| Subcribe via RSS
I found this at Stereohyped. Sherri Shepherd apparently believes that being in a “rich White folks’ store” is plenty of a reason to keep her kid in check. Whoopi Goldberg then asks the same question I would have asked. Shepherd then tries to smooth out her original comment, but by then it was too late. Take a look (follow link to video)
The sad thing is that she isn’t the only one.
Njeri was kind enough to do a quick write up so that I could let the rest of the fam know what she is doing in her neck of the woods. Personally I think that she is definently onto something ESPECIALLY for those of us who may live in an area that does not have as many Black folks as Maryland/D.C.
Urban Playdates is a free social-networking site for parents and caregivers who are raising minority children.
Founder and CEO, Njeri Santana, wanted to create a broad-based effort that brought a wide-array of viewpoints and perspectives. “I knew that there were a host of “mom” websites, in fact, I joined many of them. But, I still didn’t feel totally apart of the group. While there are universal issues in raising children the reality is that there are unique issues in raising children of color. I also found that these “mom” sites had limited participation from fathers, family, and friends.” The reality is that it truly does take a village to raise a child and I wanted to develop a place where the village could connect.
Urban Playdates’ mission is to provide visitors with a key to that village that opens doors to resources, information, tools and support for parents and caregivers. Most families today have hectic lives. Most parents and caregivers feel they have
too little time and too much to do. Urban Playdates allows you to connect with other parents and those who participate in childrearing when YOU have time. It is a village where you can share opinions, forge friendships, network and learn about
each other’s similarities and differences.
The village is open to parents and caregivers who are male, female, young, old, separated, divorced, widowed, single, grand, foster, stay at home, new or have adopted.
Man, I wish I could have seen this live.
Right now I am sitting in the kitchen looking at a well-lit Christmas tree in the family room, sweet tatah pie and homemade chocolate chip cookies sitting on the same counter and I am about to make this lil’ fire in the fireplace. Whitney is sanging her but off on her Christmas album and I am scrate!
Oh yeah, I already put in my request for blackeyed peas and rice with smoked turkey to my mom, so now I am really scrate!
LASMD (Laughing And Shaking My Head)
I made that one up. Too bad the following is not made up.
(F.Y.I. What is a white elephant party? Click here to find out.)
An earmark Christmas
By Alexander Bolton
December 18, 2007Congressional negotiators have added scores of new earmarks to a massive 3,565-page spending bill that lawmakers had only a few hours to review before an expected vote Monday evening. Democratic leaders did not make the bill available for public viewing until late on Sunday night.
In the Homeland Security section alone, lawmakers have added 115 new earmarks worth $117 million total for the benefit of vulnerable Democrats such as Reps. Jim Marshall (Ga.), John Barrow (Ga.), and Nancy Boyda (Kan.). Leaders added $200,000 or more worth of projects for each of those lawmakers.
Critics refer to such bills as “Christmas trees” because they are laden with a variety of legislative ornaments and bear plenty of gifts for members. And it seems this December, many in Congress are eager to play the role of Santa to their constituents.
Democratic leaders have also slipped in projects that would have surely drawn opposition if introduced earlier in the appropriations process. One example is $1 million for an energy project requested by Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), who is scheduled to face trial on bribery charges early next year.
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), an outspoken opponent of earmarks, said dozens of projects in the Homeland Security title have never received any scrutiny. Because they have been added so late, they cannot be challenged individually on the House floor.
“I could have challenged that earmark and debated it,” Flake said of the Jefferson project. “Now I can’t do it.”
Democratic leaders have also deleted controversial policy riders that President Bush and his advisers have promised to veto, making significant concessions to ensure the so-called omnibus becomes law. Otherwise, much of the federal government would have to operate for another year at frozen funding levels, and the thousands of earmarks that lawmakers labored for would remain inert. (more)…
And guess who is begging for taxpayer booty??
CBC complains of unfair treatment
By: Josephine HearnThe Congressional Black Caucus demanded an “emergency meeting” with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Monday night to address concerns ranging from the unfair distribution of earmarks to the need for Gulf Coast reconstruction efforts.
In a letter to Pelosi last Thursday, Caucus Chairwoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) said the caucus needed to discuss these “matters of extreme urgency” with the speaker as soon as possible.
Pelosi agreed to meet with the caucus, Kilpatrick said Monday.
But Kilpatrick would not elaborate on the specific requests she would make to the speaker.
“It’s the end of the year and we’ll be looking at the things that are coming. We were concerned that much would be going on and we are meeting as a caucus to discuss that with her,” Kilpatrick said.
In her letter, she singled out the unequal awarding of earmarks. A recent analysis of earmarks by Congressional Quarterly showed that white members received on average twice the funding that African-American lawmakers received for requests made by a single person. (more…)
And here is where congress gives you the finger—
NFL Fines 5 Falcons for Vick TributesNEW YORK (AP) - Roddy White and four other Atlanta Falcons were fined by the NFL for violating uniform regulations with tributes to Michael Vick during last week’s Monday night game.
Vick, Atlanta’s suspended Pro Bowl quarterback, was sentenced to 23 months in prison on federal dogfighting charges the morning of Dec. 10. The Falcons played at home against New Orleans that night.
After scoring a touchdown, White displayed a “Free Mike Vick” T-shirt under his jersey.
He, along with tight end Alge Crumpler and cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Chris Houston, were fined $10,000 each. Crumpler, Hall and Houston all wore black eye strips with written tributes to Vick, which the league called “displaying an unauthorized personal message.”
Wide receiver Joe Horn was fined $7,500 for pulling up White’s jersey to show the black T-shirt with handwritten white lettering. The fines were confirmed Tuesday by NFL spokesman Randall Liu.
Hall also had a poster of Vick on the field during pre-game introductions.(source)
10 grand or any fine for that matter is just crazy.
What gets me is that the same NFL that is doing this will be the same NFL that will be banging on Vick’s door when this mess is behind him.
10 grand? Come on!
More African students coming to Chinese universities
(Xinhua)NANNING — More African students are coming or planning to come to China for higher education because of the country’s fast-growing economy and warmer ties with Africa.
“China is becoming one of the strongest economies in the world. It will be important to know the country and its language, so I am planning to come as soon as possible,” said Maurice Okande Alcula, a journalist from Kenya’s National Development Radio, who is among a 100-member delegation to China.
Most people in the delegation, which comprises youths from 10 countries in Africa, expressed interest in studying in China after visiting universities in Nanning, capital of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
“The curriculums in the universities are very good, and they have many associations and clubs for students to develop their interest. I am planning to apply to a Chinese university after my graduation,” said Djohor Fateh, a student from the University of Boumerdes of Algeria.
Figures from China’s Ministry of Education showed that 3,737 African students came to study in Chinese universities last year, compared with 2,757 in 2005, marking a sharp rise of 40 percent.
Most people are here to study the Chinese language, and some are studying medicine, economics, management, and so on.
“A lot of Chinese companies are doing business in Africa now. Being able to speak the language will give me better chance of employment in big Chinese firms,” said Shewit Falconi who is currently studying at Addis Abab University in Ethiopia. (more…)
I think I have mentioned this site in the past, but a friend of mine just told me about this site.
In short, it is peer-2-peer lending. More at this link (prosper.com)
SUNO receives approval to construct Information Technology center on South Campus [link]
ASU Dedicates New Forensic Sciences Building [link]
Growth Leads to Creation of Division of Business at Xavier [link]
SPELMAN COLLEGE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONWIDE SCIENCE EDUCATION EXPERIMENT [link]
Middle school teacher travels horseback to teach Black history lessonMemphis (12/16/2007) Galloping through downtown Memphis on an arabian stallion, it’s something you don’t see everyday. It’s the way New Jersey middle school teacher, Miles Dean, is journeying cross country to teach a lesson in the history of a people.
“The story of Africans and African Americans who from the 1500’s through the 1800’s assisted with the exploration, expansion, and the development of the United States. That history that’s not told in the text books of the classrooms,”said Dean.
Dean started in lower Manhattan in September. He’ll travel all the way to California.
“African American children need to know more about who they are. They need to know their history did not begin in slavery, that they have a rich 6,000 year old history,” said Dean.
Dean blogs on the web about places he’s visited showing how his ancestors helped contribute to the building of the nation.
Dean said, “Teachers need to teach more African American studies. Incorporate more African American history into the math and sciences because the history is rich in all disciplines.”
Just as important as the rider in this journey is the horse. His name is Sankofa. Loosely translated in Africa, it means to return to the source. (more…)
The next time you see a commercial about schoolchildren who are forced to use outdated schoolbooks because of a lack of funding, I want you to keep stories like this in the back of your head.
LAUSD Tolls Might Surpass $210 Million
New Payroll System, Previous Errors Account For ChargesLOS ANGELES — The state’s largest school district might end up spending more than $210 million to roll out a new payroll system, and fix the thousands of errors that have bedeviled the project, it was reported Sunday.
“There’s going to be a judgment day when all of this is over,” said school board member, Richard Valdovic.
The Los Angeles Daily News said Sunday that the system’s original $95 million cost has ballooned to at least $132.5 million, and officials said they don’t know what the final cost to the district will be.
At least $6 million in overpayments to teachers, police officers and other district employees may have to be forgiven, because of the accounting nightmare that has developed. Some employees face paying income tax on supposed overpayments, but have no accurate accounting on what their actual pay should have been.
[snip]
But LAUSD may have overpaid its employees by as much as $53 million during a five-month period of upheaval that saw some people put into financial duress due to underpayments, and others with overpayments that they could not calculate.
About 60 percent of the people who were overpaid have agreed to reimburse the district a total of $14 million, the Daily News reported. About $15 million in claims are currently outstanding, officials said. (more…)
When I first heard about the $95 million-dollar figure, I knew someone was getting broke off big time. Yesterday was the first time I heard about the figure going above $200 million. The information in this next article came to my attention via local talk radio.
LAUSD’s payroll fouled up: Questions raised on choice of new system, contractor
By Naush Boghossian
LA Daily NewsRoiled by glitches in a new $95 million computerized payroll system that have left thousands of employees without checks, Los Angeles school officials said Wednesday that they will review the contracting process that led to the deal and might consider taking legal action against the suppliers.
Problems with the system have left more than 10,000 employees without paychecks for two weeks, and Los Angeles Unified School District officials expect similar problems next month.
And questions have been raised on the district’s choice of SAP Public Services for the system despite a history of problems at other schools, a more-expensive software bid and a potential political connection to the LAUSD.
The lobbying firm Rose & Kindel represents SAP and also has a contract with the district for consulting and lobbying in Sacramento. It lobbied in 2005 for state legislation that allowed the district to use a less-stringent bidding process for major technology purchases.
“One of the things we always do when a system is rolled out is … look for lessons learned. We have to go back and look at the history of procurement, certainly. … We’ll do our due diligence to see if it was a good deal,” said Superintendent David Brewer III.
District officials have defended the contract award and say instead that the suppliers may have failed to adequately prepare for implementation.
But some also are questioning the timing of legislation that allowed the LAUSD to award the contract to SAP. (more…)
One of the school board members for LAUSD was on the radio yesterday afternoon and she just talked about the level of bureaucracy covering this issue. According to her, there was very little oversight for this project. She mentioned how she knocked down one proposal where a contractor offered to help fix the payroll system at $25,000 A WEEK!!
Black Christian ‘Racialism’ Challenges Faith in America
By Michelle Vu
Christian Post ReporterWASHINGTON – African Americans are statistically likely to be religious, but their worldview is shaped by their race more than their faith, contends a born-again black author in her new book.
Long-standing social and political patterns in the African American community have molded black Christians to behave like secular black society, said former journalist Pamela G. Wilson in her book entitled, Finding Soul Brothers: Dismantling Black Christian Racialism.
Wilson defines the race-focused mindset, which is now expressed through political and social loyalties, as “racialism.”
On issues such as abortion and homosexuality, biblical principles are often sacrificed to support race agendas like social equality and economic justice, she contends.
“Most of the time, people (black Christians) are supporting a candidate for the sake of how they feel they will advance the race,” Wilson told The Christian Post.
“They want to put their support behind the candidates that will help the causes they’ve been fighting for over these last few decades – which there is nothing wrong with – but there is also a Christian standard and I don’t think you should support anything that makes you turn away from the Bible if you truly believe what the Bible says.”
Black Christians tend to be “stuck” in the civil rights mindset and not look beyond those issues even if they say they are a believer.
“People just jump on the black bandwagon at the expense of their faith,” Wilson said.
“There are examples after examples where Christians have chosen black unity over their Christian faith and I call that being unequally yoked.”
Wilson challenges fellow African-American Christians to stop focusing on their race and instead assume a faith-based agenda, which would more closely align with their spiritual beliefs. A faith-based agenda includes family values, morality, and spiritual authority – issues traditionally associated with conservative white Christians.
“It is very painful to say ‘if I let this go, what about my civil rights as a black person?’ But then you got to get to the point as a Christian to say ‘I can do all things through Christ and depend on God to be my deliverer and overcome injustice,’” advised the black born-again author. (more…)
This weekend has been very busy for me (hence the reason for no posts in the past 2 days). I wanted to make it up by doing a lot of posts today, but when I came across this piece, I knew I had to stop right here for a while.
This is another one of those issues that has been in the back of my mind for years, but I have never talked about it outside my own family. This issue also came up a little bit on this site, but I decided to leave it alone because I knew it would be a huge can of worms that eventually needed to be open–just not now or by me. Sistah-girl went ahead and opened up this issue in this piece so now here we go.
One of the main issues that drew my family growing up to the Republican party was their strong views on abortion. As Christians, we saw abortion as murder–period. As a child that grew up in the church, that is all I needed to know about the Democratic party at that point in my life. As I became older, I began to see the disconnect between the Republican party and the Black community. Now mind you, this ‘revelation’ took place during the period in the 90’s when Black nationalism was making a comeback in the Black community. So I kicked the Republican party and went Democratic thinking that this was in some way securing my place in the Black loop. Although I still maintained my anti-abortion stance, I rationalized with myself that ‘Black issues’ was just as important as abortion.
Well, as I became older, that viewpoint began to change and I realized two things A. Although the Democratic party was very good at ‘addressing’ the Black community, their impact on the upward mobility of the Black community has been nil at best. B. Many of the issues that the Democratic party stood for (abortion, redefinition of the family, homosexuality, etc.) were completely out of line with biblical scripture. Most Americans use some form of conviction that is ultimately rooted in some core belief system when voting for a particular candidate. As for me, my conviction is deeply rooted in my Christian faith which in turn is rooted in the Bible (yes there are folks out there who define themselves as Christians, but they totally overlook scripture when it is convenient).
Does this automatically mean that the Republican party is the best choice for Christians? I personally do not think so. The Republican party over the years has gone down the same slippery slope as Democrats on some social (and even fiscal) issues in order to capture more of the vote. This is exactly why I was against the Faith-Based Initiative from day one for the simple reason that while politics is based on compromise, the Christian faith is not. Mixing the two is like mixing oil and water.
As I stated before, I will not be voting in this coming election for this very reason.
I have explained on this site many of times my viewpoints on both homosexuality and abortion. But for the sake of this post, I will try to capsulise both.
Abortion - Here is what scripture has to say regarding His knowing of us before actually being born:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)
Your hands made me and formed me. (Psalm 119:3)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. (Jeremiah 1:5)
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14)
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. (Psalm 139:15-16)
This is what the Lord says - he who made you, who formed you in the womb. (Isaiah 44:2)
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41)
From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. (Psalm 22:10)
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. (Psalm 22:19)
From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. (Psalm 71:6)
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
Misc.
Bombing abortion clinics is a crime and should be treated as such.
While I do believe in women’s rights, I do NOT believe in the right to choose if a child lives or dies simply based on the fact that they are the ones carrying the child. Although our foster care system has it share of holes, it is still a much better option than killing off the next generation.
Christians or churches that turn away women who had abortions do so in the name of their dead religious ways and not by the forgiveness Christ offers to anybody who has sinned and seek repentance.
Homosexuality
You can start by clicking here for past posts on the topic.
Here is a very exhaustive study on the whole issue that I would highly recommend anybody to read if they want to understand the biblical viewpoint on homosexuality. All my scripture references are contained at this link.
Misc.
I believe that government has no business in our bedrooms. In other words, whatever sexual orientation a person choose is their business.
Homosexuality is a choice and cannot be compared with being Black
Sin is sin and one sin is not greater than the other. In other words, those who commit fornication are just as guilty of sin as those who engage in same sex practices.
Discrimination in the workplace because someone is a homosexual is wrong. If the person can do the job, they should be given equal opportunity to do the work.
—
So all of this brings me to a very simple question to my fellow Black Christians out there who have traditionally voted for Democrats while claiming to be a follower of Christ as taught in the bible. How do you rationalize your vote for a party that supports issues such as the ones I discussed here while still believing you can still be a Christian?
P.S. Please use scripture to support your stance. Also, I challenge any of my readers to find scriptures that support abortion or homosexuality.
Last point, please reread this post if somehow you feel this is some attempt on my part to get readers to vote for republicans.
As you may well know, there has been a whole lot of talk going on about how poverty oftentimes is a contributor to the AIDS epidemic. While this claim may sound very plausible, it falls flat on its face when AIDS touches those who not only live in poverty, but are in an area with plenty of resources to prevent the spread of this disease. Dr Edward C. Green, Senior Research Scientist in the School of Public Health, Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University has written a short essay on the relation between poverty and AIDS and how it has REALLY impacted the continent of Africa.
Poverty Does Not Mean that Effective AIDS Prevention Is Impossible
One often reads and hears nowadays that poverty underlies AIDS, or at least that poverty drives the epidemic. The same is often said of marginalizion. In a recent article, Richard Parker comments, “In all societies, regardless of their degree of development or prosperity, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to rage, but it now affects almost exclusively the most marginalized sectors of society.” That presumably means that those primarily infected with HIV may not always be poor, but they are likely to be marginlized, that is, members of groups on the margins of society, such as IDUs, men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, or racial minorities. This may be true for the United States and Brazil (where Parker has done much AIDS work), but it this is not an accurate statement for Africa.
Let us consider the first proposition. One explanation for why poverty causes or underlies AIDS is that poor women turn to sex work, putting themselves and their partners at risk, risk that would no exist if such women had not had to resort to sex work. Another argument is heard less often, namely that poverty leads to poor nutrition, which makes may make people shed more viruses and be more infective if they are already HIV-positive (Stillwagon 2002). Or that poor nutrition and weakened immune systems (more related to concurrent infections than to poor nutrition) makes people more susceptible to HIV infection in the first place (Root-Bernstein 1993). Those who accept that poverty underlies AIDS proposition uncritically can be led to proposing AIDS prevention solutions such as “forgive Africa’s debt” and “overthrow the World Bank.”
We see at once that there must be more to the story, at least in Africa, because the wealthiest African countries (South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, and until very recently, Zimbabwe) in fact have the highest HIV infection rates on the continent (25-40%), not the lowest as we might expect. Meanwhile, some of the poorest countries (Somalia, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Eritrea) have among the lowest rates (under 3%). Certainly the two African countries that stand out as successful in reversing the direction of HIV infection rates, Uganda an Senegal, cannot be called wealthy. Uganda’s GNP per capita income is about $240, while Senegal is under $240 (Sittitrai 2001).
In fact, there is growing evidence that affluence rather than poverty can drive local HIV epidemics. Several studies in Africa (e.g. Over and Piot, 1993; Smith et al 1999; Vandemoortele and Delamonica 2000) have shown that there is an association between increased education and income, increased HIV risk behaviors, and increased HIV infection. And, not so incidentally, with increased use of condoms. (more…)
Put it in a comedy, and you are a hit with the crowd.
[This video is approx. 22 minutes long]
Chinese kids get foreign-brand toys
By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer
SHANGHAI, China - When freelance writer Wang Jian shops for toys for her 5-year-old son, she’s happy to pay extra for Legos blocks and Japanese-brand train sets.
The reason, she and other parents say: Foreign brands enjoy a reputation for higher quality — a perception reinforced by the product scares of recent months.
“We pay close attention to the news about toy and food safety. If I find a problem with a certain brand, I will just stop using it for sure,” said Wang, who writes for film magazines.
China may be Santa’s global workshop, but when it comes to buying playthings for their own children, Chinese families who can afford it opt for foreign-brand toys — even if they are made in China.
Quality and safety issues are drawing more attention as incomes rise and upwardly mobile Chinese grow more health conscious. While virtually all toys on the market, whether foreign or domestic brands, are made in China, factories making foreign brands are assumed to abide by more rigorous standards to screen out lead paint and other harmful materials.
“I dare not buy cheap wooden toys or toys with paint,” said Lin Yan, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, whose 7-year-old daughter tested for elevated levels of lead in her blood.
“I have a stupid standard: I buy her expensive toys in big department stores. I can only assume most of the expensive ones are foreign brands and are guaranteed to have better quality,” said Lin.
When her daughter is given toys she suspects are unsafe, she throws them away. (more…)
Check out salescircular.com to check out most of the current sales (excluding clothes and furniture) in your area.
Healthy toys
Ripoff Report
Wesabe.com - A BLACKINFORMANT.COM RECOMMENDED TOOL FOR FIGHTING POVERTY!!
$10 DSL from AT&T? Click here to get the 411
“I’m just ready for Beyonce to go away for a while. Maybe she can come back in a few years.”
–From my neighbor
Videotape shows Sharpton cutting a deal
By John Shiffman
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
With a hidden FBI camera rolling inside a New York hotel suite in 2003, an unsuspecting Rev. Al Sharpton, Democratic candidate for president, spoke candidly.
Sharpton offered to help Philadelphia fund-raiser Ronald A. White win a multimillion-dollar business deal, if White helped him raise $50,000 for politics.
White offered $25,000. “If you bring my guys up on this hedge fund, and I have the right conversation,” White said, “I’ll give you what you need.”
“Cool,” Sharpton said.
The Inquirer obtained an account of the May 9, 2003, conversation, which was recorded as part of the Philadelphia City Hall corruption case. The tape helped spark a separate inquiry into Sharpton’s 2004 campaign and his civil-rights organization, the National Action Network. The FBI-IRS probe resurfaced publicly Wednesday, when Sharpton aides received subpoenas.
In an interview yesterday, Sharpton said there is “absolutely nothing illegal” about tying business deals to fund-raising because he is not a public official.
“The tapes vindicate me,” Sharpton said. “They show that I did not talk about bribing a public official or paying money under the table.”
The video was recorded by an FBI camera hidden in a lamp inside Suite 34A at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan. Sharpton and White were introduced by La-Van Hawkins, a Detroit businessman.
At the time, FBI agents were investigating White and Hawkins, suspecting that they were involved in pay-to-play in Philadelphia - raising campaign funds for Mayor Street and others in order to win municipal contracts for favored donors. Later FBI agents in the case infamously placed a bug in Street’s office, but it was discovered before it recorded anything.
FBI agents tapping White’s phones in 2003 recorded more than 20 conversations between White and Sharpton, most of them related to fund-raising for the presidential campaign and an effort to secure a $40 million pension-fund deal in New York.
About a year later, White, Hawkins and a dozen others, including former City Treasurer Corey Kemp, were indicted in Philadelphia on federal pay-to-play corruption charges.
White died before trial. Hawkins was convicted of fraud and perjury and sentenced to 33 months. Kemp is serving a 10-year sentence for corruption, bribery and fraud.
No charges were brought related to Sharpton or the proposed New York pension-fund deal, which never materialized.
However, as The Inquirer reported in 2005, the New York-based investigation of Sharpton has continued. Sources said agents in that case are examining whether Sharpton violated campaign-finance laws or used money donated to his National Action Network for personal use.
FBI spokesman James Margolin in New York declined to comment yesterday.
When Sharpton and White teamed up in 2003, each had a need and a talent. Sharpton had access to business and government officials, and needed help fund-raising for his fledgling national campaign. White had access to campaign donors and was always looking for connections into business and government deals.
To qualify for matching federal funds in the presidential campaign, Sharpton needed to raise $5,000 in each of 20 states. According to a spreadsheet created by White’s office staff, White and Hawkins raised contributions for Sharpton in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania. White solicited funds from donors in Texas, New Jersey, Alabama and Maryland, and made plans to raise money in a half dozen other states.
Some contributors, however, were reluctant to help White contribute to Sharpton because they didn’t want their names attached to the controversial preacher in public records. One businessman in Philadelphia is heard on one wiretap expressing such concern. White convinced him to move the money through White’s political action committee instead.
On a few calls, Hawkins expressed his concern about Sharpton’s shortcomings as a candidate. He was sloppy with campaign finances, Hawkins said, worrying that some campaign funds might get mixed with personal or National Action Network funds.
“He’s a train wreck - a plane crash waiting to happen,” Hawkins told White. (more…)
Professor Carol Swain of Vanderbilt University (I interviewed her earlier this year–check it out under PODCAST) just e-mailed me to let me know about her entry into the blogosphere. Here is her bio for those who are unfamiliar with Professor Swain:
====
Carol M. Swain (B.A., Roanoke College, 1983; M.A., Virginia Polytechnic & State Univ., 1984; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1989; MSL, Yale, 2000; member of Phi Beta Kappa).
Before joining Vanderbilt in 1999, Professor Swain was a tenured associate professor of politics and public policy at Princeton University.
Her highly acclaimed book, Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress was named one of the seven outstanding academic books of 1994 by Library Choice Journal, received the 1994 Woodrow Wilson prize for the best book published in the U.S. on government, politics or international affairs, the Hardeman Prize for best scholarly work on Congress during 1994-1995, and was the co-winner of the Key Award for the best book published on southern politics.
Black Faces, Black Interests has received three U.S. Supreme Court citations.
Her more recent books are Debating Immigration (ed.), The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration,and Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism (co-authored with Russ Nieli).
Professor Swain’s work on representation and race relations has earned her national and international accolades.
She has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including C-Span’s Washington Journal, PBS’s News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC News, Fox News Live, CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, CNN’s Showbiz Tonight, CNN’s Paula Zahn, CNBC, Tavis Smiley Show, and National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, Here and Now, and The Connection.
“Moreover, the three groups seem more trusting of whites than of each other. The poll found that 61% of Hispanics, 54% of Asians and 47% of African Americans would rather do business with whites than members of the other two groups.”
I would have to do a little digging for the post, but I do remember addressing this a while back on this site. I said something to the effect that for Blacks at least (and I would imagine the same for the other two ethnic groups), I think it comes down to expectancy by both the business owner and the customer. In my experience, REGARDLESS of cost of the product or service, there are many of us out there that expect an automatic (insert race here) discount just because the business owner is your same race. Nevermind the cost the business owner has to eat for giving you the ‘hook up’ (There is a Black plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills [not the one caught up in the Kanye West thing] who stated that at times he is asked by his Black patients for a ‘hook up’ in price. Yep, even in Beverly Hills). As far as owner goes, I have also seen many of times business that cater to Blacks that could do a whole lot better in both the pricing, presentation, customer service department. Yet it is this feeling that because you are serving your own, they’ll understand. (here is my clause for the racially sensitive in the room: No I am not saying that this is a reflection of all Black-owned businesses or that all White businesses are great–sheesh). Again, I would imagine the same thing happens in other communities as well. As far as White businesses go, well their target group is EVERYBODY. So making sure customer service is on point, quality of product is up to par, prices are reasonable (that is a biggie right there–I’ve heard a Jewish man complain that other Jews will try to overcharge each other–someone out there can verify that one for me since I am not Jewish) is a must if they are going to make that money.
There are other things I found pretty interesting in this study that I might comment on later.
More Blacks Lean Toward Obama
Shift in Allegiance From Clinton
Could Tighten Primaries in South
By JONATHAN KAUFMAN and VALERIE BAUERLEIN
wsj.comBarack Obama’s rising poll numbers among white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are having an unexpected ripple effect: Some black voters are switching their allegiance from Hillary Clinton and lining up behind him too. That could mean a further tightening of the Democratic presidential race, especially in southern states where blacks make up as many as half of Democratic primary voters.
The evidence of movement is most clear in South Carolina, site of the first primary where black votes figure to make a significant impact. There, four polls now show Illinois Sen. Obama with a lead among African-American voters for the Jan. 26 vote. As a result, the race in South Carolina has tightened, with some polls calling it a dead heat. A Rasmussen poll completed last week among South Carolina voters shows Mr. Obama now attracting 51% of the African-American vote, compared with 27% for Mrs. Clinton. A month ago, the candidates were tied among South Carolina black voters. Along with other polls, Rasmussen shows the two candidates essentially tied among all South Carolina voters. (more…)
The Clinton campaign’s new title should be “The gang that couldn’t shoot straight”. First, she misfires on illegal immigration. Since then, her and members of her campaign have been trying to find some dirt from his past like his past drug use. When I heard that one I knew they were reaching too deep–and apparently so did many potential voters.
