BET Award show honors Michael Jackson

:eave your comments

Michael Jacskon 1958-2009

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop has left the building.

Where in the world is S.C. Governor Mark Sanford ?

Governor Mark Sanford wife stated the governor wanted to get away and do some writing. Others said the governor went hiking. Instead, without telling anyone including his wife, went to Argentina, according to JIM DAVENPORT, AP. article Report: SC gov was in Argentina, not hiking trail

Yet, that's the governor story, but how long will he stick to it?

Did South Carolina citizen pay for the get away?

The story probably will bring in some more characters as the story unfolds. More than likely the governor will have lots of time on his hands to write. That is, if that is what he was doing.

Loop21 Campaign to fight AIDS-Wake up Aware

Loop 21 partners the great basketball player and businessman Earvin Magic Johnson to raise our awareness about HIV/AIDS during the summer months. Do something to save the youth from this disease.

I remember while sorting magazines at the Post Office, the day a co-worker stated AIDS came from Africans having sex with apes. That was back in the 80's, and today folks are still talking about the cause of AIDS and how to prevent it. Later a African-American female doctor during a POWER conference warned women about a growing trend, the down low brothers dating sistas. Not knowing who your man was sleeping with could increase a woman risk of a deadly sexual disease, AIDS. And by the 90's , a sex instructor informed a class that the African-American community had the largest incidents of AIDS. Bite.

It was apparent that the need to get information about AIDS out in the community was needed in the African-American community and misinformation about the disease would be reaching the community faster than the scientic information. Today more information is available for folks like my co-worker and instructor. It is important for anyone regardless of race to understand that engaging in unprotected sexual activity could lead to dead sentence.

Become informed and get tested.



And once tested never again engage in unprotected sexual behavior.



SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS), a social-skills training intervention in which peer facilitators help African American women at highest risk reduce their risky sexual behaviors.


Many Men, Many Voices (3MV), an STD/HIV prevention intervention for gay men of color that addresses cultural and social norms, sexual relationship dynamics, and the social influences of racism and homophobia.


POL (Popular Opinion Leader), which identifies, enlists, and trains key opinion leaders to encourage safer sexual norms and behaviors within their social networks. POL has been adapted for African American MSM and shown to be effective in that population.
Healthy Relationships, a small-group intervention for men and women living with HIV/AIDS.

WILLOW (Women Involved in Life Learning from Other Women), to be disseminated in 2007, is a small-group, skills-training intervention for women living with HIV. WILLOW enhances awareness of the risky behaviors associated with HIV transmission, discredits myths regarding HIV prevention for people living with HIV, teaches communication skills in negotiating safer sex, and reinforces the benefits of consistent condom use. WILLOW also teaches women how to recognize healthy and unhealthy relationships, discusses the effect of abusive partners on safer sex, and provides information about local shelters for women in abusive relationships.

Troy Anthony Davis-Georgia Death Row

Troy Anthony Davis executed by lethal injection is scheduled in July, 2009. Although Davis has declared his innocence and witnesses has recanted their original statements in fingering Davis as a triggerman. The story goes something like this Davis is a cop killer. In the early summer morning of August 16, 1989 Savannah Georgia police officer Mark Allen MacPhail was gunned down at a Burger King. The 27 years old MacPhail was "shot three times before he could draw his weapon." He was responding to the wails of a man being pistol whipped in a Burger King parking lot."
Troy Davis 22 years old at the time was convicted of murdering Mark MacPhail and for assaulting Michael Cooper and Larry Young on the same night. If anyone should have been able to identity Davis, Young the one who was pistol whipped recanted his oringinal statement.

A stay of execution was granted to Davis on September 23, 2008 which was scheduled a month later, October, 2008. On April 16, 2009 Davis request was denied, and his scheduled to be executed on July 2009. The Savannah NAACP along with other groups has taken on the case of Davis. A petition demanding justice for Davis has been created. Davis has been on death row for eighteen years (18). The National NAACP President Ben Jealous spoke at a rally held on the behalf of Davis in Savannah Georgia. Rep John Lewis will request that President Barack Obama intervene in this case to grant a presidential pardon.


In the meantime, Davis's attorneys are aiming for a habeas corpus petition to obtain an evidentiary hearing in a federal court. The United States Supreme Court is to make a ruling on the request on June 25, 2009. In light of the fact that the Pope, himself,has requested a end to the death penalty, a life sentence would be more humane than taking another life as retribution. However, in this case, Davis and his attorneys states there is no evidence tying Davis to the killing of the police officer.

I blogged about his story because a reader was interested in my opinion about this case. The first thing that comes to my mind is that Davis believed he would get a fair trial and from the facts that have been provided that did not happen. In other words, police interrogation tactics muddled the case. Davis should be exonerated and the real killer brought to justice.

Government agents discriminated against "black" farmers

Race does not matter or does it? Black farmers will probably tell you that race does matter. Black farmers were denied loans from the United States Department of Agriculture during a time period between 1983-1997 years. Farmers needing loans to keep their farms by planting their crops and farming equipment.

About 10 years ago, the USDA owned up to discriminating in their lending practice and signed a consent agreement int he Pigsford case :

In 1999, USDA entered into a consent agreement with black farmers in which the agency agreed to pay for past discrimination in lending and other USDA programs. Thousands of claims have been adjudicated, but other claims were not considered on their merits because problems with the notification and claims process hindered some farmers’ ability to participate.

Some farmers did not get paid and lost their farms. Nevertheless, the farmers get the rare second bite of the apple, under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. The bill gives these farmers the right to file a new claim in federal court. According to Sunday Washington Post, at least one farmer who did get paid, John Boyd of Virginia, works tirelessly to get the word out to those farmers who have not died off

In addition, Boyd wants President Barack Obama to know that the earmarked $1.25 billion is not near enough to compensate those "black" farmers who were denied loans under the USDA and its programs.



The argument is what sounds great maybe not be so great once put into practice. In other words the settlement of $50,000 to $60,ooo is nowhere near enough to make whole farmers who lost homes, family and financial stability. Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association travels the hallways of Congress to get this message to those who can make this change.



In light of the fact that billions of dollars have been throw at bankers and automakers, these "black " farmers are not asking for a lot. It appears to be an issue of fariness. Why would money go first to bail out bankers and automakers when this debt, owed to farmers through the government failure to practice fairness, was on the government books?

Boyd, Jr and some 800 "black" farmers have filed a new lawsuit in United States District Court in Washington to expedite the granting of funds to those given a second chance according to the NBFA: website

Black farmers file new suit against USDA
– 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON
(AP) — More than 800 black farmers filed a new lawsuit
against the Agriculture Department just two weeks after Congress
reopened a 1999 settlement over past discrimination.
The plaintiffs wasted little time in taking advantage of a provision in
the recently enacted farm bill that allows fresh claims from those who
were denied damages after missing earlier deadlines.
Some 75,000 people could fall into that group. If their suits
aresuccessful, the case could cost the government several billion
dollars on top of the $980 million in damages already paid under the
original settlement.
The lawsuit, organized by the Virginia-based National Black Farmers
Association, was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Nearly all the 823 farmers who sued are from the South, mostly
from Alabama and Mississippi. John Boyd, a black farmer who founded the
group, said he expects another 5,000 to join the lawsuit soon.
The suit is the latest development in the federal government's April
1999 settlement of a class-action lawsuit from black farmers who
claimed they were systematically denied loans and other aid from local
USDA offices. About two-thirds of the nearly 22,500 farmers who filed
suit were awarded damages. Those who filed late argued that their lawyers made mistakes or that they were not aware of the deadline.
The deadline was extended once for those who could show extraordinary
circumstances. But federal courts repeatedly denied subsequent requests
to reopen the settlement until Congress intervened with the farm bill.
The enacted bill permits plaintiffs to seek expedited claims of $50,000
under a lower threshold of proof than a typical civil case.
Plaintiffsalso can seek larger damages in court. The USDA and the Justice
Department declined to comment on the lawsuit. Critics have charged that
farmers had plenty of time to win claims andthat reopening the case will
reward questionable claimants who may not have suffered losses.
Dr. John W. Boyd, Jr
68 Wind Rd.
Baskerville VA 23915
johnwboyd2000@yahoo.com
http://www.blackfarmers.org
www.johnwboydjr.com

Mishra's dismiss Twitter Revolution driving the Iran revolt

President Obama proved the power of the new networking tools of young folks. The internet and texting by mobile phone were a couple of ways that the Obama folks spread the words about his campaign. It worked, President Obama won the election themed Change.

This change theme is being applied to the aftermath of the Iran Election. The outcome of the election drove the folks to protest. The protest was by email and mobile telephone and Youtube.
Some claim twitter the low text of 14o character was the catapult for the million of folks roaming the street.

Not so fast, according to Worldfocus. Worldfocus interviewed Gaurav Mishra’s , Mishra;s suggest that Twitter may have played a part but it on the low end. Maintstream journalist unable to report as foreign reporters had to turn to the social media. One way for them to get information was to drive folks to twitter. So what they did was advertise twitter as the place to go to download video and pictures. So desperate was the mainstream journalists it did not matter that folks from Iran could be tracked on Twitter.

Not only was this a disservice, Worldfocus report that to suggest that twitter is the story when Iran is and should be the main story. However, because mainstream journalists can not get to the story they have to create a story. Social Media is the story rather than getting confirmed information directly from Iran. Iran Revolution belongs to its people. Mishra's gives an interview to Forbes on the so called 1st time revolution with social media.

Can't wait to see Mishra's on CNN real soon talking about the grassroot revolution continued from the President Obama campaign.

Juneteenth Celebration overcoming racial hatred

On the eve before Juneteenth, the Senate suggest apologizing for slavery and racial segregation in the U.S. by passing a resolution. The resolution will now have to pass the House to become law.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the country. It marks the occasion when, on June 19, 1865, slaves in Texas first learned of their freedom from soldiers. President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was drafted in July 1862 signed in January 1863.

President Barack Obama pushed into conflicts

President Barack Obama will not be allowed to just bring soldiers back from Iraq war. With the reason conflicts in Iran and the North Korea tease of a ballistic missile test, President Obama will have to do something.


http://www.comcast.net/video/obama_lauds_n_korea_sanctions/1155190656

Republicans are frothing at the mouth, anticipating the new President strategic for handling such powerful nations. It does not matter, that Iranian have spoken, that its uprising is not President Obama problem. Nor does it matter that China will have to show its hands if it allows North Korea to launch a missile period.

Perhaps sees the Iran up rest as an opportunity to make a move, but Russian and China will determine what North Korean will do not President Obama.

To keep up with Iran check out twitter #iranelection or use the search box and put in Tehran.

Tehran, Iran cultural reporting beatdowns mainstream journalists

Reporters ban from Tehran, Iran uprising impacts the way the news is reported. This should not come as a surprise to mainstream media. Often mainstream media found themselves at odds with African-Americans community. Bias was cited as a reason for rejecting news coverage by mainstream journalists. Journalists who had no ideal how to put a voice to what was happening within the African-American community.

One such reason issue, Hurricane Katrina was seen as mocking African-Americans. Outraged was directed at the the insensitive way in which reporters including former President George Bush at the crisis impacting African-Americans. So, it comes as no surprise that Iranian turned their noses up at mainstreams journalists attempt at reporting what was going on after the Iranian election.

A cultural barrier would prevent mainstream journalist from giving a full ellipse of the erupting of civil up rest in Tehran. New media owned by raced white males and not inclusive of the different voices of America, would find themselves having to reach out to those who fully understood the culture of Iranian beyond a soundbite. A soundbite was not what Iran-American wanted. Media outlets found themselves having to search for these voices on social media such as blogs, facebook, and the limited character twitter.

These voices on facebook was determining what was being reported and when. Mainstream journalists were dependent on these folks to broadcast their nightly news. Not only was their a revolt in Tehran, Iran. There was a revolt against the way mainstream media would give their voices to what was occurring during prime time news Instead those mostly impacted by the disturbance provided viewers with reliable content with clarity based on culture rather than privilege.

CNN uses SM content without cost

Mainstream media is reporting on Tetran, Iran using social media. CNN at 1:00 p.m. stated it was using several social networking , twitter, facebook and Youtube. Mainstream journalists are limited to access to the street protest in Inran than those on the ground with cellphones and laptops.

These folks are using twitter. CNN will have to get a new magic wall to highlight incoming information from the folks using social media. In the meantime, monitter has the next best thing.


http://monitter.com/

twitter hashtags for Iran

blog

facebook

Youtube on Iran

Flickr

Okla Trooper Pulls Over Emergency Vehicle

I saw this on CNN today, June 15, 2009. The incident actually took place on May 24, 2008. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin was on an emergency run rolls upon an Emergency Vehicle also on an emergency run. The Trooper passes the EMS vehicle. The trooper turns back after completing his emergency runs to confront the driver of the EMS vehicle for not yielding his vehicle to the Trooper's patrol car.





The Creek Nation EMT Maurice White Jr.was in the back of the vehicle and quickly exited to inform Trooper Martin, that a patient was in the vehicle. Trooper Martin was more concerned with speaking with the driver of the vehicle and was not willing to let the vehicle precede based on the fact someone was in the vehicle.






So what happened? Read the letter from the Distric Attorney.

Can you spell COVER UP:

CVS Restrict African-American Condom Use

Another CVS practice that disproportionally affects communities of color is the chain’s lockup of condoms. Condoms are one of the best defenses against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, but CVS makes it difficult for people of color to obtain them. At hundreds of stores across the country in areas where people of color predominate, CVS displays condoms in locked cabinets that require customers to summon CVS staff to unlock them and then monitors customers while making their selections. CVS is less likely to lock up condoms in areas with fewer residents of color, and the chain’s two main competitors do not lock up condoms.

Symbolic? Lockup?!!!!



CureCVS reports that CVS locks up condoms in certain majority African-American communities.

Anyways, Often retail store blame thief in majority African-American communities in limiting access to certain products. When in fact, many of these retailer fail to adequate employ folks in these store. In addition, products that are easily accessible should have a front facing display. In doing so, those who work in the store will be able to better monitor such products.


So. lock up is not the solution for the thief problem, if that is the real reason for denying easy access to condoms while shopping in CVS. If no, shoppers should not shopping period at CVS. Period.

Racial Hatred on Display at the Holocaust Museum

It just talk, folks say, when saying racial things behind closed doors by folks like James Von Brunn. But it didn’t. Von Brunn belief system was shared with many other folks. Many of the folks believed the same as Von Brunn. Yet media wants to paint the man as CRAZY.

Crazy, because Von Brunn was not just satisfied with the fact that he could live in a segregated neighborhoods.
Crazy for not enjoying the fact that his children could be home schooled or attend private schools.
Crazy because employment discrimination would protect him from commingling with those he did not like.

Crazy because Von Brunn wanted to personally execute those who he believed was deny him the opportunity to live in less brown America.

Von Brunn was not crazy, he was old. Von Brunn had nothing to lose when he decided to take a rife to kill people. Von Brunn knew exactly where to go to get out his message, Had Von Brunn chosen a Black Museum; he may not have gotten as much coverage. The most that would happen, Von Brunn would be written off as a racist.

So the not so crazy Von Brunn, the journalist Von Brunn, chose the United States Holocaust Museum. And to prove that Von Brunn was not crazy, the day he decided to go out in a glory was the same day that the former Secretary Defense wife, Janet Cohen would debut a play about an African-American male and a Jewish girl murdered at the hands of folks deemed crazy.

Von Brunn is being dismissed as crazy to pull not a conversation about how racialist policies are allowed to discriminate against those who are contributing to the browning of America. No one wants to turn in their co-workers for discriminating. No one wants to turn in their family member for discriminating.

Even President Barack Obama must deny his friends, who talk about America treatment of race, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

But now is the time to talk about race. It’s long history, replaced by others rights being the priority. The playwright Janet Cohen was right when she said it is time that we went beyond protecting buildings. In other words, it is time that we begin to protect the rights of those that America has long discriminated against.

No Von Brunn will be the hero in many homes of these folks instead of the African-American guard, Stephen Von Brunn killed in the line of duty protecting the Holocaust Museum.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Afriican American guard dies

Stephen Tyrone Johns, 39, an African-American security was shot at the United States Memorial Museum. Johns died from his injuries. The gunman is alleged to be an elderly man, James Wenneker Von Brunn. Brunn 88 years of age entered the museum with a long rifle.

Reports states that Brunn was linked to white supremacist group. Brunn authored a book, Kill the best Gentile, a quote from the TALMUD... Brunn was concerned about the government failing to protect the raced white groups that were non-raced whites. Brunn writes about the demise of the majority population of raced white males. Brunn contributes this to the lack of knowledge of his people, especially the youth.

The book protected by the 1sr amend,warned of the “browning of America and argues that the Holocaust was a German Holocaust and not simply a policy of mass murder against the Jews.

:”THERE WAS NO POLICY TO MASS MURDER
JEWS. NO ORDER WAS GIVEN TO MASS MURDER
JEWS. THERE WAS NO BUDGET TO CARRY OUT
SUCH A POLICY. THERE WERE NO MEANS (GAS
CHAMBERS, etc.) TO CARRY OUT MASS MURDERS.”


Although President Barack Obama recently traveled to Germany and visited Buchenwald,
a concentration camp and declared the holocaust as being real. Barack suggested that those who believed differently were ignorant. Brunn wanted to educate the youth that the word Holocaust should not be used simply for the Jews.

Furthermore, Brunn warned about a fake African-Americans and Jews relationship. Citing a PBS documentary about an African-American united that freed Jews from Buchenwald and Dachau., in the final chapter of the free down load. How strange, Brunn decides to enter the United Stated Holocaust the day of Janet Cohen, playwright and wife of William Cohen former Defense Secretary, play.



Cohen was to debut her play Ann and Emmit, about Emmitt Till death and Ann Frank at the United States Holocaust Museum. The play was about hate, Till was a young man killed by raced white hatred and Ann Frank was a Jewish girl killed.








.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting

A lone gunman entered the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with a long rifle. Gunman shoot two of the security officers around 12:50 p.m., according to news report by Washington D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Police Chief Lanier would not confirmed if James Von Brunn was the shooter. Brunn is alleged to be linked to white supremacy movement:

The gunman has been identified as James Von Brunn, an 88 year old man who lives in Washington with apparent links to the white supremacist movement.

:

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as James Wenneker von Brunn, 88, from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, NBC News reported. NBC said he may have had connections to hate groups or anti-government groups.

The gunman was injured during this attack.

Spoke person for the Museum stated bout a thousand folks were inside the memorial, during the news report.

The gun man is not being identifed at this time. The FBI is involved.

Update: Von Brunn a veteran believed the Holocaust is a hoax.

Texas Officer Tases Senior 72 year old Woman

Chris the Texas officer tased an elderly woman. The officer probable got warning, when he woke up that day, to not go to work. Instead, Chris did and on that day he challenged by a 72 old woman not wanting a speeding ticket.

So what's an officer to do, to get a feisty old woman to obey the law, when his uniform nor badge did the trick.

Well Officer Chris used verbal commands to deter the behavior of the bad acting great grandmother. It did not work. So Officer Chris had to use a little physical force. A gentle shoving of the elderly woman on the side of the road.

But the shove only encouraged great grandma to egg on the officer with her age advantage to make her sign the citation.

No, she did not tell the officer to pull out his gun and shoot her..What she did was tell the officer to tase her. Officer Chris warned the lady if she did not comply he would tase her Yep tase her.

So he did. This was enough to get the woman on the ground and to stop the bad mouthing of the officer.


Poor Chris. I say Poor Chris because Officer Chris will be forever known as the officer who tazed an old woman. But for his fellow officer he will be the poster boy for the use of tasers as non-lethal. Sure, those in the AFrican-American community believe that the use of the taser is lethal. And some of these same folks believe the tasers are used too often on young males, killing them.

Now, I saw the video on Good Morning America, and I snickered. I snickered at the fact that the officer actually tased the woman, instead of just putting her on camera for refusing to sign the citation.

But, the video will send the wrong message: that a 72 old woman was tasered and lived.

Stop "Black" AIDS

Credo is 404 amongst 1704 Black Blog Ranking

Villager does a monthly posting of the ranking of "Black" Blog. This is in response to the raced white blogs ranking that, I don't believe any African-Americans blog have made the top 100 ranking by Technorati. "Technorati Authority is the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months. The higher the number, the more Technorati Authority the blog has," from its website.

On the site you will big names like Huffington Post and TMZ. You know the big bucks weblogs. So for a "Black" to break through this ceiling, the blog will have to be the best and powerful. Perhaps a celebrity name or President Obama blog would do the trick! But in the meantime, Pam's House Blend holds the #1 title amongst the "Black" Blog Ranking.

Most of these blogs have had mainstream media attention which helps their ranking. Congrats to all the bloggers who are doing their thing in the blogosphere.

Russell Simmons - Inspired Jewelry at Kay

Russell Simmons and Kay Jewelers working together on jewelry. Below is a West Africa Malachite. Part of the purchase will go to diamond empowerment fund from the green bracelet:

The “Green Bracelet” is the symbol of the Diamond Empowerment Fund. The rough diamond and malachite Green Bracelet created by Simmons Jewelry Co. support educational initiatives that develop and empower people in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource

.

Perhaps, Kay Jewelry, Russell Simmons or the Fund could send me one to go with my necklace and earrings. (Smile)