't leave office? Will the latest news make a difference? New text messages have emerged that are so...ghetto... that it is beyond embarrassing to me. But then again, Kirkpatrick & I are clearly not working on the same moral wavelength.

Oh, Man. That’s Embarrassing / Stereohyped
Kwame Kilpatrick Text Messages Released » Right Pundits
ABCNews.com: New Kwame Kilpatrick Text Messages, Still No Party Label NewsBusters.org
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CURRENT ECONOMIC APOCALYPSE


We lost 20,000 jobs last month, which is not good, but not as bad as expected. Unemployment went down. Job losses continue but less than expected - May. 2, 2008

And Wall Street seems to be in a better mood of late, but the IHT wonders if its too early to think a turn around is coming? Wall Street mood swing: Gloom gives way to (premature?) optimism - International Herald Tribune
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UPDATE


Interesting update on the May Day parades. I would have thought that the increased enforcement on illegal immigration would spur these groups to be more vocal, but that isn't happening. Crowds Are Smaller at Protests by Immigrants - New York Times "The May Day demonstrations were significantly smaller than in previous years, and gone were calls for a nationwide boycott of businesses and work, as protest leaders had urged last year. The Spanish-language D.J.’s who had heavily promoted previous marches stuck largely to their regular programming. And disagreements among advocates over the best approach to winning legal status for illegal immigrants had diminished organizing firepower, with many groups turning their attention to voter registration and citizenship drives."
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CLEVELAND IS COMING, Y'ALL!


The Family Guy is both funny and terribly offensive. I guess its kind of an art. It's no Simpsons, but I like the baby. He's hilarious. It turns out that, of all the side characters, Cleveland is getting his own show; the black friend. I can just imagine how many letters FOX will get from black groups after the first episode. Highbridnation.com: New Details Emerge On ‘Cleveland’ Series: Do The Sterotypes Shown Set Blacks Back? Highbrid Nation Because Knowledge is Power
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W & INNER CITY EDUCATION


Bush has fallen short on his reading initiative for inner city schools. An Initiative on Reading Is Rated Ineffective - New York Times "The program, known as Reading First, drew on some of Mr. Bush’s educational experiences as Texas governor, and at his insistence Congress included it in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that passed by bipartisan majorities in 2001. It has been a subject of dispute almost ever since, however, with the Bush administration and some state officials characterizing the program as beneficial for young students, and Congressional Democrats and federal investigators criticizing conflict of interest among its top advisers."
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OMG!!!!!!

5.01.2008

Didn't I tell you? When this whole D.C. Madame thing broke out and they said there were very prominent Washingtonians in there, I said this lady is going to go missing. A senator here, a Congressman there and a couple of government something or others later, I was starting to doubt my own prediction. Her trial ended and she was convicted, so I thought, "how is she going to reduce her sentencing? She's going to name names." Now she is dead and suicide.....I don't think so. I feel sorry for her family.

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FOOLISHNESS OR NOT?


I know that whenever we hear news about a group of blacks being singled out for anything, the initial reaction is "no they didn't!" and 99% of the time it's probably true whether the people doing the "singling out" are black or not. But what about this case? A school district in Sacramento called all black students into a special meeting in the cafeteria to discuss their test scores and tell them that they are scoring lower than whites. Is this a self-serving motive on the school's part or are they really concerned about the topic of test scores? News10.net - School District Apologizes for Singling Out African American Students

"Fields (principal) flew out of town after a morning meeting on Friday and did not return calls from News10. "What I can say is that on Ms. Fields part is it was a well intentioned attempt to bring up and discuss the issue of the achievement gap," said Hernandez(district rep). "And obviously it did not come off as she had hoped it would."

After several parents complained about Wednesday's meeting, Fields sent a note home to parents explaining her motivation. It reads in part; "The research is showing that African American and Hispanic students are not scoring as high as white students on state tests such as the STAR test. I decided to talk with students about this issue and put together a series of meetings with minority students at our school. The purpose of these meetings was to give our students a 'boost' to motivate them to do their very best."

Is that wrong? From the article, it seems the problem that most parents had was that their kids were singled out, not so much what the topic was. They seem to think it wouldn't have been as bad if it was Black & Hispanic. The school was going to have a Hispanic meeting over the same topic but it has been cancelled due to the backlash. I think the kids would have felt more uncomfortable if they called all the students there and then talked about the underperformance of black & Hispanic students. Or should they be doing this at all? Schools are being held accountable for their test scores, so they have a vested interest in getting those numbers up.

I think I might like to know more than this to decide if I think its foolishness. What was her plan? Field's will be meeting with parents soon to discuss this. Was she planning to help them improve their skills or give them tips/resources to better prep for the test or was she just goingto remind them that they don't do well and need to do better?
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OUR CURRENT ECONOMIC APOCALYPSE


The market was doing fine yesterday, but then tanked again after the Fed news came out. Still it's back close to 13,000 which is good.
It's rough all over and Cali is getting it bad too. L.A. Land : Los Angeles Times : California foreclosure "surge": Up 327% from '07 levels. From DataQuick's report on California foreclosures in the first three months of 2008: "Trustees Deeds recorded, or the actual loss of a home to foreclosure, totaled 47,171 during the first quarter. ... Last quarter's total rose 48.9 percent from 31,676 in the previous quarter, and jumped 327.6 percent from 11,032 in first quarter 2007." That translates into 517 foreclosures every day in the first quarter of 2008.
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It's moving. So some of the deniers want to say that it isn't a recession until inflation outpaces growth and growth has be negative. It can't be static. Those people felt good about this news. Those of us who had to buy eggs and rice or a plane ticket...not so much. Economy grows by only 0.6 percent in first quarter: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
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AND THERE IS THIS


We must remember that, as compelling as a preacher having a cat fight with a senator is, there is still a war going on, American soldiers being killed and this is what we should be talking about. US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq - Yahoo! News

The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September.
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BLACK HISTORY WEEK UPDATE


April 27 - In 1961 Sierra Leone granted Independence

April 28 - In 1839, Cinque led Amistad ship to mutiny. In 1847, George Vashon was admitted to the NY State bar.
April 29 - In 1899, Duke Ellington was born

April 30 - In 1828, Shaka Zulu was killed. In 1983 "Memphis Blues" honored at the Smithsonian.

May 1 - In 1867 Howard University opened in Chocolate City

May 2 - In 1920, first game of the National Negro Baseball League was played.

May 3 - In 1947, SCOTUS struck down restrictive covenants.
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PIC OF THE DAY

SKIN COLOR MAP
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UPDATE

Illegal immigration enforcement, backed by the economy, is effecting what Latinos in the U.S. are sending back to Mexico. Fewer Latino immigrants in U.S. sending money home - International Herald Tribune "More than three million Latin American immigrants in the United States, responding to the economic downturn and new uncertainties about their future, have stopped sending money home to their families in the last two years, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington. Only 50 percent of some 18.9 million Latino immigrants in this country now send money regularly to relatives in their home countries, compared with 73 percent two years ago, the survey found."
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YOUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS


At least someone is living large off your hard earned dollars. This is where your taxpayers are going, folks. What Would You Drive, if the Taxpayers Paid? - New York Times. These members of Congress are not footing the bill out of their own substantial salary to be driven to work Monday thru Thursday approximately 30 or so weeks out of the year because let's face it, they are on "break" more and more it seems. The most expensive? NY's Congressman Gregory Meek's 2007 Lexus cost you $998/month. Another New Yorker, Charles Rangel drives a super-sized Caddy for $777.54/month. He boast about how he can fit a desk in it. 17 feet long? This is some bulls&^%.
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McCAIN'S SPENDING


First he condemns suspect RNC ads of Obama/Wright in North Carolina. Now, he's offering a spending plan that will cost an additional billions of dollars. Good way to get that base enthusiastic. Although, if they voted for W in 2004, many Republicans seem uninterested in cutting spending. My Way News - McCain promises billions in spending "Republican John McCain is making promises that would cost billions of taxpayer dollars, yet he is vague about how he would pay for them. McCain is handing around a campaign grab bag of goodies. There are little treats like a summer gas-tax holiday and new mortgages for struggling homeowners, and there are big plums like tax breaks for corporations and families with children."
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PIC OF THE DAY

4.30.2008

THEY'RE SO SELFISH

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McCAIN TRIES TO KEEP IT CLEAN


McCain said that the ads in NC picturing Rev. Wright next to Obama were wrong. He better watch it. Remember your base, Johnny. They like their white with a little anger down that way. McCain says N.C. Republicans out of touch over ad Markets Markets News Reuters

DNC to John McCain: North Carolina ad tests leadership : Los Angeles Times
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - McCain: Obama and Wright do not share views

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ENTERTAINMENT POST


So now I guess have 2 generations of teen mothers is a comedy?
Hollywood Reporter:'Bad Mother,' 'Crusoe' get leads
Andpop.com: Alicia Silverstone Making TV Comeback
Alicia Silverstone Is a 'Bad Mother' - 'Clueless' star joins ABC pilot, NBC casts its 'Crusoe' - Zap2it

I hate women that are ten years older than me and just have a baby still looking better than me!


We all enjoyed Stuff White People Like . Now enjoy Stuff Educated Black People Like. It's hilarious.

OMG! A season of 24 without any black main characters? This is the link to a cast picture for Day 7. ImageShack - Hosting :: final242008grouplyb5f10jf7.jpg. They better have some brothers or sisters come in during the season. 24 has been one of the few dramas that had meaty, leading roles for black characters whether they be presidents, villains, CTU agents or other assorted crazies doomed to death. Tony is back from the dead as a bad guy and we'll be getting a sneak preview this fall, the episodes that were taped for January. Can't wait.


BET is trying to step up its game with some new programming. I'm very, very psyched about the Marvel Comic "Panther" series. BET cages 'Black Panther' - Variety. Marvel Comics has signed a deal to turn one of its superheroes, the Black Panther, into a primetime animated series for BET, starting early next year. BET made the announcement at its upfront presentation in New York as the highlight of a batch of new series being readied for the 2008-09 season, under the supervision of Reginald Hudlin, president of entertainment for BET. In addition to “The Black Panther,” BET singled out “Brutha,” a docu-reality series featuring producer Jermaine Dupri and focusing on five brothers in a singing group “who learn just what it takes to navigate the treacherous terrain of the music industry.”

Last week we heard that the black hottie on CSI The Original was leaving the show and this morning we find out he was arrested for drug possession. Now, the sister from CSI: Miami, which is by far the best of the franchise, is leaving her show. Ausiello Scoop: Khandi Alexander is Leaving CSI: Miami
Tom Cruise's soon-to-be-hottie son is going to the big screen like his dad. He'll be playing a young Will Smith in one of Will's upcoming movies. The Cruise's & Smiths are good friends. Connor is 13. Connor Cruise Is Making His Big Screen Debut - People.com
One of them got married. Usmagazine.com Sister, Sister Star Tia Mowry Gets Hitched

And she got separated. Such are the perils of marrying a gay man. Usmagazine.com Star Jones Files for Divorce: "Star Jones has filed for divorce from her husband of three-and-a-half years, Al Reynolds, Entertainment Tonight reports. She filed March 26 in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, according to ET."

I stopped watching ER about 5 years ago, but they've always had a good, diverse cast. This is a big win for them. Angela Bassett in at 'ER' "Angela Bassett will join the cast of the Emmy-winning medical drama as a regular next season. In her first full-time series gig, Bassett will play a tough attending with a troubled past who's coming back to Chicago after a few years in Indonesia doing tsunami relief. Her arrival in the second episode next season promises to shake County General's ER to the core."

John Edwards was great on The Colbert Report week before last. Check it out.







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ADVICE FOR OBAMA


I've been out with finals since last Wednesday, so most of this foolishness has gone without my notice, but I am aware that Rev. Wright is on a self-important tour with the added effect of hurting Senator Obama. Shameful. Roland Martin has some suggestions on how Obama can maintain his cred or get it back. Commentary: How Obama can get beyond Rev. Wright - CNN.com
Obama has denounced Rev. Wright; now must go on vigorous offensive
Obama must say he is running for president, not Wright
He must drive home issues like jobs, college costs, threats to Roe v Wade
Remind blue-collar, rural voters a McCain vote hurts their economic interests"


More on the issue:
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I'M OUT

4.22.2008


Hey all. I'm taking time off to study for finals next week, so I'll be very infrequent and might even go missing for a while. See you next week.


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BLACK HISTORY WEEKLY UPDATE


April 20 - In 1866 Fisk University in Nashville, TN opened

April 21 - In 1565 Black explorers with came to St. Augustine, FL with Menendez

April 22 - In 1970, Student protest at Yale support Black Panthers

April 24 - In 1950, the first black student entered the University of North Carolina

April 25 - In 1917, Ella Fitzgerald was born
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PIC OF THE DAY

CAMPING ON THE LAKE

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FINALLY


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STOP LOSS INCREASING


DOD data: More forced to stay in Army - USATODAY.com "The Army has accelerated its policy of involuntary extensions of duty to bolster its troop levels, despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' order last year to limit it, Pentagon records show.


Gates directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the service secretaries to minimize mandatory tour extensions, known as 'stop loss,' in January 2007. By May, the number of soldiers affected by the policy had dropped to a three-year low of 8,540.


Since then, the number of soldiers forced to remain in the Army rose 43% to 12,235 in March. The reliance on stop loss has increased as the military has sent more troops to Iraq and extended tours to 15 months to support an escalation in U.S. forces ordered by President Bush. The increase last month was driven by the need to send more National Guard soldiers to Iraq."
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CHEROKEE FUNDING WITHHOLD

I'm still very angry at the Cherokee nation for this. TheHill.com - Frank sides with CBC, holds fast on Cherokee funding "Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has threatened to block housing legislation for Native Americans if the final bill does not include a funding ban against the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma .

Frank shares a concern first raised by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), whose members have proposed several measures to punish the tribe for changing its constitution last year to exclude the Freedmen — a group of largely black Americans who are descendants of freed slaves once owned by tribe members — from its ranks."
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PENTAGON 9/11 MEMORIAL

4.21.2008


Just in case you didn't know the Pentagon Memorial is still underway and the design is actually amazing. It has height ranges of all the victims. The youngest victim was 3 years old and the oldest was 71. What's even more interesting is the way their names are placed on the memorial. If you view a name that faces outward it means they were in the plane and if you view a name that faces inward it means they were in the building. It's a very sad, but beautiful memorial. It should be completed in September. If you can, please donate.
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION UPDATE


Money.cnn.com: How illegal immigration is dividing a town's business owners "Three years ago Celeste Martiniano Martinez, a Portuguese-American immigrant, sank her life's savings into opening this restaurant in downtown Riverside, N.J. Business was booming until the Riverside Township Committee unanimously passed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which made hiring or renting property to an illegal immigrant punishable by a $2,000 fine and jail time. Since then, immigrants have fled Riverside in droves, and now there are more chickens turning on Martinez's rotisserie than customers sitting at her tables."
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wltx.com Sheriffs Back Three Jails for Illegal Immigrants "South Carolina sheriffs back a plan to build three regional prisons in the state to hold illegal immigrants as they await deportation. Several sheriffs tell The Myrtle Beach Sun News that the plan would remove the inmates from overcrowded county jails, where they take up valuable space as they await officials to transfer them to the closest federal immigration court in Atlanta."
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50 percent of LA workforce are immigrants - UPI.com "Los Angeles is at the leading edge of a U.S. demographic trend, with half of its workforce immigrants, many of them unskilled and speaking little English. As baby boomers retire, the same pattern will emerge across the country, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Demographers estimate that by 2025 most of the growth in the workforce will be from immigrants."
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A New View of Vacant Houses - washingtonpost.com "When Chris Pannell walks down the Prince William County street she has called home for all of her 39 years, she's dismayed by what she sees -- vacant houses -- and delighted by what she says she doesn't see -- illegal immigrants."
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CAMPAIGN 2008 POST


McCain offered up his taxes, but not his wifes. I think that 'common man' thing won't work as well as soon as everyone realizes that's she's a loaded heiress. FT.com / In depth - McCain faces accusations of hypocrisy
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My Way News - Obama reports $51M to start April; McCain raised $15M "Barack Obama began the month of April with a 5-1 cash advantage over a debt-saddled Hillary Rodham Clinton, setting the stage for his lopsided spending in the crucial primary state of Pennsylvania.

Financial reports filed Sunday by the Democratic presidential candidates with the Federal Election Commission show Clinton had $10.3 million in debts at the start of the month and only about $9 million cash on hand for the primaries. Obama reported having $42 million for the primary."

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My Way News - Obama greeted by largest crowd of his campaign "Barack Obama was greeted by the largest crowd of his campaign Friday night in Philadelphia. Some 35,000 people jammed into Independence Park to see the Democratic presidential candidate, four days before this state's crucial April 22 primary. Frank Friel, director of security at the Independence Visitor