The Black Informant

A few words from a husband, father and writer

When I first started this site, it was meant to be an online recording of my thoughts on current events and life in general for posterity sake. I want my kids and grandkids to have some record of how I saw the world. Little did I know that so many would be interested in the thoughts of an unknown such as myself. For the last month and a half, I have been hovering between 4000-6000 visits per day so I am certainly finishing out the year with a bang. I remember being amazed when I was getting 20 hits per day. Numbers can be distracting at times (who doesn’t want to be at the top of the heap?); but I do not let it become a motivating factor for what I write. Many times I take a huge risk in losing readership due to some of the thoughts expressed here (and it happens); but being able to speak candidly in a forum such as the blogosphere is something that is far more valuable to me in the long run than any numbers game. I also enjoy the challenge of refining my thoughts against strong criticism versus the shallowness of thought that comes from speaking only to an ‘amen’ crowd.

As we come to the close of yet another year, I want to take a few moments to both share and honor the gifts the Lord has given to me. They are too big to fit under the Christmas tree, so I will just have to use cyberspace.

Jayce and Sterling - My children

You guys will never really know just how much I am proud of you and how happy you make me every time I wake up and see you. There are many times I have to restrain myself from hugging and kissing you so much because I do not want it to become too old and played out to you guys. Sterling, you are growing up to be such a wonderful individual who is maturing faster than I could ever imagine. Being the father of such a wonderful boy has been such a great experience. Playing such a key role in molding and shaping you into a man has been very challenging, but I would not trade it for anything else in the world. You were born in one of the most trying moments our family has faced so far and you have been like a rock through all of it. I do not need a crystal ball to see that you are going to be one fine individual when you enter adulthood. Please know that I am really, really proud to be your father and am grateful that you are my son. Jayce, you are my little angel and my sweetie pie. From the time we found out that you were going to be a girl, I knew that you were going to be one tough cookie with a very soft heart for people who are seen as underdogs. As your father, it is my job to nurture priceless qualities like this so that you can use them effectively when you venture out there on your own. I love holding your hand anytime we are walking in the store or just crossing the street. Sooner or later you are going to be too old for my hand and honestly, thinking about that saddens me a little. Just know that no matter where you go in life that in my heart and the depths of my memories, I am still holding your hand.

Nicole - My wife

Nicole, you have been the greatest asset to my life. Little did we know all the hell we would face in just the first 5 years of saying “I do” on that faithful day in August of 1998. When we had nothing, you did not beat me down–you lifted me up in both word and deed. Some of the greatest moments of support you have demonstrated required just you being there with me. Cheering you on in times when you needed it most has brought me so much joy. Throughout our marriage, you took employment that did not match your potential without complaint. You did this not just because we needed the money, but because you were willing to do whatever it took to protect the lifelong investment in something we both believe: our love and commitment for each other. You have been my greatest friend and only lover that I have ever known. May I never, NEVER take your love for me for granted. Yes there are many beautiful women out there, but you were the only one that captured my heart.

Some out there may think that this was a little too personal to share in such an open forum. But when you have been blessed as I have been with such gifts, you can’t keep it to yourself.

So from my family to yours, I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.
See you in 2008!

Want a sweet deal? Work for the government.

State-issued credit cards’ use runs gamut
With shaky standards and thousands of purchases, more audits coming

By ANDREA JONES, MEGAN CLARKE

Pornography, tattoos, concerts, dating services — you name it, state and local employees have charged it and taxpayers have paid for it.
A Journal-Constitution analysis of more than four million transactions on government purchasing cards in the last three years reveals a program that has morphed from a simple way for workers to buy office supplies into a spending spree on track to hit $370 million this year.

There are now more than 23,000 cards floating around the state. State, city and county employees used the cards to buy hundreds of thousands of items, from mattresses to jewelry, the records show.

The cards function as Bank of America credit cards and are billed to government agencies.

When an employee of Georgia Perimeter College, for example, spent $51.55 at drnatura.com — “The #1 Colon Cleansing and Body Detox Resource,” — that charge would have appeared on a bill paid by the college’s Student Life Department.

Other agencies paid charges of $2,024.68 to Brooks Brothers (Georgia Tech); $1,800 at Frank’s Gun Shop (Department of Human Resources/Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund); $2,335 to a dentist; (Ware County Board of Commissioners); $1,140.20 at Bridal Basics (Middle Georgia Technical College) and $326.32 at Mac’s Beer and Wine (Georgia Tech), records show.

Clayton State University and DeKalb County schools both paid charges at Ed’s Pawn Shop — $720 and $160 respectively.

While state officials say the vast majority of purchases are legitimate — University System spokesman John Millsaps said the colon cleansing was a prize for a health fair — there are plenty that raise questions.

In many cases, the questions are complicated by shaky policies and practices on card usage.

Here are a few categories of state and local employees’ card charges since 2005, according to the AJC analysis:

• • $13 million in travel expenses, including $6 million for plane tickets, $240,000 in booking fees and $6.1 million in hotel and resort charges.

• • Nearly $6 million at Amazon.com

• • $2.2 million at florists

• • $9.3 million at restaurants and caterers, including $657,000 at Chick-fil-A

• • At least $91,000 at jewelers

• • More than $56,000 on gift cards.

Purchasing-card policy prohibits purchases of gift cards, as well as fuel and professional services like doctors or lawyers. Entertainment is off-limits, but some travel expenses are allowed. The policy specifically prohibits personal use of the cards. (more…)

When we lived in Georgia some years ago, I used to contract with a federal facility in the Atlanta area. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of waste and outright theft that I saw going on a regular basis. On top of all of that was the gross level of politiking I saw on all levels. I used to get so frustrated because anytime I discovered something that was obviously wrong and tried to report it, my superiors would always remind me of the connections individual the had going up to the national level and how that could be damaging to our ’sweet deal’. Now that I am completely out of that world and thankfully making more money, I see how that crap is still kicking me on my backside every time we have a ‘good month’. Both my wife and I have worked our way out of welfare and are now doing extremely well. However that accomplishment at times can be anything but celebratory when thousands of dollars are taken out of our check to feed a government that will not regulate itself.

I know I am going to revisit this topic in the near future.

One last reminder…

Please take a moment to remember the many young lives that will not see 2008.

Caption for this picture from the LA Times reads as follows: “HR (Homicide Report) has been returning every month to interview Barbara Pritchett and her family since June, when Pritchett’s 15-year-old son Dovon Harris was murdered in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts. Above, Pritchett and daughter Dwaina at Dovon’s gravesite Friday.”

About Dovon Harris (LATimes.com)–

Centennial High guidance counselor Juan Ball, above, learned of the June 14 shooting of 15-year-old Dovon Harris by phone (see entry). She rushed to UCLA-Harbor Medical Center, where the tall teenager was on life support after being injured in a Watts drive-by.

Ball had taken a particular interest in Dovon, a 10th-grader at the Compton school. “I’ve got my eye on you!” she would tell him, pointing a stern index finger his way. “I’ve got expectations for you!” Dovon, usually a blur of affectionate energy, would be stopped short–reduced, for once, to blushing speechlessness.
He loved to hang around her office, cracking jokes, talking incessantly, being silly–dawdling when he was supposed to be headed to class. “Dovon, get out of here! Go to class!” Ball would tell him, exasperated. “He would make you laugh, and you just couldn’t stay mad,” she said.

Teachers came to Ball declaring that Dovon drove them crazy, then say they wanted to work with him anyway. More recently, Ball sensed progress. Dovon seemed to be maturing. “Dovon, what are your plans?” she demanded one day. “To go to college,” he answered. Ball pointed her stern index finger at him. “Now remember: that came out of your mouth not mine, and I’m going to hold you to it,” she said.

At the hospital last weekend, she saw him on the ventilator, swollen, his face burned. She learned he was brain-dead, but still could not believe he was dying. She felt sick, near collapse.

At home later, she lay awake. She kept seeing Dovon’s face in the dark. She considers herself a “realist counselor,” she said, urging students to prepare relentlessly for a world that won’t do them favors. But “I did not prepare for this,” she said. (source)

As of 12/23/07, 266 Black Americans (mostly men) have died due to homicide in Los Angeles (source)

As of a few days ago, 277 homicides have taken place in the city of Baltimore -

277th killing in ‘07 is grim milestone
City’s homicide total surpasses all of last year
By Gus G. Sentementes | Sun reporter

Six hours after another man fell to another shooting in Baltimore, detectives were back on South Paca Street in the daylight yesterday, scouring sidewalks and patches of grass near a tattered city tennis court for clues.

The four investigators still didn’t know the name of the victim or his age. It was, in many ways, a typical Baltimore homicide - a man shot several times and left on a bloodied Southwest Baltimore corner, leaving police with no apparent motive and no suspects.

“Right now, all we know is it’s a dead guy in the street,” said Detective Charles Bealefeld.

The victim, however, was the 277th person killed in the city this year, surpassing last year’s number of 276 and serving as another reminder of the violence that has made Baltimore consistently one of the most violent cities in the nation. (more…)

Philly may top 400 for another year.

City to Take New Tack To Curb Gun Violence
Philadelphia’s Mayor-Elect Vows Tough Measures
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA — The incoming mayor of this city is proposing a comprehensive plan of aggressive police tactics, including limiting the movement of people in high-crime neighborhoods and directing officers to increase searches of people on the street for illegal weapons, all in a desperate effort to curtail gun violence and stop the slayings of young black men.

Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, angered by the brazen shooting of a police officer and a persistently high number of killings that threatens to top 400 for a second consecutive year, has vowed to declare a crime emergency as soon as he enters office Jan. 7. Nutter also plans to bring the police force to full strength for the first time in years, saturate high-crime communities with officers, limit or prohibit street gatherings and establish curfews in those neighborhoods. (more…)

Homicides have also been up in Atlanta this year -

Homicides at record level for 2007
Gwinnett also in record year; Fulton, Cobb pass 2006 totals
By DAVID SIMPSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For the second consecutive year, DeKalb County police have handled a record number of homicides.

Through November, 99 homicides were reported in unincorporated DeKalb, up from the previous record of 97 in all of 2006, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of police statistics. The analysis excludes fatal shootings of suspects by police — 12 in 2006, one so far in 2007. (more…)

And let’s not forget cities like Houston, Detroit and others that have seen a bump in numbers of homicides involving out Black men.

Do what you can to stop this trend in the coming year. Future generations are counting on you!

Who will help groom these children into adults? (12/23/07)

La’Shea is an African American young girl who is full of promise and is certain to be a wonderful addition to a loving family. She enjoys playing with her dolls, watching television, and spending fun time with her foster family and friends. She also enjoys playing video games and listening to music. She likes to look nice, loves clothes and enjoys receiving them as gifts and wearing them. La’Shea is doing well academically and likes going to school where she has lots of friends. Before coming into care, La’Shea was very quiet and a little shy. It won’t be long before she is a regular “social butterfly”, as her personality is blossoming more and more. She has ventured out tremendously from her shyness, is becoming more verbal during conversations, and is more affectionate. If she knows you, her greeting will often include a hug. La’Shea is a little girl who deserves a family of her own – a family to nurture, support and guide her so she won’t shy away from any great opportunity, which is surely waiting in her future. (source)

Kendrick’s foster mom says that she loves him for being himself. He is an intelligent, entertaining, and engaging little boy. Kendrick is very outgoing and talkative and rarely says exactly what is on his mind. He enjoys watching cartoons as well as playing and watching football. Kendrick also likes to read and go to the beach.

Kendrick attends regular classes at school where he earns average grades. He can do very well when he applies himself and a personal aide helps him stay in compliance. There are few conduct problems at home, but Kendrick is working on improving his attitude and behaviors at school.

Kendrick has a wonderful relationship with his foster family and he needs a forever family to give him the constant love, guidance, security, and permanence that all children need and deserve. He will benefit from a family that will encourage his academic success and provide opportunities for him to build his self-esteem.

Another one of our babies is missing (12/23/07)

CHIOMA EZRONESHA GRAY
Case Type: Non Family Abduction
DOB: Apr 27, 1992 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Dec 13, 2007
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Height: 5′4″ (163 cm)
Missing City: OXNARD
Weight: 115 lbs (52 kg)
Missing State : CA
Hair Color: Black
Missing Country: United States
Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1086049
Circumstances: Chioma was abducted by Andrew Tafoya on December 13, 2007. A felony warrant for Kidnapping was issued for Andrew on December 14, 2007. They may travel to Mexico in a white 2008 Acura TSX with the California license plate 6AXX928. Andrew has multiple tattoos.
===

Here is Andrew Tafoya’s info

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It sounds like this young girl may have wanted to go with this guy–not sure. In any event, please keep an eye out for this young lady.

What I have noticed in couple of years of covering missing cases is that many of our kids are listed as “missing”. Just an observation.

This Christmas (the food)

Click here to get the historical lowdown on many of the food traditions at Christmas.

Christmas foods

Some of the things on that list never appeared in our kitchen—but that’s just me.

Foods that are seen around our house during Christmas: Sweet potato pie, homemade chocolate chip cookies and soups. Now that our kids are a little bit older, I am going to start a tradition of creating a big breakfast for the family. You know I gotz to break out the grill.

Tomorrow will be my last day of posting this year.

This Christmas (the videos)

Here are a bunch of Christmas videos I handpicked from youtube. I usually take a break from this site between Christmas and New years, so I am just getting into the mood.

Brian McKnight - Home For The Holidays
Take 6 LIVE - Christmas Medley
The Winans Family singing “Silent Night”
Fantasia - This Christmas
CeCe Winans - “Oh, Holy Night”
O Holy Night-Aretha Franklin & Billy Preston
Tevin Campbell My Redeemer Lives
Anita Baker sings Christmas Fantasy Live
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - Temptations
The Supremes - Merry Christmas!
Christmas In Hollis - Run-D.M.C.
Silent Night - Boyz II Men
Mary J. Blige - The Christmas Song
Faith Evans-The Christmas Song
Christina Aguilera-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Yolanda Adams - Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful
Fred Hammond “Christmas… Who Needs It” trailer
Lena Horne - Gap Commercial 1997

Try’n to help y’all out

Craigslist has become part of our Christmas shopping stops. This time of the year folks are trying to get rid of stuff so that they can have extra cash to buy gifts. Just yesterday I got an amazing deal on a barely-used computer with monitor for my kids. I got them an Apple iMac G4 which although now discontinued, it still goes for anywhere between $600 - 900. I got it at $300. I am checking craigslist out as I type this post and I am starting to see more desperation.

Don’t sleep!

‘Present’

Obama’s Vote in Illinois Was Often Just ‘Present’
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ and CHRISTOPHER DREW
NYTimes.com

In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.

In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator.

Sometimes the “present’ votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

The record has become an issue on the presidential campaign trail, as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, has seized on the present votes he cast on a series of anti-abortion bills to portray Mr. Obama as a “talker” rather than a “doer.”

Although a present vote is not unusual in Illinois, Mr. Obama’s use of it is being raised as he tries to distinguish himself as a leader who will take on the tough issues, even if it means telling people the “hard truths” they do not want to hear.

Mr. Obama’s aides and some allies dispute the characterization that a present vote is tantamount to ducking an issue. They said Mr. Obama cast 4,000 votes in the Illinois Senate and used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy.

“No politically motivated attacks in the 11th hour of a closely contested campaign can erase a record of leadership and courage,” said Bill Burton, Mr. Obama’s spokesman.

An examination of Illinois records shows at least 36 times when Mr. Obama was either the only state senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.

In more than 50 votes, he seemed to be acting in concert with other Democrats as part of a strategy.

For a juvenile-justice bill, lobbyists and fellow lawmakers say, a political calculus could have been behind Mr. Obama’s present vote. On other measures like the anti-abortion bills, which Republicans proposed, Mr. Obama voted present to help more vulnerable Democrats under pressure to cast “no” votes.

In other cases, Mr. Obama’s present votes stood out among widespread support as he tried to use them to register legal and other objections to parts of the bills.

In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add.

“If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.” (more…)

Yes, the Obama camp already responded to this accusation-

Obama’s campaign shot back at the New York senator, touting his support of abortion rights and a Springfield record that included helping reform the death penalty.

“Barack Obama doesn’t need lectures in political courage from someone who followed George Bush to war in Iraq, gave him the benefit of the doubt on Iran, supported NAFTA and opposed ethanol until she decided to run for president,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

One of Obama’s “present” votes was on 1999 legislation that would have required teens 15 and older to be tried as adults for firing weapons on or near school grounds. He was among five African-American senators voting present.

“I’m for getting guns off the streets, but I’m not for treating these juveniles as adults,” said state Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), who voted “present” with Obama.

On the abortion bills, legislators who supported women’s rights to the procedure were encouraged to vote “present” on bills that would have required parental notice before minors could obtain abortions and that would have barred what abortion foes call “partial-birth” abortions, a leading abortion-rights advocate said. The goal was to entice moderate Republicans and Democrats to also vote present, helping to defeat the bills.

“The poor guy is getting all this heat for a strategy we, the pro-choice community, did,” said Pam Sutherland, president and CEO of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council. (source)

Two points that should be made here–

#1 - Clinton calling Obama out on this is the pot calling the kettle black. Click here to see the amount of votes she missed (about this link: I don’t quite understand why they are going back to 1991 when she was not even in office. Someone can perhaps shed some light on this). Click here to see her entire voting record. (NV simply means “Not Voting”).

#2 - This is exactly why I feel this upcoming presidential election has little (if any) to do with the actual issues and more to do with perception–more so than past elections. Obama is being billed as our chance to start a new chapter in American politics and apparently it has been working so far with likely voters. However, when one really takes an honest look at his voting record and special interest ratings, he is still a politician that does not know how to say NO to his party or special interest groups. Schwarzenegger ran almost on the same platform as Obama here in California on the ‘new day in politics’ ticket. One of his biggest campaign promises was to repeal the car tax proposed by then-governor Gray Davis. Now apparently the car tax may be back on the table as our state budget has grown out of control. The only difference with Schwarzenegger is that he has just about abandoned the same base that got him in office. This is why I find it funny that Obama would consider Schwarzenegger as part of his cabinet.

The Clinton ticket on the other hand supposedly represents maturity and experience. However when you get right down to it, much of that is based on her husband’s experience. Subtract that from her PR machine and you are left with a candidate whose record differs little with Obama’s.

May the best PR machine win cause folks to go beyond the headlines and racial/gender symbolic noise.

100 Black men step into the presidential arena

100 Black Men of America, Inc. Announce Sponsorship of Upcoming Presidential Debate on African American and Hispanic Issues

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 20, 2007 — 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and The Nevada Democratic Party, along with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, IMPACTO and the College of Southern Nevada have partnered to hold a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. This marks the second debate held in Las Vegas. Nevada holds the distinction of being the second state in our nation to hold a presidential caucus, and Nevada will be the first state in the west to host early presidential voting. The January 15, 2008 debate will be telecast live by MSNBC and comes just four days before Nevada’s January caucus, which is positioned between the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

“There are many issues our organization want the candidates to address in the upcoming debate. We are extremely interested to hear perspectives on critical issues impacting the lives of African Americans and Hispanics, which coincide with the areas of focus that impact the 100 Black Men and our 106 chapters,” said Albert E. Dotson, Jr. Esq., Chairman, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. “Basic quality of life issues must be discussed such as providing quality education to all students; providing support for programs that reduce the gap in health disparities between Black Americans and other groups; creating economic empowerment programs to help the under employed and the unemployed care for their families and achieve financial independence; and supporting mentoring programs that allow Black children, specifically Black boys, to experience nurturing relationships that activates them to model appropriate social, professional and self-esteem enhancing behaviors.”

The 100 Black Men understand the significant role this debate will have on upcoming contests and felt it critical their organization participate and give a voice to so many who remain voiceless. “Creating self-sustaining communities through economic empowerment initiatives, access to quality education, as well as eliminating the health care disparities that negatively impact black and brown people are just a few of the common issues facing African Americans and Hispanics,” stated John Hammond, CEO, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. “These issues are nonpartisan and we would also welcome an opportunity to discuss the exact same issues with the Republican candidates.”

Chapter presidents from across the nation have been invited to offer questions and attend the debate. Members from the Collegiate 100, the organizations mentoring program for college students, will also be in attendance. The organization is also planning to use the MSNBC live telecast as part of their January mentoring session to educate younger Mentees and to also engage their families on the issues and on becoming actively involved in the political process. (more…)

‘Consensus’ going the way of those melting icebergs

U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007
Senate Report Debunks “Consensus”

Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called “consensus” on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.

The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007.

Even some in the establishment media now appear to be taking notice of the growing number of skeptical scientists. In October, the Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin conceded the obvious, writing that climate skeptics “appear to be expanding rather than shrinking.” Many scientists from around the world have dubbed 2007 as the year man-made global warming fears “bites the dust.” (LINK)

This blockbuster Senate report lists the scientists by name, country of residence, and academic/institutional affiliation. It also features their own words, biographies, and weblinks to their peer reviewed studies and original source materials as gathered from public statements, various news outlets, and websites in 2007. This new “consensus busters” report is poised to redefine the debate.

Many of the scientists featured in this report consistently stated that numerous colleagues shared their views, but they will not speak out publicly for fear of retribution. Atmospheric scientist Dr. Nathan Paldor, Professor of Dynamical Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, author of almost 70 peer-reviewed studies, explains how many of his fellow scientists have been intimidated.

“Many of my colleagues with whom I spoke share these views and report on their inability to publish their skepticism in the scientific or public media,” Paldor wrote. (more…)

Luther Campbell (Uncle Luke) dives into the world of online multimedia

If there was a real digital divide, stuff like this would not exist.

I was expecting this to be a continuation of the stuff he is really known for, but apparently he has left that stuff out of this venture.

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Luke Entertainment Group Launches UncleLuke.tv

MIAMI, FL, Dec 20, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — Luke Entertainment Group (”LEG” or the “Company”) (PINKSHEETS: LKEN) is pleased to announce the launch of www.UncleLuke.tv.

UncleLuke.tv is an all-encompassing website that offers consumers an extensive library of unique video content including never before seen celebrity interviews, music videos, televisions shows and sports.

Luke Entertainment Group aims to provide the premiere social networking platform for the Hip-Hop community, geared towards the coveted demographic of socially influential consumers in the 17-34 year old age bracket. Users will be able to upload their own pictures, music, and video content. UncleLuke.tv will have the ability for users to copy the application as a customizable widget for their MySpace and/or Facebook site.

UncleLuke.tv will also feature LukeSports.tv, geared towards youth sports. Athletes and other users will be able to upload and download videos of game highlights, pictures, team statistics and more.

“LukeSports.tv will be the kid’s version of ESPN,” says Luther Campbell, LEG’s Chief Creative Officer. “Young athletes will have a place dedicated to them where their friends and families can watch and celebrate their athletic accomplishments.”

Campbell has always been an avid patron of sports, and works closely with the youth football community, coaching a little league team and hosting the upcoming “Battle of the Stars” Youth Football and Cheer event in Miami.

Recent reports on social networking platforms estimate that by the end of 2007, 38% of all US Internet users age 3 and older, or 72 million people, will have used social networking at least once a month. Luke Entertainment Group’s mission is to develop and embrace current and emerging technology to communicate, entertain and embrace the new media consumer through UncleLuke.tv.

“Unlike most of the other social networking platforms, UncleLuke.tv will offer new artists, sports, never seen before videos and a myriad of unique content, including live streaming broadcasting,” says Victor Nappe, Luke Entertainment Group’s CEO. “Uncleluke.tv will be known as the place where you saw it first!”

[Link]

You need a mint

“Overview

Mint is the freshest, most intelligent way for you to manage your money online. Not only is Mint free, it saves you money. While existing personal finance software packages require hours to set up, a passion for accounting (is that possible?) and hours of weekly maintenance, Mint is virtually effortless.

With Mint, you can be fully up and running in less than five minutes. After that, revolutionary, patent-pending Mint technology does the rest, with virtually no more work required. It automatically pulls together your bank, credit union and credit card data, and provides up-to-date and amazingly accurate views of your financial life - from the big picture to specific details, in a friendly and intuitive way.

In addition, Mint goes beyond visibility and analysis; providing personalized money-saving and money-making suggestions. Mint provides users an average of $1,000 in savings opportunities during their first session. Plus, Mint is proactive— alerting you when you are overbudget, have a low balance, need to pay a bill, and more.

Mint is safe and secure: we never know your identity and we provide bank level data security.

How Mint works

Mint is a modern, powerful, easy and secure web-based solution for managing your finances. And it’s free. You register anonymously using any valid email address, and then add the log-in information for the online bank, credit union and credit card accounts you want to consolidate in Mint.

Mint connects to over 3,500 US financial institutions. Your account information is updated each night. Mint automatically categorizes all your purchases, showing you how much you spend on gas, groceries, parking, rent, restaurants, DVD rentals and more, with amazing precision. An advanced alerting system highlights any unusual activity, low balances, unwanted fees and charges, and upcoming bills so you’re in constant contact with your money – effortlessly. 


Mint goes way beyond just reporting. Using a patent-pending search algorithm, Mint constantly searches through thousands of offers from hundreds of providers to find the best deals on everything from bank accounts to credit cards; cable, phone and Internet plans, and more. Mint’s suggestions are “unique to you” as they are based on your individual spending patterns. For example, if you have $20,000 in a bank account that’s earning no interest, Mint might recommend a high interest rate savings account from ING or HSBC. Acting on that suggestion would give you an extra $900 in interest income over a year.”

Go get your mint [Link]

More stay at home dad linkage

Why reinvent the wheel when someone has already done it for you?

50 Useful Blogs for Work-at-Home Dads

BRING BACK THE GHETTO!!!

Coaltion To New Orleans City Hall: Stop the Demolitons

At a press conference today on the steps of City Hall, The Coalition To Stop Demolition sent a clear message to the Mayor and the City Council: just say no to the demolition of public housing in New Orleans.

The Coalition is “made up of local public housing residents/organizers, housing advocates, local and national organizations,” according to their press release today.

“We implore the City Council to take the right step, to be on the right side of history, so we can bring our people home,” said Martin Suber of Peoples Hurricane Relief, one of the Coalition’s members. “Stand with the people against the nefarious HANO/HUD.”

The demolitions were originally scheduled to begin last Saturday, December 15. The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), which the Bush Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) took over in 2002, wants to demolish the Lafitte, St. Bernard, C.J. Peete and B.W. Cooper public housing complexes These have been almost totally vacant since Hurricane Katrina displaced over 5000 families from them, because HANO/HUD has barred them from returning to their homes, even though they had valid leases.

HANO/HUD want to spend $760 million to demolish 4500 low income housing units at the four complexes, and replace them with “mixed income” housing that would result in only 740 low income units, an 82% loss.

The council is scheduled to vote on the demolition issue at its weekly meeting this Thursday. After the Coalition successfully filed a lawsuit last week, contending that a city code mandates that the City Council must vote vote on all public housing demolition permit applecations, the council was forced to take up the matter. Previously it refused to act on it, in part because the City Attorney incorrectly stated that it did not have the legal authority to do so.

At the press conference, the Coaliton stated that it’s goals are: “1) No demolition until 1 for 1 replacement is guaranteed; 2) resident participation in redevelopment planning.”

“If they’re going to spend over $700 million for this, the people who used to live there should end up no worse off,” said Bill Quigley, the public housing residents’ legal advocate, and a professor at Loyola University School of Law. Quigley also said that Maxine Waters, a Congressional repesentative from California, who sponsored legislation there to ban the demolition of public housing in New Orleans, was contacting City Council members today to “help work this out.”

Last Friday Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid sent a letter to GW Bush, urging a 60 day moratorium on the New Orleans demolitons, so that there was time to reach a more just resolution of the matter. (more…)

1 for 1 replacement of public housing units is in effect bringing back the ghetto for New Orleans. All the fear-mongering over this issue stems from a fear that many of these poor families will be permanently displaced with no other place to live. The best thing many of these protesters can do is divert that energy into finding these folks employment that will qualify them for something other than public housing.

Middle school daze

MSU study finds that U.S. middle school math teachers are ill-prepared

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Middle school math teachers in the United States are not as well prepared to teach this subject compared to teachers in five other countries, something that could negatively affect the U.S. as it continues to compete on an international scale.

The findings of this new Michigan State University study, Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century (MT21), were presented today at a press conference at the National Press Club.

“Our future teachers are getting weak training mathematically and are just not prepared to teach the demanding mathematics curriculum we need for middle schools if we hope to compete internationally,” said William Schmidt, MSU Distinguished Professor of counseling, educational psychology and special education, who directed the study.

MT21 studied how well a sample of universities and teacher-training institutions prepare middle school math teachers in the U.S., South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Bulgaria and Mexico. Specifically, 2,627 future teachers were surveyed about their preparation, knowledge and beliefs in this area.

“It is important for us as a nation to understand that teacher preparation programs are critical, not only for future teachers, but also for the children they will be teaching,” Schmidt said.

The length of teacher preparation requirements varied from four to seven years among the countries, according to the study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation.

“The real issue is the courses they take and the experiences they have while in their programs,” Schmidt said. “It’s not just the amount of formal mathematics training they get. It also involves training in the practical aspects of teaching middle school math and of teaching in general.”

Compared to the other countries, the U.S. future teachers ranked from the middle to the bottom on MT21 measures of math knowledge.

“What’s most disturbing is that one of the areas in which U.S. future teachers tend to do the worst is algebra, and algebra is the heart of middle school math,” Schmidt said. “When future teachers in the study were asked about opportunities to learn about the practical aspects of teaching mathematics, again we ranked mediocre at best.” (more…)

Yep! All for the environment.

Bush Signs Energy Bill Mandating Tougher Efficiency Standards
By Daniel Whitten
bloomberg.com

Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush today signed legislation aimed at cutting U.S. dependence on overseas energy by setting tougher mandates for carmakers, electric- appliance manufacturers and ethanol producers.

The law contains the first new vehicle fuel economy law in 32 years and mandates a fourfold increase in the use of biofuels. It also phases out traditional light bulbs and places the first limits on the amount of water used in new washing machines and dishwashers.

The new law is “ a major step toward reducing our dependence on oil, confronting global climate change, expanding the production of renewable fuels and giving future generations of our country a nation that is stronger, cleaner and more secure,” Bush said before signing the legislation at the Department of Energy in Washington.

Bush pinpointed ethanol production and new fuel economy standards in his January State of the Union address as crucial elements in meeting his goal of cutting gasoline use by 20 percent by 2017.

The legislation was sent to the White House last night in a hybrid Toyota Prius, according to an e-mail from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the law would save the average driver between $700 and $1,000 per year in gasoline costs. (more…)

(LOL!) Man, the stuff these folks do for PR purposes.

Ethanol production has been a very hot topic amongst poorer countries because it cuts into their food supply. So in other words, while you are cruising in your hybrid, poor folks in these countries now have to share their food supply so that you can save the environment and stop global warming. After all, we know what is best for them!

The ethanol food crisis
Terence Corcoran, Financial Post
———->Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2007< -----------

The latest "science" report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change landed Friday, but it contains not a word on the latest climate-science fiasco. Somewhere there should have been a typical IPCC alarm-riddled sentence to alert us to a very real and immediate climate crisis: the ethanol-food disaster.

As the IPCC might have said: "As a result of misguided attempts to mitigate the global climate-change scare we've created, it is extremely likely (with a 99% degree of certainty) that governments will introduce energy-control programs and subsidy regimes for biofuels and other products that have a 70% chance of bringing chaos to other markets, such as food supply. It is very likely such policies, including massive subsidies for corn and mandated ethanol use, will cause prices to rise by as much as 50% and disrupt basic distribution networks, triggering a chain reaction of inflationary forces that would be felt most by vulnerable populations in low-lying urban areas not on the receiving line of massive farm handouts."

On the other hand, there's no need for the IPCC to make such predictions, since all of the above is already happening. Thanks in large part to Bush and Harper government programs to subsidize and support ethanol production, food prices are starting to rise. The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported on soaring crop prices that are boosting food-price inflation all over the world.

One of the chief causes of rising food prices, said the Journal, is new demand for ethanol and biodiesel, energy products that can be made from corn, palm oil, sugar and other crops. Global grain stocks are at their lowest in 30 years. By next year, about 30% of the U.S. grain harvest is likely to be devoted to ethanol production, up from 16% in 2006, says the Journal. (more…)

Check out the HBCU spotlight on blackenterprise.com

Who’s representin’ your school?

[Link]

Unequal treatment in Cuba

Video description in YouTube

“In this video a Spanish tourist attempts to check into the famous Havana Libre Hotel with his girlfriend. The problem is that she’s a Cuban citizen and therefore forbidden from staying there. The clerk explains that they need a marriage license or she would need to be a permanent resident of another country. The issue is not that they are not married. If the girl were Spaniard or even Cuban with Spanish residency she there would be no problem. Spanish hoteliers that do business in Cuba agree to enforce the government’s disgusting apartheid practices.”

Related: therealcuba.com

$100 laptop may cost more for Nigeria

‘$100 laptop’ runs into more murky waters in Nigeria
CHIDIEBERE NWANKWO
businessdayonline.com

After suffering a major setback in the Nigerian market through the termination of purchase agreement between Nigeria and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, facilitators of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, the project has received another major set back.
This time, OLPC has been sued for an alleged patent infringement by Lagos Analysis Corp (Lancor). According to a report, Lancor alleges that OLPC used without permission, the company’s design for a multilingual keyboard design.

Ade Oyegbola, chief executive officer and founder was quoted as saying that Lancor brought the suit in Nigeria because that is where the design is patented, but notes that Lancor also expects to sue in the United States .

Oyegbola says his company worked for several years to develop the Konyin Nigeria Multilingual Keyboard. Some observers say the suit is nothing more than a ploy designed to drag royalty fees from Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child Foundation.

Recently, government officials opted for Intel’s Classmate PC over the OLPC laptop, also known as XO.

The laptop initially tagged $100 laptop because of its proposed cost of $100 (about N12,800) has now had its cost moved up to $188 (about N24,064). The project has received growing condemnation from some stakeholders who noted that the quality is not up to standard. (more…)

The BBC recently did a slideshow on their site showing kids with their laptops. Click here.