Are You James Brown's Love Child?

James Brown Survivors Await Settlement
Legal Defense Fund for Kwame Kilpatrick is Out of Money
Study: Blacks are More Religious than the Overall U.S.
Comedian: Why Don’t Black People See UFOs?
Obama's Half Brother Arrested Over Marijuana Allegations
Colorado Man Charged in Threat on Obama, Mall

Obama Promises Lower Mortgages/Minorities Lose $213b
Steele Says He Looks Forward to Sparring with Obama
Watchdog Group Wants Blacks to Boycott EBay
Annan Urges International Support for Zimbabwe
RushmoreDrive.com Announces Global Grind Partnership
Essence Festival Adds Maxwell, Al Green, Ne-Yo

Introducing The New Governor of Illinois... No Drama, Just A Regular Guy

Pat Quinn, 60, can be so unassuming that he watched the inauguration of President Obama in Washington crunched down on his knees so that people behind him could get a better view. When prone to boasting, which is not very often, it can be about miserly stuff, such as staying in budget hotels and eating discount meals.

His idea of a political stunt is walking more than 150 miles from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan to raise awareness of health-care needs. And with a hairline more John Lithgow than Elvis Presley, he doesn't even look the Blagojevich part.

"What you see is what you get," said one of Quinn's longtime allies, state Rep. John Fritchey, a Democrat. "He is an apolitical creature in a political world."

Serena Williams Wins 2009 Tennis Australian Open Regains #1 Ranking

In one of the most lopsided finals in Australian Open history, American Serena Williams overpowered Russian Dinara Safina, 6-0, 6-3, for her 10th major singles championship.

The second-seeded Williams, who also won this Grand Slam event in 2003, '05 and '07, will replace Serbia's Jelena Jankovic as the No. 1 ranked player in the world come Monday.

The four Australian Open titles are tied for the most-ever in the open era as Williams joined Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles on that list.

The Saturday victory for Williams, which came in just 59 minutes, occurred just a day after she and sister Venus took home the women's doubles title.

QUICKIE: All Hail To The Queen Of Soul... And That Hat!

Bush said this ain't over until the fat lady sings.

Then Barack called Aretha Franklin up and handed her the mic....

CASE CLOSED!!!!

Straight Out Of Compton: Homicides Plunge, Hope Rises!

It is a Sunday morning and there is still dew on the grass outside Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church. Already, God has received a standing ovation. The thermometer on the wall claims it's only 75 degrees in here, but congregants are dancing in the aisles, some with their shoes kicked off and stashed under the pews. Their sweat mixes with their tears, and for once in Compton, they are tears of joy.

"People of faith!" thunders the Rev. Rafer Owens, a native son who is also a veteran Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. "Are you ready to praise the Lord?"

"Are you ready to take back Compton?"

Louder this time: "Ha-ROO!"

"We disrespected the city of Compton," Owens says, more quietly now. "And when you don't want something, you give it to the rats and the roaches."

They've been praying for a long time in Compton, praying hard. For a long time, it seemed no one was listening.

"Father God, some people in here are hurting," the pastor says, head bowed. "They have given what they feel is their last mile."

But change, he insists, is afoot.

Takin' a life or two

That's what the hell I do

By the time the hip-hop group N.W.A released its seminal 1988 album "Straight Outta Compton," with those lyrics, the city's fate seemed sealed. The album was a celebration of the gang life; killing was described as an inescapable part of life.

The town that many still refer to as "Old Compton" -- poor but proud, with an abiding sense of community -- had been ravaged by guns, crack and joblessness. With just 100,000 people, Compton developed an outsize but deserved reputation as a national epicenter of gang violence.

Today, there are 65 gangs jammed into 10 square miles -- Front Hood Crips and Pirus and Seminoles, bored and broke, jaded and angry, sure that life has little to offer. The turf for some is no bigger than a football field, and they will defend it against any perceived slight. That's how it's been here for almost three decades.

So it came as something of a surprise when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which contracts to provide police services here, added up the community's 2008 homicides. The total for Compton, including smaller, adjacent pockets of unincorporated county land: 38.

It was the lowest number in at least 25 years and a 50% drop since 2005. From 1985 to 2000, said Sheriff's Capt. William M. Ryan, an average of 66 people were slain each year within the city limits; that number fell last year to 28. Gang-related aggravated assaults have fallen too in the city and the county pockets, nearly 25% over four years -- "dramatic indicators," Sheriff Lee Baca said at a recent news conference, "that we are doing the right thing."

The sheriff did not mention an irony: Compton, while widely viewed as a success story, is one of the few L.A.-area communities where crime is rising. Both the city and county of Los Angeles saw declines in major crimes last year; in Compton, such crimes rose by 13% in the same period.

However, officials said, most of the increase was in property crimes -- burglary, up 39%; larceny, up 27%. Authorities attribute that to the bad economy. A poor community with high unemployment, Ryan said, "is affected the most."

So in a sense, Compton is trading blood in the streets for stolen lawn mowers -- and around here, that's a bargain many will live with.

Indeed, there is a palpable sense that the streets are safer. In a neighborhood called Sunny Cove, residents take a group walk on Mondays now, unthinkable a few years back. Owens' church offers free movies in local parks; the program started slowly, but 900 people came out for the most recent screening, at Lueders Park off Rosecrans Avenue.

LA Times story by Scott Gold continues...

Prince of Social Networking Twitter, Now Worth 250 Million!

If MySpace and FaceBook are the King and Queen of internet social networking... then Twitter is the little prince who is growing fast and coming on strong. Today, reports claim that micro-blogging and social networking site Twitter is valued at $250 million as the company gets ready to raise more capital.

A report from TechCrunch says micro-blogging and social networking Web site Twitter has entered into an agreement with one or more venture capital firms that place the company’s value at $250 million. The report does not mention a specific source other than "a source with knowledge of the deal."

In November, several news outlets reported social networking behemoth Facebook was interested in buying Twitter for $500 million, although the majority of the acquisition funds would have been tied to Facebook stock. The deal subsequently fell through, though Twitter is backed by a variety of venture capital firms, including Union Square Ventures, Digital Garage, Spark Capital and Bezos Expeditions, led by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

Twitter founder Evan Williams has raised $22 million in funding for the company, and Internet research firm ComScore reported Twitter’s traffic flow rose almost fivefold to 5.57 million in September from a year earlier.

“Rumor is Twitter hit up more than a few venture firms to pitch the $250 million valuation, and got more than one ‘no.’” TechCruch reported. “But someone’s bit, perhaps encouraged by Twitter’s breakneck growth and the interest from Facebook.” The site also reports that two sources have revealed Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) has signed the term sheet.

In an economic climate where cash is short and many companies are tightening their belts, Twitter’s rising popularity and continued increase in traffic will be essential to convincing investors of Twitter’s long-term viability. “Everybody's worth less,'' Williams told Bloomberg News in November. “The VCs have the money, but they'll just negotiate harder. I want to manage things so I don't have to raise money in 2009." Source: Nathan Eddy eweek.com

Does the Gillibrand New York Senate Appointment Make David A. Paterson A Bungling Governor Or America's Shrewdest Politician

Gov. David A. Paterson bypassed a couple of better-known contenders yesterday and appointed Kirsten Gillibrand, a low-profile congresswoman from the rural, conservative Hudson Valley, to New York's open Senate seat. Caroline Kennedy at the last minute dropped out of consideration, but was she ever a contender?

Patterson may have been the savvy one as his primary goal perhaps was to shore up his own position and balance the Democratic ticket for 2010, which will see the governor, the appointed senator, and the state's senior senator, Charles E. Schumer, on the ballot and in his corner...

Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of president John F. Kennedy, and Andrew M. Cuomo, the state's popular attorney general, were considered the early front-runners for the seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who became secretary of state. In choosing Gillibrand, Paterson may have gained allies among women and Upstate voters. But he has also angered backers of Kennedy and Cuomo, alienated some key constituencies, and made it more likely that he and Gillibrand may both face primary challenges next year.

The Gillibrand appointment, which came after an excruciating and at times haphazard two-month selection process, may have been the most high-profile decision to date for Paterson, who is in many ways an accidental governor, coming to office last year after Eliot L. Spitzer resigned because of a sex scandal. "Everyone in town is furious with him," vented one Kennedy friend, who called the selection process, which included Kennedy's mysterious eleventh-hour withdrawal for unspecified personal reasons, "a fiasco."

Gillibrand's centrist voting record sets her at odds with most of her Democratic colleagues in New York. See Keith B. Richburg at the washingtonpost.com has the rest of this story

For President Obama's Inauguration, I Had To Pull Out My Biracial Card!

19,000 Steps And 9.2 Miles Just To See History!

by Bonique Edwards

My journey to the capital steps started 13 months ago when I had the opportunity to meet Hillary Clinton at the home of a client. Among a small group of 300, I was immediately impressed with Hillary. She had style, sophistication and .....she was a woman. I left there thinking that I would vote for Clinton, the brand I know and trust.

Two months later, my girlfriend Angela recommended that we go see Barack Obama at the Universal Amphitheater. It was only $50 and I figured I should give the man a shot to convince me of his candidacy. WOW! are the only words to describe seeing him in person. Barack had something that Hillary did not. He was genuine. I changed my mind and decided to change the minds of every person I knew who was voting for Hillary. Mind you....I didn't actually think we could pull it off (him being Black and all), but I was determined to vote for the right candidate instead of the candidate who I thought could win.

Fast forward to January 18, 2009. A bunch of us decide to meet in Washington DC to see Barack Obama's inauguration. We didn't have tickets, but we were prepared to witness history together. You could literally taste the energy among the people. There were Obama T-shirts, beanie caps, hats, pins..I even saw a letterman jacket. To date, Barack Obama paraphernalia has grossed more than any entertainer in history! He is more than our President, he has started a movement that will change the world! Barack gear has been a mini stimulus package for entrepreneurs across the country. There were young people and old people. There were people who did not even speak English. It was an amazing group of people who gathered there for the Inauguration!

On January 19, 2009, my girlfriend Niki was able to score us tickets. She had tickets for the blue entrance and I had tickets for the purple entrance. Our friend Deena scored even bigger with yellow tickets thanks to Roland. (oh yes, the coloring system is similar to a class system....The silver tickets were for the masses and the general mall was open to every man, woman and child with no ticket needed)

Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009:
Our day started at 3:50am since we were staying with friends in Maryland. After dealing with the subway crowd we arrived to the mall around 6:00am. At that time, the streets were dark and lined with thousands of people and vendors ready to partake in the celebration.

The first thing we noticed was the capital. The moment was really indescribable. Take a moment to image our capital; an amazing structure that represents freedom and change in our country. The lights were glowing through the dark of the night. It looked as if it were the only building in the city. We all sat there for a moment in silence. It was hard to believe that we were going to witness history.

Rumors had it that ticket holders could enter the mall at 8:00am and non ticket holders at 9:00am. To get a jump start, Niki and I left the group to find our way to the capital. We walked 8 blocks to 2nd street. I was told that purple ticket holders needed to go around the capital. (Keep in mind that the map they provided did not indicate that the streets would be blocked off) I left Niki and started on my journey solo. I walked back to 11th street struggling to get through the crowds.

At 11th street, a volunteer told me that I needed to return to 2nd street and go around the capital building to access my PURPLE gate. At 2nd street, the security guard told me to go back to 14th street. (LOL) At this point, I realized that there were forces trying to stop me from seeing my President!! Another officer said, that I could walk underneath the mall to access the other side of the building. He also informed me that the distance was 2.5 miles. NO PROBLEM! --I was determined to see this!

I walked briskly in 25 degree weather. I was walking so fast, I actually had to pull off a few layers of clothing. I arrived at the purple gate by 8:35am. I had plenty of time to make the 11:30 start time. I checked my pedometer; which indicated that I had walked 8,500 steps by 8:35am. I was going to get a new president and a new waist line!

For the next 2 hours our line never moved. I phoned Niki and we discussed a plan B of watching it with our other friends in the general location. I was actually having visions of missing his speech. How could I tell my friends and family that I had tickets and missed it? I felt powerless.

Rumors circulated in our group that the mall closed an hour ago. Another rumor indicated that there was no line at the purple gate. So many messages and no one there to direct traffic.

There was a bi-racial couple in front of me. He was 6'5 and she was 6 feet. I overhead him say that just beyond the crowd, there was no line. Height has clear advantages! By now, everyone in line was cold and cranky. Some people simply gave up. The smiles were gone and everyone was confused.

The woman, determined to not miss the event fastened her gloves and said to her husband "Baby, are you ready to do this?"

They took off and started to cut through the crowd. I seized the moment and grabbed her arm. She looked back and said "come on sista." After 500 or so steps we realized that we were not standing in the correct line. The crowd coming from the opposite direction was blocking everyone's access to the purple gate. We start jogging to the gate and finally found the "real purple line." Seeing the real gate felt like seeing The Promised Land. It's now 11:00am and it does not look promising because we cannot find the actual entrance.

The woman decides to cross through yellow police tape and her husband followed. I was younger, but they were quicker than me so I was stopped by the police. I pulled out my bi-racial card and said.."Those are my parents...I need to catch up!" I was in! We navigated our way through very tight crowds. To say that we were packed in like sardines is an understatement. My friend Niki said it best when she told me "There were times when my feet were not on the ground." I just prayed for our safety.

After more pushing and shoving we GOT IN at 11:25am! Thank you Jesus! I was in!

Could I see well? Of course not, by then people were standing on top of port a potty's and climbed up in the trees. Was it all worth it! ABSOLUTELY....The experience was PRICELESS!

There were more than two million people there. No fights. No drunkards. Just Americans who wanted to see our 44th President get sworn into office.

At the end of the day, I checked my pedometer......19,000 steps and 9.2 miles to see our President!

A Black Man In The White House Means America Is At The Mountaintop, Right???

NOT SO FAST MR. PRESIDENT...

By Erin Aubry Kaplan

It’s the end of inauguration week, and all the Obama hosannahs still linger in the air. It’s understandable. It’s barely comprehensible that Bush is actually gone and that a black man replaced him.

After eight years of pain and suffering Bush and his ilk inflicted on the electorate (to say nothing of the citizenry of the world), it’s absolutely essential that we get a chance to feel good. All that tension built up over all these years needs an outlet. We needed to give voice to it all, to dance, sing, weep, watch parades, go to balls, enthuse over Barack’s élan and Michelle’s outfits. It’s fine. Necessary, even.

But some of the joyousness bothers me, and it has for the duration of the presidential campaign. Here’s my problem: Far too many white people who had a certain smugness about Obama’s rise are now congratulating themselves openly for the historic moment, and far too many black people are letting them get away with it.

The result is that we’re all willingly falling asleep at the switch at the cause of racial justice, which is hardly over. But we’re all simply too vested in feeling good. Whites are triumphal that Obama is symbolically putting to rest the nasty racial battles of the past; blacks are misty-eyed that this is indeed the mountaintop, that we can go no higher and achieve nothing greater.

It was predictable that the conflation of Bush’s exit, King’s birthday, Obama’s inauguration and Lincoln’s bicentennial into one great, shining, badly-needed American denouement would be too much to resist. On Tuesday, CNN featured a crawl that excitedly announced that 70 percent of black people in a poll said that the Obama presidency meant that the dream of Martin Luther King has been fulfilled.

Okay, let’s start there. I hate to be a party pooper, but King’s dream had little to do with electing a black president. King was an activist who evolved into a social radical who believed that economic justice on the largest scale possible was the only way to achieve racial justice, and vice versa.

He would have been thrilled at the prospect of an Obama, of course, and likely would have supported his campaign. But King would have immediately recognized Obama as a product of a successful black middle class that in 2009 is still the exception to black reality, not the rule. He would have understood that Obama is not the expression of a collective movement, as he was, but a towering example of individualism that Americans have always admired more, especially in black folk.

But that admiration has left no room for a discussion of all the troubling facts that still define black life: poverty, imprisonment, poor education, poor employment, poor health outcomes, poor prospects overall, especially for black men.

A Pew Research poll last year found that black Americans are as pessimistic about their own future as they’ve ever been, with good reason. But the strange fact is, we’ve gotten a black president before we’ve gotten effective solutions to any of those problems.

And the mere presence of Obama convinces too many Americans that these problems simply don’t exist, or don’t matter terribly anymore. Even the most effusive black Obama supporters know this is a real danger.

I think Obama, middle-class icon that he is, knows better. But whether he can find a way to articulate concern and craft policy for his less fortunate brethren, the brethren who supported him unequivocally and who rightfully expect something in a first black president—yes, a black president for all people-- remains to be seen.

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 a host of other publications. Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book, to be released in 2009.

Forrest Whitaker Announces 81st Oscar Nominees

Academy Award Winner Forrest Whitaker kicked off the nominations for this years Academy Awards. The 81st Annual Academy Awards will be presented one month from today on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST) and broadcast live on ABC. Here are the nominees in the top categories:

BEST PICTURE
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Check under the hood for the rest of the catagories and nominees.




ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Angelina Jolie (The Changeling)
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
Frank Langella (Frost Nixon)
Sean Penn (Milk)
Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis (Doubt)
Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Amy Adams (Doubt)
Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin (Milk)
Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

DIRECTOR
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
Gus Van Sant (Milk)
Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

SCREENPLAY
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-E

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

ANIMATED
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Use Of Internet By African Americans Goes Up

The percentage of African-Americans who use the Internet increased to 64% as of December 2008, up from 56% in December 2007, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. In comparison, Internet users represented 74% of the total US population in December 2008, dipping slightly from 75% in December 2007.

Obama Retakes Oath of Office After Roberts' Mistake
Black First Family 'Changes Everything'
'Queen of Soul' Not Pleased with Performance at Inauguration
African American Internet Use Climbs
Condoleezza Rice Signs with William Morris Agency
Black Designers May Be Key in Automotive Turnaround
Nigerian Police Block Rally for Divorced Women
Citigroup Taps Richard Parsons as Chairman
'Boondocks' Creator Denies Saying Obama is Not Really Black
Man Pleads Not Guilty to Hudson Family Killings
Ex-Detroit Mayor Fails in Bid to Keep Law License
Rapper 50 Cent Expands Empire to Filmmaking

Black Actors Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson Nominated For Academy Award

African American actors Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson received their first Oscar nominations this morning and will compete against each other in the supporting actress category for their performances in "Doubt" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," respectively.



Taraji P. Henson

J Crew Website Crashes As Obama Girls Turn On The Fashion Flames

The day after Inauguration Day, the clothier J Crew announced that it's on line sales site crashed over a huge demand to purchase coats, scarves and gloves worn by daughters Sasha and Malia during the inauguration ceremony. The company announced that it was grateful for the attention but that the coats and accessories are not available yet and were created specifically for the ceremonial day.

Chief Justice Roberts Blow The Obama Inaugural Oath Of Office... "So Yes, Let's Do It Again"

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. had but one task in the Obama Inauguration Ceremony. In fact he had the most important part of the whole proceedings. It was his honor and his job to administer the oath of office. Justice Roberts blew it. He embarrassed himself and the United States, fore there he was in front of millions of people who were watching all over the world... twisting words around, leaving some words out and in the end putting into doubt the legitimacy of the Obama presidency. Why? Because in his arrogance Chief Justice John Roberts didn't read the oath from a index card. So today In the White House Map Room Roberts had to administer it again.

Just to make sure.

"We decided it was so much fun . . .," Obama joked while sitting on a couch in the Map Room. Obama stood and walked over to make small talk with pool reporters as Roberts donned his black robe.

"Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked.

"I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama replied.

After a flawless recitation that included no Bible and took 25 seconds, Roberts smiled and said, "Congratulations, again."

Obama said, "Thank you, sir," and then added: "All right. The bad news for the [reporters] is there's 12 more balls."

A president is required by the Constitution to say, "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

At the inauguration, Roberts instead said: "that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully."

In a statement, White House counsel Greg Craig said the oath was re-administered "out of an abundance of caution."

"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday. But the oath appears in the Constitution itself," Craig's statement said.

Two presidents -- Calvin Coolidge and Chester A. Arthur -- have retaken the oath because of unusual circumstances the first time around. Justice Roberts will be asking himself a lot of questions for a long time. Chief for the chief is how he could let this national embarrassment happened on his watch.

Michelle Obama Style Icon? Yes Thanks To Jason Wu & Isabel Toledo

Message to the fashion world - there's a new sheriff in town playing by her own rules.

First it was fashion insider Isabel Toledo, 47, who designed her Inaugural ensemble.

Then a young American designer and up-and-coming talent Jason Wu, 26, grabbed the honor of dressing the First Lady in her winter white evening gown. Born in Taiwan who studied at Parsons in New York, Wu will clearly having tongues wagging in 2009 and beyond.

Good Morning Mr. President - In Pictures

Adoring Crowds For A Man Trying To Transcend Race.

A Light Moment, A Wonderful Glipse Of History.

C-Ya George!!!

So Why Did Chief Justice John Roberts Mess-Up This Man's
Ceremony? It Was Only 35 Words!

Gotta Love That Sasha.

More Photos Here

Role Call: Who Did Not See This Inauguration Day... Who Do You Add To The List

There are a lot of individuals who have recently died in perhaps recent years who will not see this Obama Inauguration Day. I sure would like to hear what they would say at such a time as this. At the end of my list add your name or names... tell me who you are thinking about.

Coretta Scott King

Barbara Jordon

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall

Seeing It In My Lifetime: A Brother My Kids And I Can Call Commander-In-Chief

Obama Steps into History as 44th President
Obama's Address: Great Expectations
Crowds of 1 to 2 Million Expected at Inauguration
Black Americans Ride the Buses to Witness History
Nobel Winner Tutu Calls Inauguration a 'Mandela Moment'
Complete List of Inauguration Events Scheduled on TV

Letters to Michelle Obama Collected into a Book
Stars, Regular Folks Heed Obama's Call to Service
Jay-Z Joins Young Jeezy Onstage in D.C. for 'My President'
Rev. Jesse Jackson Opens Up About Historic Moment
Most Blacks Say MLK's Vision Fulfilled, Poll Finds
Quincy Jones Urges National Culture Secretary to Cabinet

Obama Inauguration Televison Schedule For Tuesday (PST)

ABC: "Good Morning America" airs a special three-hour edition from the Library of Congress beginning at 4 a.m. Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos anchor coverage from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a news special at 7 p.m. From 8 to 10 p.m., the network will exclusively air "The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration," the first gala of the night attended by the new president and first lady. That will be followed by a 10 p.m. news special with reports from the inaugural balls and an overview of the day's events.

Click under the hood to see what the other networkss are doing.

CBS: "The Early Show" broadcasts live from Washington beginning at 4 a.m. Katie Couric handles the coverage from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as an hourlong edition of "CBS Evening News" and a live webcast on CBSNews.com at 7 p.m. with extended analysis. At 9 p.m., the network will air "Change and Challenge," a prime-time news special anchored by Couric that traces Obama's journey to the White House.

NBC: A special edition of "Today" from Washington kicks off coverage at 4 a.m. (KNBC-TV Channel 4 will carry local coverage until 7 a.m.) Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw and Lester Holt lead a special report from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Williams will anchor an hourlong edition of "NBC Nightly News," along with a live prime-time special at 10 p.m. with reports from the balls and special guests.

PBS: Jim Lehrer anchors coverage beginning at 8 a.m., joined by columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks. At 9 p.m., a special " Frontline" chronicles the new president in "Dreams of Obama."

Telemundo: Pedro Sevcec and Maria Celeste anchor a two-hour special at 8 a.m.

Univision: Coverage begins at 4 a.m. with "Despierta America." Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas take over at 8 a.m., followed by live coverage of the parade and a special edition of the prime-time news magazine "Aqui y Ahora."

BBC America: Huw Edwards and Matt Frei lead live coverage beginning at 8 a.m., with reports from Kenya and London.

BET: Rene Syler and actor Hill Harper lead the coverage beginning at 8 a.m., joined by Jeff Johnson. At 8 p.m., the network will air "Yes We Will! The BET Inauguration Celebration."

CNBC: Carl Quintanilla and John Harwood anchor "Squawk Box" from Washington at 3 a.m., followed by reports throughout the day about the incoming administration.

CNN: Coverage begins at 2 a.m. with a special edition of "American Morning." Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper anchor reporting of the swearing-in and parade beginning at 7 a.m. Cooper and Campbell Brown host extended editions of their nightly shows from 4 to 9 p.m., followed by a special edition of "Larry King Live."

C-SPAN: Live coverage of all inaugural events from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fox Business Network: Alexis Glick kicks off coverage at 4 a.m. Neil Cavuto will provide analysis throughout the day and host a special "Cavuto" at 3 p.m. from the parade route.

Fox News Channel: Nonstop coverage from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning with "Fox & Friends." Bret Baier, Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace take over at 5:30 a.m., followed by coverage of the swearing-in and parade, anchored by Wallace from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer will report from the balls beginning at 6 p.m.

MSNBC: Twenty-one hours of coverage kick off at 3 a.m. with "Morning Joe" from a Capitol Hill restaurant. Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow and Eugene Robinson take over at 7 a.m. Live reporting continues until midnight.

MTV: At 7 p.m., the network will televise "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural," a special focusing on volunteer service anchored from the Youth Inaugural Ball, where Obama is scheduled to speak.

TV5MONDE USA: The French-language network covers its first American presidential inauguration with a two-hour special that begins at 8 a.m., followed by commentary from Paris.

TV One: Continuous inauguration-related programming for 24 hours, beginning at 4 a.m. with "The Gospel of Music With Jeff Majors." Live coverage starts at 7 a.m. anchored by Art Fennell and Joe Madison. Roland Martin hosts a three-hour special at 3 p.m., followed by live coverage of the balls from 7 to 9 p.m.

Assembled by Matea Gold of the LA TIMES

MLK Day = Community Service... A Text Message From The President Elect Obama

Help President elect Obama renew America w/ service projects around the Inauguration.

Text SERVE to 56333 for info. For Inauguration updates txt HISTORY to 56333

MLK DAY, Millions Arrive In Washington. Some Travelers Forced To Sleep With The Dead

The subject is travel, and with high unemployment and even higher fuel cost it has made it increasingly difficult to travel by car. But these are economic barriers. Recently a young couple talked of the surprising lack of humanity and hospitality by fellow Americans as they completed a recent car trip through the south. Starting in Richmond Virginia with an ultimate destination of San Antonio Texas, husband and wife Andrew and Georgie Foster report finding many restaurants not willing to seat or serve African Americans ...


and being forced to go to the back of some establishments to pick up a cold sandwich for lunch. Later that day this same dining experience is repeated in another town for dinner. In these modern times sleeping accommodations for African Americans are still nonexistent in southern towns in states like the Carolinas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Each night this same couple, now tired from the days travels, is surprised like another famous couple , that "there is no room for them in the inn". In this updated version we are talking about the Holiday Inn and the reason they are being turned away is for having black skin.

Given the afore Biblical example Andrew and Georgie are in a fix as there is a definite shortage of local "mangers." So what is the African American couple to do? Well in the south the beacon of light, the oasis in the desert comes from a very unlikely place ; the local Black funeral director. That's right, Andrew and Georgie will actually be sleeping good tonight, as the generous undertaker allows the couple to sleep among the caskets; some empty some occupied.

Andrew and Georgie are my parents and this is just one of the many stories I like to hear them tell as normal life in the 1950's and 60's.

Every year each of us has virtually the same experience when it comes to Martin Luther King Day. Meaning, each year there is an endless barrage of dated film clips on the television, a parade or special church service the day before and if energy permits someones special program either live or back to the television, live from Washington D.C. It's easy to get complacent and matter of fact about the whole day. Unless we share. 1960 Martin Luther King at Durham North Carolina Woolworth Lunch Counter
Meaning , you or someone you know might remember actual events of that turbulent time we lived. Personal incidents that involved you are the best memories to share with a young person or just anyone. If it is not your memory, then ask someone about their memory. Take that memory and share it with someone who might not know or needs a touch of sensitivity. We all have someone who could use a bit of sensitivity. As we get older our family and relatives are getting older, forget and die. We need to go back to what we did as Africans; that is, commit to an oral history of our ancestry. Keep the word and the stories alive for future generations.

Obama & Biden All Aboard The Friendship Train

President-elect Barack Obama stepped onto a vintage train car, built at a time when a black man’s ascendancy to the presidency was impossible in America, and traveled Saturday to Washington in a three-day prelude to his inauguration as the nation’s 44th president.


As he did throughout his campaign, Mr. Obama evoked imagery of Abraham Lincoln, in word and deed, as he took an abridged version of Lincoln’s journey by rail to the capital before his own inaugural festivities in 1861. The trip offered Mr. Obama one more opportunity to savor his victory before he inherits the challenges that await him.

“While our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not,” Mr. Obama said before the train ride began. “What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that our founders displayed. More on this historic train ride at The New York Times.com

Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis Guilty Like Most Consumers of Greed

Americans got caught up believing they deserved to own a house even if they could not afford the monthly payments. Home owners now can't pay the mortgages and the banks are stuck with bad loan. Clearly the great majority of home owners are not financial genius. So what was Bank Of America CEO Ken Lewis thinking for not walking away from agreements to buy Countrywide, the biggest U.S. home lender,and Merrill Lynch, the largest brokerage, as the recession gained steam. This sound like more greed ,just on a larger scale.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America reported a fourth-quarter loss of $1.79 billion Friday, slashed its 32- cent quarterly dividend to a penny and told investors results may get worse in the quarters ahead.

“Ken Lewis didn’t take responsibility for what has happened with Merrill Lynch and Countrywide,” said Nancy Bush, an independent bank analyst based in Annandale, New Jersey. “I wanted him to say, ‘This is my fault, I paid too much for Merrill and while there may have been some severe deterioration in the fourth quarter, the buck stops here.’”

David Mildenberg and Linda Shen, over at bloomberg.com have the rest of this story.

Wells Fargo Utah Don't Give A Damn About Martin Luther King Day

MLK Day is a national and state Holiday, period. When A bank, in this case Wells Fargo Utah, decides they are going to be open for business and not observe Martin Luther King Day they are being disrespectfully to King, His memory and all he stood for. There is only one logical reason I could possibly buy into, to work on King day and that is ...

if you are working on King Day to be off of work... for the Obama Inauguration the very next day. In the mean time here is the lame excuse Wells Fargo Utah issued.

The bank said the decision to open on the national and state holiday was made "in the interest of serving our customers when, where and how they want to be served."

"Our decision to be open on Martin Luther King Day in no way diminishes our admiration and respect for Dr. King and his accomplishments," the bank said in a news release. "Rather, it was made out of our desire to best serve our customers."

The branches will be open for regular business hours.

Tribune Staff

Will Smith Playing Barack Obama Is A No Brainer!

Hollywood film star Will Smith has staked his claim to play Barack Obama in a movie about his rise to become US President and America’s first black leader. And personally, we know Keri Washington wants to play Michelle baaaadly, but our vote is Kimberly Elise -- hands down!

Smith has staked his claim to play the role, even before Barack Obama has been inaugurated as president.

Speaking at the premiere of his new film Seven Pounds at the Empire, Leicester Square, in London, Smith laughed about reports that the US President-elect had indicated that he would like the actor to play him if his life story were ever to be made into a movie.

“If I am ordered by my commander in chief to star in a film about him, I will do my duty as an American," he said, beaming.

Smith, best known for the Men in Black films and Independence Day, says however that he had no desire to move into the White House for real.

"If we were in the White House I don't know if that would exactly be a good thing. The Obamas are much more prepared to be in the White House than the Smiths.

"It's a whole lot more fun to be a movie star. That's a difficult job being President with a whole lot of lives on the line with every decision you make. In my job I just bring joy. I don't bring bad news. I think I'll stay in my position for quite some time." Smith said the “world had changed forever” with the election of Barack Obama.

He said he would be an "eyewitness to history" when he attends the impending inauguration of US President-elect Barack Obama.

Source

Cold Season Taking It's Toll...Perhaps It's Your Lack Of Sleep

People who sleep less than seven hours a night are three times as likely to catch a cold as their more well-rested friends and neighbours, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

The study supports the theory that sleep is important to immune function, said Sheldon Cohen and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.


Volunteers who spent less time in bed, or who spent their time in bed tossing and turning instead of snoozing, were much more likely to catch a cold when viruses were dripped into their noses, they found.

People who slept longer and more soundly resisted infection better, they reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Although sleep's relationship with the immune system is well-documented, this is the first evidence that even relatively minor sleep disturbances can influence the body's reaction to cold viruses," Cohen said in a statement.

"It provides yet another reason why people should make time in their schedules to get a complete night of rest."

Cohen's team tested 153 healthy volunteers, locking them in a hotel for five days after infecting them with a cold virus.

They had been interviewed daily for the previous two weeks to get details on their sleep patterns. They were tested for cold symptoms after the five-day lockup and had blood tests for antibodies to the virus.

The men and women who reported fewer than seven hours of sleep on average were 2.94 times more likely to develop sneezing, sore throat and other cold symptoms than those who reported getting eight or more hours of sleep each night.

Maggie Fox & Will Dunham over at Reuters have the rest of this story

The "Bs"... Bono, Blige, Bruce, Beyonce Perform For Barack Inauguration

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Jermain Dupri Is Having A Bad 2009... Fired From Island Records Because Of Playa Hatin' LA Reid???

First unfounded rumors fly Jermain Dupree is loosing his love Janet Janet Jackson. Now check out the latest about his "un-employment".

Jermaine Dupri and Island Def Jam Records parted ways last week, and like with most high-profile breakups, plenty of people want to know what happened.

Was Dupri fired from his post as president of Island Records Urban Music department? Did the So So Def top dog leave in a huff because girlfriend Janet Jackson left her deal with Island last September after disappointing album sales?

Well, Dupri isn't offering specifics. But the super producer is pointing fingers. In an interview with Essence.com on Monday, Dupri slammed IDJ head L.A. Reid and claimed executives at the label were unwilling to release his music.

Dupri listed a number of acts he brought to the label — including singer-songwriter Johnta Austin, Internet star Dondria and rapper Ninth Ward — who remained shelved. The producer said he's been creating music consistently, but there's been resistance by the label to push forward with the finished product.

The New York Post reported last week that Dupri was allegedly relieved of his duties after sulking when Janet Jackson's Discipline — which Dupri executive-produced — and her Rock Witchu Tour failed to meet the label's expectations.

Dupri directed his harshest barb at Reid, saying the longtime music mogul was jealous of him.

Continued...

Today Eagles Vs. Giants...The Best Game In Town

The beauty of today's game between the Eagles and the New York Giants is that the outcome is so unpredictable.
"These teams aren't going to fool each other," Fox analyst and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman said by phone yesterday as he pulled into the Meadowlands complex to prepare for the NFC divisional playoff game.

"They just know each other too well. They could play 20 times and they'd each win 10 or maybe 11 to 9. They're just evenly matched with quarterbacks who have played in big games and outstanding defenses."

In the previous nine seasons – the Andy Reid era in Eagles history – teams from the same division have met a total of 10 times in the postseason. The road team has won half the time. The Eagles and Giants have accounted for two of those 10 meetings. The Eagles won at home in a 2007 playoff game and the Giants won at home on their way to the Super Bowl in 2001.

Reid made the point at his Monday news conference that there was a time when having the home-field advantage and a week off meant more than anything, but that time seems to have passed. Four of the five instances in which NFC road teams have won in the conference semifinals have taken place in the last seven seasons.

The Eagles went into Chicago and won in 2002, the Carolina Panthers won in St. Louis in 2004 and Chicago in 2006, and the Giants stunned the Cowboys in Dallas last January. Four of the last eight Super Bowl champions won on the road in the conference divisional round.

"One advantage of having time off is that you give your guys an opportunity to rest, in particular the injured guys," Reid said. "But old trends showed that mattered, and the new trends show that doesn't matter, so who knows? I think you just take each game by itself."

The Giants and Eagles both have injury issues that could impact today's game. The Eagles have spent the week trying to get Brian Westbrook (swollen knee), Asante Samuel (sore hip) and Jon Runyan (sprained knee) healthy enough for the game. All three are expected to play, but Runyan didn't practice the entire week.

The Giants, despite their week off, have injury concerns about defensive end Justin Tuck (knee) and defensive tackle Fred Robbins (shoulder). The Giants, a team that won last year's Super Bowl behind the play of its defensive line, had just six sacks in their final four games. Tuck, limited during the Giants' practice week, had just a half sack in four December games. Robbins hasn't dropped an opposing quarterback since Week 7. The Eagles did not allow a sack in either game against the Giants this season.

When asked about his knee, Tuck said: "It's not good." But the defensive end will play and it could help that he's going against a gimpy Runyan.

Aikman played in his share of these games during his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys, and he remembers what his former coach Jimmy Johnson used to say.

"Jimmy would tell us it's not about the team that makes the most big plays," Aikman said. "It's about the team that makes the fewest bad plays. When the game is over, that's what you look at as players. Fans and the media will remember the 70-yard screen pass to Brian Westbrook, but they forget about the interception thrown by Minnesota. Playoff football is about the team that makes the fewest mistakes."
Catch the rest of this story at Philly.com

The BART Train Shooting Updated With New Camera Angle

Are Negroes in Oakland Overeacting Or Does A Post-Obama America Still Have Issues With Black Men???

Another Black Male Doesn't Live To See Barack Make History

Oscar Grant, 22, was killed New Years Day at a crowded train station in a shooting at a subway in California's Bay Area. And the protests erupted immediately after the young brother was laid to rest in Oakland on Wednesday night. This is deja vu folks, and it's getting really old.

The Oakland Police Department made 105 arrests, including a mass arrest of about 80 people for CNN is reporting are charges ranging from rioting, vandalism to assaults on a police officers and unlawful assembly.

Some protesters lay on their stomachs, saying they were showing solidarity with Grant, who was shot in the back as he was face-down on the floor at a train station. Watch angry protesters in Oakland »

It didn't help that Officer Johannes Mehserle, who is implicated in the shooting, had turned in his resignation and has refused to talk with investigators.

Attorney Christopher Miller released a statement confirming his client's resignation, effective Wednesday. "Officer Mehserle's resignation should allow BART to get back to the business of managing regional transportation and allow the Alameda County district attorney to take primary responsibility for reviewing this matter," the statement said.

Oakland police tried to keep protesters at bay Wednesday night as they smashed car windshields and storefront windows. KTVU footage shows one protester jumping up and down on a police car hood, while another demonstrator pushes a flaming Dumpster up against it.

"We live a life of fear, and we want them to be afraid tonight," an unnamed female protester said. iReport.com: BART protests turn violent

While protests began peacefully with about 500 people gathering at the Fruitvale station where the shooting occurred, soon, a group of about 150 protesters surrounded a police officer. That's when, "the decision was made to use chemical agents to protect that police officer."

The crowd finally dispersed about 11 p.m. after police hemmed in a crowd of rowdy protesters at the downtown intersection of 20th Street and Broadway. There, police cuffed 80 protesters, Thomason said.

David Chai, chief of staff for Oakland African American Mayor Ron Dellums, said Dellums was "out and about" in the streets Wednesday, urging protesters to exercise their frustration productively. Dellums also announced that the Oakland Police Department was conducting its own investigation into the matter.

He said Oakland residents also were "rightfully" frustrated that the investigation has gone on for a week with little development.

The Grant family attorney, John Burris, is pushing Orloff to press criminal charges against Mehserle. Burris has also filed a $25 million claim with BART, alleging wrongful death.

"Without so much as flinching the Officer Mehserle stood over Grant and mercilessly fired his weapon, mortally wounding Mr. Grant with a single gunshot wound to the back," the claim alleges.

BART has until late February to respond.

Burris said that the young men had been celebrating the new year at a popular waterfront tourist spot, The Embarcadero. They were heading home when police pulled them from the train car about 2 a.m.

Witness videos show Grant and two other men sitting against a wall in the Fruitvale station after being pulled off the train. BART reported that they had received a report of an altercation on the train.

Police are seen putting Grant face-down on the ground. Grant appears to struggle. One of the officers kneels on Grant as another officer stands, tugs at his gun, unholsters it and fires a shot into Grant's back.

There have been unconfirmed reports that Mehserle may have mistook his gun for a Taser, but Burris is not swayed. "My view is, this is criminal conduct, period," he said.

Looks like it time the Afrosphere got to work to find out what's really going on here!

Source

Things In Oakland Tense After BART Officer's Killing of Black Man

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