Flopping In The NBA: One Brother Speaks Out!

By Jayar Jackson

Remember when your parents would tell you to clean yourself up, straighten up the house, and pick up your mess when company was coming over?

Sure, your dirty little friends came over all the time and they were never this strict with the rules.

They just didn’t want important people to come in the house and think that they were raising a slob.

Well, the NBA has been welcoming the company of more than just the average everyday fan for over a month now that the playoffs have taken center stage.

In the never ending goal of taking advantage of the increased exposure to expand the fan base, Daddy David Stern and the league have announced plans to impose fines on players for clear cases of flopping. Apparently, they are hearing the chorus of complaints that is growing daily from dedicated fans that see the natural feel of the game slipping away.

The flopping phenomenon that many attribute to being founded by Vlade Divac back in his playing days has become a league wide plague that has seemingly infested every player. The opportunity to add a foul to your opponent’s tally, frustrate the hell out of him, and get control of the ball in crucial situations is just too much of a juicy result to pass up for many.

We see contemporary versions of Divac in the league, making a living off of flailing their arms and stumbling to the floor from the slightest touch, or sometimes no contact at all. As long as bad acting gets rewarded with a trophy, this live theatre on the floor will continue to be commonplace.

Sometimes out of pure retaliation, the “tough guys” of the league have begun to face plant in hopes of sending the league-leading floppers in a tizzy. It’s a horrific cycle that needed to be addressed. But is this the answer? Will this simply put more pressure on the referees to spot, identify, and call the ghost fouls the other way in the heat of the moment while many other things are going on around them?

There are times that they have a bad angle on a play and impromptu meetings are needed to determine the correct call. What will the fate of the refs be when they miss an obvious one simply because some dude that happens to be 6’10” and weighs 270 lbs stands in front of them?

If the fines are retroactive once the league reviews a game from the night before, what will they decide about the outcome of the game being affected by the flop? Can a “flopping ref” be added to the already three refs occupying the floor crowded by giants, cameramen, and pompous millionaires with courtside seats? I don’t think they will agree to moving back 5 feet, as they won’t be able to give high fives to their favorite players as if they know them.

Let’s not forget that these refs deal with home crowds, superstar players, hall of fame coaches, and everyone at home yelling at them for 48 minutes, telling them they’re getting everything wrong. This just might just alter the problem the NBA faces from falling for the flop and turn into how to truly and effectively eliminate it’s stronghold on the league.

There will definitely still be some loose ends to tie up in order to exterminate the virus that so many complain about, but at least the NBA has realized that it left it’s bed unmade, dirty dishes all over the place, and filthy sneakers in the doorway. “You’re not going to embarrass this family when company comes over next time, I know that!”

Jayar is holding it down over there at The Young Turks

Quickie: The New Universal Symbol For Gasoline

Enough Said!!!!

Black Artists On The Come-Up: R&B Crooner Gordon Chambers

Check this guy out, he's got a nice groove!

Eddie Murphy Returning To His Comedy Roots

Murphy's 'Beverly Hills Cop' Character Is Back!
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T.I. to Star in MTV Reality Show
CSI's Gary Dourdan Won't Go to Jail for Drug Charges
Britain's Black Filmmakers Headed for Hollywood
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WOW! LAKERS LEAVE SAN ANTONIO WONDERING, IT'S OVER ALREADY???

Don't hate non-Lakers fans, but it's on to the NBA Finals as our boys defeated the defending champion San Antonio Spurs 100-92 Thursday, advancing forward for the first time in four years.

"The first half was tough for us because they caught us off guard," said Kobe Bryant after wrapping up the best-of-seven series in five. "We just wanted to cut the deficit to a manageable level by half time and we did that and then turned on the gas in the second half."

The Lakers will meet the winner of the other semi-final between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. Boston leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 with game six in Detroit on Friday. The Lakers and Celtics have not met in the finals since 1987.

Although Bryant scored 39 points, the Lakers actually trailed by 17 points in the first half. "Never a dull moment with these boys," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
Trailing 44-28 with 3:57 remaining in the second, the Lakers finished the half on a 14-4 run en route to a 48-42 deficit entering the third quarter, setting up Bryant's performance in the final two periods.

Los Angeles received the Western Conference championship trophy after the game from Laker legend Jerry West.

"This is dream come true," Bryant said. "It is such a blessing to be able to share this with a group of guys who are like brothers."

This from the guy who had demanded to be traded in the off-season. "It is really a very victorious point in time. For Kobe to come back after a bewildering two weeks in pre-season when things were so tenuous," added Jackson. (AFP)

BILL MURRAY'S WIFE SEEKS DIVORCE IN LIGHT OF YEARS OF BEATDOWNS

Is This The Reason His Bosley Character Was Replaced With Bernie Mac???

Wife of entertainer Bill Murray has filed for divorce after nearly 11 years of marriage, alleging the "Charlie's Angel" and "What About Bob?" star abused her and is seriously addicted to marijuana and alcohol.


Jennifer Butler Murray filed divorce papers May 12 in Charleston County. She owns a home on Sullivans Island, S.C., where she lives with the couple's four children.

The complaint was first reported by The Post and Courier of Charleston. It also alleges frequent abandonment by the former "Saturday Night Live" star.

Bill Murray's attorney, John McDougall, wouldn't comment on the allegations, but said the entertainer "is deeply saddened by the breakup of his marriage."

"He and his wife made loving parents and they are committed to the best interests of their children," McDougall said. Jennifer Murray's attorney, Robert Rosen, said he had no comment.

The couple signed a prenuptial agreement, which was filed as an exhibit with the divorce papers, before they married in 1997. As part of the agreement, both waived their right to alimony or support if the marriage broke up. However, Murray agreed to pay $7 million to his ex-wife within 60 days of a final divorce decree.

The complaint, which doesn't specify instances of Murray's alleged marijuana or alcohol use, alleges he would often leave without telling his wife and says he "travels overseas where he engages in public and private altercations and sexual liaisons."

For the remainder of this article, visit the Associated Press.

Another Day, Another Charge For Naomi Campbell

Model-turned-serial defendant Naomi Campbell has been charged with assault after acting straight ignorant last month at London’s Heathrow Airport for spitting at folks. Campbell's scheduled for her next court appearance in June, just in time to hear the verdict on your boy R Kelly!

Wrestler Maven Is Trying Something Different!

Maven Huffman returns to television. The sexy former WWE wrestler, last seen as a co-host of BETJ's "The List", is landing a surprising new television hosting spot. Under the hood, find out where the Virginia native landed.

Ever since leaving the pro wrestling ring, Maven has branched into entertainment. In addition to his short stint on BETJ, Maven also was a contestant on VH1's "Surreal Life 6."

And now, something completely different. "Maven Huffman will debut as a host on the Home Shopping Network on June 2, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter," posts ProWrestling.net. Maven, who won WWE's "Tough Enough", is being promoted across HSN in a series of new promotional spots. (YouTube)

Call Someone Nigga Or Nigger, And Watch What Happens

Black Folks Are Not Immune

Michael Scott, 52, a veteran African American television anchor who has worked in Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Kansas City and Charlotte, N.C., was ousted Tuesday from his latest job in Huntsville, Ala., after reportedly calling an African American producer the N-word.

Welcome to the new world of zero tolerance.

Keith Lowhorne, interim news director, confirmed on Wednesday that, "Michael Scott is no longer with WAAY-TV." He said the action took place Tuesday, but would not elaborate, saying, "It's a personnel issue."

"According to those who witnessed the incident, Scott, during a commercial break in the 10 p.m. newscast, referred to news producer Jabaree Prewitt as a Negro. When [Prewitt] ask him not to use that word, Scott called him a 'nigger.' Both men are black."

Prewitt told Journal-isms that contrary to that report, he had not quit over the Thursday incident, that he had already given notice that he was taking a new job in Louisiana.

The incident is but the latest censure of the N-word. In September, Chicago news cameraman Ken Bedford of WLS-TV used the term as he and another black photographer were vying for a shot. He received a five-day suspension and told Journal-isms the word would never pass through his lips again.

In 2006, the Chicago Defender asked on its front page, "Take a Stand: Black America, Isn't it time we make up our minds about using the word nigger?" In January 2007, Ebony magazine ran an editorial, "Enough! Why Blacks — and Whites — should never use the 'N-Word' again."

Earl Graves Sr., founder of Black Enterprise magazine, turned off the microphone as 1,200 were gathered in September for the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge when comedian Eddie Griffin used the word.

And this month, the rapper Nas finally decided against naming his ninth studio album with that word, after showing up at the Grammy awards with it emblazoned on his shirt. "The pressure on Nas to change the title of his album came from all corners: his label's parent company, political figures, talk show pundits, other rappers and even some hip-hop aficionados," James Braxton Peterson wrote on theRoot.com.

Prior to the "N word" incident, Scott was perhaps best known for "the attack of the gecko," He was interviewing a snake wrangler on the air in 2002 when, or just see for yourself:

Scott McClellan To Guest Host Saturday Night Live: He'll Be Playing Barack Obama's VP Running Mate

White House turncoat... ummm, former Press Secretary Scott McClellan says he tried to give George W. Bush the benefit of the doubt regarding the war in Iraq but was ultimately lied to, hoodwinked, and bamboozled! Just like the rest of us.

The dismayed and disallusioned 40-year-old McClellan clearly is having a mid-life crisis, telling anyone who will listen that although he had worried about the rush to war, he felt affection for his boss and trusted the President's foreign policy advisers. Now, not so much.

And this revelation came just as he was banging out his now top best-selling book "What Happened". Now the GOP is in a tailspin, having to put in overtime selling the American people on McClellan being a "disgruntled" non-contributing empty suit that today sounds like a "left-wing blogger", per Bush's brain Karl Rove.



Realizing that the war was sold with propaganda that inflated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, this tomb is Exhibit A as to why you don't screw over people in the Internet age and not expect that ish to come back on you. It's clear that just about everything this former foot soldier is saying has truth stirred in like a big cup of sugar in some Cherry-flavored Kool-Aid. McClellan knew he would have to endure the slings and arrows White House surrogates would be directing at him. Which is why it makes sense that the book was released when it was.

I mean c'mon, if you're going to get run out of town -- you might as well grab a baton and make it look like a parade. And right now the marching band is playing a somber tune when it comes to Republicans having ANY success this year in national politics.

Exhibit B - Ratings for the President are at 23%, an all time low. No other president has seen this level of discontent among the citizentry. Ergo, keep him off the campaign trial but take his money on DL

Exhibt C - Record levels of suicides from Army troops. According to CNN, in 2007, there were 108 deaths, a majority of them men 18-24 suffering from depression, stress and an inablity to cope with civilian life.

Exhibit D - White House officials insisting they will not go through McClellan's book blow-by-blow. Why? They simply don't have the time. And yet they maintain that the allegations being lodged are not accurate, nor is Karl Rove and Scooter Libby the boogeymen they are painted out to be.

Exhibit E - The GOP brand is gathering dust on the shelves. McCain is not inspiring, three long-held Republicans seats lost this year, criminal prosecutions, scandals, an unpopular war and an economy in the toilet. Yeah, sign me up. Not!

P.S. And I'm a Republican. A Republican supporting Barack.

And for me, this is a no brainer!

Hillary Needs To Start Thinking About Tomorrow!

Obama Expects to Clinch Nomination Next Week
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New York Okays Same Sex Unions Elsewhere
What Is Michelle Malkin Smokin'?
African Leaders Want Japan To Show Them The Money
Hey Sharon Stone, China Does Have Bad Kharma
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African Americans Ain't Feelin Gay Marriage

Assassination is the Answer

I’m tired of it, period. I’m tired of the latest answer to the mysterious aura Senator Barack Obama seems to have over many in the country.

In what has now become a trend in the heated primaries for the next President, Fox News political contributor Liz Trotta, “joked” over the weekend that assassinating Obama is something we could use.



Fox News Pundit Apologizes for 'Joke' about Killing Obama

This latest violent, savage-like solution to the problem of how to bring down their opponent seems to have caught on in circles of desperate politicians and pundits who are out of answers to the question: “how do I beat this guy?”

Former governor of Arkansas and former candidate for President, Mike Huckabee also “jokingly” had an off the cuff statement about Obama being shot at while speaking to the NRA. Many have taken presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s comparison to the assassination of Robert Kennedy as a sign that she is staying in the Democratic primary race just in case history repeats itself here in 2008.



Let’s see, the American way is to allow candidates to present their stances and solutions to issues that face this country. To let the people, the supposed ones that run this country, know what kind of elected official they will be and through the process of voting, choose a winner. Now that we’ve once again embarked on this journey that we carry out every 4 years, the agony of defeat seems to be too much for some to handle. Now that the protocol strategy of slandering, fear mongering, name calling, and outright lying has ceased to work in a timely fashion, the only option left is…murder.

Is this really what our country has come to? While we try to spread hope, liberty, and democracy throughout the world are we now advocating guns, death threats, and assassination? There isn’t one person in the political sphere that doesn’t realize that there are still people in this country that are so strongly against having the “appearance” of a Black president that they are willing to kill the man that could occupy that role.

They know that Obama has had to utilize the Secret Service sooner than other candidate due to the higher risk he carries while campaigning. If they didn’t, then why haven’t there have been jokes about someone finishing the job on John McCain that the Vietnamese didn’t when they had him as a prisoner during the Vietnam War?

Why wasn’t the latest knee slapping joke in 2004 about John Kerry getting shot while campaigning across the country? They’re not jokes because the country would be left with mouths wide open, looking at the aspiring comedian with enough disgust to bury them on stage. I for one am completely revolted by the desperately barbaric tenor this race has taken.

Although every big named player that has blurted this “gaffe” of calling for an assassination has apologized, it’s disturbing that the thought of such a solution thrives in their minds. If one can laugh and joke about something so horrific, they are providing a window into the way their mind works.

Somewhere along the way from our humble and courageous beginnings as a nation, we’ve begun to forget the elements that made us so great. We still teach our children that if they work hard and strive to be all they can be, anything can be accomplished, even being the President of the United States.

The part we’re forgetting to tell them is that if you don’t win the way you planned to, you can always just ask someone to kill the person that is working harder and is beating you. Proud of yourself?

By Jayar Jackson, producer over at The Young Turks

Life Fit for a King

Martin Luther King III, wife Arndrea Waters and their first child, Yolanda King, the first grandchild of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King leave the hospital for a new phase of family life.

We wish you all much peace, love and a lifetime of happiness.

Kindergarten Survivor Style: 5 Year Old Voted Out Of Class

Is This Kid The Spawn of Satan?

A Florida mother says her five-year-old son with special needs was ridiculed by classmates and belittled by his teacher.

The teacher brought the boy in front of his classmates and asked the children to tell the boy why they didn’t like him. She then asked the class to vote on if he deserved to stay in the class or not.

The boys’ mother admits he’s had behavioral problems and can be difficult but says he’s undergoing tests to determine if he has a disorder.

Police found no grounds for charges but the school district is investigating.

This story come courtesy of ABC New 2 Baltimore and the E.W. Scripps Co.

Seems Like Everyone Except R Kelly Believes It's Him!

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Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Vetoes Resolution Seeking Ouster
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Black Republicans Only Have Obama To Look To
Obama Admits Error Over World War II Claim
Radio One Partners With AllHipHop.com

What's Will & Jada's Smith's Marriage Secret???

Mural of Barack Obama Defaced
Graduation Rates, Gender Disparity Causing Concern at HBCUs
Jesse Jackson's Daughter-in-Law May Run for Congress
Support Group Helps African-American Fathers
Black Male Exotic Dancers Protect Their Rights

Japan Pledges to Help Africa Double Rice Production

Why Black People Need Black Republicans #1 - The Democratic National Committee Plays The Race Card

Since the Democratic National Committee announced its state blogger corps two weeks ago, critics have been charging that the selection process is flawed. The group of 55 bloggers, they contend, is overly white. While the DNC denies it, the Washington Post reports that some aren't satisfied.

L.N. Rock, a Silver Spring-based information technology professional and founder of the African American Political Pundit blog, likens this "black shut-out" in the State Corps to an "I'm sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired" Fannie Lou Hamer moment. The civil rights activist and Mississippian challenged her state's all-white delegation at the 1964 Democratic convention.

"This is all very puzzling to me -- and to a lot of black bloggers," says Rock, who didn't apply for the State Corps because he blogs about national issues. "The Democratic National Committee says it wants to be inclusive. It wants to have a big tent. And then this? Source

Don't tell me you're actually surprised. I heard the exact same thing four years ago about John Kerry's presidential campaign. In fact, this was during the same period when I decided that it was time for something new. I've been a Republican ever since and haven't looked back.

Oh, I'm rolling with Obama. But trust, everyone else on the line-up will only get my vote if they are blazing that elephant symbol.

You down with GOP? Yeah, you know me!!!

We Still Support Rep. Laura Richardson, Despite Her Housing Woes

Drudge Put Her On Blast, But Richardson Fights On!
While South Bay politician Laura Richardson says the foreclosure on her Sacramento house was due to a miscommunication, the congresswoman has also defaulted on properties in Long Beach and San Pedro, records show.

Clearly the mortgage crisis facing the nation is affecting more than just the average Joe.

Dropping Home Prices Worse In 20 Years

Richardson, who represents Long Beach, Carson and other areas of Southern California with a sizeable African American community, was able to bring her payments up to date on the Long Beach home relatively quickly, but the San Pedro property lingered in the foreclosure process for almost eight months, and still has a pending auction date.

The Long Beach Press Telegram has all the details.

Bernard Parks And Mark Ridley-Thomas Go Head Up!

The hard-fought race for a rare open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors looks like a traditional clash over a top perch of black political power in California.

But the contest between L.A. City Councilman Bernard C. Parks and state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) also foreshadows an uncertain future for African American black political leaders in Southern California.

Latinos outnumber African Americans now by nearly 2 to 1 in the county's vast 2nd Supervisorial District, an area of 2 million people that was predominantly black until the 1990s. At its core are Crenshaw, Watts and Baldwin Hills; around the edges are Marina del Rey, Culver City, Koreatown, Compton, Carson and Inglewood.

"The changing demographics make a lot of people a little uncomfortable, because many African Americans feel they're losing political power," said Kerman Maddox, a veteran advisor to candidates in the area. "After 12 years, is the next [supervisor] going to be African American? A lot of people aren't so sure."

Even now, Ridley-Thomas is relying heavily on organized labor -- the engine of Latino power in California -- to defeat Parks, who is backed by leaders of the black political establishment. Parks' supporters include incumbent Yvonne B. Burke, former Lakers star-turned-businessman Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), the leader of a mighty old-guard political machine. The seat is the only one on the board currently held by an African American.

Whatever the racial crosscurrents, the winner of the June 3 election -- or of a November runoff if neither wins more than 50% -- will hold a job with immense power over the lives of 10.3 million people crammed into the nation's most populous county.

Though often invisible to constituents, the five supervisors oversee a sprawling and, by many measures, failing healthcare system that determines how quickly county residents get emergency treatment -- if at all. They employ more than 100,000 people, including paramedics, firefighters, sheriff's deputies, beach lifeguards, social workers, librarians, restaurant inspectors, helicopter pilots and museum curators.

Millions -- among them abused and neglected children, victims of domestic violence, the homeless, the mentally ill, jail inmates, criminals on probation, drug addicts in rehabilitation centers and welfare recipients -- depend on the county's core social services. The county's performance has been chronically substandard in many of those areas.

Ridley-Thomas and Parks are vying with seven others for the 2nd District seat at a time of deep stress on the county's $22-billion budget. Beyond threatened state and federal cuts, a decline in home values portends a drop in property-tax revenue on which the county depends.

The campaign's intensity, along with its rising acrimony, stems partly from the infrequency of vacancies on the board. The seat has turned over just once since Kenneth Hahn first captured it in 1952.

Burke, who is retiring, won it in 1992 after a fiercely contested race against Diane Watson with the Los Angeles riots as the backdrop. The race pitted two of the California Democratic Party's pioneering black women against each other. Burke became the first black supervisor. Watson, the first black woman in the state Senate, now serves in Congress.

During that campaign, Latinos were just surpassing African Americans in population share. Since then, the surge of Latinos has accelerated, but many are not citizens or have not registered to vote. As a result, blacks will still be the dominant force in next week's election, making up just over 40% of the voters, with whites perhaps 30% and Latinos roughly 25%, strategists estimate.
Nonetheless, the rapid population shifts suggest that black clout will wane further by 2020, when Parks or Ridley-Thomas, if still in office, would be barred from seeking a fourth term.

"This is probably the last African American-only election in that district," said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute, a think tank on Latino politics.

Both candidates are trying to extend their appeal beyond African Americans.

PARKS WINS LA TIMES ENDORSEMENT

A former L.A. police chief, Parks has adopted a variation of the strategy that failed him in his 2005 run for mayor. Then, he tried to build a coalition of blacks and conservative whites. This time, he is highlighting his support from such white Republicans as former Mayor Richard Riordan and county Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Parks is running as a fiscal conservative with support from business, notably the real estate industry. He has voiced doubts about rent control and opposed a council measure to boost the wages of hotel workers.

In an interview, Parks suggested that labor's alliance with Ridley-Thomas could spell trouble for the county.

"What do you do, just drive [the county] into bankruptcy because you have an allegiance to people who have given you thousands of dollars?" Parks asked.

The two rivals have taken markedly different career paths. Following the model of Tom Bradley, L.A.'s first black mayor, Parks, 64, rose through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department, becoming chief in 1997. His ouster in 2002 engineered by a white mayor, James K. Hahn, transformed Parks into a political icon for many black voters, and he won a seat on the City Council in 2003.

CONTINUE...

Ghetto Fab Cars That Won't Ever See A Penny Of Profit

The creativity speaks for itself, but how are these folks benefitting???

Eating Cheetos In My Cheetos Ride!

More under the hood

Kraft would never have thought to do this!

Just think of the $$$MILLIONS$$$ in advertising dollars that these companies are saving by NOT paying these guys money.

Sydney Pollack, Film Director Of Out Of Africa And Tootsie Dies

Sydney Pollack, the Academy Award-winning director of "Out of Africa" who achieved acclaim making popular, mainstream movies with A-list stars, including "The Way We Were" and "Tootsie," died Monday. He was 73.
Beginning with "The Slender Thread," a 1965 drama starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft, Mr. Pollack was credited with directing 20 films. Known for what New York Times film critic Janet Maslin once described as "his broadly commercial instincts and penchant for all-star casts," Mr. Pollack directed seven movies with Robert Redford, beginning with "This Property Is Condemned" in 1966. The Pollack-Redford collaboration also produced "The Way We Were," "Jeremiah Johnson," "Three Days of the Condor," "The Electric Horseman," "Out of Africa" and "Havana."


Mr. Pollack, who also was a producer and actor, died of cancer at his home in the Pacific Palisades district of the city, according to Leslee Dart, his publicist and friend.

"Sydney Pollack has made some of the most influential and best-remembered films of the last three decades," film scholar Jeanine Basinger told the Los Angeles Times recently.

In looking at Mr. Pollack's films, she said, "what you see is how he kept in step with the times. He doesn't get locked into one decade and left there. He had a very sharp political sensibility and a keen sense of what the issues of his world were, and he advanced and changed as the times advanced and changed."

After launching his career as an actor and acting teacher in New York City in the 1950s, Mr. Pollack moved West in the early '60s and began directing episodic television before turning to films.

Source: Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times

In Move to Digital TV, Black People (Some of You Anyway) Will Be Left Behind

Are You Buying That Converter Box Or What???

Millions of those homes are considered “completely unready” when the nation converts to digital over-the-air television on February 17, 2009. And it's no surprise that African-American households stand to lose a disproportionately high share of access, as extra televisions in kitchens and bedrooms will be more likely to go dark, potentially cutting into the number of people viewing early morning and late-night television.

In preparation for the change, the government and the broadcast industry are running a $1 billion consumer education campaign, including commercials that have started to become almost intrusive to people who watch television regularly. Just wondering how much of that money has been allocated to minority PR firms, African-American newspapers and radio, as well as Black blogs who could assist in getting the word out.

Televisions connected to cable or satellite service will not be affected. But older television sets that receive over-the-air signals will need to be hooked up to a converter box to ensure uninterrupted service. (Some newer sets are equipped for digital signals.)

The digital TV transition could have a significant impact on the television ratings maintained by Nielsen and relied on by networks and advertisers. If older TV sets simply drop out next February, viewer numbers and ratings will drop, hurting the local stations and television networks that sell advertising time tied to those ratings.

Within some demographic groups, disparities were evident. Hispanic, exclusively Spanish-speaking, African-American and younger households showed higher percentages of unready sets.

Nielsen data suggests that secondary TV sets — in the bedroom or the kitchen, perhaps — are more likely than the main set in the living room to be unready. Ratings for some daytime shows could be affected more than others. (Viewers use the unequipped sets more often in the morning hours, while readying for work and school, and the late-night hours, while falling asleep.

Source

THE DEATH OF KANYE WEST'S MOTHER INSPIRES NEW LEGISLATION

Six months after the mother of Kanye West, Dr. Donda West, died following liposuction and breast implant surgery, the reverberations of the tragedy continue to be felt. Now lawmakers and physicians are urging greater protections for patients undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Across the country, such surgeries are increasingly done outside hospital settings in outpatient clinics, where a doctor can avoid the rigorous review that, say, a heart surgeon would face at a traditional hospital.

Those lobbying for greater surveillance say attempts to regulate the fast-growing industry have faltered.

"These [clinics] are not hospitals. You have to raise the standards," said state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development.

A coroner's report cited West's heart disease and clogged coronary arteries as a factor in her death. According to the coroner, there was no evidence that her death was caused by a mistake in surgery.

West, who was 5 feet 2 and weighed 188 pounds, had part of her right breast removed, both breasts enlarged and her abdominal muscles tightened.

She had significant liposuction as well as a "belt lipectomy," which excises fat around the abdominal area and tightens the surrounding skin.

West was sent home after her 5 1/2 -hour surgery.

She was not hooked up to medical equipment to monitor her recovery, something experts now say should have been required, given her extensive surgery and her pre-existing heart disease.

Ridley-Thomas' legislation, known as SB 1454, would require that outpatient facilities be inspected at least once every three years.

There now is no state requirement for how often the facilities must be inspected.

For more, visit The Los Angeles Times.

Motown is Back On Top; NBA Pistons Win, Hockey Red Wings Post 2nd Shutout

In a must win basketball game the Detroit Pistons (at home) came away yesterday with a win against Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, to tie the series at two a piece. Detroit's Rip Hamilton and a surprising new hero Antonio McDyess continue to carry the point totals with an ailing Chauncey Billups (hamstring) still trying to gutt it out and contribute.

Across the way, also in Detroit, "Hockey Town" is in full effect as the Detroit Red Wings scored three goals and for the second time in a row, in these Stanley Cup Finals, left the Pittsburg Penguins scoreless.

With first-period goals from Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom and another lockdown defensive effort, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

The puck-possessing Red Wings again held onto it all night and registered 34 shots. They put the clamps on the Penguins, who have yet to score. After a 19-save effort in a 4-0 series-opening win Saturday, Chris Osgood stopped 22 in a rocking-chair game and earned his third shutout of the playoffs — 13th career.

The often-overlooked Osgood owns the Red Wings record with 50 postseason victories, ahead of Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk, and is closing in on his third Cup with Detroit — two as the starting netminder.

Hot young scorer Evgeni Malkin has disappeared since a hard hit from Philadelphia's Mike Richards in the opener of the East finals. The MVP finalist has one goal and one assist in six games and appears to be tiring at the end of a long season.

Sidney Crosby the other blazzing young Pittsburg scorer, hasn't figured out how to get free of Detroit's top line of Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Holmstrom, and the 20-year-old captain showed frustration as he sipped water from a bottle on the bench.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Pittsburgh, and the Penguins will have to win one of the next two to force a trip back to Motown. Get more Hockey from the AP story, Osgood blanks Pens again

First Grandchild Of Martin Luther King Is Born

Yolanda Renee King, the first grandchild of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born Sunday in Atlanta. Now what about the remaining King children Dexter and Berniece. That clock is ticking people.

The little bundle is the daughter of Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, the family said in a statement.

The newborn weighed in at 7.5 pounds. Her birth comes two years and two days after her parents were married.

"We are excited about our precious gift from God and cannot express how fortunate we feel to have our beautiful baby girl. It is truly the happiest day of our lives. I know my parents are smiling down from heaven," the new father said in the statement released by Matlock Advertising and Public Relations, which works with the King family.

The girl carries the first name of her father's sister, the oldest of the four King children, who died last year.

CNN.

Memorial Day Montage 2008

Today I slept in late. My kids rushed in and jumped on my bed in anticipation of my promise to go to the beach. My wife got up with the sole purpose of making her world famous French Toast Casserole and my meager contribution to these festivities was a good pot of coffee. We are clearly blessed.

My family has benefited from men and women who have served and still serve daily in our armed services. Some of these moms, dads, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, daughters and sons have died, are dieing and will die, to give my family this freedom and peace. We are grateful to a higher being that has enabled you to bless us. We can not say thank you enough. Under the hood, here are some 3BAAS images on this very special day that we hope you enjoy.

Obama Gives Wesleyan Commencement Address in Place of Kennedy

Amid 15,000 people, Obama passed on a message from Kennedy, D-Mass., who had asked the presidential candidate to speak on his behalf.

"I’d like to start by passing along a message from Ted," Obama said, and then read words from Kennedy: "To all those praying for my return to good health, I offer my heartfelt thanks. And to any who’d rather have a different result, I say, don’t get your hopes up just yet!"

With Kennedy’s wife Vicki and stepdaughter Caroline Raclin (who was graduating from the university) listening in the audience, Obama reminded the students of Kennedy’s contributions to America, adding, "And I have a feeling that Ted Kennedy is not done just yet."

Using the Kennedy legacy for a platform, Obama’s commencement address was a call for the students to serve their country.

"There’s no community service requirement in the outside world -- no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy," Obama said. "You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s. But I hope you don’t."

For more, visit ABC News.

BUT DAMN #248 REAL ESTATE: CAN'T SELL MY HOME, MY LISTING AGENT PUT THE PRICE TOO HIGH

My Real estate agent appreciates the craftsmanship that I have put into my house. She then gave me a great price to list my house. After 90 days we have no sale.

But Damn ...

Now she says I have to reduce my price.

You my friend are the victim of a real estate agent who just wanted to get her foot in the door.

You probably interviewed at least three agents like you were suppose to, right? And ultimately you went with the agent who gave you the largest listing price. She probably spent a couple of hours pumping you up, telling you how much she admired the work you had put into your home. This ultimately led her to "guaranteeing" your house would sell for a really good price. You liked hearing that and the fact she was cute was a bonus right?

When in fact, that price was way over inflated and she did so, so you would choose her as your real estate agent. She was working you; just trying to get your listing and guess what? It worked.

Now after 90 days your house hasn't sold and before their contract with you runs out they want to drop the price of your home to make it "more competitive". But you the home owner are now depressed because you counted on making a certain amount of money off the sale of your home. In some cases you have already physically spent that money. In all cases mentally spent it.

So, what to do? Grin, bear it, and make your real estate agent work her a** off for this trickery. And, if after what you feel is a "competitive" reducing of your house it still doesn't sell, you need to get a new agent. Or sell it yourself with a discount agent. (But that's another article)

Your selection of a real estate agent , should not only be a personality mesh. Each of your potential agents should explain to you a "marketing plan" of selling your house, utilizing research and state of the art video and on-line technology. And a good agent will tell you things you want to hear but also things you don't want to hear.

You want honesty and to know the agent is being both optimistic but also real. I'm not saying let him suggest a price you feel is far too low and is giving the house away. Just realistic, given the current market and stringent loan process.

Bow Wow To Join Cast Of HBO's Entourage... A Step Forward Or A Step Back

When I think of Bow Wow, I think of him first and foremost as a rapper. But I do have to give him equal props as a feature movie actor. Starring in such feature films as Like Mike, Roll Bounce and Johnson Family Vacation, this young man is branded as a G rated money making machine.

So why on earth would he now want to go and do television; even a highly visible and respected show like HBO's Entourage. Television is for older, washed-up actors who are still highly skilled and respected, but are not bankable at the box office. ( Note Angela Basset joining the cast of ER)

Bow Wow will be joining America's favorite group of Hollywood guys on Entourage and he doesn't need it. While those guys on ENTOURAGE are dying to be the movie stars, Bow Wow is already there.

Memo to Bow Wow: Television... you don't' need it, for now.

Senator Ted Kennedy Honored By His Harshest Critic, The Boston Herald

There are few political figures who in the course of their careers and their lifetimes attain the status of beloved. Ted Kennedy is one of those rare individuals, and the very thought of a world without him in it is a painful one.

Kennedy’s appeal and the affection in which he is held transcends party and ideology. This liberal lion has always been able to reach across the aisle because his word is his bond - and because it was no secret that he just wanted to get things done. And so he has found common ground with President Bush on education with No Child Left Behind just as he had found common ground with every other occupant of the Oval Office he has dealt with in his 46 years on Capitol Hill.

Yesterday GOP presidential nominee John McCain, with whom Kennedy has worked tirelessly on immigration legislation, called Kennedy “the single most effective member of the Senate.”

That is surely no secret around here. This editorial page has differed with him on issues about as often as it has agreed. But we could count on one thing: Unlike most political figures Ted Kennedy didn’t shift his positions with the prevailing winds. Some would call that stubborn - and, heaven knows when we disagreed with him we quite likely added that to his list of failings. Some would call it noble and courageous. And in a world where courage is a sometime thing, Kennedy has it in abundance.


He will need that courage now as he battles the malignant brain tumor doctors diagnosed following his Saturday seizures.

We have seen Ted Kennedy in the course of his lifetime assume the leadership of a family as it was abruptly thrust upon him - to comfort this sprawling clan in their sorrow and encourage them in their own quests.

We have seen him marshal more strength and courage than men half his age to battle injustice and to fight for what he believes in. May that strength and that courage never leave him in the days ahead.