Some of you might remember my blog entry about my friend Demarco Majorswho is a former professional ABA baskeball player and a member of the gay games gold medal winning basketball team, the San Francisco Rockdogs. Well the team is currently shooting a reality show in San Francisco for MTV-Logo and are hosting a fundraiser this Friday, March 28, 9pm -2am in San Francisco to help raise money to send the team to play in a championship game in Chicago in April.
The show will also feature a sexy Aussiebum swimwear fashion show featuring the SF Rockdogs basketball players!
The event will be held at LOOKOUT BAR at 3600 16th St. (between Castro & Market Street) in the Castro and cost just $5.00. Please come to help raise funds to get the guys to Chicago and to be a part of a historic show about gay basketball players.
What the fuck is this? This is one of the most bizarre, hateful, and self-hating pastors that I have ever heard. And watching this mentally ill man attempt to explain his dumb ass sermon about Barack Obama on FOX News today, was further proof that he needs to be committed. Just see the test pattern looks on the faces of the members of his congregation in the video below. Looking at the video, I was surprised that they didn't throw a net over this man and drag his crazy ass away. See video below. Joe
That's right! Ten years ago this month the lives of millions of men and women were changed almost overnight by the advent of a little blue pill -- the first oral treatment for impotence. Viagra, developed by accident by scientists at Pfizer Laboratories, contains the drug Sildenafil and was first approved on March 27, 1998, for mass erection..I mean consumption. See video below.
The Oregon transgender male Thomas Beatie and the fact that he is pregnant made world news this week. He has provided The Advocate a first-person account of how it feels to be pregnant and carrying a child for his wife and himself. See excerpt below.
"Ten years ago, when Nancy and I became a couple, the idea of us having a child was more dream than plan. I always wanted to have children. However, due to severe endometriosis 20 years ago, Nancy had to undergo a hysterectomy and is unable to carry a child. But after the success of our custom screen-printing business and a move from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest two years ago, the timing finally seemed right. I stopped taking my bimonthly testosterone injections. It had been roughly eight years since I had my last menstrual cycle, so this wasn’t a decision that I took lightly. My body regulated itself after about four months, and I didn’t have to take any exogenous estrogen, progesterone, or fertility drugs to aid my pregnancy. "
You might remember my earlier interview with Lesbian and African American cultural activist Jasmyne Cannick. Jasmyne recently appeared on TV One's Media Access providing insight on the Clinton & Obama presidential dramas.
The Los Angeles Times has issued a revoke over a story it published earlier this month which alleged rapper P Diddy was in the know over a plot to kill Tupac Shakur. The West coast rapper was slain in Las Vegas 1996 from multiple gunshot wounds, and his murder remains unsolved.
However the newspaper alleged it has unearthed details linking Diddy to a failed attack on Shakur in 1994. Earlier this month, Diddy described the report as "beyond ridiculous" and the music mogul has now been vindicated after the Times confirmed that a number of the documents used as the basis for the article may have been fakes. Both the writer of the article Chuck Philips and the Times' editor Russ Stanton issued a public apology to Diddy.
Philips said, "In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job." Meanwhile, editor Russ Stanton added, "We published this story with the sincere belief that the documents were genuine, but our good intentions are beside the point."
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday said former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal cannot be executed for murdering a Philadelphia police officer without a new penalty hearing.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Abu-Jamal's conviction should stand, but that he should get a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions. If prosecutors don't want to give him a new death penalty hearing, Abu-Jamal would be sentenced automatically to life in prison.
Abu-Jamal, 53, once a radio reporter, has attracted a legion of artists and activists to his cause in a quarter-century on death row. A Philadelphia jury convicted him in 1982 of killing Officer Daniel Faulkner, 25, after the patrolman pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in an overnight traffic stop.
He had appealed, arguing that racism by the judge and prosecutors corrupted his conviction at the hands of a mostly white jury. Prosecutors, meanwhile, had appealed a federal judge's 2001 decision to grant Abu-Jamal a new sentencing hearing because of the jury instructions.
Hundreds of people protested outside the federal building in Philadelphia in May and an overflow crowd — including legal scholars, students, lawyers, the policeman's widow and Abu-Jamal's brother — filled the courtroom when the appeals court heard arguments about the case.
The officer's widow, Maureen Faulkner, has kept her husband's memory alive over the years, and recently co-wrote a book about the case. The book, "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain and Injustice," written with radio talk-show host Michael Smerconish, came out in December.
Toni Brown is paralyzed from her neck down, the result of a jealous ex-lover's bullet that severed her spine five months ago. She had just left work at a Safeway store in Northwest Washington when she was hit in the neck and left for dead, prosecutors said.
The shot was fired by Brown's former girlfriend, Raina L. Johnson, who surprised her on the street after Brown, 32, had obtained a civil protection order that was supposed to keep Johnson at a distance. Witnesses said they heard Johnson shout at Brown, "I said I was going to get you," before she hurled a crude epithet and ran away. Brown later told prosecutors how she had lain on the sidewalk watching her blood "pour out of me like water."
Johnson, 35, was sentenced yesterday to a 28-year prison term on a charge of assault with intent to kill, 12 years more than the maximum outlined in the voluntary sentencing guidelines for the charge.
In announcing the sentence, D.C. Superior Court Judge Harold L. Cushenberry Jr. called the shooting an "extraordinarily brutal, callous and despicable crime" and added that Johnson had to be punished severely. Prosecutor Opher Shweiki considered the shooting "an intended execution" and had asked Cushenberry to sentence Johnson as if Brown had been killed.
"'If anything good can come out of this tragedy, it is that it woke people up that extreme violence between women is possible,' said Morgan Lynn, a staff attorney with Women Empowered Against Violence, or WEAVE, a District-based advocacy group. 'There are a lot of myths in the lesbian community that women don't hurt each other.'
Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. Now she has become GI-Jane or maybe more like Private Benjamin with this recent blunder. But first, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a wide-ranging interview with Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporters and editors, said she would have left her church if her pastor made the sort of inflammatory remarks Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor made.
"He would not have been my pastor," Clinton said. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."
What was she thinking then when she learned that her own husband, former President Bill Clinton, lied to her and the American people when he said emphatically that he did not have sex with Monica Lewinsky? Couldn't she have "chosen" to not stay married to a womanizing liar?
And in the most recent expose of Hillary Clinton's deceptive campaign to convince people that she is the candidate who is most "ready on day one." Clinton has now been caught telling a lie so flagrant, so self-serving and so unnecessary that it takes your breath away. The media are on to her, and they're beginning to unload.
On March 17, at a speech at George Washington University, Clinton spoke about a terrifying mission to Tuzla, Bosnia that she had undertaken on behalf of her husband, the then-president, in March 1996.
"I remember landing under sniper fire," she said. "There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Wow. Now there's a woman you want answering that red phone at 3am.
Sounds compelling...but it never happened. Other foreign dignitaries are also challenging the validity of her accounts of other international experiences that Clinton is claiming as part of her resume. It was a lie.
Haven't we had enough of this same drama from this couple? CHANGE! CHANGE! CHANGE!
See video below of CBS's report on Hillary's "comprehensive lie".
You and I know that barring the 1977 network television premiere of ROOTS, most white people in America are either in the dark about black history or in serious denial about the many racist and discriminatory practices used against people of color here in the United States today. And after watching conservative talk shows like The O’ Reilly Factor, it is clear that many could care less.
Recently, while watching CNN conservative talk show host Glenn Beck ranting about why “it boggles the mind” as to why Barack Obama’s (now former) Pastor, Reverend Wright, would have a "conspiracy theorist mentality" about AIDS. I thought, this man is either an idiot, ignorant, or both. Glenn Beck obviously does not have any knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment which took place between 1939 and 1972 conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), during his (Beck's) lifetime.
Beck went on to talk about how black people continue to use the excuse that because of slavery, they can’t get ahead. He then used Oprah Winfrey as proof positive that black people can get ahead. And while I do agree that there are a lot of black people who are full of exscuses why they won’t work to improve the quality of their communities or their individual lives, there are a whole lot of African Americans who do very well in spite of racial descrimination and who do care about the black community and America at large. There are also a lot of white and other non black people who are full of excuses about why they are not doing enough to improve their communities or their individual lives as well. Glenn Beck’s oversimplification of the issue was dismissive of the fact that equal treatment of blacks and other people of color wasn't "a given" in America until recent history.
Mr. Beck also forgot that Black Americans had to ask the U.S. Government for fair and equal treatment and weren't fully protected under Federal Law until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was not that long ago, and is within the lifetimes of baby boomers including Reverend Wright and Senator Barack Obama.
And let’s be real, we all know that history shows that since the end of slavery and the beginning of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many white Americans have evolved overtly racist practices into a behavioral system that employs subtle tactics used to keep people of color out and is based on white skin priviledge. And although many white people have refused to adopt these racist and discriminatory practices, they are very aware that they exist.
Another truth is that "Black" people have traditionally used African American churches as outlets for political activism and to air our grievances against our U.S. government. The black church has also been used as the place of community sanctioned anti-homosexual hateful rhetoric. And if the Reverand Wright debacle is red flag for future potential black presidential candidates, I think that they will think twice about what is being said in the pulpit of their church of choice.
I would bet everything that if the good reverend was admonishing homosexuals (which I am not sure that he has not), most black people (who are not gay) and most white non-gay folks (liberal or conservative) would not have even batted an eye, primarily because in church, you can preach negatively about certain groups, just not white people who aren't gay.
I hope that Barack Obama has learned a lesson from this, a lesson that says that everything said in the darkness (church or behind closed doors) will come to light. We all deserve a place at the table of American society and not just the public table for political purposes.
Remy Ma's attorney admitted in the closing arguments of rapper's case today that the former Terror Squad star did, in fact, shoot her friend during disagreement in July last year.
Lawyer Ivan Fisher called the shooting, which left Makeda Barnes-Joseph hospitalized, an accident. Fisher claimed Remy Ma (real name: Reminisce Smith) and Barnes-Joseph struggled over the latter's bag when the two argued over missing money after leaving a birthday celebration for a mutual acquaintance. The former Terror Squad star accused Barnes-Joseph of pocketing upward of $3,000 in cash.
Fisher told the jury the women's hands hit the rearview mirror of Barnes-Joseph's car during the tussle and the gun then went off, according to AP.
"There is no other explanation for why Remy Smith would have chosen that unique moment in time to shoot her," Fisher said.
The surprising admission was a far cry from Fisher's opening remarks when he attempted to characterize Barnes-Joseph as a celebrity groupie who was misrepresenting the nature of the events in order to win money from the "Lean Back" rapper. In December, Barnes-Joseph filed a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit against Remy Ma.
In July, Remy vehemently denied shooting Barnes-Joseph. When reporters gathered around the rapper's New Jersey home, she maintained her innocence.
"I didn't shoot my friend!" she yelled.
Jury deliberation in the case begins Tuesday. If convicted, Remy Ma could face up to 25 years in prison.
I feel bad about this Tiger but I was so busy that I thought that I already blogged this event... but congratulations for being inducted into the GAYVN Hall Of Fame in Febuary in San Francisco. Keep doing it big (literally) and see you soon.
Barack Obama's message of hope and unity may be falling on many deaf ears since the fallout of his recent controversy, but his message is so clear to me and I think that the R&B band Maze sang about this truth very eloquently in the words of their 1983 song that I have added below, "WE ARE ONE." Whether you are a Woman or a Man, Gay or Straight, Black, White, Latino, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Catholic or Muslim, we are all one human race. Some people never experience what it feels like to know this truth. This doesn't mean that you have a pollyanna view of the world or that racism, sexism, homophobia or any of the many other "isms" don't exist, it just means that you have seen another reality and once you have seen it, you can't deny it. Many refuse to open their minds to experiencing this truth because they are so invested in their pain or so full of anger, hate, and fear that they are blind to the fact. I believe that the ultimate transformation of mankind will be when we all learn how to not pass down to our children the practice of division through discrimination. WE ARE ONE.
With Elton John using his star power to throw a big fundraiser for Hillary Clinton and Anderson Cooper's grilling of Barack (see below), it looks like white gay power players are sending a message that says; Hey gay (white) folks, we are supporting Hillary, so should you!
(CNN)–Sir Elton John is set to perform a solo concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall next month to help fundraise for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “I’m not a politician but I believe in the work that Hillary Clinton does,” said John in a statement released by the Clinton campaign Monday. “I’m excited to support Hillary by performing at what will be a truly memorable night.”
The event, called “Elton and Hillary: One Night Only,” will take place April 9, and marks the superstar's first solo public concert since October 2000. Throughout his career, John has supported many charities helping to raise millions for his AIDS foundation, breast cancer awareness and New York’s food banks. Last October John helped Clinton celebrate her 60th birthday with a star-studded fundraiser at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
Tickets for next month’s performance go on sale Wednesday starting at $125 for Mezzanine seats and $250 for Orchestra seats. With 5,933 seats available at the historic venue, a sold-out show could raise upwards of $800,000 for Clinton’s campaign.
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama in a speech Tuesday addressed the controversy surrounding his former minister, using it as an opportunity to challenge Americans to take a closer look at race relations.
Constitution Center, the Democratic presidential candidate said he rejected racially charged comments made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but he tried to explain the root of those remarks. Wright formerly preached at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where the senator from Illinois worships.
Some of Wright's old sermons came under fire after an ABC News report last week, becoming a YouTube phenomenon.
In one, Wright said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself. In another, he said Sen. Hillary Clinton had an advantage over Obama because she is white. Obama on Tuesday said his belief that all people want to move in the same direction comes from his "unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story."
Gov. David Paterson tried to come clean about his own skeletons just hours after assuming office by acknowledging a years-old affair.
Paterson was sworn in almost exactly a week after allegations first surfaced that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer was "Client 9" of a high-priced call girl service. Responding to rumors circulating in Albany, Paterson and his wife, Michelle, told the Daily News of New York City that both had affairs during a rough patch in their marriage several years ago.
"This was a marriage that appeared to be going sour at one point," Paterson told the Daily News. "But I went to counseling and we decided we wanted to make it work. Michelle is well aware of what went on." Paterson told the newspaper that he maintained a relationship with another woman from 1999 until 2001. He and his wife, Michelle, eventually sought counseling and repaired their relationship. The couple did not go into details.
Paterson and the other woman sometimes stayed at a Days Inn on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the governor said, adding that his Albany staff sometimes stayed there as well when they were in the city. Paterson said he did not use government or campaign funds to pay for the romantic encounters.
A spokesman for the governor did not immediately reply to requests for comment about Paterson's interview, which came hours after the governor assumed office with a message of unity. He became the state's first black chief executive and the nation's second legally blind governor. Complete Story At Source>>
If the divorce between former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and his estranged wife isn't ugly enough now the governor's former aide and driver, Teddy Pedersen, says in a published report Dina Matos McGreevey must have known her husband was gay.
Pedersen tells The New York Post he had weekly ménage-a-trois with the couple inside their Woodbridge Condo before and after they got married.
In a statement, McGreevey confirms Pedersen's story, saying, "This happened, this happened in the past, and now we need to move on with our lives.
For all of our sakes, particularly our daughter, we need to close this chapter and look toward the future." The owner of a health club says Pedersen met the McGreevy's at his gym while working the front desk. "When Jim was in the mayor's office, I saw teddy around but nothing out of the ordinary," Ray Zirpolo said. "There was nothing in the relationship you would have seen here that you would have known."Matos McGreevey has insisted she had no idea her husband was gay. No one answered the door at her home Monday.
She told The Associated Press Pedersen's story is untrue. Pedersen reportedly dubbed the encounters "Friday Night Specials" because they started after drinks at a TGI Fridays. Published reports say he had contact with Dina as the former governor watched and that trysts ended once McGreevey became governor. "He said I assume it's true at face value," Zirpolo said. "It's kind of sad I guess."Matos McGreevey and her estranged husband are due back in court on Thursday. Pedersen says he didn't even want to talk about this whole thing until Matos McGreevey subpoenaed him and began commenting on the Eliot Spitzer scandal. McGreevey says her estranged husband put Pederson up to this. Source>>
My friend who lives in Atlanta sent me a text message tonight stating that something wierd just passed his car. I am trying to call him. I now know it was a tornado.
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A tornado swept through downtown Atlanta Friday night, slamming trees into cars and homes, disrupting a college basketball game and damaging the building that houses CNN.
Atlanta Fire Department spokesman Capt. Bill May said there were numerous injuries and widespread damage reported in downtown Atlanta, with roofs ripped off and trees torn down. The storm tracked from the northwest side of the city to the southeast, demolishing buildings and downing trees that crushed cars and ripped through the roofs of homes. The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for the area, in effect until 10 p.m. The storm came through at about 9:45 p.m.
Inside CNN Center, water poured through damage in the ceiling into the building's atrium. Glass shattered, and parts of the building filled with dust.
Timothy Wood, 30, of Cumming, Georgia, took refuge from rain at Philips Arena. "First thing I saw were cups then I saw larger objects -- like parts of Philips Arena were coming off and being blown into the street," Wood said.
"People were just running to the closest place of safety they could find. Me and another guy were struggling trying to close the door to Philips and we saw another guy across the way and we waved him over. It probably lasted about two minutes. We went back outside after it was over and there were trees that were actually broken," he said.
Virtually all of the windows facing Centennial Olympic Park on the Omni Hotel, which is attached to CNN Center, were shattered. One employee said visitors to the hotel were being evacuated.
Universal Motown's multi-platinum-selling, Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter/actress Erykah Badu returns to the music limelight with New Amerykah (Part I). The album's first single, "Honey," has been steadily rising on radio charts, with tastemaker DJs declaring their love for the innovative track. Badu has enlisted some of the most talented, groundbreaking underground producers and engineers in the hip-hop game to support her breakthrough return, including Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Nas, Mary J. Blige), Madlib, Mike "Chav" Chavarria, R&B singer Bilal, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and Shafiq Husayn.
Enter below to win one of ten copies of New Amerykah (Part I) on CD! >> Or Buy the CD For
David Paterson made history when he was appointed the first African American to hold the post of Lieutenant Governor by Eliott Spitzer. He's also legally blind. Today 53-year Patterson, who has been legally blind since infancy, makes history again as he becomes the first African American Governor of NY State, as the now former Governor, Spitzer, resigns in disgrace.
A surprise birthday party for Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," ended with a nearly three-hour tour of the Teton County sheriff's office and jail when the 69-year-old was caught with marijuana in her vehicle while driving home. Wells is now serving six months' unsupervised probation. She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.
Prosecutors dropped misdemeanour counts of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. According to a sheriff's, Wells was pulled over after she swerved across the fog lines and centre lines of State Highway 33 and repeatedly speeded up and slowed down. The officer who stopped her said he smelled burning marijuana. Complete story here from source here>>>
Meet Amewoke Nunyakpe BA, CMT,CYT. Amewoke is the head of "Relaxation Services" for Blatino Oasis in Palm Springs, California, May 9-12. Check out the interview below and click here to book your massage so that when you arrive in Palm Springs, Amewoke and his team of massage therapist will be available to help you to release, relax, and enjoy. If you are not coming to Palm Springs, and you would like to book Amewoke for a massage, feel free to email him at anunyakpe@yahoo.com. Special thanks to Ron and Sonny from inside the lens for their wonderful videography support.
Sex scandals, they have been around since the beginning of time, and technology is simply exposing just how widespread our need is to express ourselves sexually and that for many of us this desire goes far beyond marriage and monogamy. And although women have also been guilty, statistically, men are the biggest offenders.
So many people go through life trying to live up to social and religious standards and expectations that are not rooted in the male genetic reality. Some men try to deny or control these sexual urges through religion. Last year alone, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest in America, paid $660 million USD — $1.3 million USD per child abuse claim — to settle lawsuits filed by 508 victims, not to mention the millions of other payouts made by the Catholic church due to sexual abuse lawsuits.
Sexual abuse and sexual repression leads to sexual dysfunction.
I believe that all mutually consenting adults (18 and over) must be afforded the opportunity to express the fullness of their sexuality in honest, responsible and respectful ways and without fear of retribution.
I created Blatino Oasis because I believe that although sex is all around us in our respective communities, on television and on the internet, most men of color who are gay or bisexual don't get to experience our sexuality in a safe supportive environment. Even some gay men are upset with how "out there" other gay men are with their sexuality.
I believe we all need time for self acceptance and sexual healing.
We also need to have honest conversations with youth under 18 about what it means to be a sexual being and how they can express themselves without violating the law and/or feeling like a freak.
Whether you are the President or a priest, straight or gay, single or in a relationship, your genetic male desire will manifests itself despite your religious beliefs or social status. How it manifest and how you feel about it is up to you.
The sex scandal du jour involves New York Governor Eliott Spitzer, the former Attorney General.
Eliot Spitzer took office as New York's governor on the first day of 2007, with a record margin of victory and a profound sense of promise. Over the previous eight years as attorney general, Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, gained national recognition as the 'Sheriff of Wall Street' for his pursuit of corporate corruption and his self-styled role as the defender of the American investor. During his campaign, his signature promise was to change state politics "on Day One" of his new administration, with ethics reform high in his sights.
The governor learned that he had been implicated in the prostitution probe when a federal official contacted his staff last Friday, according to the person briefed on the case. The governor informed his top aides Sunday night and this morning of his involvement. He canceled his public events today and scheduled an announcement for this afternoon after inquiries from the Times.
The governor's aides appeared shaken, and one of them began to weep as they waited for him to make his statement at his Manhattan office. Mr. Spitzer was seen leaving his Fifth Avenue apartment just before 3 p.m. with his wife of 21 years, Silda, heading to the news conference. The man described as Client 9 in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, Emperors Club VIP, on the night of Feb. 13. Mr. Spitzer traveled to Washington that evening, according to a person told of his travel arrangements.
The affidavit says that Client 9 met with the woman in hotel room 871 but does not identify the hotel. Mr. Spitzer stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on Feb. 13, according to a source who was told of his travel arrangements. Room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel that evening was registered under the another name.
Whitney Houston's first album of original material since 2002 will be out this year, according to BMG Label Group chairman/CEO Clive Davis.Speaking during Billboard's Music & Money Symposium this morning (March 6) at New York's St. Regis Hotel, Davis said four songs have been completed for the as-yet-untitled project, and four more will be put to tape later this month."We're on track for a holiday release," he said. "We're not going to compromise who she is to fit into today's hip-hop radio market. The public wants Whitney material."
Tracks earmarked for the album have been produced or written by will.i.am, Sean Garrett and Akon, who told Billboard.com last year, "The voice is there; I don't think anyone could ever take that from her. As long as we apply that voice to hit records, she'll be right back where she left off."
Houston has been dogged in recent years by drug and health issues -- including rehab stints in 2004 and 2005 -- a legal dispute with her father, John Houston, rumored financial problems and a troubled marriage to fellow singer Bobby Brown that ended in divorce. Source>>>
Riperton possessed a five-octave vocal range talent (the liner notes to her Petals legacy album ascribe to her a five and a half octave range). What set Riperton apart from most other whistle register singers was her ability to enunciate in the high registers. This feature is most notably heard in the song "Here We Go," where she sings "here we go" in the high register.
In 1976, Riperton revealed to Flip Wilson, who was guest-hosting for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, that she had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Minnie found out that her cancer had already spread to the lymphatic system. Despite such a grim prognosis, Minnie continued touring in 1977 and 1978, and became the National spokesperson for the American Cancer Society 78-79 campaign.
Eventually the cancer would take its toll, and by June 1979, Minnie was confined to bed. She entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California for the last time on July 10. On Thursday July 12, 1979, Minnie Riperton died peacefully in her husband's arms. According to Jet magazine's August 3, 1979 issue, Minnie and her husband were listening to a recording of a song Stevie Wonder had written for her when she died. Her family inscribed her headstone with a lyric of her most famous song, "Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful."
Minnie Ripperton Video - Lovin You
Stevie Wonder's Tribute To Minnie Ripperton After Her Passing On Soul Train.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dangerous cracks are appearing in the nation's job market. Employers slashed jobs by the largest amount in five years - and hundreds of thousands of people dropped out of the labor force - an ominous sign that the country is falling toward a recession or has already toppled into one.
For the second straight month, nervous employers got rid of jobs nationwide. In February, they sliced payrolls by 63,000, even deeper than the 22,000 positions cut in January, the Labor Department reported Friday. The grim snapshot of the country's employment climate underscored the heavy toll the housing and credit debacles are taking on companies, jobseekers and the economy as a whole.
"It sounds like the recession bell is ringing for the U.S. economy, although it is still faint," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group.
The worsening situation will prompt the Federal Reserve to cut a key interest rate deeply - perhaps by as much as three-quarters of a percentage point - at its next meeting March 18, or possibly sooner, to help brace the teetering economy, analysts predicted.
The shower of pink slips was widespread. Factories, construction companies, mortgage brokers, real-estate firms, retailers, temporary-help firms, child day-care providers, hotels, educational services, accounting firms and computer designers were among those shedding jobs. All those cuts swamped job gains at hospitals and other health care sites, bars and restaurants, legal services and the government.
Samantha Power, a senior foreign policy adviser to Sen. Barack Obama, resigned Friday morning after calling Sen. Hillary Clinton a "monster" in an interview with a European newspaper.
"With deep regret, I am resigning from my role as an adviser the Obama campaign effective today," said Power in a statement issued by the Obama campaign. "Last Monday, I made inexcusable remarks that are at marked variance from my oft-stated admiration for Senator Clinton and from the spirit, tenor and purpose of the Obama campaign.
And I extend my deepest apologies to Senator Clinton, Senator Obama and the remarkable team I have worked with over these long 14 months."
Power's statement came scarcely an hour after congressional supporters of Clinton demanded that Obama fire Power for the remarks. See source here>>>> complete source story here.>>>
I remember when my son was about 13 and "acting up," I would say to him that if he didn't get his act together, I was gon' whoop dat ass! He would say, "I can't wait 'til I get in my twenties and then you will be in your forties and you will be too old to catch me." My son is now 25 years old and I am now in my mid forties and today just like back then...I will still whoop dat ass!
Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes yesterday and today and I will be celebrating my birthday next Saturday at Shashamane Bar and grill in Oakland on Saturday, March 15, and my boy Dj Chris "The Maestro" Johnson of L.A.'s Catch One Disco will be on the digital wheels of steel. See you there.
Bill Cosby appeared on Oprah today in an effort to further clarify past statements that he made about the plight of lower income African Americans. Over the last few years, Bill Cosby has traveled the country to spread the word about the violence and lack of education faced by minority youth in the United States. Mr. Cosby came under fire by many in the African American community for being insensitive to the institutional racism that pre-disposed black youth to negative behaviors and for airing the black community's dirty laundry. According to Bill, the desperate situation of many minorities has resulted in some of these shocking statistics:
*At least a third of all homeless men are African-American.
*African Americans make up 12 percent of the general population, but they account for almost half of the prison population.
*According to the U.S. Justice Department, 28 percent of black men born today will go to prison in their lifetimes.
*Black youth are six times more likely to die of homicide than white youth and seven times more likely to commit a homicide.
*Homicide is the leading cause of death among African-American males ages 15 to 29.
Frustrated by these numbers, Bill gave an unexpected, uncensored speech in 2004: "In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on," he said. "They're buying things for the kid—$500 sneakers. For what? They won't buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics."It's not what they're doing to us. It's what we're not doing. … Brown vs. the Board of Education—these people who marched and were hit in the face with rocks and punched in the face to get an education, and we've got these knuckleheads walking around who don't want to learn English. I know you all know it, but I just want to get you as angry as you ought to be," he said. The Clip below is from meet the press.
Barack Obama has the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, but Hillary Clinton gets Time. Both Democratic contenders get rather flattering billing. Rolling Stone declares Obama "A New Hope" and Time calls Clinton "The Fighter."
Which pretty much sums up their core messages at this stage of the nomination fight, which shows no sign of ending soon after Clinton's comeback on Tuesday. And the demographics of each magazine's readers probably fits each candidate as well -- younger and more upscale for Rolling Stone, more middle-America for Time.
In Rolling Stone's endorsement of Obama, editor and publisher Jann S. Wenner calls him a politician with rare gifts who "can unite a deeply divided nation" and appeals to the "better angels" in Americans.
In one of the articles in Time, Joe Klein reports that one reason for Clinton's resurgence is that "tiny fissures were starting to appear in Obama's shining armor."
LOS ANGELES - Patrick Swayze’s doctor is “optimistic” about his prognosis for battling pancreatic cancer, and the “Dirty Dancing” actor’s upcoming cable pilot is still in contention to become a series.
With the writer’s strike over, the A&E pilot “The Beast,” starring Swayze as an unorthodox FBI agent, is being considered to be turned into a series by the cable network. If that happens, the “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” star hopes to continue to be part of the show, his representative Annett Wolf told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Swayze has been undergoing treatment for the disease, Wolf confirmed in a statement. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2008 with 34,290 deaths in the U.S.; only five percent of patients live more than five years after being diagnosed. More Here>>>>
The stars came out last night for the Los Angeles premiere of the action flick “Never Back Down.” The movie depicts the world of street Mixed Martial Arts and stars two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou. The actor came out with his rumored fiancé Kimora Lee Simmons. The couple talked to Hollyscoop about their relationship and children.
Not one black male made the list of the 390 people displayed on Forbes website, and Oprah was the only black woman coming in at #165.
This is the real story of the election and America and shows that white people including white women in America (like Hillary Clinton) are a very powerful force against a relatively speaking, poor black man. Shit, white women helped make Oprah a billionaire! Barack Obama should be very proud of his success given the odds against him winning the democratic nomination.
Below, see the ethnic makeup of the Forbes 390 (since the pictures stopped there):
Well, the hillarious and uber popular B.Scott of LOVE B SCOTT has launched a Youtube dance battle featuring Mariah Carey's new song "Touch My Body". If you want to enter the B. Scott Touch My Body dance off click here. Below see a clip submitted by one of the competitors. I give him a 10!
Janet’s latest album, Discipline, has reached number one in the United States. The CD, which has sold 181,000 units in its first week is Janet’s first number one album since All For You.
The talking heads on MSNBC and CNN had a mind-meld Tuesday night: Hillary Clinton threw "the kitchen sink" at Barack Obama, and her negativity paid off big time. She won Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island, by large margins in two of three states, while losing Vermont. That sets up what they all pretend is a nightmare, but it's really a hot media fantasy: Mutant Superdelegates Pick Nominee! Cable television ratings aside, let's all hope it doesn't go there.
First of all, let's take the stories apart. After 11 losses in a row, Clinton won three impressive victories in big, diverse states. The "kitchen sink strategy" analysis is silly. The Nevada and South Carolina races were arguably nastier. Yet over and over Tuesday night, the talking heads lumped together a supposedly toxic trifecta of NAFTA, Rezko and "the 3 a.m. ad" as having carried the day for a newly nasty Clinton. But in fact, only the 3 a.m. ad -- you saw it, the White House Terror Phone ringing when your adorable kids are asleep -- was Clinton's debatable creation. The NAFTA gaffe was entirely the Obama camp's doing, when they failed to figure out what economics guru Austin Goolsbee told the Canadians, and when.
And Clinton didn't decree that the trial of Tony Rezko would begin March 3. On the other hand, Obama is still ahead in delegates, he's still the likely nominee, and while he's had a bad week, he's run a great campaign until now. The notion that he has to panic or suddenly change course seems silly. More here>>>>
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The video for Gnarls Barkley's new single, "Run," may feature a cameo from Justin Timberlake, but it's still not quite ready to air on MTV. That's because of its strobe effects, which caused the clip to fail the Harding Test -- guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures.
However, the video is available on various online outlets, and Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse was hopeful the situation could be resolved shortly. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but we're having issues. I think (the video) is cool. It works for me. But I'm not necessarily that easily seasick," he told Billboard.com. "We can't predict how people are going to interpret it." "Run" centers around the fictional public access TV show "City Vibin'" and is set in the early '90s. Timberlake appears as the host of the program, on which Danger Mouse and fellow Gnarls Barkley principal Cee-Lo then perform the track.
With its new album, "The Odd Couple," nearing its April 8 release date, Gnarls Barkley are about to shoot a video for the second single, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul." The group is also rehearsing for summer tour dates, which include a July 27 show at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl and both U.S. and European festivals.
"We didn't plan last time to do a whole bunch, and we don't plan to do a whole bunch this time, but you just never know how it's going to feel until you go out there," Danger Mouse said.
Janet appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live & Tyra this week. In the interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she alludes to the recent publicity surrounding the host’s sketch about Ben Affleck. Tyra discusses Janet's butt and smells her armpits. Watch the clips below.
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Some of you might remember my blog entry about my friend Demarco Majors who is a former professional ABA baskeball player and a member of the gay games gold medal winning basketball team, the San Francisco Rockdogs. Well the team is currently shooting a reality show in San Francisco for MTV-Logo and are hosting a fundraiser this Friday, March 28, 9pm -2am in San Francisco to help raise money to send the team to play in a championship game in Chicago in April.
And let’s be real, we all know that history shows that since the end of slavery and the beginning of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many white Americans have evolved overtly racist practices into a behavioral system that employs subtle tactics used to keep people of color out and is based on white skin priviledge. And although many white people have refused to adopt these racist and discriminatory practices, they are very aware that they exist.
