Ross and McLaughlin’s New Web-Based Syndicated Talker "Game On!" Takes Center Court on Blogtalkradio

One week after their eponymous radio show bested 1000’s of other Blogtalkradio (BTR) programs and claimed the number one spot, online teammates Kevin Ross and David McLaughlin are now preparing to launch their new Internet syndicated show Game On!

Debuting Tuesday December 2 at 8:00pm EST, “Game” is for fans hungry for smart, edgy talk. A spirited West Coast-East Coast, conservative-liberal, black-white take on the week’s most provocative political issues, Ross and McLaughlin will also feature “Satirical Soapbox” commentary from Boston Herald blogger John Breneman and RaidRadioNow.com’s Shomari McKenzie, as well as newsmakers from inside and out the Beltway.

When Blogtalkradio paired the winners of Fox News Radio’s Battle of the Blog Talkers together for their first outing “Exit Poll 08”, they knew they had something special. “Kevin Ross and David McLaughlin delivered six hours of talk that proved to be very successful with an online community wanting to discuss Obama’s historic win and the future of the Republican Party,” said Philip Recchia, director of programming for Blogtalkradio. “With their dynamic personalities, this show will be anything but politics as usual.”

Ross, an African American Republican straight out of Hollywood central casting, is a former judge turned small business entrepreneur and GOP party strategist. McLaughlin, a white Southern Baptist who teaches and coaches youth football on the weekends, is also a rabid Democratic loyalist and the newly selected director of Heading Left, one of two political channels currently featured on BTR.

With Congress set to debate the merits of the Fairness Doctrine in 2009, Blogtalkradio’s technology and marketing of its hosts demonstrate how conservative leaning talk radio can remain censor-free, while still being inclusive to diverse opinions and perspectives.

"Given what’s currently going on with the economy, traditional media is now open to innovative cross promotions with emerging media," said Ross, who hosted a weekend talk show on 790 KABC in Los Angeles. “Our 60 minute program will have all the features of regular shows, plus we’ll be able to engage folks in our interactive chat room and have it immediately available on demand.”

Currently the most popular hosts on BTR, a number of radio outlets have expressed interest in carry Ross and McLaughlin on their station’s websites to deliver increased value to not only their audience, but also those advertisers looking to obtain maximum exposure. 3BAAS Media Group expects to begin securing stations in the 1st Quarter of 2009.

“Internet talk is the new frontier, allowing the Clear Channels, Citadels and Premiere Radios of the world who dominate the syndicated market to have an additional tool in their arsenal," said McLaughlin. “I’m excited to co-host what will definitely be a full court press on the political issues of the day.”

About Blogtalkradio

Launched in 2006, BlogTalkRadio is a free, web-based talk radio platform allowing any user with a phone and a computer to host as well as produce a live, interactive show -- no downloads or extra equipment are needed. The world’s largest online radio network, each show can accommodate unlimited live listeners and chat room visitors. Upon completion of the program, it is automatically archived as a podcast. Since the company’s launch, thousands of men and women from divergent backgrounds and languages have broadcast more than 100,000 shows. Notable guests include President-Elect Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, actor Brad Pitt, film director Brian DePalma, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, artist Yoko Ono and Academy Award winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, among others.

Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls Gets More Trouble And Finger Pointing

Sometimes when you get it wrong you can just say you are sorry. Case in point, TMZ issued an apology for falsely reporting reporting, that Nomvuto Mzamane, the head mistress at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls, was charged with abusing children at the school. But when Oprah herself "inferred" that Mzamane was partial at fault for "allowing" abuse under her leadership; well that is going to cost Oprah some cold hard cash in a law suit.

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Nomvuyo Mzamane accuses Winfrey of falsely implying that she wasn't trustworthy, and of making such statements as, "I thought she cared about the girls of South Africa" in the wake of a sex abuse scandal at her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

Tiny Virginia Makopo, a dorm matron who worked under Mzamane, was charged with abusing six students last year. She has pleaded not guilty to 14 related charges in a South African court.

Mzamane's lawsuit seeks more than $250,000 on five defamation and related counts from Winfrey and her production companies, reports the Associated Press. Winfrey denies making any false or defamatory statements and argues that the federal suit should not proceed in Pennsylvania.

Winfrey recruited Mzamane for the $150,000-a-year post in late 2006. Mzamane worked from about January 2007 through October 2007, when she learned, during a meeting with Winfrey in Chicago, that allegations of sexual and physical abuse had surfaced and she was being put on leave.

Mzamane, a native of Lesotho, previously held a leadership post at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and returned to the area after her contract wasn't renewed at Winfrey's school. Mzamane says she has been unable to find work because of Winfrey's comments.

Winfrey asked the court either to dismiss the suit for jurisdictional reasons or, in keeping with the school contract, to order arbitration. She and her companies do no business in Pennsylvania, according to the response from lawyers Carl A. Salono of Philadelphia and Charles S. Sims of New York.

"The fact that her statements were reported from the press in South Africa around the world does not support, and rather contradicts, any contention that she targeted Pennsylvania in making her comments," they wrote.

Allen Iverson "No-Shows" Piston Practice But Still No Problem

I'm from Detroit and like most Detroiters these days I really don't have a lot to be happy about in the global sense. The Lions are 0 and 12, the much anticipated Tigers had an embarrassing meltdown and the Detroit Big Three automakers in front of Congress looked like the spoiled Three Stooges, instead of humanitarians caring for fellow Detroit auto workers. So when I heard Allen Iverson missed a practice...

all I could say was, "Oh crap!" Now I don't expect the Pistons to win it all but I was looking forward to some good basketball perhaps in the conference finals. Well, writer Drew Sharp over at the Detroit Free Press tells us not to worry about this little incident and all is still good "wit' Deeeetroit Basket-Ball." Click his name and read on.

Knick's Stephon Marbury Benched... Here's The Real Story

Yes Knicks Stephon Marbury is a bad boy. In fact his own team mates consider him obnoxious and he has given good reason for any bad press he gets. But the other half of this latest benching is that current Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni came from the Phonix Suns. In Phonix he hated Marbury's...

antics and when he came to coach the Knicks last year he was told that Marbury would be gone. Marbury is still in New York and no matter what Marbury does on the court. He's not interested in playing him. There are two sides to this lates benching and here's the whole story at NEW YORK DAILY NEWS with Frank Isola.

Walmart Worker and 2 Customers Killed By Post Thanksgiving Shoppers

Yesterday, Friday, the day after our nation counted it's blessings on Thanksgiving Day, police said a throng of shoppers broke down the doors at the Walmart store in Valley Stream, Long Island shortly after 5am, knocking the 34-year-old worker to the ground and killing him. In a Palm Desert California Toys R, women fought and two men whipped out guns and killed each other. Ladies and gentleman as times get harder, money gets shorter, jobs go away and everyone gets desperate, is this the future of the United States?

Dancing With The Stars 2008 Final: Brooke Burke Wins the Trophy but Warren Sapp Forever Wins Our Hearts

Last Nights 2008 Dancing With The Stars was won by "star" model Brooke Burke and her dance pro partner Derek, and rightfully so. But here are last nights 2nd place winners one last time, Super Bowl Champ Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson in their sexy Samba. At 300lbs, Sapp showed us all that big men can move.

Before Michelle Obama, There Was LA's First Lady Ethel Bradley

Her husband was a man of several political firsts and they had two girls. But there last name was not Obama. It was The Bradleys, and Ethel Bradley, who was the longest-reigning first lady of Los Angeles as the wife of the city's first black mayor, Tom Bradley, has died. She was 89.

Bradley, whose husband held office from 1973 to 1993, died Tuesday at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called Ethel Bradley "a woman of grace" who served the city "with dignity and class."

While her husband oversaw Los Angeles, she avoided the political spotlight that made him thrive. She held teas, rooted for the Dodgers from her permanent seat behind home plate at Dodger Stadium and took pride in cultivating a garden showcase at the mayoral mansion in Windsor Square.

Asked by a Times reporter in 1992 about his wife's low profile, the mayor responded: "Her feeling is she has given her husband to public service. That doesn't mean that she now has to give herself."

Family and friends portrayed her as the reclusive, yet honest and direct, woman behind a man known for working 17-hour days.

"Without her stability and her willingness to shoulder the burden on the home front, Tom would not have been able to give as he has given," Melanie Lomax, the late former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission and the Bradleys' goddaughter, said in a 2000 Times article.

Lorraine Bradley, one of the couple's two daughters, told The Times in 1993: "How can a mayor do that much work and not have to worry about anything else unless he has someone like her behind him?"

The mayor acknowledged that political ambition left him little time to be home. He set aside three nights a year for his wife: "Her birthday, my birthday, the Academy Awards. Those are absolutely inviolate dates," he told The Times in 1988.

The couple had moved from their six-room house in Leimert Park to Getty House, a 6,000-square-foot mansion, at the beginning of Bradley's second term in 1977. Getty Oil had donated the home to the city in 1975 and it became the mayor's official residence.

From the day Ethel Bradley moved in, she took seriously a first lady's duty to keep the mansion in order -- even though there was no budget or staff -- and to throw a party that guests would talk about the next morning.

"Nobody could be a caretaker for this house like I've been, seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Ethel Bradley told The Times just before moving out in 1993. "I think I did a beautiful job and left things better than when I first came."

There was plenty of room to house her collections: More than 100 hats (she rarely went out without one), racks of evening gowns, heirloom crystal and her prized possession -- a glass case filled with autographed baseballs. Yet the mansion's three floors and 19 rooms had always felt a bit like a prison to the 5-foot-2 1/2 -inch Bradley, and she could not wait to escape.

"It's been 30 years of my life I've given up. It's time for me to have a life of my own," she said.

In addition to his 20 years as mayor, Tom Bradley had spent another decade as a city councilman. From 1940 to 1961, he had served with the Los Angeles Police Department.

When her husband narrowly lost a bid for governor in 1982, Ethel Bradley saw an upside: She had planned to be in Los Angeles during baseball season anyway.

She was 74 when they left Getty House for a 1940s two-story home in the View Park area of Los Angeles.

Away from the limelight, the Bradleys had five more years together. He suffered a stroke in 1996 that left him unable to speak clearly and died two years later.

In 2006, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors honored her upon the opening of the Ethel Bradley Early Education and Health Career Center in South Los Angeles. The idea for the center had originated with the Black Women's Forum, which Ethel Bradley co-founded in 1978 to help motivate black women to become community leaders.

Ethel Mae Arnold was born in Texas on Feb. 2, 1919, one of eight children of Benjamin and Lucille Arnold. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1930.

At age 15, she graduated from Jefferson High School and attended Los Angeles City College for two years.

Her father was a painting contractor who introduced her to baseball and set her up as the owner of a beauty salon at 54th Street and Central Avenue. She catered to leading figures in black society in 1941, the year she gave up the shop to marry Bradley, The Times reported in 1983.

He had first seen her when they were teenagers singing in the choir at New Hope Baptist Church. The newlyweds lived next door to her parents in Los Angeles and had two daughters by 1945.

The Bradleys needed a white intermediary in 1950 to sidestep racial covenants when they bought their first house on Welland Avenue in Leimert Park in the city's Crenshaw District. The couple also encountered other examples of the racism of the era and were refused entrance to hotels and restaurants, according to a 1998 Times article.

It was an idyllic time for the family, her daughter Lorraine said in a 1983 Times interview: "We had a ball in those days. Daddy used to love being at home and mother loved to bake. Talk about your hostess extraordinaire! They'd have card parties once a week -- bridge, that kind of stuff."

Ethel Bradley concurred, telling The Times in 1988, "I didn't realize it, but I guess the best years of my life were the years we spent together before he was an elected official."

Years later, when her daughter Phyllis struggled with drug addiction as an adult during much of her father's time as mayor, he said, "It is hard to say what went wrong there," according to the 1986 biography "Tom Bradley: The Dream."

Over a 10-year period, Phyllis Bradley was arrested several times on shoplifting and drug charges and served a six-month sentence in county jail. After the incidents, the usually gregarious Ethel Bradley would become reclusive, blaming herself and her husband for Phyllis' problems, the biography recounted.

Just before leaving Getty House, Ethel Bradley said she talked to her daughters almost every day and was looking forward to being able to entertain friends "any day of the week."

She certainly had larger-than-life memories to share: She had traveled the world, met Pope John Paul II and hosted South Africa's Nelson Mandela and the king of Spain. The queen of England entertained her three times. She rode on the Dodgers' team jet. And at the ballpark, she was known as "Mrs. B."

Survivors include her daughters, Lorraine and Phyllis.

Services were pending. Source.

STORM OF FORECLOSURE HITS WYCLEF JEAN IN MIAMI

The nation's foreclosure crisis has arrived on the doorstep of Wyclef Jean's Miami property. Miami-Dade County will auction off the house of singer Wyclef Jean on December 12. He was...

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...still building the house and owes $2 million in mortgage payments. "And it wasn't just the mortgage that wasn't paid -- court docs show there were plenty of people working on the house that haven't gotten paid either,"

Wyclef purchased the house through a company he set up with friends, according to the Web site. Foreclosure on the mansion reportedly began in March. Thanks TMZ for breaking this story.

HILARIOUS! Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David Can Feel Erin Aubry Kaplan's Pain!

Never Mind The First Lady, Larry Is Accused of Being An Ass Man!

FALLEN SOLDIERS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: STARTING THE WEEK WITH THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE: 11-24-2008

THIS WEEK, THE PENTAGON RELEASED THE NAMES OF 12 SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN:

Our Soldiers Continue To Die.

As the holidays approach what would you like to see Obama do to signal a change in war strategy?

Army PFC Theron V. Hobbs, 22, of Albany, Ga.

Army SSG Timothy H. Walker, 38, of Franklin, Tenn.

Army SPC James M. Clay, 25, of Mountain Home, Ark.

Army SGT Jose Regalado, 23, of Los Angeles

Army SPC Armando A. De La Paz, 21, of Riverside, Calif.

Army SPC Corey M. Shea, 21, of Mansfield, Mass.

Army SCP Jonnie L. Stiles, 38, of Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Army CWO Donald V Clark, 37, of Memphis, Tenn.

Army CWO Christian P Humphreys, 28, of Fallon, Nev.

Marine Cpl Aaron M Allen, 24, of Buellton, Calif.

Marine GySgt Marcelo R Velasco, 40, of Miami

Army PVT Charles Yi Barnett, 19, of Bel Air, Md.

We can only thank these soldiers and pray for their families in this supreme of sacrifices.

Black Star Power Turns Out 2008 American Music Awards

Obama-Inspired Artists Dominate AMA's

Actor and hip hop singer Chris Brown was the big winner at the American Music Awards, leading a talented pack of brothers and sisters keeping the industry alive even as album sales declines and radio stations bleed money from advertisers pulling back.

"I don't know what to say. I would have given it to Coldplay," said Brown, who won artist of the year, male pop/rock artist and male soul/R&B artist. Kanye West, still sore at losing male rap/hip-hop artist last year, won the trophy this time – then said Lil Wayne deserved it more.

"I want to give this award to Wayne," he said. "If it was last year it would have been my award." It was West's second trophy of the night, following his win for rap/hip-hop album, for Graduation."It's our responsibility as musicians to push music to the point it was in the '60s and '70s," he said. "I want to be Elvis."

Host Jimmy Kimmel, who had made West's ego a running joke, quipped: "Elvis died on the toilet with half a jelly doughnut in his mouth. You may want to rethink that."

Alicia Keys, who captured two awards for her As I Am album, winning for both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories, let out a loud "Woooooooo" after picking up a trophy, then dedicated her victory "to all the super women who struggle every day to make it through."

The show climaxed with Keys performing "Superwoman" with Queen Latifah and opera star Kathleen Battle, and ending with a large photo projected on a screen of incoming first lady Michelle Obama.

In a big night for American Idol alums, Daughtry – winner of three trophies last year – picked up another this year for pop/rock group, while former Idol champ Jordin Sparks won for adult contemporary music, and Carrie Underwood won for country album for Carnival Ride.

Rihanna got two awards for pop/rock female artist and female soul R&B artist.

Music's A-listers were out in force as the show featured blockbuster performances by Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Rihanna, West, birthday girl Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers, who also won the breakthrough artist award. And Justin Timberlake made a surprise appearance to introduce award of merit recipient Annie Lennox.

EXCLUSIVE!!! "First Lady's Got Back" Author Comes Clean On Why She REALLY Wrote About Michelle Obama's Butt on Salon.com

Breaking the Silence

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

When all is said and done—and written—I really want just want to be popular in high school. I want to be liked, and better than that, understood.

People call my pieces controversial sometimes, but the boring truth is that I write because I want to resonate, not provoke.

I want to increase community, not sit alone atop some mountain of racial aloofness or pissed-off prophecy, gloating at the mess I stirred down below. No. To me, whatever I write about, I’m always saying the same thing to readers who I assume are my fellow travelers: Isn’t this wonderful/awful? Isn’t life glorious/a bitch? Don’t you wish things were more like this/different?

That was my frame of mind when I wrote a much-maligned piece last week for Salon.com about Michelle Obama’s butt. Well, it wasn’t really about her butt (though that was a lively starting point, for sure), it was about the psychological impact of having a First Lady who is black and, for the first time in history, who looks like me.

It was about a flesh-and-blood physical representation and affirmation that black women, and black people, have never, ever had before. It was about the American social register being turned upside down and blacks being suddenly at the top of the page instead of stuck at the bottom, or stuck wherever people want us stuck.

Lastly, but most importantly, it was about black people holding up long-debased ideas about ourselves—starting with physical ideas--to the light and saying: I’m not so bad. In fact, I’m great.

Ultimately, my piece was about removing the lens of white scrutiny and approval from the black gaze and seeing what lies underneath. Sure, there’s a lot of insecurity that’s built up over hundreds of years, but there’s also a lot of satisfaction that never had the chance to express itself. The Obamas have given us that chance. (I don’t know about you, but I always liked my butt, but never felt comfortable in saying so. Now, as you might have read, I’m saying so.)

It’s more than ironic that so many critics—many of them black-- bashed me for “perpetuating stereotypes” and “reducing” black women to “objects.” In affirming myself, I was doing exactly the opposite.

Are we all so addled by mainstream validation that we don’t see the difference between whites perpetuating exaggerated ideas of us, and us embracing something about ourselves that we like, that makes us attractive or unique?

I submit that, sadly, black folk simply don’t have a public context in which to talk about ourselves. In public discussions, we fall between two extremes: either we’re “reduced” to impersonal statistics or blown up as cartoon characters a la BET. There’s little in between. Whenever a unfamiliar take pops up, like mine, we tend to panic and hide behind well-worn positions. (Since the piece was published, I’ve been accused of being both an out-of-touch academic and an evil agent of BET and/or the white corporate media. Go figure.)

I know the black image wars very well. I’ve tracked them. I’ve written impassioned commentaries about them. I’ve been an advocate for black people and for justice of all kinds. But I see myself as a living, breathing character in all these scenarios, not a detached observer.

This stuff matters terribly to me.

I’ve actually written extensively about the butt before, namely in a 5,000-word essay I did for the LA Weekly back in 1997 called “The Butt: Its Politics, Its Profanity, Its Power.” That pretty much says it all. Of course, few were offended because I was mostly talking about myself, not the First Lady-to-be.

It seems to me that in the new era of Obama we already have a profound paradox: we are policing black images more than before, which means there’s now less room for discussions of race. Not unless it’s all positive and worthy of our new commander-in-chief.

Not only is that dishonest and ahistorical, it’s dull. People scolded me for trying to be funny. If we can’t be funny now—with a serious underside, of course—when can we?

I’m not a fool. Put race and sex together in any way, shape or form, intentionally or not, and you get a genuine American meltdown; all of us lose our minds, not just black folk. I didn’t expect a whole lot of warm fuzzies on this one, but I did expect some nods, however grudging, from my fellow travelers. I got some, for sure. But I want more. I need more.

I may not ever be class president. But I’m still going for cheerleader.

ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN is the first African American in history to be a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her musings continue to appear in the Times, Essence magazine, and on the blog 3 Brothers and A Sister. Among her many projects, Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book.

BUT DAMN #248 REAL ESTATE: Forget Chrysler & Ford Motor, I Need A Bail Out!

Yes this is the house that I wanted four years ago...
BUT DAMN!
It's now worth less and I'm making less.
This Brotha' right here needs a bail out.

I'm sick and tired of Banks, Airlines and now the "Big 3" of CHRYSLER ,FORD AND GENERAL MOTORS asking for a bailout/ hand out, relief, whatever you want to call it. My mortgage balance is 530,300. the monthly payment is $3,300. And now a house down the street just sold for only 270,000. Why pay for a house that is not worth the balance sheet.

Brother I feel your pain and I don't want to give you false hope that once Obama gets in things will turn right around. I can only say that you need to hold on to what good credit you have right now. Here are some simple answer and question that will get you on the way to possible relief.

If I can’t pay my mortgage, why should I call my mortgage lender/servicer?

Your mortgage lender can help you identify the options available to you, should you have trouble paying your mortgage.

When should I call my lender?
You should contact your lender as soon as you know you will have difficulty meeting your mortgage payments. You do not have to wait until your interest rate re-sets, nor do you have to wait until you are already behind in your payments. In fact, the sooner you call, the more options will be available to you. No matter what your situation is, CALL TODAY.

What if I don’t want to call my lender?
Call the Homeowners HOPE™ Hotline – 1.888.995.HOPE. This hotline is staffed by HUD-approved credit counselors who can guide you through possible options.

What is a loan workout?
Either a loan modification or a repayment plan.

What is a loan modification?
A modification occurs any time any term of the original loan contract is permanently altered. This can involved a reduction in the interest rate, forgiveness of a portion of principal or extension of the maturity date of the loan.

What is a repayment plan?
A plan that allows the borrower to become current and catch up on missed payments that are appropriate to the borrower’s circumstances

The Organization HOPENOW was our source and they have hotline counselors willing to to talk with you FREE, so check them out. This is the link but the nuymber is listed above.

Finally, theree are also FREE government links that have their own sites and have some answers.
Fannie MaeFreddie MacHome Loan Learning CenterHomeownership Preservation FoundationMyMoneyManagement NeighborWorks America

QUICKIE: BEYONCE VS SASHA FIERCE: YOU DECIDE!

For Us, This Round Goes To Sasha!

Sean Carter & Sasha Fierce Are Holding It Down As America Goes Belly-Up!

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Get Your Funny On With This Michael Vick Cartoon Clip

High Flying Big 3 Automakers Turned Down By Congress...Told, "Next Visit, Take The Bus!"

Maybe it was the combined 800 point drop in the DOW over the last two days, Perhaps it was their lack of a financial game plan, but it probably was a continued lack of financial sensibility, which made Congress yesterday turn down Chrysler, GM and Ford for the 25 billion bailout loan they were asking for. Each day of testimony was more frustrating than the previous over lack of a spending plan by either of the three car companies. But the 'nail on the coffin' had to be the many phone calls Congress members were getting over the separate private jets each CEO took to arrive in Washington D.C. for the hearings. Perception is everything.

General Motors Corp(GM.N) will return two of its leased corporate jets amid intense criticism in Washington this week on the luxury travel arrangements of its chief executive. Really too little too late, as G.M CEO Rick Wagoner was in the capital to testify on the company's dire financial situation but then was blasted by lawmakers for flying on a private jet to ask for public funds and failing to make personal sacrifices in exchange for federal assistance.

Chief executives from Ford Motor Co(F.N), and Chrysler LLC, who were also there to plead for $25 billion in federal aid, came under fire too for flying to Washington in private jets.
Wagoner and Ford CEO Alan Mulally want to say they are required by their companies to fly by private aircraft for security reasons, according to company documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Chrysler spokesman said the automaker also leases or charters jets. He, however, declined to comment on whether the company was rethinking the use of private jets for executive travel, saying it was a "private matter."

Well if it is a 'private matter'..., then Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli needs to take his broke butt back to Detroit and stop asking for Public Money. Hello! I myself am from Detroit and a lot of my friends are back in Detroit working for one of the "Big 3" automakers and frankly I'm embarrassed.

Congress has given them 12 days to return with a budget, a spending plan and vision for cars that will better compete in the world.

Feeling Uninspired? Check Out President-Elect Barack Obama's Pictorial Journey

America's Election 2008 By William Byers
View in HD Download 720p HD Version Visit William Byers's ExposureRoom Videos Page

We Want To Know EVERYTHING About Rihanna - Right???

Got ink? Rihanna certainly does. The singer showed off a new tattoo on her right wrist Wednesday, as she chatted with reporters at a UNICEF event.

"It's tribal," she said at the charity's annual Snowflake Lighting Ceremony in New York's Grand Army Plaza. "It represents strength and love." Rihanna also revealed that she got the exotic-looking tat while in New Zealand for a recent tour date. "It's their traditional way of tattooing," she said of the Maori-inspired geometric design. "I always wanted [one]."Source

Brandy's Stunning Admission And A Black South Carolina Teen's Inspiring Story

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One Rape Every 26 Seconds in South Africa

NFL Reinstates Cowboy CB Adam 'Pacman' Jones

South Carolina Teen Survives 4 Months without Heart

California Supreme Court Takes On Prop 8

Movie Will Show White House Butler Did It All
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Folks Who Get It: Eric Holder, Obama's Choice for Attorney General And First African American Cabinet Pick

He's President-elect Obama's top choice to serve as the nation's top lawyer, but Washington attorney Eric H. Holder Jr. is no stranger to the Justice Department -- or to making history.

During his career he has faced controversy -- his involvement in a widely-questioned 11th-hour Clinton pardon and the Elian Gonzalez saga, which occurred during his tenure as the department's second-in-command -- but he also has gained a reputation for having a moderate approach to law enforcement issues and a true dedication to public service.

Holder, 57, met Obama at a 2004 dinner party welcoming the junior U.S. senator from Illinois to Washington, where he was headed to Capitol Hill as the nation's only black senator.

Holder recalled the meeting in a cover story in The American Lawyer earlier this year, saying that he and Obama sat next to each other and "just clicked" after discussing their foreign-born fathers, Ivy League educations and zeal for civil service. Additionally, Holder told The American Lawyer, "I think we share a worldview. ... [Obama] is not defined by his race. He's proud of it, cognizant of the pernicious effect that race has had in our history, but not defined by it."

Source

Bishop Thomas Weeks' Church Evicted: Did The Prophetess See It Coming?

Jesus Take The Wheel

Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, the leader of Global Destiny International Ministries and ex to Evangelist Juanita Bynum, held services elsewhere last Friday after his Duluth church was evicted from its campus.

Stephanie Friese, attorney for Grimes-Square Executive, Inc. said, “He hasn’t made any payments at all since July of this year. The landlord did try to work out something with him.”

Friese said the bishop owes more than $400,000 in rent and fees.

According to an article written by D. Aileen Dodd, eviction proceedings were initiated against Weeks in early October. According to court documents, Weeks tried unsuccessfully to delay the eviction. A sheriff’s deputy came to the church campus last Friday to carry out the eviction. The campus includes business offices and a sanctuary.

Church officials late Friday said Weeks was still planning to hold worship services later that night elsewhere.

Weeks has long battled financial problems since the demise of his stormy marriage to national evangelist Juanita Bynum. It was reported that he faced several civil lawsuits for past-due accounts —- including possible eviction from his church.

In February Weeks said that Global Destiny Church had lost 1,600 of its 3,400 members after he attacked Bynum in an Atlanta hotel parking lot in 2007, but membership was on the rebound.
According to Gwinnett County Civil Court records, Friese filed an eviction notice Aug. 23, 2007. Court records show Weeks owed $50,555 in back rent for his church. That case was later dropped after a payment arrangement was reached. This time, the landlord and Weeks could not come to an agreement.

"He never offered a set amount of money,” Friese said. “The possession is now with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.” Source

Doing The Butt: Michelle Obama Works That Backside!

Finally, A First Lady That Looks Like Me!

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

Free at last. I never thought that I -- a black girl who came of age in the utterly anticlimactic aftermath of the civil rights movement -- would say the phrase with any real sincerity in my lifetime. But ever since Nov. 4, I've been shouting it from every rooftop. I'm not excited for the most obvious reason.

Yes, Obama's win was an extraordinary breakthrough and a huge relief, but I don't subscribe to the notion that his capturing the White House represents the end of American racial history. Far from it. There is a certain freedom in the moment -- as in, we are all now free from wondering when or if we'll ever get a black president. Congratulations to all of us for being around to settle the question.

But what really thrills me, what really feels liberating in a very personal way, is the official new prominence of Michelle Obama.

Barack's better half not only has stature but is statuesque. She has coruscating intelligence, beauty, style and -- drumroll, please -- a butt. (Yes, you read that right: I'm going to talk about the first lady's butt.)

What a bonus! From the ocean of nastiness and confusion that defined this campaign from the beginning, Michelle rose up like Venus on the waves, keeping her coif above water and cruising the coattails of history to present us with a brand-new beauty norm before we knew it was even happening.

Actually, it took me and a lot of other similarly configured black women by surprise. So anxious and indignant were we about Michelle getting attacked for saying anything about America that conservatives could turn into mud, we hardly looked south of her neck. I noted her business suits and the fact she hardly ever wore pants (unlike Hillary).

As I gradually relaxed, as Michelle strode onto more stages and people started focusing on her clothes and presence instead of her patriotism, it dawned on me -- good God, she has a butt! "Obama’s baby (mama) got back," wrote one feminist blogger. "OMG, her butt is humongous!" went a typical comment on one African-American online forum, and while it isn't humongous, per se, it is a solid, round, black, class-A boo-tay.

Try as Michelle might to cover it with those Mamie Eisenhower skirts and sheath dresses meant to reassure mainstream voters, the butt would not be denied.

As America fretted about Obama's exoticism and he sought to calm the waters with speeches about unity and common experience, Michelle's body was sending a different message: To hell with biracialism! Compromise, bipartisanship? Don't think so. Here was one clear signifier of blackness that couldn't be tamed, muted or otherwise made invisible. It emerged right before our eyes, in the midst of our growing uncertainty about everything, and we were too bogged down in the daily campaign madness to notice.

The one clear predictor of success that the pundits, despite all their fancy maps, charts and holograms, missed completely? Michelle's butt.

Lord knows, it's time the butt got some respect. Ever since slavery, it's been both vilified and fetishized as the most singular of all black female features, more unsettling than dark skin and full lips, the thing that marked black women as uncouth and not quite ready for civilization (of course, it also made them mighty attractive to white men, which further stoked fears of miscegenation that lay at the heart of legal and social segregation).

In modern times, the butt has demarcated class and stature among black society itself. Emphasizing it or not separates dignified black women from ho's, party girls from professionals, hip-hop from serious. (Black women are not the only ones with protruding behinds, by the way, but they're certainly considered its source. How many gluteally endowed nonblack women have been derided for having a black ass? Well, Hillary, for one.

But Michelle is bringing those two falsely divided minds together in a single presentation -- finally, unity for the real world! Talk about a power base. Thanks to Michelle, looking professional and provocative in a distinctly black way will become not only acceptable but also part of a whole presidential look that's more, well, inclusive.

Now we'll all be able to wear leggings to board meetings; we'll sport pencil skirts sans the long jackets meant to cover the offending rear at big conferences where we have to make a good impression. It turns out that Sir Mix-A-Lot, he of "Baby Got Back" fame, was not a novelty but a prophet.

Who knew? Give that guy a Cabinet post. Wait, there's more...

Erin Aubry Kaplan is a freelance writer and contributing editor to Opinion. She is a former weekly columnist for The Times, Essence and LA Weekly and blogs for 3 Brothers and A Sister.

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California Blacks Not To Blame In Passing of Proposition 8, Banning Gay Marriage

In the November 4th General election the state of California voted YES on Proposition 8, thereby banning same sex marriage in the state of California. In the wake of this, Black folks have been blamed for the loss to gay rights. Labeled "Homophobic" and "Church-going Hypocrites", Black folks have taken a lot of heat for the ban. But a deeper look points the blame in another direction because the numbers don't hold up. The state's Black population is 6.2 percent, and it accounted for 10 percent of the overall vote. In other words, blaming African Americans for the referendum's passage ignores 90 percent of the vote.

It also ignores recent history. To judge from social research, had there been an unapologetically pro-civil rights campaign, there was the prospect of a different outcome.

The most comprehensive study of Black attitudes toward homosexuality, which combines 31 national surveys from 1973 to 2000, came to a fascinating conclusion. Georgia State University researchers found that "Blacks appear to be more likely than whites both to see homosexuality as wrong and to favor gay-rights laws."

African Americans' religiosity leads many to believe that homosexuality is a sin, while their own experience of oppression leads them to oppose discrimination. This was borne out in the 2004 elections, where, in the six states with substantial Black populations that had same-sex marriage bans on their ballots, Blacks were slightly less likely than whites to vote for them. We highly recommend Author Sherry Wolf and the rest of this story.

California Fires Ravage Exclusive Yorba Linda and Chino Hills

Over 10,000 people have been evacuated in Yorba Linda alone. There have been 7,373 acres burned so far. The good news is that the Fire Authority says that there is a 5 percent containment, but there are still over 1,000 homes threatened. Earlier in the evening there was no mention of containment. The Chino Hills State Park is burning and the fire is almost into Chino Hills proper. The fire is moving from the east to the west so many homes might be spared. Arial assets are not being used during the night on this fire, as 60 mph gust are creating up to 50ft. walls of fire.Dubbed "The Freeway Complex Fire", this massive fire started...

...near the Prado Dam in the Santa Ana River basin and quickly spread to Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, through Brea and Carbon Canyon and has now jumped the 57 freeway to Brea Canyon.

There is a voluntary evacuation for Chino Hills, Carriage Hills, Summit Ranch, and Carbon Canyon. There is a Chino Hills shelter at Reuben S Ayala High School at 14255 Peyton Drive. If you have an animal you can take it Chino Hills McCoy Equestrian Center. Small animals can also be taken to the Orange County Shelter while large animals like horses can be taken to the Los Alamitos Race Track in Cypress.
Thank to Dan Wilson for this update.

Barack Turns Presidential Radio Message Into Podcast

President-elect Barack Obama plans to tape a weekly address not just for radio listeners, as presidents have for years, but for YouTube Internet viewers, too. Well, what else would you expect from a president born at the tail end of the baby boom?

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Connecting the White House hearth to the American home, Franklin Roosevelt talked to the people through the radio, with crackling broadcasts delivered near a crackling fire. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan mastered television. For Obama, who built a big part of his campaign on the Internet, it's YouTube.

About 75 years after Roosevelt used a new medium to reach out during troubled times, the president-elect is doing the same with Web videos.
Obama was recording a four-minute address Friday at his transition office in Chicago. It will be posted Saturday through a YouTube link on his transition Web site, http://www.change.gov/. And he will continue to do the videos when he takes office on Jan. 20.
And he won't be the only one in his administration taking a starring role online.
Transition leaders and policy advisers will also appear in videos on a regular basis, Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Other officials, such as Cabinet members, could also take part.
President George W. Bush hasn't videotaped his radio addresses for online viewing as Obama plans to do, the White House said. YouTube wasn't around when Bush came into office, though podcasts of his addresses are available on iTunes, and the audio is posted on http://www.whitehouse.gov/.
The Saturday radio addresses were initiated by Reagan and have evolved into a weekly fixture of the presidency, accompanied by a response from the party out of power.
Still, relatively few people actually hear them on the radio, and Obama is hoping to reach many more with what his transition team calls a "multimedia opportunity."
The videos are part of the team's effort to build on a campaign model that helped Obama reach millions of voters online during the presidential race. It's a potentially powerful electronic tool in new digital outreach effort aimed at supporters and others interested in being connected to the activities of the Obama White House. The Web site and videos allow him to bypass the traditional media and reinforce his message online.

Southern California San Fernando Valley Ablaze November 2008

Saturday November 15, 2008--10,000 people have been evacuated from the Sylmar area of Los Angeles as devastating fires surge. Driven by 60-mph gusts, fire ripped through the northern San Fernando Valley overnight, burning homes before leaping both the 210 and 5 freeways.

The fast-moving fire drove residents scrambling from their hillside homes, as a storm of embers ignited spot fires across a broad swath of the Sylmar area. Not to be confused with the Montecito fires near Santa Barbara of the previous two days, these fires are located in Los Angles county. Most freeways in that part of the valley were closed, including the 5, 210 and 405. More than 2,500 acres had burned...

by 5 o'clock Saturday morning, with more than 1,000 structures threatened by uncontrolled flames and more than 10,000 residents under mandatory evacuation.

Authorities said an unknown number of homes had been destroyed. Numerous mobile homes were lost north of Sylmar. Firefighters said they were dealing with near-hurricane-force winds that are not expected to let up until midmorning.

Fire officials said the blaze was burning west, jumping the 5 Freeway and heading toward areas burned last month in the Sesnon fire in Porter Ranch. Officials said a branch of the current fire was burning north toward Santa Clarita as well. The latest evacuations extended as far west as Reseda Boulevard near Sesnon Boulevard.

"The fire is ripping and tearing through everything," said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Bowman.

"Our No. 1 priority right now is life, and people have to get out of the path of the fire," said John Tripp, incident commander for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "We have citizens that are in harm's way right now, and that is our priority."

Undefeated Lakers Fall Victim To Dee-troit Basketball

Last night a funny thing happened to the "Undefeated" Los Angeles Lakers. After getting spanked last night by the Detroit Pistons, the Lakes changed their name to the "formerly undefeated" Los Angeles Lakers. The final score of 106-95 does not indicated how embarrsing it really was as the Lakers finally start playing elite NBA teams.




The new-look Detroit Pistons still have the Los Angeles Lakers' number.

Rasheed Wallace had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Allen Iverson added 25 points and the Pistons handed the Lakers their first loss of the season, 106-95 Friday night

The win was the Pistons' eighth in the last 10 meetings.

Kobe Bryant scored 29 points for the Lakers, but went 12-of-30 from the floor.

"We just played a good all-around game," Iverson said after the Pistons won for the third time since his arrival from Denver five games ago. "It's just about playing basketball, understanding what we want to do on the basketball court.

"We didn't feel like it would take long, but we knew it would be kind of shaky in the beginning because I'm a totally different player than Chauncey Billups. I'm a lot more aggressive when it comes to driving to the basket, so my teammates have to know what spot I want them to be in to be able to create shots for them."

In winning their first seven, the Lakers had averaged a league-high 104.7 points and held opponents to a league-low 86.7.

The Pistons obviously beat them on both ends of the court, with Los Angeles becoming the final NBA team to lose this season.

"We just played defense," Iverson said. "We made them take tough, contested shots. When they missed, we got out and ran and took advantage. On the offensive end, we just attacked all night."

Bryant said the Pistons presented a "matchup issue" for the Lakers' defense.

"With Rasheed Wallace at the 5, and his ability to stretch the floor, it opened up the lanes for the guards," Bryant said. "We didn't shoot particularly well, but those guys were hot, too, in the first half and third quarter and kept us at bay.

Check ESPN for the rest of their story.

Bloggers, Here Is Your Chance To Become A Web Star!

For Tavis Smiley's 10th annual State of the Black Union 2009 symposium, The Smiley Group is offering the opportunity for ONE special blogger to sit on stage and ask the important questions of panelists in our first and exclusive live Webcast!

Not only that, you’ll be spending the whole weekend with Tavis and towering figures in the world of news and politics!

Imagine yourself hanging out for the weekend and engaging in dialogue with figures such as Dr. Cornel West or Danny Glover or maybe even Nikki Giovanni and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Imagine what that means for your Web site, your blog…your career!

So, not only is this your chance to be part of the exclusive Web coverage of the top African American sociopolitical dialogue in the country, but you will also be invited to sit on stage for our first-ever Web journalists panel! You’ll report these historic events as they happen and actively participate in them.

Sounds good? We thought so too. Contest begins November 1st and ends December 5th.

To be considered, you’ll need to submit on line at www.tavistalks.com/sobu2009

* Three (3) previously posted/published articles demonstrating legitimate coverage of news items of interest to African Americans

* Blog statement of purpose

* Short essay detailing how and why your blog should be chosen. The essay should include a description of the contribution you will make to the conversation and coverage of the weekend (maximum 500 words)


Here’s what we’ll do if you’re selected:

• Provide airfare, hotel accommodations (2 nights), and ground transportation for one (1) person
• Give you access to exclusive content. You can broadcast our Webcast live from your site as well as blog live from the Los Angeles Convention Center during the State of the Black Union 2009. Also, you will have exclusive access (including photo opportunities) at ALL of the VIP events prior to and after the State of the Black Union to interview the panelists and participants.

Without question, this is a chance of a lifetime and a career-changing opportunity for the winning Web journalist. Contest begins November 3rd and the winner will be announced online by December 15, 2008, to allow adequate time to make travel arrangements. We’ll get you here and make you famous!

Will you be the one who will be joining us? If so, you better get to work!

Black Bloggers to Convene In Chicago For 2nd Annual Conference June 2009

Blogging While Brown 2009 will take place on June 19-20, 2009, at University Center in Chicago, IL. The current conference information is available at the BWB website. Early registration for the conference session is $150 and ends February 1, 2009. Chicago was the top choice of last year's conference attendees on the post-conference survey.

Our Registration Coordinator for Blogging While Brown 2008 graciously agreed to take over this year and become our Conference Coordinator. She was the person who handed out your registration packets and name badges and interacted with the convention center staff throughout the day. She brings a great deal of experience as a corporate event planner and I am elated to have her take over all of the logistical details related to the conference.

We are making some changes to expand the conference this year. As part of our commitment to continuing to develop a diverse and dynamic blogosphere, we've added a pre-conference intensive workshop called the Beginning Blogger Boot Camp. This pre-conference session is aimed at attendees who do not currently blog, but would like to learn how.

This intensive “learning-by doing” workshop will take place on Friday morning and afternoon, prior to the start of the conference. The class size is extremely small, therefore, if you know someone who might want to know more about the mechanics of blogging, encourage them to register for the boot camp early. I will be teaching the course.

As you can imagine, housing in downtown Chicago during the summer can be somewhat pricey. In fact, hotel rates almost caused us to consider another city because Blogging While Brown remains committed to making attendance affordable for everyone. Fortunately we were able to find an inexpensive alternative in downtown Chicago that would allow us to host conference activities and house conference attendees under the same roof.

In addition to being a conference center, during the school year, University Center serves as a state-of-the-art student residence, that opened its doors in the fall of 2004. Located in the heart of Chicago's Educational Corridor, University Center is just steps from Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University and Roosevelt University, the triad that formed this unique facility. Designed as a multi-institutional community specifically for college students from local neighborhoods and around the world.

You may reserve your room at the same time that you register by selecting one of the registration packages that includes housing. The package prices are based on a single occupancy semi-suite. If you are traveling in a group of 2 or more, the housing costs decrease significantly. The cost of housing includes one meal of your choosing each day in the University Center dining facility.

See you in Chicago.

Obamas Meet The Bushes... Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

US Soldiers Die In Iraq Still Die One Week After Historic Election

We Don't Get The Dream...

Without A Whole Lot Of Sacrifice.

Starting The Week With The Right Perspective

The Following Names Were Released By The Pentagon.

U.S. Soldiers Lost In Afghanistan During Election Week.



Army SGT Federico G Borjas, 33, of San Diego, Calif.

Army SPC Justin A Saint, 22, of Albertville, Ala.

Army SPC Heath K Pickard, 21, of Palestine, Texas

Army MAJ Robert D Lindenau, 39, of Camano Island, Wash.

Marine LCpl Stacy A Dryden, 22, of North Canton, Ohio

Army SPC Deon L Taylor, 30, of Bronx, N.Y.

Marine Cpl Adrian Robles, 21, of Scottsbluff, Neb.

Marine LCpl San Sim, 23, of Santa Ana, Calif.

Air Force SSgt Brian P Hause, 29, of Stoystown, Pa.

Army PFC Cody J. Eggleston, 21, of Eugene, Ore.

Army SGT Nicholas A. Casey, 22, of Canton, Ohio

Army SGT Kevin D. Grieco, 35, of Bartlett, Ill.

Marine 1st Lt Trevor J. Yurista, 32, of Pleasant Valley, N.Y.

Army SGT Scott J. Metcalf, 36, of Framingham, Mass.

Army SGT Daniel W. Wallace, 27, of Dry Ridge, Ky.

Army PFC Bradley S. Coleman, 24, of Martinsville, Va.

Army SPC Adam M. Wenger, 27, of Waterford, Mich.