Are They Hating??? Tavis Smiley, Cornel West and Julianne Malveaux Dissect Barack Obama

Forgot About The Devastation of Katrina? Here's A Powerful Reminder!

"5 Days On My Rooftop"



This Makes Me Angry All Over Again, And Reminds Me That I'm Blessed!!!

New Orleans, Hurricane, Getting Out of Town... Here We Go Again! But This Time Without Superdome Shelter, You're On Your Own

Does this picture look too familiar. Well it should. It's folks leaving New Orleans over that same bridge they used when Hurricane Katrina hit. Last night city officials, in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav, ordered all roads converted one way, out of town. The only way you are getting into New Orleans is by a helicopter and it better say on the outside FEMA or Homeland Security.

"I'm getting out of here. I can't take another hurricane," said Ramona Summers, 59, whose house flooded during Katrina. She hurried to help friends gather their belongings. Her car was already packed for Gonzales, Louisiana, nearly 60 miles away to the west of New Orleans.

Gustav swelled into a major hurricane south of Cuba on Saturday and could strike the U.S. coast anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Texas by Tuesday, but forecasters said there is a better-than-even chance that New Orleans will get slammed by at least tropical-storm-force winds.

That raised the likelihood people will have to flee, and the city suggested a full-scale evacuation call could come as soon as Sunday.

Police and firefighters were set to go street-to-street with bull horns over the weekend to direct people to leave. Unlike Hurricane Katrina, there will be no shelter of last resort in the Superdome.

Those among New Orleans' estimated 310,000 to 340,000 residents who ignore orders to leave accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones," the city's emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed, has warned.

Will Palin Nomination Eclipse Hillary In History?...Not Hardly

And not if Hillary Clinton has anything to say about it. After running such a a hard campaign and after her gracious and bonding speech at the DNC Convention, don't think for a minute Hillary is about to let Sarah Palin become the first female Vice President and there-by dismissing Hillary in political history. No, Mr. McCain all you have done with this nomination is released 'Hillary the Lioness' from her...
political cage. She will be out hunting and gathering money and votes for Obama.
"I've worked for Hillary Clinton, and I will tell you this," a male African-American Obama delegate from New York said while watching McCain's veep announcement on TV in Denver. "The selection of Gov. Palin will energize Hillary to the extreme to elect Obama. This woman is very serious. She's driven. Do you think she wants another woman eclipsing her place in history? I doubt it." From MICHAEL SNEED sneed@suntimes.com

Gender Trumps Race??? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin To Be McCain's VP Pick!

GOP Hillary Clone Steals Barack's Thunder

So after all that Kumbaya with Black Presidential candidate Barack Obama, John McCain has just stole his thunder. According to reports Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 44, is the one that John McCain feels he needs to snatch victory from the democrats.

The announcement may come any time soon today. FOX news reports that Mitt Romeny is out of the list as is Tim Pawlenty.

I have to give it to the Republicans, who cast Palin like Geena Davis in ABC's Commander in Chief. So much for "24's" groundbreaking portrayel of President Palmer vis-a-vis Dennis Haysbert.

Bloggers all of the net are speculating on the issue of Mccain's Veep choice focusing on Sarah Palin. It's not the governor of Minnesota. It's not Romney, but a plane flew in last night from Alaska to a small airport just outside of Dayton, Ohio. Could it be that McCain has picked a woman - a woman with 5 children and the governor of Alaska.

A mother of five, Sarah Palin is less than a month younger than Michelle Obama and the first governor of Alaska to be born there since it became a state.

Proud Of Barack Obama, Michael Jackson... SMH!!!

Obama: I'm Ready to Beat John McCain
Obama Embarks on 67-Day Sprint to Election
Putin Accuses US of Starting Georgia Crisis to Help McCain
Barack Obama's Accidental Kiss with Jill Biden
Oprah on Obama: 'I cried my eyelashes off'
Obama Calls on Black Churches to Register Voters
Cindy McCain's Half-Sister Backs Obama

Michael Jackson Turns 50/Pics Through The Years
Rapper T.I. Sets Record with Singles Chart-Topper
Does Marketing Contribute to Obesity in African-Americans?
DMX Guilty of Trying to Buy Drugs in Miami
Iran, Nigeria to Share Peaceful Nuclear Technology
Terrence Howard Hopes to Be Music Hit Too
Ethnic Cleansing in a Post-Katrina New Orleans

Barack Obama Grabs That Brass Ring: In Video & Photos

Comedy Central's Got Jokes About The Talking Cable News Heads

Daughter of Denver 7 Blogger Misses Democratic Convention Due to Serious Injuries From Horrific Car Accident

The youngest daughter of L.N. Rock, aka, African American Political Pundit, was involved in a major auto accident, with serious injuries resulting. Felicia Rock, 19, was a passenger in a car in which the driver fell asleep on Route 495 in Maryland, crossed the divider through the oncoming traffic lanes and flipped over twice to land in a ditch.

She had planned to be in Denver this week to provide blogging coverage from an African American youth perspective.

Felicia was credentialed through The Denver 7 blogger to cover the Democratic National Convention, August 25-28, as a youth reporter.

After speaking with his daughter and the driver of the car, L.N. Rock reported that the car landed in a ditch, where Felicia was pinned in and had to be taken out by fire department professionals using the "Jaws of Life."

The young woman was admitted to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda Maryland were there was no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved. The driver, whose name has not been released, was unharmed.

With offers of admission from Howard University in Washington DC and Montgomery College in Maryland. Felicia will begin college this year. She now has a full brace of her back and chest but is expected to fully recover.

In spite of the accident, Felicia had still planned to "struggle to be with her dad, to videograph the Democratic National Convention, and report on the AAPP blog in a planned youth section". Her injuries, however, were deemed to be too serious to make the trip.

"Barack Obama has won my heart and mind and I want to be there to witness history," Felicia said. "I can only read about Martin Luther King, Jr., but I had planned to be there to see Barack Obama nominated for president, even if I had to go in a wheel chair."

Armed only with their laptops, Blackberrys and other electronic gadgets that can fit inside a single carry-on, "The Denver 7” are the first group of black independent “credentialed journalist” bloggers to cover a major political party’s national convention.

Hold On New Orleans, Hurricane Gustav Is On The Way

Will Mayor Negan And Homeland Security Get It Right This Time?

Almost three years to the day after Katrina devastated New Orleans, disaster-response officials are bracing for Tropical Storm Gustav's projected landfall there as forecasters predict it will strengthen into a major hurricane. Someone wake President Bush, because New Orleans is no where near ready for this.

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, criticized in 2005 for its slow response to Katrina, is working with state officials to prepare for the storm. FEMA said it moved 2.4 million liters of water in 137 trucks, 4 million meals in 203 trucks, 478 electric generators and 267 truckloads of blankets and cots into position for distribution in the Gulf Coast states.

Mayor Ray Nagin said that the city's protective ring of levees isn't fully strengthened after some parts failed when Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005, contributing to floods that covered 80 percent of the city.

``Although we have made strong strides in rebuilding our infrastructure, the levees have not been fully repaired and we have an $800 million budget gap to complete our sewage and water systems,'' Nagin said in a statement.

Well at least we hav the excuses put togther before the storm. Might as well start blaiming a few people in advance of the mess that will surley occur after the storm.
Will there be another Super Dome cesspool? Find out at Bloomberg.com with the rest of this story.

2008 DNC, Bill Clinton #1: Obama Is Right For The Job

2008 DNC, Bill Clinton #2: Obama Is The Dream

THIS is The Person Coach Phil Jackson Believes Is The Greatest Athlete He's Ever Coached!

You Go... Girl?????

After receiving an honorary doctor of letters degree from his alma mater, University of North Dakota, Lakers coach Phil Jackson revealed to the world the greatest athlete he has ever coached.

And it wasn’t Michael Jordan.Or Kobe Bryant.Or Shaquille O’Neal. Not Karl Malone, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, or Bill Cartwright.No, the player Jackson called the greatest that he has coached is that wedding dress aficionado and Newport Beach police’s favorite basketball bad boy, Dennis Rodman.

That’s right. No need to rub your eyes.

“He could probably play a 48-minute game and play the 48th minute stronger than the first minute of the game,” Jackson told the crowd at UND. “He was that terrific an athlete.”

Jackson credited Madonna for helping Rodman overcome his “shy” personality.

Rodman was a celebrated baller and he made his mark in the game when he was playing in the NBA. He was famous for his rebounding skills and his consistency in the game.

The Black bad boy has had strings of bad publicity recently. He has been arrested over a spousal battery, he was in rehab, and his ex-wife is now dating a rock band boy. Rodman has also had a brush with the America’s Internal Revenue Service to the tune of $400,000. He has however told away that its one of his managers who fixed him on the tax case.

Rodman To Join The Celebrity Apprentice

“Madonna saw what was in there and wanted him . . . to do what she does: be outrageous, and kind of talked him into opening up his character,” Jackson said. “And Dennis didn’t know how many ways he could open up his character.”

QUICKIE: SQUIRRELS DANCING TO MICHAEL JACKSON!

Suge Knight Arrested For Beating Vegas Woman!!!

What is the deal with Marion??? Former rap impresario Suge Knight has been arrested for beating a woman while holding a knife, Las Vegas Metro are reporting. SMH! And what's his strange connection with Dr Dre? Details under the hood.

The assault happened early Wednesday morning. According to reports, Knight and his girlfriend of three years got into an argument while driving. She said he punched her in the back of her head while they were driving, police said. She attempted to grab the wheel and cause a wreck, police said, causing the car to stop on the curb.

The woman ran from the car. As Knight caught up with her, police arrived at the scene.

Knight has been booked into Clark County Detention Center on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug without prescription and battery domestic violence.

To find out the Dr. Dre connection, you have to read the next post about singer Michel'le!!!

Speaking of Dre, Whatever Happened to His Ex With The Smurf Voice, Singer Michel'le???

Remember "Something In My Heart" by Michel'le? After the jump, we find out what's the latest on girlfriend, and what famous black man in music is the daddy of her OTHER child.

Michel'le Toussaint, 38, is an R&B vocalist of mixed Louisiana Creole heritage. Known for her squeaky, child-like speaking voice, the singer was originally signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. In 1989, she released Michel'le.

Her self-titled debut album was entirely produced by then boyfriend Dr. Dre. The album contained "No More Lies" and the hit singles "Nicety" and "Something in My Heart."



Michel'le sold 1.5 million copies. She is imitated and generally made fun of on Tim Dog's infamous song, "Fuck Compton". Michel'le was the featured female vocalist on World Class Wreckin' Cru's 1988 single "Turn Off the Lights".

In 1998, she released her second album "Hung Jury" but it garnered little attention and no hit records.

Following Dr. Dre’s departure from Death Row Records, Michel’le and Dr. Dre parted ways. Michel’le had one child—Marcel—with Dr. Dre. Marcel is now 17-years-old.

Papa Dre, 43, has four other children. He has two children with his ex-wife Nicole Threatt, 11-year-old son Truth and daughter Truly, seven.

Threat was formerly married to NBA player Sedale Threatt. (The now 47-year-old one-time Laker star who took Magic's spot after he announced he was HIV positive. Having spent time on lockdown for failure to pay child support, Sedale is also rumored to have as many as 14 children!!!!)

Dre is also the biological father of rapper Hood Surgeon, aka Curtis Young, with mother, Lisa Johnson, then 16, when Dre was 17.

Dre also had a son named Andre Young Jr., who died at age 20, on August 23, 2008.

The recent death of his child has dealt a devastating blow to the award winning producer who first became famous as a member of rap group NWA.

Dre is currently working on new album Detox, and is credited with discovering rap stars Enimem, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.

Michel'le also has another child—Bailei—with of all folks... Suge Knight.

SUGE KNIGHT AND DRE'S HAVE KIDS THAT ARE HALF BROTHERS??? (Get the latest on Marion's arrest today!!!!)

Soon after Bailei's birth, her relationship with Knight ended.

Her most recent music was contribution to the Dysfunktional Family soundtrack in 2003. She has since confirmed through several media outlets that she’s been working on new material and looking for a label for her third album.

No Way, No How, No McCain: Hillary and Barack Bond After Her Unity Speech

After leaving the house party, Senator Obama called and talked for several minutes with Senator Hillary Clinton saying how grateful he was for her support, that she gave a terrific speech and that all those he watched with in Billings, MT were moved by her video and introduction from Chelsea. Also said he loved her line “No way, no how, no McCain.”

Senator Obama also called and spoke with President Bill Clinton for several minutes saying Senator Clinton could not have been better and made the case for change. Obama said he knew how proud he must have been watching as he was last night watching Michelle speak and how grateful he was for their support.
Source: Mark Halperin's THE PAGE

In Embracing Barack, Hillary Waves Goodbye To A Dream Deferred!

Hillary Clinton: Obama 'Must Be Our President'
McCain: Clinton Did Not Say Obama Ready to Lead
After Hillary, Bill Clinton's Turn to Boost Obama
TV One Analyst's Comment about Michelle's Rear Inappropriate
Obama Camp: Clinton-Obama Drama 'BS'
Charges Filed Against Trio Who Allegedly Talked of Killing Obama
8 Million Blacks Still Not Registered To Vote

Dr. Dre's 20 Year-Old Son Found Dead
Malinda Williams and Derrick 'D-Nice' Jones Wed
Serbs Unveil Statue to Bob Marley
Harvard to Scrutinize Police After Black Student Complaints
Memorial to Hurricane Katrina Victims Taking Shape
Zimbabwe to Form New Government: Mugabe
HBCUs Spend $421M on Science/Tech

Cell Phone Purses??? Oh, Now That's Cute!

Can't hear your phone ringing when it's in your purse. Want something that's sophistocated, yet understated enough to use everyday?

Designed to fit a wide range of cell phones, these purses from designer Lore Ross feature magnetic clasps that allow for easy access to your phone, and a strap clasp that makes attachment to your purse or beltloop a breeze.

Check them out over at Designs To Infinity.

AKA's Will Not Be Skee Weeing At SLU Anytime Soon!

(*Note - the young coeds pictured above are members of the Iota Lambda chapter of the University of Florida, not SLU)

Southeastern Louisiana University has deactivated the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, some members of which were arrested in an alleged January hazing incident that law enforcement authorities would not disclose in detail, a university spokesperson said.

The approximately 15-member AKA chapter at SLU in Hammond was ordered on June 24 into inactive status for three years. At the end of that period, the sorority may seek to reapply, Christina Chapple, SLU spokeswoman, said Friday.

Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputies said Friday they arrested eight AKA sisters at SLU on counts of hazing, false imprisonment or other violations. All eight were arrested between Aug. 11 and 19, jail officials said.

Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Dawn Panepinto said she could not describe what incident prompted the arrests but would say only that the incident occurred on or about Jan. 7 in a house at 18233 Old Covington Highway, Hammond.

Also, Panepinto would not confirm aspects of the incident aired in other news reports, saying doing so could compromise an ongoing investigation under way since February. She said the case has been turned over to District Attorney Scott Perrilloux of the 21st Judicial District.

But seven of the eight arrested woman are the same students who sued SLU in April in state court to block their suspension over an alleged hazing incident Jan. 8, federal civil court records show.

According to court documents, SLU student Ariel Ellis accused the seven of locking her in a room in January, making her take her clothes off, beating her with a belt and a paddle, asking questions about her sex life and forcing her to simulate oral sex with a banana.

Ellis recanted her claims two days later and then later reinstated them. SLU officials asserted one of the sorority sisters urged Ellis to recant, records show.

Harry Lawrence Daniels III, an attorney who represents the seven woman in the civil suit, said his clients stand firm that no hazing occurred and there is no evidence that hazing occurred.

On April 28, U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon dissolved a temporary restraining order that had briefly halted the sorority members’ suspensions. The suit had been moved to federal court April 16.

Three students involved in the case were suspended for one year, Chapple said. Two were suspended for a semester and the remaining three were given disciplinary probation, which allows them to go to classes under certain conditions.

The disciplinary actions depended on the students’ involvement, but Chapple declined to say which students received what actions.

She said the sorority did not have a sanctioned house either on or off the SLU campus. Chapple also said the alleged incident that led to the university’s disciplinary actions occurred in a private home.

90's NBA Baller Kevin Duckworth Dies at 44

The NBA Had Some Greats, He Was One Of Them!

Kevin Duckworth, a two-time All-Star who was the starting center on the Portland Trail Blazer teams that made it to the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals, has died of unknown causes.

The seven-foot center played in the NBA from 1986-1997. Most of those years he was in Portland, although at the end of his career he played for the Bullets, Bucks, and Clippers.

Duckworth was reportedly at the Oregon coast for an event to promote the Blazers when he died. Duckworth was 44.


The African American baller remained a figure beloved by Blazer fans. After his playing days, the Illinois native settled permanently in the Portland area and continued to be a major and unmistakable presence -- a man who battled weight issues throughout his playing days, he was literally larger than ever in retirement.

Despite his size, Duckworth was not at all intimidating off the court, exuding smiling harmlessness at Blazer games and other team-centric public events.

We mourn the loss and extend condolences to the family.

Obama Assassination Attempt At Denver DNC Convention Is Real...At Least To Us

Denver, three White guys pulled over in their car for a routine traffic violation. Inside the car are guns, bullet-proof vest and drugs. One of the guys, the leader was sporting swastika and Arian tattoos. So if these guys look like Obama assassins, drive like Obama assassins, pack riffles like Obama assassins and then say, "we were going to assassinate Barack Obama at the stadium when he gives his acceptance speech." Why then are we thinking there is no assignation threat?

Tharin Gartrell, 28, and another man were arrested Sunday after a routine traffic stop. CBS4 Denver, reported that in his truck police found two high powered rifles with telescopic sites, as well as camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, a high powered spotting scope, three IDs not belonging to Mr Gartrell, two wigs and the drug methamphetamine. One of the rifles is listed as stolen from Kansas.

When police accompanied Mr Gartrell to his hotel, the Cherry Creek in Denver, a second man, Shawn Robert Adolf, jumped from a window and was injured in a six-storey fall. The 33-year-old, who was wanted on a number of arrest warrants, broke his ankle and was arrested shortly afterwards. Sources told the television station that he was wearing a ring with a swastika, and was thought to have ties to white supremacist organisations.

He was hospitalised and was being held on $1 million bond for several outstanding warrants involving drug charges, Detective Marcus Dudley said.

Mr Johnson, 32,
who was described as Mr Gartrell's associate, was later arrested at the Denver Hyatt and told police that Mr Gartrell and Mr Adolf "planned to kill Barack Obama at his acceptance speech." Mr Johnson was being held on drug charges while Mr Gartrell was being held on a felony charge of special offender, drug violations.

A woman arrested along with Mr Johnson was not thought to be involved in the plot. However Detective Dudley said more arrests were possible.

A statement late Monday by U.S. Atty. Troy Eid gave no new details but said there "is no credible threat to the candidate."

But people let's not pay attention to what he said let's pay attention to what he doesn't say. Listen to the past and present tense of the public statement and what Atty. Troy Eid is NOT saying. He is not saying..."And there NEVER WAS a threat!" No, that would be admitting the ungodly truth... that every day Barack is President we will be nervous and afraid for him.

Michelle Robinson Obama: I Come Here As A Sister... With Nails Done And My Hair Looking Fierce!!!

For The Girl from South Chicago, The American Dream Endures

Okay, the older white women in the audience with all the tears at the Denver Democratic National Convention were killing me. And the two cute daughters Sasha and Malia made America face the reality of what's happening in this country. As the group Klymaxx sang back in the day, "There's a Meeting In The Ladies Room."

And the verdict? Black folks are just like everyone else. We deserve that big White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue just like every other family who has occupied it, and Michelle and Barack Obama are the real deal. And I'm a Republican!

Speech excerpts:

Barack and I were raised similar. We were taught that your word is your bond, treat people with dignity and respect. Barack and I set to build our lives under these set of principles.

We understand that ordinary folks are trying to get by paycheck to paycheck. They're not asking for a handout. We believed that you could make it in America if you try.

Barack Obama feels that we should see the world not as it is but as it should be. Barack Obama reminds us of what the world should look like, because we need to find the strength within ourselves.

Other people have marched, refusing to settle all the while. Because of their will and courage, we celebrate 88 years of a women's right to vote, and the 40 year anniversary of King's dream.

Michelle Obama, Fashion Icon?

I honestly feel we are standing at the cross-current of history. Despite my political differences with Barack, I can not check any box other than that which says Obama. This is not about partisan politics. This is about history, about hope, about changing perceptions, about my two sons who will only understand what this moment truly means when they are fathers.

Sure folks are ticked about Hillary. And Michelle addressed that with grace. That comment about Clinton making 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling who helped little girls and boys see that the future is bright said it all.

We are alike more than you think. The thread that connects us is our children's future and the willingness to work together.

In the end, BO is the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago.

Listening to hopes and dreams, instead of fears Michelle Obama nailed it. The dress, the jewelry, the poise, the delivery. Outstanding!

What a tribute to her father's past and her daughters future. You the man Barack. And your women makes you look good black man.

Meet The Denver 7's Pam Spaulding, as Featured In The New York Times

The Year of the Political Blogger Has Arrived

When Pam Spaulding of The Denver 7 heard from two contributors to her blog, Pam’s House Blend, that they couldn’t afford to attend the Democratic National Convention, she knew that historic times called for creative measures.

Getting convention credentials for her blog, a news site for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, was the easy part. As air fare, lodging and incidentals began piling up, paying for the trip to Denver became the bigger obstacle.

For Ms. Spaulding, 45, who works full time as an IT manager at Duke University Press in Durham, N.C., blogging is her passion, an unpaid hobby she pursues at nights and on weekends. So she called on her 5,500 daily readers to help raise funds: “Send the Blend to Denver” reads the ChipIn widget on her blog’s home page that tracks donations from readers; so far they have pledged more than $5,000 to transport Ms. Spaulding and three other bloggers to the convention.

Beginning Monday, hundreds of bloggers will descend on Denver to see Barack Obama accept his party’s nomination. Next week, hundreds more will travel to St. Paul to witness John McCain’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. But now these online partisans, many of whom are self-financed, must contend with all the logistical and financial hurdles just to get there — not to mention the party politics happening behind the scenes.

This year, both parties understand the need to have greater numbers of bloggers attend. While many Americans may watch only prime-time television broadcasts of the convention speeches, party officials also recognize the ability of bloggers to deliver minute-by-minute coverage of each day’s events to a niche online audience.

“The goal is to bring down the walls of the convention and invite in an audience that’s as large as possible,” said Aaron Myers, the director of online communications for the Democratic National Convention Committee. “Credentialing more bloggers opens up all sorts of new audiences.”

MEET THE OTHER BLACK BLOGGERS WHO MAKE UP THE DENVER 7

But some bloggers see the procurement of credentials as less of a privilege and more of a right, in recognition of their grass-roots influence. “This is stuff we deserve — we helped the party get people elected,” said Matt Stoller, a political consultant and a contributor to the blog Open Left, who worked as the volunteer in charge of getting credentials for bloggers at the Democratic convention four years ago.

“Maybe in 2004 it was about being accommodating and innovative — but this time around there’s a real fight for power in the party.” The major political parties first gave credentials to bloggers in 2004. The Republicans allowed a dozen bloggers to attend their convention in New York, while the Democrats gave bloggers 35 seats in the nosebleed section of the Fleet Center in Boston.

This year, the R.N.C. gave credentials to 200 bloggers as a means to “get Senator McCain’s message out to more people,” said Joanna Burgos, the press secretary of the convention.

For bloggers attending the Democratic convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver, two types of credentials are offered. The first is a national credential, which offers the same access granted to members of traditional news media organizations.

The second, more coveted credential is the state blogger credential. It allows one blogger per state to cover the convention alongside its state delegation, with unlimited floor access. Inspired by the strategy of Howard Dean, the D.N.C. chairman, to organize in all 50 states, the state-blogging credential was highly sought after, with as many as 14 blogs vying to represent a single state.

D.N.C. organizers said the recipients of these credentials were chosen by looking at the posts and mission statements of the competing blogs, and at the traffic these sites generated. But controversy soon arose in the blogosphere about whether political favoritism played a role.

“It’s a recognition from the D.N.C. of the work that you’ve done, of your import, your significance,” said Phillip Anderson, 38, whose blog, the Albany Project, has covered New York State politics since 2006. “We were the site the D.N.C. was talking about — we just assumed we would get it,” said Mr. Anderson, who received a national credential instead of the state honor.

Mr. Myers of the Democratic National Convention Committee conceded that tough calls had to be made. “Nobody here, certainly not I, believes there’s only one good blog in every state,” he said. “It’s just not true.” In the last week, the D.N.C. released an additional 100 credentials that will allow multiple contributors from the same blog to cover the convention in tandem.

But the last-minute disbursement of credentials has only exacerbated many bloggers’ frustrations.

“It’s unprecedented access for bloggers, yes, but it’s certainly not equal access,” said Ms. Spaulding, who learned last week that Pam’s House Blend would receive two extra credentials. “What, pray tell, is the big secret?”

The annoyance felt by many bloggers is familiar to those who previously attended conventions as correspondents for smaller print publications. “This is very reminiscent of being at the low end of the totem pole,” said Micah Sifry, the co-founder of the group blog Techpresident.com, who formerly wrote for The Nation magazine and attended his first convention in 1984. “They can’t buy a sky box, they’re scrambling.”

One perk that bloggers will have access to in Denver is the Big Tent, an 8,000-square-foot two-story structure adjacent to where the convention is being held. For a $100 entrance fee, 400 credentialed bloggers will be allowed to enter the air-conditioned space, hosted by a coalition of progressive blogs and organizations and sponsored by the Web sites Google and Digg, where they can eat meals and find work spaces with Wi-Fi.

“I’m telling everyone to meet me at the Big Tent,” said Fred Gooltz, 30, an online strategist with Advomatic, a Web development and strategy firm. “That’s where I’ll be meeting everyone else who’s like me, folks that I’ve only met online or blogged and e-mailed with.” Mr. Gooltz sees the $100 fee as a bargain, especially since he would rather network “with movementarians, who see themselves as a progressive movement, separate from the Democratic Party hierarchy.”

Markos Moulitsas, whose Web site, the Daily Kos, is one of the Big Tent’s organizers, said he would probably remain in the tent for much, if not all, of the convention. “I have no interest in going to the convention hall and chances are I will not,” he said. “There’s nothing happening in the convention hall that would justify braving the long security lines and crowds.”

For bloggers who do not wield as much influence as Mr. Moulitsas, paying for the trip to Denver meant appealing directly to their readers for contributions — an uneasy bargain for many writers who value their independence.

This summer marked the first time that Mr. Anderson of the Albany Project asked readers for donations on his own behalf. “I would never go to my readers and say, I really need a vacation,” said Mr. Anderson, who makes his living as a consultant, and earns a few thousand dollars a year from the advertising revenue his blog generates. “It’s kind of humbling that people value what we’re doing to the point where they’re willing to give us $20.”

Through contributions as small as $5 or $10, Mr. Anderson said, he was able to raise about $1,500 for his Denver trip.

John Odum, 40, the lead author of the political blog Green Mountain Daily, felt similarly conflicted. Though his readers did supply him with a new laptop computer on his 40th birthday, Mr. Odum, who lives in Montpelier, Vt., and works for a local environmental nonprofit, was reluctant to ask them for further acts of generosity. In an election year, he said, “People ought to be giving it to a candidate, not giving me their spare money.”

Now a yellow “donate” icon on his site links to a separate PayPal account, where readers can contribute toward Mr. Odum’s estimated $1,000 travel costs. He said he had received enough support to pay for the $400 air fare.

“It takes me back to my hippie-ish youth, thrown in a situation with very little to fall back on and not 100 percent certain where I’ll be sleeping,” Mr. Odum said. He said he might have to unfurl his sleeping bag on someone’s hotel room floor if the housing space he reserved on Craigslist does not pan out.

Among the devoted readers who believe Mr. Odum deserves their donations is Nate Freeman, one of two Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor of Vermont. Mr. Freeman, 40, gave about $100 to Mr. Odum’s laptop fund, and said he would contribute $50 for Mr. Odum’s convention trip.

“Barack doesn’t need my 50 bucks,” Mr. Freeman said, “but John does.”

By NY Times Writer AMANDA M. FAIRBANKS

Michelle Obama's Closeup Tonight: A Black Woman As First Lady? You Go Grrrrl!!!!

All Eyes on Michelle as Dems Open Convention

Symbolism in Obama Acceptance on 'Dream' Anniversary
Obama Leads McCain by 49% to 43% in Post-ABC Poll
Union Officials Worry Racism in the Ranks is Hurting Obama
Clinton Likely to Release Her Delegates to Obama
Maxwell Returns to Concert Stage
Jamaican Students to Be Searched at School
Somalia’s Olympic Runners Provide Inspiration

Trip To Denver A No-Go For Mayor Kwame

Hip-hop CD Goes to Bat for Negro Leagues Museum
In Kenya Slum, Sun and Sewage Equals Progress
How Ice Cube, N.W.A Made History Straight Outta Compton

Robert Downey In Blackface Takes #1 Spot Again At The Box

Remembering Singer Aaliyah, 7Years Later
Jailed Rapper DMX Wants A Big Mac/ And A TV Show
Sudanese Forces Attack Darfur Refugee Camp

DNC CONVENTION DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN AS DEATH TOLL RISES IN IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN: STARTING THE WEEK WITH THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE

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

Marine LCpl Jacob J Toves, 27, of Grover Beach, CA
Marine Cpl Anthony G Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, IL
Marine LCpl Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, of Mesa, AZ
Army SSG Kristopher D Rodgers, 29, of Sturgis, MI
Army PVT Janelle F King, 23, of Merced, CA
Army 1LT Donald C Carwile, 29, of Oxford, MS
Army PFC Paul E Conlon Jr, 21, of Somerville, MA
Army PFC Jonathon L Luscher, 20, of Scranton, PA
Marine LCpl Travis M Stottlemyer, 20, of Hatfield, PA
Marine Sgt Nickolas Lee Hopper, 27, of Montrose, IL
Army SFC George Stanciel, 40, of Greenwood, MS
Army SFC David J Todd Jr, 36, of Marrero, LA

In the midst of DNC Commmittee meetings, brokering, posturing, eating, drinking and back slapping...let's remember those families listed above who really aren't thinking about "history". There is nothing more important than their story. Pray for them in their sacrifice.

With Brothers Dropping Like Flies, Is The Price of Policing Black Neighborhoods Too High?

FEELING LUCKY, PUNK?

By Erin Aubry Kaplan

When I moved to Inglewood, California in 2001, I was moving back after a long time away. I grew up just outside the city limits before my family moved into town when I was 15. It was homey and comfortable back then, with roomy houses, lots of backyards to go around and annual Christmas decorating competitions—middle-class and then some.

But there was simultaneously a sense of encroaching danger, a wariness of other, rougher elements that gave Inglewood a dubious reputation that dogs so many black communities...

When I moved back as a homeowner seven years ago, I found myself mulling over not the fond memories but those dubious elements--was moving back a move up? I was hardly proud of those thoughts, but there they were.

In the meantime, I relaxed into a real community life I hadn’t felt in ages. I talked to people across hedges and picket fences. I walked my dogs at night. I joined the block club that met monthly and planned summer parties and fundraisers. But over time I noticed a kind of stoic refusal to address the less idyllic happenings in town that had always been part of Inglewood’s profile, namely gang activity and shootings.

If the police were involved in the controversial shooting of a citizen—as has been happening frequently over the last year, most recently with the shootings of teenager Michael Byoune in May and postal worker Kevin Wicks last month—people had even less to say.

(Postal Worker Kevin Wicks)

The almost determined indifference to the deaths of mostly young black men was disturbing; at one meeting last year, a neighbor reported the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy in the area like he was reading a routine item from the city hall newsletter.

At meetings like this, I fumed—how could we claim to be about neighborhood improvement and safety but ignore the implications of such shootings? Yet I said nothing. The unfortunate truth is, I understood. We were—are-- grappling with a serious identity crisis that’s rooted in both class and race. Inglewood’s block-club denizens are middle-class strivers who applaud the chain stores and eateries that have appeared over the last several years--Marshalls, Ross, Starbucks, Chili’s.

They see all this as civic progress and want to protect it from the thugs and troublemakers. But the strivers and the so-called troublemakers are black. This means when a shooting death happens, black people have to choose who they are and which side they’re on. With a police shooting, whatever its merits, the stakes are higher: they have to decide whether they empathize more with the cause of social justice or material justice, whether the death of another young black man is simply part of the price to be paid for the material justice and well-being that for black folk has been too long in coming.

Of course, the choice between caring about property values and caring about the welfare of the entire community is eminently false. But that’s gotten lost in all the public concern about stamping out gangs has reached a fever pitch this past year in Los Angeles; “possible gang member” has become an almost generic description for black and brown males under the age of 30 who are apprehended by the police.

But the media-driven divide between black suspects and the rest of us—that is, between bad black folk and good—is mostly an illusion. Inglewood is a town that is not so big and the class gap not so wide that people don’t know each other.

Shooting victims live next door to solid citizens; they are somebody’s son or nephew or godchild. I’ve noticed with growing unease that Inglewood police has gotten an extra layer of law enforcement from the California Highway Patrol: On my dog walks I’ve seen more people getting pulled over, spread-eagled or handcuffed than I have in a long time. They are almost always young, black and male.

Recently I overheard a man on my block sternly warn my 14-year-old neighbor, John, to stay away from the streets and to keep his head down. He told John that trouble awaited young black men like him if he wasn’t careful. I wondered: Did he mean trouble from the police or from other young black men not as upstanding as John? Both. And this very upstanding neighbor of mine made it clear that he was speaking from experience.

I appreciated the guy caring enough to speak up and school a young boy, something black people agree we need more of. But the speaking up and coming together can’t stop at the end of anybody’s particular block. If it does, we’re all as imperiled in Inglewood, and in other black neighborhoods across the country, as John surely is now.

Former LA Weekly staff writer and weekly LA Times Columnist Erin Aubry Kaplan is currently a freelance writer and contributing editor to the Times' Opinion section.

Singer Angie Stone Will Be Out In LA Next Month For The 2008 Angel City Classic

The newest addition to the Farmers Angel City Classic 5th Quarter Concert saluting Isaac Hayes is the incomparable Angie Stone. With concert producer extraordinaire Marc Brogdon of N2U Creative Marketing Group helming the event, Stone will be joined by other top A-List talent that are still under wraps.


Angie Stone is a R&B, soul, and neo soul singer-songwriter, keyboardist, record producer, and occasional actress. Sistagirl was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her duet with Betty Wright from the hit single "Baby."

The Classic, to be nationally televised on Fox Sports Net, will feature a McDonald's Battle of The Bands, Greek tailgate parties, Snoop Dogg's youth football playoff, a Band Clinic, as well as a King & Queen Competition for High School Seniors who will be given a $5,000.00 scholarship. As Nick Cannon wants to say, this thing is so official:

Folks Who Get It: American Idol's Dorian Holley Steps Out Onto Center Stage

Husband, father and businessman would not be the first things that come to mind when you hear the name Dorian Holley.

As the featured vocalist for three years on DANCING WITH THE STARS, Holley is perhaps most known as the men's vocal coach on AMERICAN IDOL. Having backed up everybody from Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan to Michael Jackson. From Queen Latifah and Joss Stone, to Usher, Chris Brown and Alicia Keys, this brother has a new cd coming out that has folks buzzing.

To kick off Holley's newest solo cd, he wants you and a few friends to come check him out in concert Saturday, September 6, 2008. at Stage 52 in Los Angeles. Don't sleep, this gathering of who's who in the music industry is officially going down at 5299 W. Washington Blvd. For more, check my boy out at Dorian Holley.com