Friday, January 30, 2009

POLITICS: PRES. OBAMA signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act / FIRST LADY OBAMA ATTENDS RECEPTION

President Barack Obama, with Lilly Ledbetter (R) and Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski (L), signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday.

The wage discrimination bill, which allows employees more time to file a claim, is named after Lilly Ledbetter, a retired worker at a Goodyear factory in Alabama who discovered she was paid less than her male counterparts.

“It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign … we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness,” Obama said at the bill’s signing ceremony.

First Lady Michelle Obama also attended and spoke at the event, view photos and video when you continue..

WATCHDOG GROUP WANTS BLACKS TO BOYCOTT EBAY: African-Americans and Catholics urged to join forces against racist e-commerce sites.

Just days after the inauguration of America's first black president, Barack Obama, and first Catholic vice-president, Joseph Biden, eBay is hosting items some say is offensive to both groups, and most of the nation.

Items for sale include "coon" songs, a piece of piano music entitled "n-----" blues, anti-Catholic post cards and tracts from the Ku Klux Klan, and even the bones of Catholic saints.

"As America moves into a new era of race relations, we find eBay catering to those stuck in the worst part of our country's past," said Thomas J. Serafin, president of the International Crusade for Holy Relics (ICHR) and the Apostolate for Holy Relics (AHR).

Serafin has been fighting eBay's offensive sales for nearly a decade. Most recently the AHR sent a representative to address an international meeting of diplomats in Washington, DC. There members of the International Catholic Diplomatic Society of St. Gabriel from around the world were briefed on some of the abuses commonly found on eBay.

"African Americans and Catholics now have members in the two highest profile positions in the United States," said Serafin, "and if eBay won't respect us, perhaps they will respect us when we take our dollars elsewhere. It is beyond belief to think that a high tech company like this can't run a software program to police its own site. That couldn't eat into the profit margin that much, so we are left to wonder if it's just a matter of a lack of respect."

Among the most offensive items for sale today are item numbers:

170298113528 - a KKK statue - with hood and robes.
180323423536 - An anti-Catholic post-card published by the Klan
18032342367 - A second anti-Catholic post-care featuring the pope as a pig
350158062162 - A piece of music entitled "Here's to the Klan, the 100% American Song"
270336116202 - A piece of music entitled "A Little Coon's Prayer"
200297337939 - A piece of music entitled "Coon Town's Vacation"
290292378206 - A piano roll entitled "(N-word) Blues"
160311722350 - A piece of the bones of St. John Bosco, a 19th century Italian saint

Visit www.ichrusa.com for more information.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

"WOW Gospel 2009," an exuberant mix of Gospel music's most chart-topping hits and groundbreaking artists, is currently in stores.

"WOW Gospel 2009," an exuberant mix of Gospel music's most chart-topping hits and groundbreaking artists, is currently in stores.

The 32 track collection of riveting music combines poignant ballads and high energy hand-clappers on "WOW Gospel 2009" will be simultaneously released as a CD and DVD.

Since "WOW Gospel" was first produced in 1998, the 2-disc CD has been a massive success with seven platinum and four gold-certified releases.

This year's edition includes music from BET's "Sunday Best" winner Crystal Aikin and first runner up Shari Addison; cutting-edge vocalists Deitrick Haddon, Dave Hollister, Myron Butler & Levi, Tye Tribbett, Kierra Sheard and 21:03; female powerhouses Beverly Crawford and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and Grammy favorites CeCe Winans, The Clark Sisters, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Smokie Norful, Kirk Franklin, Regina Bell and Marvin Sapp.

"WOW Gospel 2009" Track Listing

Track 1
1. Tye Tribbett- Stand Out
2. Kirk Franklin-Jesus
3. Mary Mary- Get Up
4. Dave Hollister -Striving
5. Kierra Sheard -Praise Him Now
6. 21:03- Power Of Christ
7. Crystal Aikin-Even Me
8. Myron Butler & Levi- Jesus Saves
9. Fred Hammond - L.O.U.D. L.O.U.D.
10. Jason Champion-Always
11. Deitrick Haddon- Go With Me
12. CeCe Winans- Forever
13. Anthony Evans-Glory To The King
14. J Moss - Abundantly
15. Smokie Norful - Run Til I Finish
16. Nicole C. Mullins- I Wish
17. Heather Headley - Running Back To You

Track 2
1. Dorinda Clark-Cole- Take It Back
2. The City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir- Not About Us
3. Shari Addison- I Praise You
4. Tri-City Singers- Giants
5. Maurette Brown Clark- One God
6. Byron Cage- Royalty
7. Vanessa Bell Armstrong- It's Over Now
8. Marvin Sapp- Never Would Have Made It
9. Beverly Crawford- He's Done Enough
10. Regina Belle- God Is Good
11. Timothy Wright- Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
12. The Clark Sisters- Livin'
13. Ricky Dillard- The Light
14. Shekinah Glory- Jesus
15. Mighty Clouds Of Joy- Jesus Kind Of Man

NICK NEWS TACKLES RACISM FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Linda Ellerbee hosts 'We Shall Not Be Moved.'

*In celebration of Black History Month, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee showcases stories of kids of all races coming together to fight injustice on "We Shall Not Be Moved," premiering Sunday, Feb. 8, at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

In the special, kids unite to make changes in their neighborhoods, in their schools, and in themselves -- through political action, poetry and art.

"When I was young, there was a song called 'We Shall Not Be Moved.' It was about strength and courage and was often sung during the civil rights movement. One verse said, 'Black and white together, we shall not be moved.' What this really meant was that black and white together, we cannot be stopped," said Ellerbee. "We know racism still exists, but these kids show us how we can really embrace each other's diversity and celebrate those differences."

For instance, kids of different races who were friends in elementary school often begin to pull apart in middle school. In Ohio, a group of high-school kids, recognizing the problem, formed the Student Group On Race Relations (SGORR). Members of SGORR go into elementary schools and give kids of different races concrete ways to stay friends through middle and high school.

In Illinois, some kids noticed a big difference between the quality of schools in primarily black neighborhoods and schools in primarily white neighborhoods. "Schools are funded by property taxes, so it basically means the zip code you live in determines what kind of school you're going to have," says Matt, who is white and lives in suburban Chicago. "We want to challenge them (the politicians) to tell us to our face that our schools don't deserve the same funding as suburban schools," says Brandon, a student from the inner city school. Now kids from both races are doing just that -- challenging authority -- together.

POLITICS: PRES. OBAMA VISITS PENTAGON

On Wednesday, President Obama and Vice President Biden met with Sec. of Defense Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to get what the White House called a “comprehensive view of the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the impact on our forces”.

The administration plans to decrease troop deployment in Iraq and focus on the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Gates wants to put Obama “in front of all the people that are involved in these decisions and all the people that are involved in committing the lives of men and women in our uniform so that the president can get all this advice in an unvarnished way,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: BAYARD RUSTIN


BAYARD RUSTIN (1912-1987) was one of the most influential civil rights activists who maintained a low profile, reserving the spotlight for other prominent figures, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph.

Born March 17, 1910, Rustin was one of twelve children raised by his grandparents in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Rustin’s life-long commitment to nonviolence began with his Quaker upbringing and the influence of his grandmother, a member of the Society of Friends and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). NAACP leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson were frequent guests in the Rustin home. With these influences in his early life, Rustin campaigned against racially discriminatory Jim Crow laws in his youth.


Rustin graduated from West Chester High School and, in 1932, entered Wilberforce University. He left in 1936 before taking his final exams. He also attended Cheyney State Teachers College and completed an activist training program conducted by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). The following year he moved to Harlem and began studying at City College of New York. There he became involved in efforts to free the Scottsboro Boys – nine young black men who had been accused falsely of raping two white women. He also became a member of the Young Communist League in 1936; soon after coming to New York City, he also became a member of Fifteenth Street Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

WAIT! THERE'S MORE

Shocking! Murdered Baby Was Curry's

NBA player Eddy Curry fathered the 10-month-old girl who last week was murdered alongside her mother, Curry’s ex-girlfriend Nova Henry, sources familiar with the paternity case told the Chicago Sun-Times.

A confidential court document filed in September reveals a DNA test confirmed Curry as the biological father of Ava, whose last name is the same as a man questioned by police about the slayings, the newspaper reported.

Though police are still looking for who killed them, funerals for Henry and her 10-month-old daughter, Ava, have been scheduled.

Services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church, at 801 E. Glenwood Dyer Rd., in Glenwood.

A viewing will be held before the service beginning at 10 a.m., and a wake will be held Friday at the church between 6 and 9 p.m., a family spokeswoman said.

Paternity suit??? This sounds suspicious.... Murdering a baby is unimaginable.

School can expel lesbian students, court rules

Reporting from San Francisco -- After a Lutheran school expelled two 16-year-old girls for having "a bond of intimacy" that was "characteristic of a lesbian relationship," the girls sued, contending the school had violated a state anti-discrimination law.

In response to that suit, an appeals court decided this week that the private religious school was not a business and therefore did not have to comply with a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating. A lawyer for the girls said Tuesday that he would ask the California Supreme Court to overturn the unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal.


The appeals court called its decision "narrow," but lawyers on both sides of the case said it would protect private religious schools across California from such discrimination suits.

Kirk D. Hanson, who represented the girls, said the "very troubling" ruling would permit private schools to discriminate against anyone, as long as the schools used their religious beliefs as justification.

"It is almost like it could roll back 20 to 30 years of progress we have made in this area," said the San Diego attorney. "Basically, this decision gives private schools the license to discriminate."

John McKay, who represented the Riverside County-based California Lutheran High School, said the ruling correctly acknowledged that the school's purpose was to "teach Christian values in a Christian setting pursuant to a Christian code of conduct."

The girls were expelled in their junior year for "conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians," said McKay, who added that the girls never disclosed their sexual orientation during the litigation. Hanson said the girls had been "best friends" and, citing their privacy, declined to discuss their sexual orientation. They are now in college, he said.

The dispute started when a student at the school told a teacher in 2005 that one of the girls had said she loved the other. The student advised the teacher to look at the girls' MySpace pages. One of the girls was identified as bisexual on her MySpace page, the other's page said she was "not sure" of her sexual orientation.

McKay said the website also contained a photograph of the girls hugging.

According to the principal, who called each girl out of class separately, both admitted they had hugged and kissed each other and told other students they were lesbians. The girls said they admitted only that they loved each other as friends.

The principal "just looked at me like I was a disease and I was so wrong," one of the girls later said. They were identified in the legal proceedings only as Jane Doe and Mary Roe.

In ruling in favor of the school, the appeals court cited a 1998 California Supreme Court decision that said the Boy Scouts of America was a social organization, not a business establishment, and therefore did not have to comply with the Unruh Civil Rights Act. That case also involved a discrimination complaint based on sexual orientation.

"The school's religious message is inextricably intertwined with its secular functions," wrote Justice Betty A. Richli for the appeals court. "The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework."

The school is affiliated with synods that believe homosexuality is a sin, the court said. The school's "Christian conduct" code said students could be expelled for engaging in immoral or scandalous contact, on or off campus.

In addition to their discrimination claim, the girls complained that the school invaded their privacy and detained them unlawfully. The girls complained the principal sat "very close" to them and asked them if they were bisexual, if they had kissed each other, and whether they had done anything "inappropriate," the court said.

Mary Roe said, "He got very close to me and he said, 'Have you ever touched [Jane Doe] in . . . any inappropriate ways? And he looked me up and down when he asked that."

But the court said there was no evidence that the principal had a prurient interest in the girls.

"It is hard to imagine how he could have determined whether they had a homosexual relationship without asking the questions that he in fact asked," wrote Richli, appointed to the court by former Gov. Pete Wilson.

The school also did not break the law when it disclosed the girls' "suspected sexual orientation" to their parents, the court said. The parents, "in light of their right to control their children's upbringing and education, had a right to know why" they were being expelled, the court said.

Hanson said the entire episode was "very traumatic" and "humiliating" for the girls.

Shannon Price Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said the ruling was based on "the particular circumstances of this school."

"Labeling a young person or telling her she is 'sinful' can be psychologically devastating," Minter said. "Regardless of one's religious beliefs, all adults have a responsibility to treat young people with compassion and respect."

School officials could not be reached for comment.

Timothy J. Tracey, litigation counsel for the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, said the ruling "preserves the right of Christian schools in California to make admission and discipline decisions consistent with their religious beliefs."

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Foolywang Material?: GONE BONKERS!!! PROPHETESS JUANITA BYNUM CELEBRATES HER 50TH BIRTHDAY … WEARING A WEDDING DRESS AND CARRYING A VIKING SWORD???


Ummm......maybe we would've had to have been there to get it?????  Naw......me no get it.....

TRAGIC: MAN KILLS FAMILY & HIMSELF AFTER BEING FIRED

Ervin Antonio Lupoe who had been recently let go from a Kaiser Permanente hospital in West Los Angeles, killed his wife, Ana, their five children: 8-year-old Brittney, 5-year-old twin girls Jaszmin and Jassely and 2-year-old twin boys Benjamin and Christian. He then took his own life after faxing a letter to KABC Channel 7 and calling the LAPD saying, “I just returned home, and my whole family has been shot.”

A suicide note found at the scene “indicated a business dispute” between Lupoe and Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. In the faxed note to KABC, Lupoe said he was despondent over an employment situation. Both he and his wife were former employees of the medical center. According to reports, there were grounds for termination that did not come as a result of layoffs. Lupoe and his wife then made a suicide pact:

“So after a horrendous ordeal, my wife felt it better to end our lives, and why leave our children in someone’s else’s hands,” the note said.

Such a sad story. Visit the LA Times for updated coverage.

NEWS BIT: FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TO BE IMMORTALIZED IN WAX

Just one week after the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama, Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. today announced that it will unveil a wax figure of First Lady Michelle Obama in March and released photos of the figure’s clay head mold. Merlin Studios artists started working on the figure in late December.

Mrs. Obama will be the third First Lady to be immortalized in wax by Madame Tussauds Washington D.C., joining Jacqueline Kennedy and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“We are honored to bring a figure of Michelle Obama to our Washington D.C. attraction,” said Janine DiGioacchino, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York and Washington D.C. “As our nation’s first African American First Lady, a proud working mom and a budding style icon, Mrs. Obama is a role model to women around the corner, and around the globe. We know our visitors will love seeing and interacting with her figure.”

Mrs. Obama’s figure will join President Barack Obama’s figure in the attraction’s replica of the Oval Office.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Politics: Obama's Weekly Address



In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discusses how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy.

“This is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century,” he said.

Foolywang: NEWS: DRUNKEN NEGRO FACE COOKIES??



A New York City bakery has caused quite a bit of controversy as it capitalizes on President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

The Lafayette French Pastry Bakery in Greenwich Village is selling ‘Drunken Negro Face’ cookies — chocolate covered biscuits with large red eyes, nose and lips.

The bakery owner, Ted Kefalinos, claims it’s “just a fun face”. But news reports say he’s used the “N word” when talking about the cookies and made vague hints of assassination.

He reportedly told several patrons: “They’re in honor of our new president. He’s following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln. He will get what’s coming to him.”

What in the WORLD???!!!

Churches AROUND THE COUNTRY Pray For Obama's Success!!!

INDIANOLA, Miss. - On the first Sunday after Barack Obama was sworn in, congregants at black churches throughout the Mississippi Delta prayed for his success, but cautioned that change would likely come slowly.

"We have not arrived simply because we have a black president," said Bill Steen, 57, a church deacon and son of a sharecropper, who lives in a neighborhood of rutted streets and tumbledown houses.

"What I like about him is that he is realistic, and will select people who can help bring change from anywhere he can," said Shirley Hamilton, 66, a retired school administrator. "But we have big issues," she conceded.

Here in the "Black Belt," the Southern cradle of black America, historical patterns of poverty, substandard schools and other social ills temper hopes that the election of an African-American president can swiftly end the nation's racial inequities.



The Rev. David Matthews, 88, who attended Morehouse College with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., says many social challenges taken up by his old school colleagues still plague Delta residents despite Mississippi having more black elected officials than any other state.

"We can't just depend on the fact that we have black elected officials," said Matthews, pastor of Indianola's Bell Grove Baptist Church. "A black president can't do it alone but can help us a whole lot if we are willing to do for ourselves."

Indianola, the cotton-growing hometown of bluesman B.B. King, which has been shedding population since the fields were mechanized in the 1950s, lost one of its last major employers in 2001, when an equipment factory shut down.

Kenneth Johnson, a University of New Hampshire demographer who studies patterns of poverty, said Obama faces sharp income inequities in many of the same communities that were impoverished when President Lyndon Johnson called for a war on poverty in 1964.

A map of United States counties where child poverty has remained above 20 percent since at least 1970 forms an almost unbroken line that cuts through the heart of the Black Belt, Southern states whose slave and sharecropping economies left them with disproportionately large numbers of blacks with few skills and little education.

In Sunflower County, Miss., which is home to Indianola, 43.3 percent of black families live in poverty, compared with 7 percent of white families, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (In Nassau, 8.8 percent of black families and 2.2 percent of white families live in poverty, according to the Census. In Suffolk, 8.1 percent of black families and 3.1 percent of white families live in poverty.)

"When you look at the maps, the communities with persistent poverty are the same communities Bobby Kennedy visited when he was running for president 40 years ago," Johnson said, referring to Kennedy's 1967 tour of the Mississippi Delta.

The Rev. Jesse King, a local high school teacher who is president of the NAACP in neighboring Washington County, said despite the hopes raised among many African-Americans by Obama's election, many of the most vexing problems facing impoverished communities would take years to budge even if Obama were able to focus on them exclusively.

But King said watching Obama's yearlong surge toward the presidency has cultivated among his students a growing belief that merit can bring success.

"It happened for Obama. His children actually live in the White House," King said. "It inspires our students."

Monday, January 26, 2009

Recession: Home Depot Latest Casualty

Home Depot is closing 41 stores and laying off 7,000 workers, the company just announced moments ago.

Morning Foolywang: Kanye West says we should now address him as “Martin Louis The King, Jr.”


A message from kwest on Vimeo.

“I know I’ve been called the Louis Vuitton Don, I know, I’ve been called a lot of names, uh mostly The Don, the Louis Vuitton Don — due to what happened — when the red shoes hit the runway, I was forced to change my name, to, Martin Louis The King, Jr. Address me as such. And until then, I will be in the building, swagger on a hundred thousand trillion.”

“Overwhelming — I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer my entire life,” West said to the Los Angeles Times after seeing his kicks on the runway. “And to see my stuff in the Vuitton show was something else. It was a dream come true. And the way those guys were styled — they were dressed better than me!”

Whatever

FINANCE: REPORT: Now You Can Negotiate To PAY LESS For Cable And Telephone Bills!!

Frustrated with his hefty and mounting monthly bill for TV, Internet and phone service, Alan Weinkrantz of San Antonio decided to call his provider, AT&T, shortly before Christmas to ask for a discount.

"Times are tough, and I don't think I can keep paying these rates," Mr. Weinkrantz says he told an AT&T representative. A communications-industry consultant who keeps a close eye on the space, Mr. Weinkrantz says he hoped for a reduction of about 10% to his $159 monthly bill.

To his surprise, AT&T reduced his bill to $94 a month, a drop of almost 50%, for a one-year period. "I was very surprised," Mr. Weinkrantz says. An AT&T spokesman declined to comment on the specific bill but said that "we work hard to give our customers the services they need at the best price."

Talk Shopping
How some consumers are cutting costs:

Asking for lower rates, bundled services (TV, Internet and phone) or scaled-down services.Pulling phones on land lines and relying on prepaid cellphone plans.Using Web-enabled mobile devices instead of subscribing to broadband Internet at home.Mr. Weinkrantz is among a number of savvy customers who realize that while times are tough for consumers, they are also tough for cable and phone companies. Under intense pressure from Wall Street to keep subscribers as the economy sags and competition intensifies, many carriers are bent on retaining customers even if it means offering big price breaks.

"The key is to hang on to every possible customer right now," says Alex Dudley, a spokesman for Time Warner Cable, the country's second-largest cable operator by subscribers, after Comcast Corp. "They are our lifeblood." Mr. Dudley says that Time Warner Cable is also more receptive to giving stretched customers a discount during these tough times.

On the surface of it, the country's biggest carriers continue to boost prices despite the downturn. In January, Comcast and Time Warner Cable raised year-over-year prices by 6% for TV services, notes Craig Moffett, an analyst at research company Sanford C. Bernstein. AT&T Inc., meanwhile, increased the price of high-end services, such as bundled movie channels, by 30%.

Behind the scenes, however, the companies are much more accommodating. Many are offering steep discounts to keep, win or win back customers. Consumers, reeling from the recession, are crafting novel ways to cut costs, including switching to cheaper prepaid cellphone plans and using Web-enabled mobile devices to connect to the Internet instead of buying home broadband connections.


Associated Press
AT&T increased the price of high-end services, such as bundled movie channels, by 30%.
Negotiating with cable and phone companies may present a more direct route to saving on communications services costs. And companies are often happy to make deals with customers -- particularly if that allows them to poach them from rivals.

Louis Christie of Merrick, N.Y., left Cablevision Systems Corp. a few years ago for Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS TV, broadband and phone service. But after his introductory offer from Verizon expired and his initial price shot up, Mr. Christie says, a representative of Cablevision knocked on his door to persuade him to come back.

"The representative sat down with me and told me what the new cost could be, and my mind was made up," says Mr. Christie, who now pays Cablevision about $120 a month, down from the $226 a month he was paying Verizon for the three services.

Carriers' quest for customers is heightened by the battered housing market, since providers often target new customers when they move. "Faced with fewer purchase occasions, competitors are left to resort to more aggressive promotions to counteract the inertia of staying put," Mr. Moffett says.

That is leading to a slew of new deals for customers, some of which the carriers aren't marketing aggressively.

Many of the steepest breaks tend to be for so-called triple-play bundles of TV, Internet and voice service, since customers pay the most for subscribing to all three. Comcast now offers economy bundles that include scaled-down versions of all the services for lower prices.

Phone companies like Verizon and AT&T, meanwhile, are allowing customers to substitute cellphones for land lines in these bundles and still receive discounts. The move encourages customers to cut their land lines -- acknowledging that redundant phone connections are among the first services to go in tough times.

But discounts also include individual products. Last week, Verizon launched a new offer for a low-end DSL service -- it operates at slower speeds -- priced at $17.99 a month. For under $20 in some areas, Verizon and AT&T allow customers to sign up for "naked DSL," which allows customers to have a broadband connection without subscribing to a land line.

"If a customer calls to disconnect, we are not going to just let them go," says William Kula, a Verizon spokesman. "Our representatives try very hard in these times to keep customers rather than have them peel away to rival companies."

Emboldened customers say they plan to negotiate in the future. Mr. Weinkrantz says he will push to keep his cut rate once the six-month offer expires. "I already told the company to mark the date it expires on their calendar," he says, "because I will be calling them to ask for another year of the low price."

Friday, January 23, 2009

Morning Tidbits…

Beyonce, (Or shall I say Sasha Fierce) and Idris Elba’s new poster for their Obsessed movie is out.   Ehh...

Don't Mess With Mama Obama!!!

First Lady Michelle Obama is not playing around when it comes to her girls. She’s reportedly upset with the Beanie Baby company for making these “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls. Through her spokesperson, she released a statement calling them “inappropriate”. Ty (the company who makes Beanie Babies) says these dolls have nothing to do with the First Daughters and people are misunderstanding them to be dolls modeled after Sasha and Malia Obama. Even thoughthe spokeswoman for the company originally told Crain.com that the dolls were designed with he Obama girls in mind. Now she’s retracting it. Um, how stupid do these people think we are? The dolls hit shelves right before Prez Obama’s Inauguration this month.

By the way, the Obamas are the cover of this week’s People mag.

OH BROTHER!!! BLACK FOLK ARE PROTESTING MICHELLE OBAMA … FOR NOT USING A BLACK DESIGNER FOR THE INAUGURATION!!!

It appears that another fake pseudo intellectual is coming for the Obama’s – this time some person from an organization we ain’t never heard of called the Black Artists Association.

Here’s how Women’s Wear Daily is reporting things:

The Black Artists Association is taking her to task for not wearing anything by an African American designer. Cofounder Amnau Eele said Wednesday she will make a formal appeal to the First Lady’s office on behalf of the BAA.

“It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?” Eele said.

A lot of folk are really showing their "their colors" now that Obama’s in office. First Jay Z, then Aaron McGruder and now this sistah.

LIL WAYNE: I REJECT THE BIBLE AND EVERY OTHER BOOK IN THE WORLD … ALL I READ IS THE DICTIONARY!!

We just caught wind that Lil Wayne doesn’t read books … and that even if he did read, he wouldn’t believe anything written in them.

Here’s what the 5 foot rapper said in a recent interview:

I don’t believe the Bible, nothing that’s written, because nothing that’s written is to be believed… Well. There is one [book] I read and get information from. The d*** dictionary.

Yeah, when we be in the studio fussing over a word—no, it don’t mean that it mean this! Go to the Internet, Google that s***. That’s like a normal thing to do around here. Dictionary comes up as one of those little things on my computer."

Ummm.......this foolary speaks for itself

Entertainment: DOCUMENTARY ‘TROUBLE THE WATER’ UP FOR OSCAR



In the running for an Academy Award is the excellent documentary, ‘Trouble The Water,’ up for best Documentary feature.

The film literally takes you inside Hurricane Katrina, in a way it’s seldom been seen – through the eyes of two true survivors, Kim and Scott Roberts. It was executive Produced by Danny Glover.

RACIST VANDALISM IS FOUND ON THE CAMPUS OF MERCER UNIVERSITY IN GEORGIA … ENGINEERS ARE CALLED N WORDS!!!

One MediaTakeOut.com reader, who attends Macon University, sent in the following pic:

A bullitin board that was vandalized overnight at Mercer University in Macon, GA and discovered this morning. It originally read "National Society of Black Engineers," but now it reads "National Society of Black N*ggers."

One Big step forward, and two steps back!

So far, Mercer Unversity hasn’t done ANYTHING to find out the culprits. Hopefully now that we put this ON BLAST … they’ll start up an investigation on it!!

Sports: Venus Williams ousted at Australian Open

Venus Williams was knocked out of the Australian Open on Thursday, losing 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to 46th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

Williams hardly looked like the reigning Wimbledon champion against the 20-year-old Suarez Navarro, whose previous best showing in a Grand Slam was reaching the French Open quarterfinals last year.

Looking increasingly sluggish, Williams was broken while serving for the match and dropped the last five games.

Suarez Navarro, overmatched at first, broke twice in the second set as Williams let a number of reachable shots fly past. She saved a match point while serving at 4-5 in the deciding set and broke Williams in the next game, aided by a double-fault from the American.

Suarez Navarro squandered one match point while serving at 40-15 in the next game before Williams netted a forehand for her 37th enforced error.

Williams' sister Serena struggled earlier and headed straight to the practice courts for extra work after a 6-3, 7-5 win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko. She gave her performance a "D-minus at best" as 45th-ranked Dulko matched her shot for shot.

"Lots and lots and lots of room for improvement," second-seeded Serena Williams said. "But it's good that I was able to win, too, when I wasn't playing my best."

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Today's Foolywang: Who Names A Baby Adolf Hitler???



I'm speechless....(Well, not totally!)

And another thing....How are you gonna compare Barack's Middle Names To YOUR Foolocity????? (Fool-los-ci-ty)

My mic is "OFF"

BOONDOCKS SHOCKER!!! CARTOON'S CREATOR CLAIMS THAT BARACK OBAMA ISN'T BLACK … AND THAT HE'S PESSIMISTIC ABOUT BARACK'S LEADERSHIP!!!


Yesterday was one of the GREATEST DAYS in American history for Black people. But some folk just couldn’t let the day go by without talking slick about Obama.

We expected to see a long list of black pseudo-intellectuals come out of the woodwork trying to sound smart by criticizing Barack. But we figured that they’d hold off a few days before doing so.

We must have underestimated the amount of hateration that some folk have. Here’s what Aaron McGruder said about Obama:

Excerpt taken from the Palladium-Item, and Indiana paper:
On the eve of President Barack Obama's inauguration, McGruder is "cautiously pessimistic" about the presidency.

"I don't think you're going to see any dramatic change from Barack Obama," said McGruder, who wore a "Boondocks" T-shirt over a black long-sleeve shirt and jeans. "I'm hoping he proves me completely wrong."

On the topic of race and ethnicity, McGruder said that to him, Obama is not black because he is not a descendant of a slave.

"The person who is one of us in the White House is Michelle Obama and her momma," McGruder said.

That is one sad man …. Sad and ignorant…

Jamie Foxx won’t sport diamond earrings anymore


American actor Jamie Foxx has given up his trademark diamond earrings to protest against the use of conflict gems in jewellery.

The Oscar-winner, famous for wearing big stones in each of his ears, has ditched them after learning about the history of jewels mined in warzones and sold to fund conflicts or profit warlords.

"I now wear cubic zirconia. I used to wear real diamonds, but there''s too much issue about blood diamonds," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

OBAMA RE-TAKES OATH!



President Obama took the oath of office Tuesday outside the Capitol, as millions watched in person and on TV. He took it again Wednesday night -- this time in the privacy of the White House, with only a few aides and reporters looking on.

The reason: During the inauguration ceremony, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. stumbled over the oath's opening words, and Obama repeated them, incorrectly.

The second time around, they both got it right.

The president's lawyer and constitutional experts agreed that taking the oath a second time was unnecessary. Under the Constitution, Obama became president at noon Tuesday, a few minutes before he placed his hand on a Bible to take the oath.

"We believe the oath of office was administered effectively and that the president was sworn in appropriately" Tuesday, White House Counsel Greg Craig said in a statement. "But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time."

REPORT: NATALIE COLE TO GET KIDNEY FROM HERE SISTER


Singer Natalie Cole, 58, has been battling Hepatitis C. We’ve also told to a few months ago that the legendary singer has been treated for kidney failure, and doctors have told her she needs a transplant.

Well now MediaTakeOut.com caught wind of a new report which claims that Natalie may have a donor. According to the National Enquirer, Cole asked family members not to donate, but her sister Timolin, 47, was tested in secret, and has been declared a match for her sick sibling.

Cole is currently too weak to undergo surgery, but doctors are reportedly building up her strength so they can carry out the transplant next month. A source told the Enquirer, "After (she learned of the match), Natalie kept saying, 'I can't believe this! I'm so blessed. My sister's giving me a tomorrow. She's saving my life.'"

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

WHAT THEY WORE: THE FIRST LADY EDITION (& THE OBAMA GIRLS)




After months and months of speculation, First Lady Michelle Obama stepped out looking gorgeous as expected on Inauguration Day.

During the ceremony and parade, Michelle wore a custom-made yellow sheath and matching coat by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo, accessorized with Jimmy Choo teal heels and J. Crew leather gloves.

As for the ten Inaugural Balls she is scheduled to attend, Mrs. Obama selected a beautiful silk chiffon Jason Wu one-shoulder ivory gown. See what the young Obama girls wore after the cut…









Malia and Sasha Obama stepped out Tuesday morning in these J. Crew Crewcuts wool coats, that are scheduled to be available in Fall 2009. The designers at J. Crew exclusively made these sketches for the girls.




CELEBRATIONS FOR A NEW AMERICA


WASHINGTON -- "At Last" may have been just what President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were thinking Tuesday night as they glided through their first inaugural dance to the Etta James classic.  The Obamas were the star attraction at the 10 inaugural celebrations they attended into the early hours of Wednesday. The celebrations marked the end of a long day of formal inaugural events and the two-year campaign that put them in the White House.  The president pulled his wife close and they danced a slow, dignified two-step while, offstage, Beyonce sang. The president spun first lady Michelle Obama once in a half-turn.  Obama cut loose in a faster groove a few minutes later, as Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill and Mariah Carey sang along with Stevie Wonder to his "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." The song was played at nearly all of Obama's rallies throughout the campaign. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

PRESIDENT OBAMA


My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

RICK WARREN PRAYS FOR BARACK OBAMA: "IN THE NAME OF YESHUA...!"


In a dramatic move, Rick Warren, who brought forth the Invocation at the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, prayed for Barack Obama, "In the name of the one who saved me, Yeshua". Amazing. Check it out below!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

HISTORY



LIVE COVERAGE HERE! ALL DAY!!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Celebrate....


Happy MLK Day and National Day of Service.  Check out what Prez-Elect and First LadyBarack and Michelle Obama and the kids did today.  Click here for the video.  They visited a D.C. High School (Coolidge), and an emergency homeless shelter, and a few other places.  Such a historic week.  And by the way, I’m retiring the word “historic” after Tuesday.  Maybe it’s just me but if I hear it for the millionth time I’ll scream.  Let’s break out a thesaurus. 

Regular posting schedule will return on Wednesday as YBF is out and about all Inauguration season hitting up events and getting celeb juice for you. It’s coming. Other than that…it’s time to celebrate….

Barack Obama's New Cadillac Presidential Wheels!


General Motors published the first photos of the Barack Obama's new ride a week before his inauguration as the new president of the United States. The latest Cadillac Presidential Limousine is a completely new design, succeeding the DTS Presidential Limousine that debuted in 2004 and was used by George Bush. Predictably, GM has not revealed any specific details on the President's new wheels besides the fact that it "includes many of the brand's signature design elements."

However, as is the case with all presidential limos, Obama's new extra long company car comes with bulletproof glazing, special run-flat tires and of course, an immense mass of body armor.

"Cadillac is honoured to again provide a new Presidential Limousine," said Mark McNabb, North America vice president, Cadillac/Premium Channel. "This is a great American tradition that we're delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac's dramatic design and technology."

OBAMA: "I'M KEEPING MY BLACKBERRY!"



President-elect did not explain how he would overcome legal and security concerns, however

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January 16, 2009 (Computerworld) President-elect Barack Obama told CNN today he planned to "hang onto" his beloved BlackBerry, but did not explain how he would overcome legal and security concerns.

The revelation came in an interview with CNN's John King in which Obama said, "I think we're going to be able to beat this back."

"I think we're going to be able to hang onto one of these. My working assumption, and this is not new, is that anything I write on an e-mail could end up being on CNN," Obama said.

"So I make sure to think before I press 'send'," he said.

Obama did not tell CNN how he would overcome the major hurdles to keeping his BlackBerry, including the requirement to keep a record of every White House communication.

The major concern about using a BlackBerry as president stems mostly from using it for outbound e-mail,several analysts have toldComputerworld.

But the president-elect, who will take office next week, said his favorite smartphone was an important tool for him to keep in touch.

"It's just one tool among a number of tools that I'm trying to use, to break out of the bubble, to make sure that people can still reach me," he told CNN.

"If I'm doing something stupid, somebody in Chicago can send me an e-mail and say, 'What are you doing?'

"I want to be able to have voices, other than the people who are immediately working for me, be able to reach out and send me a message about what's happening in America."

The security question was inadvertantly highlighted on Friday as Obama's BlackBerry tumbled from his belt as he exited his limousine and got onto his plane in Washington D.C., AFP reported.

The report said a Secret Service agent hurried to pick up the pieces, gathering the BlackBerry and its battery off the tarmac.