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, 2007
Congressional 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 Hearn
The 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 Tributes
NEW 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)
Middle school teacher travels horseback to teach Black history lesson
Memphis (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 Charges
LOS 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 News
Roiled 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!!
