VENUS AND SERENA ADVANCE TO WIMBLEDON QUARTER FINALS

Wimbledon has already lost its top-four seeded women's players, while the Williams sisters keep rolling toward another sibling final. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are also closing in on another title matchup.

Monday's fourth-round play at the All England Club produced more upsets at the top of the women's seedings, but also offered more convincing wins from the champions and title contenders.

The Williams sisters posted back-to-back victories on Court 2 — nicknamed the "Graveyard of Champions" for its history of upsets. They questioned why they weren't put on Centre Court or Court 1.

Defending champion and seventh-seeded Venus Williams beat Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4, while two-time winner and No. 6 Serena downed Bethanie Mattek — the only other American left in the men's or women's draw — 6-3, 6-3.

For more, visit the Associated Press.

ACTORS IN CLIFFHANGER AS STRIKE DEADLINE DRAWS NEAR

To strike or not to strike? That is the question dogging Hollywood.

But while filmmakers, TV producers, casts and crews are holding their collective breaths with the Screen Actors Guild contract due to expire at midnight, union president Alan Rosenberg says there is no immediate work stoppage in the, um, works.

"We have taken no steps to initiate a strike authorization vote by the members of the Screen Actors Guild," he says in a statement. "Any talk about a strike or a management lockout at this point is simply a distraction."

For more visit E Online.

BARACK AND BILL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN - SORT OF

After a 20 minute phone conversation, the campaign of Senator Barack Obama released the following statement:

“Sen. Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign. He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come,” said campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

For more, visit the blog of the Wall Street Journal.

OBAMA TO ASSUME CAMMANDER-IN-CHIEF ROLE AS WORLD LEADER

Barack Obama, the man most Europeans would like to see elected the next US president, plans to visit Berlin, Paris and London soon. The Democratic candidate is looking for statesmanlike images to boost his campaign and German politicians will be hoping some of his popularity rubs off on them.

For more, visit Spiegel.

Happy 91st Birthday Lena Horne

Even in her nineties, the legendary Lena Horne has a quality of timelessness about her. Elegant and wise, she personifies both the glamour of Hollywood and the reality of a lifetime spent battling racial and social injustice. Pushed by an ambitious mother into the chorus line of the Cotton Club when she was sixteen, and maneuvered into a film career by the N.A.A.C.P., she was the first African American signed to a long-term studio contract. In her rise beyond Hollywood's racial stereotypes of maids, butlers, and African natives, she achieved true stardom on the silver screen, and became a catalyst for change even beyond the glittery fringes of studio life.

For more, visit PBS American Masters.

Bush War Spending Hits 162 BILLION, Do Obama and McCain Really Want The Presidency?

President Bush is poised to sign a $162 billion war spending plan that will pay for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan until the next president takes office. Doesn't this force our next president (either Obama or McCain) to continue the war? This war is an out of control train and not coming to an abrupt stop.

The package is not all bullets and bombs as Congress also approved a doubling of GI Bill college benefits for troops and veterans. It also provides a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits and $2.7 billion in emergency flood relief for the Midwest. Bush was to sign the bill Monday morning in the Oval Office.

The spending bill will bring to more than $650 billion the amount Congress has provided for the Iraq war since it started more than five years ago. For operations in Afghanistan, the total is nearly $200 billion, according to congressional officials. And who says the US Government can't afford national medical insurance?

FALLEN SOLDIERS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: STARTING THE WEEK WITH THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE: 6-30-2008

THIS WEEK, THE PENTAGON RELEASED THE NAMES OF 20 SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN:

Navy HN Dustin Kelby Burnett, 19, of Fort Mohave, AZ
Army CWO Robert C Hammett, 39, of Tucson, AZ
Army MAJ Dwayne M Kelley, 48, of Willingboro, NJ
Army SGT Alejandro A Dominguez, 24, of San Diego, CA
Army SPC Joel A Taylor, 20, of Pinetown, NC
Army PFC James M Yohn, 25, of Highspire, PA
Army SPC Joshua L Plocica, 20, of Clarksville, TN
Army PFC Bryan M Thomas, 22, of Lake Charles, LA
Marine SSgt Christopher D Strickland, 25, of Labelle, FL
Army SPC Ryan J Connolly, 24, of Vacaville, CA
Army CPT Gregory T Dalessio, 30, of Cherry Hill, NJ
Army LTC James J Walton, 41, of Rockville, MD
Army SPC Anthony L Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn, NY
Army SGT Nelson D Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, MA
Army SGT Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of Queens, NY
Army SSG Du Hai Tran, 30, of Reseda, CA
Marine Sgt Matthew E Mendoza, 24, of San Antonio, TX
Marine Lt Col Max A Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, AS
Marine Capt Philip J Dykeman, 38, of Brockport, NY
Marine Cpl Marcus W Preudhomme, 23, of North Miami Beach, FL

Politicians tell us, "the War is going well. The 'push' is working. Things are so much better."

But this matters not to these heroes and their families.

We are silent and grateful for your sacrifice.

Knocked Up: American Idol Finalist Paris Bennett, 19, Will Have Her Own Princess

Princess P, aka Paris Bennett, is expecting a baby girl come October and is planning to name her Egypt. The season five 'American Idol' contestant is the 19-year-old granddaughter of R&B/Gospel singer Ann Nesby.

Paris' mother Jamecia, was mum on who the child's father is. "He chooses not to be in the public eye," she offered. "I respect that." She also wouldn't divulge was he does for a living. "I can't tell," she said.

Reports are that the diminutive singer with the big voice is also engaged to the unidentified baby's daddy. "She has a ring," said Jamecia, who's hopeful that she'll be planning a wedding for daughter. She herself was 16 when she got pregnant.

She's expecting a celebrity-filled soiree when the baby shower takes place in August.
Celebrities like Queen Latifah are supposed to show.

"Latifah has made it clear that she plans to spoil this baby with gifts and that she won't be stopped. You're the princess but I'm the queen," Jamecia said Latifah told Paris .

Paris was a fifth place finalist on 'American Idol' the year Taylor Hicks won. Neither seems to be taking the music industry by storm, although Paris was slated to release a new CD later this year.

Plans to unveil the record have been postponed, however, because of the pregnancy.

Source

Nia Long Versus Lauren London: Your Call!

Feelin The Old School On This One. Is It Just Us???

Who Is This Model Guy And Why Do We Care?

No Cream No Sugar Has The Scoop On Joshua Sarrazola!

BUT DAMN #249 REAL ESTATE: IS IT TOO LATE TO RETIRE EARLY?

I want a retirement fund.

I need a retirement fund.

I should have started a retirement fund.

But Damn! I'm almost 50 years old ... Can I still retire early?

Retire early?? ... you're 50 with no plan!!!! Ya' sound a little greedy bro', but yes it is still possible.

We work ourselves to death and still over 90% of the population can't afford to retire at the age of 60. Why?

While many reasons exist, you have to decide when you want to retire and plan accordingly. Idle wishing will not accomplish this. Your ship probably will never come in, unless you direct it into the harbor. With so many opportunities to put your money into, what is the best way to retire early? As it has been for hundreds of years, investment property is the best choice.

Unlike other forms of securities, investment property forces you to save. You have to pay the home mortgage every single month with investment property. If not, you lose the property. This can be looked upon negatively by some but it is a great advantage to you in the end. This is what is referred to as LEVERAGE.

What does this mean exactly? A standard down payment required on a home mortgage is 20%. Let's say you wanted to buy an investment property for $100,000. You only have to put up $20,000 of your own money. However, you get all of the appreciation of the investment property. This means you're actually making money on $100,000 instead of the $20,000 that you put up.

Investment property also requires less risk than other types of investment. If the stock market plummets tomorrow, you've got nothing. If your investment property burns to the ground tomorrow, you have insurance. This is a great advantage in itself. Even if property values plummet in your area, the investment property will still be worth something.

Another major advantage of investment property is the positive cash flow that is created through rent. In many cases, you can pay the entire home mortgage with the rental income that you make from the property. The people that rent it are making your mortgage payment for you and you reap the benefit. When you sell the property, you get the profit, not the renter.

The advantages of investing in real estate are numerous. There is less risk and more reward than almost all other forms of investment. We all want to find a way out of the daily grind of a job. This could be the best way out.

Contributing: Marian Rozwenc, PhD, property and auto insurance specialist.

Rev. Caldwell Tells James Dobson on Obama: Don't Start None, Won't Be None

Christian right icon James Dobson hasn't been secret about his distaste for John McCain. But he clearly is no fan of Barack Obama.

The Colorado Springs radio host denounced the likely Democratic presidential nominee for, he says, distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution.

At the heart of Dobson's critique is a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. Obama was preaching tolerance. Dobson says he's engaged in a "lowest common denominator" version of morality.

In response, Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, leader of the largest Methodist congregation in the country, launched a website yesterday titled "James Dobson Does Not Speak For Me."

Caldwell's site launched a day after Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program aired a harsh assessment of Obama's speech on faith and public policy and encourages readers to sign a statement declaring that Dobson does not represent them.

"I think it's a crime and a shame that Senator Obama has had to explain the fact that he's a Christian," Caldwell said in a recent interview. "Criticize his politics. Criticize his stance on whatever, but don't question his faith. Never in the history of American politics has someone said that he is a Christian and someone came back to say, 'No you're not.'"

GATES BIDS MICROSOFT FAREWELL - SORT OF

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — On his final full day at Microsoft Corp., Bill Gates went on stage to reminisce with his longtime friend Steve Ballmer, and neither man could hold back tears as Ballmer handed Gates a large scrapbook as a farewell present.

Gates, who is stepping back to focus on his philanthropy, sat with CEO Ballmer in a Microsoft conference room and meandered through moments in Microsoft's history. They stopped to get in a few good digs at IBM Corp., whose first personal computers were loaded with Microsoft's DOS operating system before IBM adopted its own operating software and their relations strained.

"They went off with OS 2, we were left with good old Windows, and sure enough the David versus Goliath story came out with the right ending," said Gates, eliciting laughter from the crowd of 830 Microsoft employees.

Gates, playing up his absent-minded professor side, cracked up the employees in attendance — they won a seat at the event in a lottery — when he said Microsoft was so central in his life that he often found himself driving to its campus even when he was supposed to be headed somewhere else, like delivering his kids to school.

When it came time for Ballmer to make his public farewell to Gates, he joked about the inevitable inadequacy of a thank-you gift, and presented him with a large scrapbook embossed with Gates' signature. Then, the tears came.

"We've been given an enormous, enormous opportunity. And Bill gave us that opportunity," Ballmer said, his face reddening. "I want to thank Bill for that."

As the employees rose to their feet, Gates swiped at tears of his own.

Gates, playing up his absent-minded professor side, cracked up the employees in attendance — they won a seat at the event in a lottery — when he said Microsoft was so central in his life that he often found himself driving to its campus even when he was supposed to be headed somewhere else, like delivering his kids to school.

When it came time for Ballmer to make his public farewell to Gates, he joked about the inevitable inadequacy of a thank-you gift, and presented him with a large scrapbook embossed with Gates' signature. Then, the tears came.

"We've been given an enormous, enormous opportunity. And Bill gave us that opportunity," Ballmer said, his face reddening. "I want to thank Bill for that."

As the employees rose to their feet, Gates swiped at tears of his own.
Gates, playing up his absent-minded professor side, cracked up the employees in attendance — they won a seat at the event in a lottery — when he said Microsoft was so central in his life that he often found himself driving to its campus even when he was supposed to be headed somewhere else, like delivering his kids to school.

Gates, who will remain Microsoft's chairman on a part-time basis, said he would still take on Microsoft projects picked by Ballmer and two other executives who have assumed most of his day-to-day tasks, Craig Mundie and Ray Ozzie.

One of those will be Web search, where Microsoft lags far behind Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. in market share. With an acquisition of Yahoo now again apparently off the table, Gates threw his weight Friday behind a strategy of assembling a team of smart people and combining Microsoft's own breakthroughs with what competitors are already doing.

When it came time for Ballmer to make his public farewell to Gates, he joked about the inevitable inadequacy of a thank-you gift, and presented him with a large scrapbook embossed with Gates' signature. Then, the tears came.

"We've been given an enormous, enormous opportunity. And Bill gave us that opportunity," Ballmer said, his face reddening. "I want to thank Bill for that."

As the employees rose to their feet, Gates swiped at tears of his own.

For more, visit the Associated Press.

OBAMA & CLINTON TOGETHER IN A SHOW OF UNITY

Today is a big day in this phase of the U.S. presidential campaign. Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) are scheduled to come together for a Unity Rally in Unity, New Hampshire where each receive 107 votes - a dead tie - during the primary season in their race for the Democratic nomination.

There has been a lot of back and forth, dissecting and over-analyzing of just how these two Senators would come together after a very heated primary campaign season which has resulted in Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

In an age where everything a candidate does and says is given as close as scrutiny in the spirit of a prostate exam, both Senators are well aware that all eyes are on them.

Even so, when both arrived at the airport to board the plane for New Hampshire, Obama's powder blue tie matched Clinton's powder blue pantsuit. They looked as if they were going to a political prom.

I must admit, when the spirit is right, such occurrences are not necessarily so uncommon.

As an American, I appreciate this effort by these former opponents to come together in an attempt to work out their differences for the good of the country. It sets an excellent tone of mature leadership - something our country desperately needs. Also, it shows children just how to "play nice" and be respectful and mindful of moving forward when a clear winner has emerged in a competition.

I look forward to an eventful and history-making rally.

The 2008 NBA Draft That Is Making Me Dizzy

I'm going to start this article but I am not going to pretend I can follow it or understand it, but since everybody is talking 2008 NBA Draft, and people in LA are so proud of local kids doing good, let's break down UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's OJ Mayo and how they both went to sleep last night playing for their respected teams that drafted them but woke up this morning having been traded to other teams.

So ignore all the draft day pictures from yesterday with their respected team hats. Never mind those jerseys and mom and dad's cheesy grins with team presidents. O.J. Mao and Kevin Love can trash those pictures because something went wrong in the Star Trek transporter room.

Fans are confused as well. Minnesota Timberwolves fans went to bed wondering how O.J. Mayo would fit in with their guard-heavy team. Memphis Grizzlies backers hit the hay hoping that Kevin Love would open things up for Rudy Gay in the front court.

Both groups woke up Friday morning to a totally different reality, thanks to an eight-player blockbuster trade in the wee hours of the night that changed the faces of both teams.

Hours after the draft concluded, the Wolves sent Mayo, forward Antoine Walker and guards Greg Buckner and Marko Jaric to Memphis for Love, shooter Mike Miller and frontcourt retreads Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins.

Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said he thought the deal was dead early in the night, but the Grizzlies reopened negotiations as the first round came to a close, and Memphis finally relented and included Miller in the transaction.

"Actually no one was more surprised than we were when the deal came back," McHale said. "We were all sitting around there looking at each other saying, 'Wow, I guess it's back on.' There were just too many components in it that fit our needs not to do it."

See just what each team gets in this bizzar trade in the rest of JON KRAWCZYNSKI Washington Post story

WALL-E OPENS TO RAVES FROM CRITICS AND FATHERS ALIKE

Dads the summer just got a little shorter with a good movie to take the kids to and something that will interest you as well. Today marks the theatrical release of Pixar Studios (Toy Story,The Incredibles and Ratatouille) "WALL-E", a film inspired by the musical "Hello Dolly". You thought Streisand did some strange matchmaking, this story has a robot fall in love with and extraterrestrial.

The summer is long enough when the kids are home for about three months. And let's not even think about the drama at my house since I am hard pressed for summer camp money. So to entertain the little ones and enjoy the movie theater's air conditioning instead of paying to chill our home all day, off to the movies we go. Usually the kids watch and mom and I sleep, but with WALL-E we just might stay awake.

Falling in love with "WALL-E" is easy to do. This latest achievement from Disney's Pixar Studios rotates around a rusty little robotic hero who's built, as the movie is, with such emotion, brains and humor that whole universes exist in his whirring tones and binocular eyes.

For the first half-hour, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class), doesn't actually make much noise. Skittering across the planet's polluted surface some 750 years from now, he silently does his job turning junk into stackable cubes as his unkillable cockroach pal looks on. In a big storage shelter, lonely WALL-E organizes his finds - does a spork go with spoons or forks? - and pops in a VHS tape of "Hello, Dolly!"

As he watches the old movie musical, WALL-E sees people holding hands, something he wants to do with EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), the probe who lands in front of him to search for signs of sustainable life. It seems several centuries earlier, humans abandoned Earth for a giant spaceship after garbage from the conscienceless Buy-N-Large corporation - provider of food, gasoline, vehicles and everything else - buried the globe in muck. When love-struck WALL-E sneaks aboard EVE's return trip to the stars, he finds our TV-addicted, helplessly bloated descendants, along with the ship's captain (voiced by Jeff Garlin), who hopes to turn things around and head home.

Read the full review from Joe Neumaier at the Daily News

India.Arie Is Getting Ready To Turnout Broadway!

India.Arie Stars in New 'Colored Girls' Play
World Leaders Turn the Screw on Mugabe
Is Black Media Failing Gays, Lesbians & Transgenders?

Bill Clinton Offers to Assist Obama's Presidential Bid
Racist Groups Increase Membership in Wake of Obama Win
Bringing Diversity to the World of Classical Music
Nader Is Right About Barack & 'White Guilt'

Kimora Lee Simmons Gets How Much in Child Support?
Report: UN Envoy to Darfur to Resign
Subprime Home Loan Crisis A Disaster For Blacks

Brooklyn Woman Gives Birth on Train Platform
Prosecutors Look at Baltimore Mayor's Ties to Developer
Investigation into Fire at Teddy Riley Studio
Black Male to Male HIV Cases On The Rise

Random Thoughts Of An Angry Black Man

Got Co-Worker Issues? Join The Club

More of the many thoughts that are running through my mind today...1. Why will a mf go home each and everyday...walk in and out of their mf kitchen...but come to work and borrow the bowl on MY mf desk all the time? Oh, did I forget to mention that we sit on different floors?

2. I hate how people try to find a way to work the weather into EVERY conversation. "I just got here...it's too HOT outside."Yes it's hot. Get over it!!! It's June in D.C. WTF do you expect? This happens EVERY mf year. Catch on.

Random Thoughts keep going...

Like Your Food Raw? How About Some Dehydrated Salad

In the cooler weather, I crave warm foods, not necessarily anything cooked, just something that feels comforting. While I enjoy soups, I can be quite lazy about pulling out the blender. Here's a great alternative- the dehydrated salad. It gets better, under the hood.

Toss ingredients in a bowl, in this case: tomatoes, corn, spinach, chopped mushrooms and onions.

Rediscover Raw Foods has the rest of the recipe .

WTF??? Black Students Given "Ghetto Names" In High School Yearbook Prank

Jordan Smith Ain't Laughing

A yearbook staff student intentionally replaced the names of nine African Americans, including Smith, with "Tay Tay Shaniqua," "Crisphy Nanos" and "Laquan White" - next to their Black Student Union club photo.

What kind of crap is this?

The school's yearbook, The Chronicle, will clearly not be the same for these kids who are just trying to do the right thing by going to school and getting involved. As a parent, I'm really pissed about how Charter Oak High School in Covina, CA has handled the incident.

"Someone was just trying to be funny but it's not funny," said Jordan, 18, a BSU member. "It's upsetting. It's a mistake that should not of been overlooked."

School Board President Joseph M. Probst has said that "appropriate actions will be taken." Probst said he did not know the gender or race of the student who changed the names, but he did know the student will be a senior next year.

"We are discussing the intent and impact of the student's actions. The first step was to remedy the issue." The students whose names were changed were given stickers with the correct names to be placed over the error in their books.

"What else can you do?" asked Probst. "It would be nice to snap a magic finger, but I think it was incredibly well done."

SMH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about agreeing to meet with the families in person to apologize? What about committing to having a school assembly in the Fall to discuss the issue of race and how important it is to show respect to individuals who may not look like you? What about implementing a policy that final approval before printing must be signed-off by a school official? What about expelling the student unless he or she apologizes on camera and it gets uploaded on YouTube???

That's what I'm talking about!

Instead, BSU student Evanne Jackson, a junior, said she was given a handful of stickers and told to pass them out to her friends on the last day of school.

"How humiliating," said Evanne's mother, Toi. "The school is responsible, and they ask the victim to pass out the stickers."

But BSU students like Paisley Moore, said the corrective sticker is not enough.

"I kind of laughed at it," said Moore. "Show that you are sincerely apologetic. I don't think they realize what happened here."

School officials are not aware of any previous similar incidents.

Past editions of the yearbook have received awards from the University of Columbia Scholastic Press with gold and silver medals in 2006 and 2007, respectively, according to school staff.

Of the 2,000 students who attend Charter Oak High School about 45 percent are Latino; 30 percent white and 4.5 percent black, according to school officials.

"We have a wonderful diversity on our campus which makes a richer educational experience," said Harwick.

But Moore said she is not surprised something like this happened.

"People of color, Latinos and African Americans, are viewed at the school as a joke," she said.

The affected picture appears in the back of the book and shares a page with other group photos including Class Councils, North American Unity and Asian Unity.

"This has hit us pretty hard," said Principal Kathleen Wiard. "We take great pride in producing a great yearbook with positive, good memories."

The BSU students' families, however, aren't so sure this yearbook is something they'll want to remember.

"A yearbook is very significant and something you always hold on to," said Toi. "When she shows it to her kids she will have to explain why she has the name Crisphy."

Source

Is Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn The Target Of A Political Smear Campaign???

Another Black Mayor Under Scrutiny

Looks like the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is going after Roosevelt Dorn, the outspoken, sometimes controversial Black mayor of Inglewood known for his military-style persona, commitment to young people and passion for justice.

Dorn was charged Thursday with conflict-of-interest and misappropriation of public funds. The 72-year-old is expected to appear for arraignment July 3, 2008 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse in connection with one felony count each of conflict of interest, unauthorized loan and misappropriation of public funds without authority of law. He also is charged with one misdemeanor count of conflict of interest.

The criminal complaint alleges that the crimes occurred in November 2004. The charges stem from Dorn’s alleged request to have a city residence incentive providing low-interest housing in Inglewood for executive non-elected municipal employees extended to elected officials, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Dorn, who has not been arrested, could face up to four years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged. Any plea bargain would likely result in immediate resignation from office, which is the ONLY reason this is being pursued.

According to the Wave Newspaper, the alleged criminal acts are a violation of Section 1090 of the California Government Code. They stem from the Inglewood Residential Incentive Policy program the city developed to encourage administrators and public sector employees who work in Inglewood to purchase a home and establish roots in the community.

The ordained minister, one-time sheriff's deputy, prosecutor and former Los Angeles Superior Court judge will be given the choice of pleading guilty or no contest, paying a fine, resigning from office and seeking no future political office. In the alternative, he could plead not guilty and establish what's really behind not only this travesty of justice, but also a waste of public resources.

Knowing Dorn personally, I see him aggressively fighting the charges, going to trial and ultimately being completely exonerated from any kind of criminal impropriety. Smart, tough, and relentless, he's not someone who backs down from a brawl. Dorn just doesn't operate that way.

The government code sections in question involve public employees being forbidden from having an interest in any contract, and in violation of Section 424 p of the California Penal Code, which addresses “crimes against public revenue.”

The investigation has focused on the married father of three, as well as Inglewood City Treasurer Wanda Brown, for securing low-interest mortgage loans through a program established in 1992 for city administrators. Apparently Brown will not be charged for any malfeasance.

(Mayor Dorn, with his wife Joyce at a recent re-election celebration)

Assuming there is some technical merit to these code violations, the facts suggest that the actions occurred during public city council meetings after the Inglewood City Attorney's office cleared the participation. In addition, Mayor Dorn has completely repaid the loan, plus interest.

Initially established by the predominantly African-American and Latino municipality in 1992 to provide low-cost housing loans to lure prospective employees to the city, in June 2004, the City Council voted to extend the program to elected and unelected administrators. It also was expanded so that loans could be used to maintain a residence, as well as purchase one.

Records apparently show that Dorn, along with Councilman Eloy Morales and then-Councilman (now Assemblyman) Curren Price, voted in 2004 to extend the loan program benefits to themselves, while Councilman Ralph Franklin abstained and Councilwoman Judy Dunlap, a perennial mayoral candidate who often clashes with Dorn, was absent.

Expect lots of community outrage over this powderkeg. Mayor Dorn has tons of support and trust me, folks will have something to say about this, myself included!

BREAKING NEWS - DORN RESIGNS (SMH!!!)

Sad news to report. Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn resigned Monday after pleading guilty to a conflict-of-interest charge as part of an agreement with the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. The deal came as jury selection was set to begin in his trial for alleged corruption.

Dorn had cast the deciding vote on the Inglewood City Council to extend a low-interest, home-loan program to city employees. He then took out a $500,000 loan under the program for himself. He used the money to pay of his mortgage, and he has since paid off the low-interest debt.

The 74-year-old was in his third term as mayor of the predominantly black and Latino Southern California city. As part of the deal he will serve two years under probation, pay a $1,000, and avoid holding public office ever again.

Suge Knight Loses Deathrow Records To A White Woman

Meet President Susan Berg of Global Music Group. She and her company have just "pimp slapped" music mogul Suge Knight as his company, Death Row Records was ordered to be sold in bankruptcy court and they got the winning bid. Berg now has control of all recordings by Death Row artists Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur, made during their time at the label.

Susan and Global threw down 24 million at auction, and in the taking also inherited 20 unreleased tracks by multi platinum selling and now deceased rapper icon Tupac Shakur. Can you say Cha Ching!

Knight was forced by a bankruptcy court judge to auction all assets of the infamous record label to the highest bidder. Had he done so in February, when Warner Music Group was making an offer, Suge could have sold the label for $25 million.
Death Row's sale was the result of a 2005 lawsuit when Suge was ordered to pay former partner Lydia Harris $107 million for profits owed to her after being forced out of the label. Suge filed for bankruptcy in April 2006.
Thanks TMZ for this scoop

Toccara Jones Before And After Wow!

Former plus-sized model Toccara Jones has cut out the grits and gravy and now has a new skinny look. Do you like? Cuz' I know some fellahs' in Macon Georgia who like it the way she was.
Toccara showed off her super-thin new frame at last night's 2008 BET Awards. The voluptuous beauty bragged about her curves on "America's Next Top Model: Cycle 3," but later competed on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club 2" in 2005 to try and slim down.

She was last seen on this year's follow-up, "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp," where she started at 187 and finished at a svelte 166 pounds!

Troublemaker Karl Rove On "Arrogant" Obama, Here He Goes Again!

Karl Rove "Republican Party Bad Boy", and President Bush's "Lap Dog" is at it again. It was only a matter of time before he got behind the McCain run for the presidency and started speaking out against Barack Obama. And don't think he will stop with just idle words.
Speaking at a breakfast for the Republican hoi-polloi at the Capitol Hill Club this morning, Mr. Rove made this comparison when referring to Sen. Obama. From Jake Tapper of ABC News:

"Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."

Rove then referred to the latest Newsweek poll showing Obama with a 15 point lead as nonsense, though he used a more scatological synonym."

I think we can guess what that synonym might be. It starts with "b" and ends with "t." Later, Rove referred to Obama as "coolly arrogant."

This is proof positive that Karl Rove lives in the backwards universe, as many have long thought. In the first place, I would suspect that at most of the country clubs at which Mr. Rove and his Republican cronies are members, Barack Obama wouldn’t be allowed in the door. Not the front door anyway.

More of this article and thanks to chron.Commons

Black Women Represent At The 2008 BET Awards

Alicia Keys Showing Off Love, and Hate

Rihanna's A Vision in Yellow

Check the rest under the hood...

Fab Chick Alicia Renee

Miss Kenya Moore, Still Working It!

Love The Hair Jennifer Hudson!

Jill Scott Has The Best Smile

A Glammed Up Lola Luv Hides That Bodacious Booty

Lovin Jordin Sparks In That Candy-Apple Red

Gabrielle Union Gives Us Back & Tracks, As Only She Can

Barack Hits Up Hollyweird For Those Pretty Little Green Ones

Everyone's Feeling Obama Mania

While the BET Awards were jumping off down the street at the Shrine, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was busy raising nearly $5 mil at a celebrity-packed fundraiser at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

"He's my candidate, and I think you have to put your money where your mouth is," said actor Don Cheadle.

Top tickets cost more than $30,000, and celebs in attendence included actor Jennifer Beals and boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.

Also seen was Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who created two music videos for Obama during the primary season — including "Yes We Can". Singer Seal performed two songs. "At last, someone has come along that is restoring my faith," Seal said.

Will Zimbabwe MDC Leader Morgan Tsvangirai's Dropping Out Cause Africa To Unite?

Time To Make Robert Mugabe Feel The Heat
Republicans Admit Obama is Winning the Online Battle

Oprah Ends 3 Weeks of Vegan Eating
McCain Adviser Says Terrorist Attack Would Boost Campaign
Proud Black Men Promote R. Kelly Boycott
UN Warns of Bad Year in Darfur

Mandela in London for 90th Birthday
A Girly Mag They Can Be Proud Of
Nate Dogg Arrested for Making Terrorist Threats
60 Years Later, Black UA Law Student Gets Degree
Negative Sentiment Weighs on South Africa Rand
Remy Ma's Shooting Victim Sues Rapper for $10M

Folks Who Don't Get It: Amy Winehouse

Grammy Award winner Amy Winehouse has a death wish, returning to one of her bad habits following a week-long hospital stay.

The troubled singer lit a cigarette soon after her release from a London facility, where, according to her father, she was diagnosed with emphysema due to all the cancer sticks and crack she keeps ingesting into her body.

She reportedly plans to perform at a birthday celebration for Nelson Mandela on Friday.

"Amy is showing early signs of what could lead to emphysema and is receiving treatment," her publicist said.The singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, spoke out about his daughter's illness earlier in the week to Britain's Daily Mail. "The only thing that can go into her lungs are fresh air," he said. "She faces a stark choice - either she sticks to it or she won't sing again."

According to Mitch, Amy has 70 percent lung capacity. "With smoking the crack cocaine and the cigarettes, her lungs are all gunked up," he said.

The Black sounding Brit was taken to a hospital on June 16 after collapsing in her London home. Source

Calfornia Government And Alicia Cole, Cleaning Up Hospitals Infection. Will You Check-Out Of The Hospital Alive?

OPEN WOUND TREATMENT: NOTE THE HANDS WITHOUT

STERILE GLOVES AND WRIST WATCHES

Sunday, a classmate from high school called to talk about our upcoming class reunion, or so I thought. What she really had to tell me was heartfelt, as she explained of her pending surgery that may prevent her from attending the reunion.

I prayed with her and then emphasised, "under no circumstance should a doctor or nurse's hand or medical instrument touch her, that she didn't first, personally see washed or alcohol swabbed, before touching her body."

Hospital infection is out of control and she could die from lax sterilization practices. This is the same lax in hospital sterilization practices that Actor and patient safety advocate Alicia Cole is testifying about today in Sacramento before the California State Assembly Health Committee, before they vote on Senate Bill 158.

Alicia Cole herself is the survivor of a near-fatal health care-acquired infection, from a 2006 routine procedure in top-rated Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California, that led to a case of necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly referred to as "the flesh-eating disease", for which she continues to receive daily medical treatment.

Senate Bill 158 would ensure development and implementation of high standards of infection surveillance, prevention and control. The measure would help ensure that hospitals maintain a sanitary environment and good patient hygiene, and establish regulatory oversight and reporting of HAI. The bill would also establish training programs for hospital infection control professionals and require DPH to report to the Governor and Legislature on incidents of HAI.

Cole is the face of California "5 a Day" Nutrition Program advertising campaign and has appeared on Eve, Veronica Mars, Silk Stalkings and Beverly Hills 90210, in addition to representing a wide range of companies in corporate industrial and training films. Alicia's complete paint staking journey was first reported here at 3BAAS. This link to Alica's gripping story is a must read, too see how you can help avoid this happening to you.

The BET Awards Haven't Even Gone Down Yet And Rappers Are Brawling Already

According to reports from the artist’s camp, Akon’s 20-year-old artist, Dolla, got into a minor scuffle with Florida rapper 2 Pistols, which resulted in 2 Pistols — who has been enjoying success with his hit single “She Got It” featuring T-Pain — being knocked out.

Dolla’s camp confirmed that an altercation took place [at the Shrine Auditorium] after he heard about recent public statements made by 2 Pistols claiming Dolla had “no street credibility and isn’t really a rap artist from the streets.” Continue »

Black Sidekicks For Don Imus Step Up To Defend His Nappy ...

Troubled NFL baller Adam "Pacman" Jones was the subject. Sportscaster Warner Wolf was talking about how Jones had been suspended for a season and arrested six times. "What color is he?" asked Imus. "He's African-American," said Wolf. "Well, there you go," said Imus. "Now we know."

The point of the sarcastic joke, the tired, geriatric Imus said on the air, was that "they arrest black people in this country for no reason. That's all. And that's what people should be outraged about."

Critics said the joke was worded ambiguously, so it could have been taken to suggest blacks have inherent criminal tendencies. Aside from that, it's not funny!

Karith Foster, a comic herself and one of the show's two black co-hosts, strongly defended Imus and suggested the problem was the difficulty of conveying sarcastic humor."A lot people," she said, "don't get it."

On the air this morning, Imus bluntly labeled any charge of racism "nonsense. . . . I don't mind people looking at past stuff, but let's not get stupid."

While he did not address the question of ambiguity in the phrasing, that point was indirectly raised by one of this morning's guests, comedian Dick Gregory.

Gregory said he doesn't personally think Imus is racist and that he took the Pacman comment to be "about racial profiling." He added, however, "You know what you meant. But a lot of people won't give you the benefit of the doubt - and they shouldn't."

Imus was defended strongly by his on-air team, with Foster saying, "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't kept your pledge" to make the show an ongoing racial dialogue.

Tony Powell, the other black co-host, said the media should pay more attention to the number of black guests who have talked with racial issues with Imus since he returned to the air in December.

Wolf, who played straight man in the Jones exchange, said, "People are trying to make something out of nothing. Anybody who listens knows that's a joke you make all the time."

Foster noted that when she left "The View," Imus immediately joked that it must be racism.

WABC managers had indicated they talked with Imus on Monday about the Jones comment and didn't expect any disciplinary action - though the scope of public reaction can sometimes affect that decision. Source

U.S. Olympic Basketball "Dream Team" Or Nightmare?

Pistons Tayshaun Prince, The New Face of Team USA

Basketball "Roll Players" and "Team Basketball"

It has been eight long years since the U.S. team won a major basketball championship. During that time, our basketball swagger has diminished. Our supremacy has vanished. Our nation's inner hoopster has been sadly humbled.

So the choice was either to abdicate the basketball hoop to Argentina and pursue team handball as a specialty, or do something about it. Yesterday the march towards respect started with the addition to Team USA of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Redd.

Is this enough to get the job done? In the past we thought superstar names were all we needed, and when I think about that first Dream Team of the 1992 Olympics, the names that stick out are Bird, Magic, Stockton, Malone. Yes superstars all of them, but also four players with a high basketball IQ and a large concept of "team basketball". The main thing missing from every team since and the thing that has caused every ugly defeat Team USA has had since that Olympics.

Read Mercury News Staff Columnist Ann Killion as she takes us back to that first Olympic Dream Team and shows the changes in personnel selection to get the team concept back.

Shaq's Payback Video Disses Kobe For Breaking Up O'Neal Marriage

Is Shaquille O'Neal seriously trashing Kobe Bryant in the now famous rap video, or is it just fun and games?



Everyone talking about it. But the question is: Is this playful Shaq who's making a life commentary like Wil Smith's infamous "Parents Just Don't Understand". Is this a restart of the hate that fueled the East coast/West coast fude and deaths of rappers Tupoc Shakur and Biggie Smalls?

I say it is Shaq finally coming out against Kobe for being a snitch and ruining his marriage to Shaunie. Take a listen and you decide. Sports reporter Steven A Smith is on the phone and softens the video's meaning, but what is very clear is that Shaq finally lays blame for his martial problems on Kobe.

You see, it was Kobe who when arrested in Colorado for molestation, told Colorado Police that "He shouldn't be arrested, because Shaq was always abusing women and then paying them off with cars and expensive gifts." The Colorado investigators promptly got on a plane, flew to Los Angeles, and came to Shaq's home to ask he (and his wife Shaunie) if the sex and shut up gifts were true. Now Shaunie is no fool she knows her man.

But at this point she was made a fool in public. When Shaunie heard of these expensive gifts for bimbos, she started squirrelling her own money away in secret investments and bank accounts. Come on ladies we know she was wrong... but we understand. What's a girl to do? Shaq found out about the Shaunie's secret stashes and the rest is to be divorce court history.

My Kindred Spirit, AKA Barack Obama's Uncompromisingly Black Wife

Who's afraid of Michelle Obama?

By Erin Aubry Kaplan

The flap about the potential first lady's "image problem" proves how uncomfortable the country feels about a shift in racial dynamics. But as far as I'm concerned, I've found a kindred spirit.

As Barack Obama moved through the maelstrom of the primary season, I held my breath, along with much of black America. My fear increased in proportion to my exhilaration, at times outpacing it.

What would a country that had criminalized blackness for 350 years do when it woke up and realized it was seriously supporting a black man for president? I tracked the bad signs big and small, from the Jeremiah Wright crisis to reports that Obama's young campaign workers were getting shellshocked by racism in Pennsylvania.

Obama Inspires Versace Fashion Line

I kept my eye on the ball with an obsession fueled by a half-sensible, half-quixotic belief that if I and other concerned citizens were vigilant, we could identify any racial slime at its source and contain it before it spread into a national, nonsensical conversation.

The goal was not to keep Obama in a bubble, or even to get everybody in his camp -- this is a presidential election, after all -- just to allow a historic campaign to go forward as unimpeded as possible by scurrilous attacks rooted in his color.

But it turns out, I was looking the wrong way. Because increasingly the racial animus has been aimed not at Barack but at his wife, Michelle Obama.

I should have seen this coming. It was established early that while Barack was striving for the middle ground, trying to strike a balance between strength and inoffensiveness, Michelle was the loose cannon who didn't bother to hide her identity or racial concerns.

In the matter of blackness, she was the id to his superego. And unlike Barack, she was a typical black American with no transcendent story about immigrant parents and being raised in exotic locales; she had the black Everywoman name of Michelle Robinson.

She grew up on Chicago's ethnically isolated South Side -- wasn't poor but was hardly rich, was raised with a keen awareness of racial barriers but was also raised to achieve. She went to Princeton, excelled, retained her racial conscience but also eventually commanded a six-figure salary. All of this confuses white people mightily, far more than Barack's biracial status.

In their frame of reference, Michelle has no reason to be angry and every reason to be content.

Portrayed by the media as extraordinary, Michelle at heart is an ordinary black woman whose life experience and ambiguity about making it in white America resemble those of every other 40ish, middle-class black woman I know.

This is wonderful news for us -- we finally see an accurate reflection of ourselves in someone who may one day occupy the most exclusive address in the country. But for a good part of the nation, this is exactly the problem. Michelle's frankness about the ills of America and how they're connected to race taps into an anxiety about such a story becoming prominent and representing us all. Like so much about the whole Obama phenomenon, this has never happened. The black story has always...

Story continues over at Salon.com

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.