The Black Informant

Capital Jazz Fest 2006

Capital Jazz Fest Update
14th Annual Capital Jazz Fest
June 2-4, 2006
www.capitaljazz.com

Capital Jazz Fest 2006
The 14th annual Capital Jazz Fest is only a few months away!  This year’s event will be held June 2-4, 2006.  Information on the talent lineup, venues, and tickets will be announced on Thursday, February 23 on the Capital Jazz Fest web site, www.capitaljazz.com.  Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 3 at 10am.  Stay tuned to the web site for more details! More »

Making the Ghana connection

First, the news…

From:Chicago Tribune

As Ghanaian district leader Emmanuel Ntow Bediako looked over the crowd of African-Americans in a Chicago Heights church to launch a sister city agreement, many of the faces resembled those he sees in his country an ocean away, he said.

Bediako and four other officials were making their first visit to the United States and the Chicago region. The trip came only weeks after leaders in his country launched an aggressive campaign to reach out to descendants of slaves, pushing them to claim Ghana as their native land and to return there.

More »

Looking for the rest of the “soul food” table in the cinema

If you were to ask me my favorite soul food dish, I would have to say baked mac and cheese. But I would also say colla’d greens. How about some ‘tatah salad? Can’t forget black-eye peas—Man! Just too much to choose from.

Variety! That is what I look for in many of the things that interest me. Unfortunately I am not seeing that in many black films today.

What I do see is More »

Taking a closer look at the CBC: Representative George K. ‘G.K.’ Butterfield Jr. (NC)

Starting today, I will be highlighting each member of the Congressional Black Caucus. My reason for doing this is to introduce you to two very effective tools that you can use to evaluate the overall performance of elected officials from independent sources: Project Vote Smart and Follow the Money.

Over the years I have grown very tired of politicians (regardless of what stripe) who in many cases know all they have to do to secure the black vote is to click into “preacher mode” at a campaign stop here and there. In many cases, the blacker you sound, the better your chances. It is my hope that this will provoke many of you to look beyond the hype of any politician and inform yourself on the “real deal” behind the issues these individuals support.

There will be NO commentary or opinion on my part offered in this series. More »

Showing some love for the brothas!

Sac State organization shows some love to black men

“In an effort to show African American men appreciation during Black History Month, the Black Women of Excellence of Sacramento State put on “Why I Love Black Men 2006” this last Friday.

“Why I Love Black Men” was a compilation of song, poetry and spoken history. The program was created to give appreciation to African American men past and present.” (more…)

‘Afro Samurai’ cometh

‘Afro Samurai’ to debut on American TV screens

“Japan’s own “Afro Samurai” is set to hit the small screen in the United States as an animated series, to be followed up by a feature film starring Samuel L. Jackson. Comic book aficionados in Japan, though, may be scratching their heads as they have likely never heard of this manga export.

Though in Japan “Afro Samurai” only appeared in a self-published magazine, it has attracted interest from Hollywood, and there are even plans under way for a nationwide release of the manga. Japanese manga as a whole has caused a stir in the U.S. film industry, but it is extremely rare for a series that is so little known in Japan to make such a high-profile U.S. debut.” (more…)

You knew they had to go there!

First, the news…

“Are cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad as a terrorist the moral equivalent of using the n-word when speaking to an African-American?

Ihsan Bagby, a University of Kentucky professor of Arabic and Islamic studies, says a deep racism is behind the cartoons that have sparked riots and deaths throughout the Muslim world.

“This is simply another manifestation of racism that they have decided to cloak in freedom of speech,” he said.

Bagby was one of three featured speakers yesterday as more than 150 people filled a meeting room at UK’s W.T. Young Library to discuss the cartoons. Violent protests of the cartoons have resulted in at least 45 deaths, the latest 15 just the day before the event.”

Hold up! Wait a minute!! More »

BusinessWeek on the increased presence of Black directors

Merrill Lynch & Co. (MER ) CEO E. Stanley O’Neal had barely resigned from the General Motors Corp. (GM ) board on Feb. 6 before GM began thinking about recruiting another African American to fill his slot.
Typically, a corporation like GM would look to replace him with another marquee African American name. Someone like Time Warner CEO Richard D. Parsons, who sits on the Citigroup, Estee Lauder, and Time Warner boards. But in an era of stepped-up corporate governance, CEOs are taking on fewer directorships. More »

Getting clowned by McDonald’s again

As if all the other “discoveries” of the contents of McDonald’s food wasn’t bad enough, I come across this article:

“At least three U.S. lawsuits have been filed against McDonald’s Corp. after it revealed last week that its french fries contain wheat and dairy products.
The company acknowledged last week that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavor the french fries. Until recently, the company said the fries did not contain wheat or dairy products, which can trigger allergic reactions or other problems in some people.” (more…)

For a brief stint More »

The Hypocritical Move of the Civil Rights Movement

Protestors during the 1960’s and early seventies were correct to protest against the intentional killing of innocent civilians during the Vietnam war. Since that time, anti-war activists aided by the Hollywood machine have not grown tired of reminding us of these unfortunate events in our history.

What you will not hear is a comparison of the civilian casualty count during versus after America’s involvement in the war. It is estimated that roughly 587,000 Vietnamese civilians lost their lives (mind you, these were caused by both pro-South Vietnam troops (including America) and the North Vietnamese army. But according to R.J Rummel (Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii), here is what took place More »

FAA’s Education Ambassador: Jamail Larkins

The below is taken from Larkins’ website:
Jamail Larkins started flying at age 12.

Jamail Larkins performed his first airshow season in 2003. At the age of 12, Jamail flew his first flight with the EAA Young Eagles Program. Shortly after, at age 14 he became one of the youngest American pilots when he soloed a powered aircraft in Canada.

On January 17, 2000 he became the National Spokesman of the EAA Vision of Eagles Program, a youth education initiative of the EAA Aviation Foundation. The program encompasses all the Foundation’s education programs, including Young Eagles, EAA Air Academy and the Science-Math-Technology Program. As National Spokesman, Jamail represented EAA and the Vision of Eagles Program and promoted the possibilities available to aviation enthusiasts, young and old alike. More »

The Good, Bad, and The Ugly of The President’s FY 2007 Budget

From: Citizens Against Public Waste
(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today had a mixed reaction to President Bush’s $2.8 trillion fiscal 2007 budget request.  Although the President has proposed $65 billion in savings over five years through a combination of program reforms and spending cuts, the fiscal 2006 projected deficit is $423 billion, an increase of 33 percent over the $318 billion deficit in 2005.  President Bush’s initiatives ranged from the Good to the Bad and the Ugly for taxpayers.  Below are some of the highlights and lowlights from the President’s budget: More »

Open Call for Black Woman Photography Anthology

Greetings,

We are pleased to extend an invitation to submit work for an upcoming anthology on Black women photographers.

This anthology seeks to compile the works of Black Women photographers born 1965 and beyond. These are dynamic, young women who have an evident freedom in their vision. Their work aims at expanding the conversation on the medium of photography. This book will also explore the images created by Black women. This collective of photographers can be called the aesthetic daughters of Dr. Deborah Willis, Carrie Mae Weems, Coreen Simpson, Lorna Simpson, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, et al. – photographers who have secured a foundation for future generations to compose boundlessly. Please join us in contributing to this spirited movement in photography. More »

Niger Delta Militants Kidnap 9 Oil Workers (AllAfrica.com)

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
February 18, 2006
Posted to the web February 19, 2006

By Segun James
Warri
{Excerpted}

Barely 10 hours after helicopter gunship of the Nigeria Air Force launched the second in the series of planned raids on oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta at the Ijaw community of Okerenkoko, Ijaw militants in retaliation yesterday hit four oil industry facilities in the area and in the process kidnapped nine expatriates. More »

Driver’s license or national ID card? (CNet.com)

SAN JOSE, Calif.–Motor vehicle agencies must link their databases together, and perhaps implant chips in driver’s licenses, as necessary steps to ease the way for a national ID card, the head of a group of motor vehicle officials said Thursday.
Technology that may be used for a national ID card could take the form of a chip loaded onto a driver’s license, said Linda Lewis-Pickett, chief executive of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Lewis-Pickett was one of several panelists addressing the controversy over the National ID System, during the RSA Conference 2006 here.
“The DMV is in differing aspects of readiness and it would need to make a quantum leap to get to the point of issuing national ID cards,” Lewis-Pickett said.
She added that the various states need to develop a method of interoperability to share information that could be used for a national ID system. (more…)

Some random thoughts on the cartoon protests

“Does Immortality need the aid of Mortality?”

I ask this question because as a non-Muslim, I am wondering why do these individuals feel the need to express Allah’s displeasure with these cartoons. If he was offended, wouldn’t he defend himself?

The following is a timeline of events surrounding the publication of cartoons depicting Allah:

Muslim cartoon row timeline
The BBC News website outlines key events in the escalating row over the publication of cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad. 2006 More »

Another one of our babies is missing (2/19/06)

 

TORIE LASHAY WYATT  More »

Ethnicelderscare.net

Taken from the ethnicelderscare.net website:

“…a site designed specifcally for people who are currently or will be caregivers to ethnic elders with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Ethnic Elders is dedicated to promoting research, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and to providing education, support, and assistance to ethnic minority elderly patients, their families and caregivers.” [Link]  

 

Wanna see the latest movie trailers?

In case you didn’t know, the Apple website has a movie trailer section where you can view all the latest trailers of new and upcoming movies.

Check it out. (must have quicktime installed–you can get it on the link)

Quick tip: Keep refreshing the browser to see other movie title posters (all movies are still listed below)

“It’s yo’ boy!” G. Garvin’s Corn Bread Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
10 Idaho potatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
½ lb unsalted butter
1 box of your favorite corn bread mix (click here for the rest of this recipie and others)