Tiger Woods Press Conference

Did you notice Elin wasn’t there for moral support? Now that this press conference is over, can we move ONNN already?!?

Water Drive For Haiti

Yesterday we conducted a water drive to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Thanks to WBLS, Collective Connections and The Goodwill, we managed to collect several thousand units of water. Check the photos…..

POP THE HOOD TO SEE MORE…..

Read the rest of this entry »

Coldest Winter in 25 Years For U.S.

This year will feel like the title of Sista Soldier’s book ” The Coldest Winter Ever”.

Nearly the entire eastern half of the United States is enduring bitterly cold temperatures not experienced since 1985. Even Florida, which has been hovering around freezing levels.

“It’ll be like the great winters of the ’60s and ’70s,” said AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist. 

The last time a large swath of severely low temperatures struck the nation was in January 1985. That historic arctic outbreak had below-zero temperatures Fahrenheit stretching from Chicago eastward to New York City, and all the way south to Macon, Ga.

Orr, Minn., had the coldest temperature in the United States on Monday, hitting 40 degrees below zero. Other places recorded new record low maximums, such as Bluefield, W.Va., where the temperature never exceeded 17 degrees.

Places like Britain are bracing for their worst snowfall in 50 years, Seoul Korea is in the middle of their worst snowfall in 70 years, while Vermont is digging themselves out of 33 inches from ONE snowfall.

This is shaping up to be the coldest winter in many people’s memories.

Balloon Boy Family Hit With $42,000 Bill

The Heene Family Just Got Their Bubble Burst!

The Larimer County District Attorney’s office claims it sent  a $42,000 bill to Richard and Mayumi Heene — demanding the couple pay restitution to the agencies which took part in the rescue attempt when they thought 6-year-old Falcon Heene had gone airborne in a massive Jiffy Pop-style hot air balloon.

According to the Denver Post, the DA claims the Heene’s $42k will go towards the police, the national guard and the Federal Aviation Administration — who all played a role on October 15.

A lawyer for the Heenes claims they won’t pay a cent until they see receipts and records. I guess this is one publicity stunt that didn’t pan out for sure!!

Brittany Murphy Death Update

Brittany Murphy’s husband, Simon Monjack,  is striking back at reports his actress wife died of a drug overdose.

“I’m confident it wasn’t an overdose,” he told The News. “She was not a drug addict.” He confirmed Tuesday that investigators found and took away a bevy of precriptions – ” but nothing else” – and slammed speculation that the 32-year-old beauty was abusing illegal drugs.

Murphy was ill before her collapse Sunday – she had laryngitis and also suffered from a heart murmur – but she didn’t ingest anything dangerous, he said. ”My wife did not take anything on the morning of her death that would have caused her to be sick or ill, let alone die. It’s beyond even the sickest speculation,” he proclaimed.

Among the powerful prescriptions seized in the couple’s Hollywood Hills home – and booked into evidence – were the anti-seizure medication Topamax, anti-anxiety medications Klonopin and Ativan, pain relievers Vicoprofen and hydrocodone, and depression medication Fluoxetine.

Monjack also called reports that Murphy was suffering an unchecked eating disorder “heartless” and false. ”The attacks on me, the attacks on my wife and suggestions that she was anorexic and drug addicted, it’s like, look at the (recent) photographs,” he said. ”Look at that smile. That’s not the smile of an anorexic or drug addict or someone in a bad marriage. That’s someone who was content with her life.”

Tidbits & Morsels

Keri Hilson was happy to write for Chris Brown’s new disc Graffiti. She told U-S-A Today, “You know, people ask me, was I leery to work again with Chris Brown? Or was I leery to work with R. Kelly? No, not at all. R. Kelly is a legend. To be able to sustain in this business, in this climate, for two decades is amazing… They were in a position where easily they could have hidden or just gave up.

Keri Hilson and Robin Thicke are among the music acts set for Dick Clark’s annual New Years Rocking Eve special with Ryan Seacrest, airing live from New York’s Times Square December 31st on ABC.

Trey Songz is offering the gift of new music this Christmas, releasing his E-P Up Close and Ready on December 15th. Currently available on I-Tunes, Up Close and Ready features live versions of such hits as “One Love,” “I Need a Girl,” “Gotta Go,” and “Can’t Help but Wait.” Trey will make a number of T-V appearances to plug the E-P, including last night’s appearance on BET’s “The Mo’Nique Show” and Friday on 1-0-6th and Park.

Check out Alicia Keys’ official Facebook page to hear her new disc, The Element of Freedom, in its entirety before it hits stores next week.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi plan to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights and refuse to testify if they are subpoenaed to appear on Capitol Hill about their gate-crashing the White House two weeks ago. The couple said in a statement that members of the House Homeland Security Committee had drawn “premature conclusions” about the November 24th incident. The committee plans to vote today on whether to subpoena the couple to testify.

Danny Cahill was crowned the winner on last night’s Biggest Loser finale. The 39-year-old land surveyor from Broken Arrow, Arkansas shed a total of 239 pounds to win the 250-thousand dollar prize. He set a record on the show for most weight loss. It’s almost ironic…but he’s officially “THE BIGGEST LOSER OF ALL TIME.”

Nicki Minaj made her debut on BET’s 106 & Park earlier this week.

My sincerest condolences to Tyler Perry for the loss of his 64 year old mother Maxine Perry. Perry once cited his mother and aunt as the inspiration for his famous “Madea” character, telling the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, “My mother is the wisdom of Madea, but my aunt Mayola, that’s her wig, that’s her voice, that’s her gun in the purse.”

How Do We Get Jobs Back???

With President Obama planning to unveil a new jobs initiative this week, African-Americas are wondering what the measure will mean for them. While the official national unemployment rate is at 10 percent, for African-Americans it’s above 15 percent. And for African-Americans ages 16 to 24, the rate is a staggering 30-point-five percent.

The president’s plan includes such measures as extending tax credits for fixing up your home, which would help the construction industry, and incentives for small businesses that hire new employees.

Here are the top questions that come to mind when thinking about this issue:
What measures do you think President Obama needs to take to get people working again?
Do you think he should set aside specific measures for African-Americans? What specifically would you do to help the black community?
What is a bigger issue for you? Healthcare or unemployment?
Do you blame President Obama for the current employment rate? Or do you think he inherited this problem?

Black Male Unemployment Comparable To The Great Depression

The government keeps claiming the economy is getting better and things are looking up.
Meanwhile the current job-loss rate among AfricanAmerican men is comparable to the Great Depression, according to the latest figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly one in five black men aged 20 or older is without a job.

The rate for black males is above 17-percent — numbers which are comparable to the Great Depression of the early 1930s — compared with white adult unemployment which is under 10-percent for both males and females in that group. At over 12-percent, joblessness for black women also skews above the national rate.

Roderick Harrison, of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, says, “Men in this recession, generally of all races, are getting hit harder than women particularly because of the loss of jobs in industries that have traditionally been male-dominated such as finance, construction, real estate, manufacturing. People with college degrees, with the exception of finance and real estate, have been better protected. They tend to have greater job stability.”

On a personal note, my younger cousin graduated with honors from a masters degree program last year and STILL has not found a job. We tell our kids to get good grades, stay focused, work hard and go to college and then you’ll be able to have or do anything you want in life. Can you imagine how burnt some of these unemployed recent college grads are feeling right now??? You know things are rough when young brothers with masters degrees can’t even get a gig.

How To Know When You Need A Vacation From Facebook…..

Facebook stalkers are in full effect!!! Be careful of the status and photos that you post up on your facebook account or else you could end up losing your job, benefits or worse. Check out this story of a woman losing her medical leave benefits because of facebook photos……

A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.
Nathalie Blanchard had been on leave from her job at IBM since she was diagnosed with major depression a year ago and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from insurance giant Manulife.

But the payments dried up this fall and when Blanchard called Manulife, she says she was told she was available to work because of Facebook. She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday. Blanchard said Manulife told her it’s evidence she is no longer depressed. She’s fighting to get her benefits reinstated and says her lawyer is exploring what the next step should be.

Freak Accident: Baby Trapped in a Washer Machine

A 7-month-old survived a soapy spin in a washing machine in D’Iberville, Miss. The horrifying ordeal turned Valle Hernandez bloodied and blue, but he seems to be on the mend, authorities said Monday.

Mom Irazu Hernandez was doing the wash Nov. 10 while her boys played nearby. Authorities think she turned her back for a “split-second” when the baby climbed in the washing machine and his 4-year-old brother innocently shut the door. Once the door slammed closed it locked and the machine flooded with water.

The mother freaked when she figured out her baby was locked inside, Davis said. Frantic, she ran to Mikey’s Café & Oyster House next door, where she found Mike Adams closing up his family’s restaurant….

POP THE HOOD TO READ THE REST……

Read the rest of this entry »

Woman Mauled By Chimp Shows Her Face

The Connecticut woman who was mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee revealed to the world Wednesday what was left of her face on Oprah’s talk show.

“The veil is lifted,” Oprah Winfrey said as she helped Nash remove her hat and coverings.Nash displayed a remarkable resolve and insisted she was not angry about what happened to her.

“I don’t even think about it,” Nash said. “And there’s no time for that anyways, because I need to heal, you know, not look backwards.”

Nash’s words as well as her disfigured appearance moved Oprah almost to tears.
“It is really shocking when you first look at her face, but after you sit with her, you begin to feel the power of her humanity,” she told her studio audience.

Nash was visiting her pal Sandra Herold in Stamford, Conn., last February, when Herold’s pet chimp, Travis, suddenly attacked her. The berserk beast tore off Nash’s nose, lips and eyelids before being shot dead by cops.

Nash, 56, is suing Herold for $50 million in damages and insists she doesn’t remember being attacked.

I lost my breath when I saw this. Its such an uncomprehensible tragedy….God Bless her!

Does The Media Ignore Missing Black Women?

Do you ever get tired of the endless coverage of Jaycee Dugard and Natalie Holloway — pretty white women who’ve gone missing? Derrica Wilson, founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, told A-O-L’s Black Voices that the media is much less likely to report on missing white women than on missing African-American women:

Wilson says, “There is a term often used — ‘White Women Syndrome.’ In most cases, unless the missing person is young, white, blue eyes, blond hair, attractive, the coverage isn’t there. In my opinion, a lot of these media outlets are looking to see what sells or what they think people would want to hear or read about.”

This is also true with African-American children. Wilson says, “When it comes to black missing children, law enforcement automatically assumes the child is a runaway. Rarely do runaways receive exposure about their disappearance.”

According to the FBI, 255,575 African Americans were reported missing in 2008 alone. That number makes up for 33 percent of the total missing cases that year.

Have you ever had a loved one go missing? How much help did you feel like you got from the police, the media, your community?

Balloon Boy Family Pleads Guilty Today

The parents of Balloon Boy Falcon Heene are expected to be in a Fort Collins, Colorado court this morning (Friday), with the mother, Mayumi Heene, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities, and the father, Richard Heene, pleading guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. Richard turned himself in yesterday (Thursday) where he was booked and released on five-thousand-dollar bond.

In a statement, his attorney David Lane said Richard will “fall on his sword” by taking the felony plea, thereby preventing his wife, a Japanese citizen, from possible deportation. He faces 90 days in jail. The charges stem from an October 15th incident in which they falsely reported that their six-year old son had crawled into a homemade saucer-shaped balloon that had taken off and landed two hours later without anyone on board- all in an effort to land a reality show.

DC Sniper Executed & Kareem Abdul Jabbar Braves Cancer

John Allen Muhammad, the man who was convicted in the Washington DC Sniper shootings, was executed  last night just after 9 p-m at Virginia’s Greensville Correctional Center as anti death penalty protesters marched outside.

A prison official said the lethal injection took about five minutes to kill the 48-year-old, who killed 10 people in 2002. He said, “Mr. Muhammad was asked if he wanted to make a statement [but] he did not acknowledge us. I did not hear him utter a word. He was emotionless.”

Muhammad’s attorney, Jon Sheldon, grew emotional as he read a statement from the executed man’s family, offering sympathy for the families of the murder victims, but not acknowledging his part in their deaths.

On another sad and morbid note…

Yesterday N-B-A legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed that he’s suffering from cancer. The former Lakers star says he was diagnosed with the disease last year after suffering hot flashes, and joked with A-B-C News, “I’m not going through menopause — so I needed to know what that was about. My doctor said, ‘Let’s go get some blood work and see what’s going on.’”

Abdul-Jabbar suffers from chronic myloid leukemia, which affects his blood. He says, “I heard the word leukemia and I thought it was a death sentence. But my prognosis is good,” adding that if he continues to see a specialist, take his medication and get routine blood checks, “I can manage this disease.” He says he went public to let others know “they can prevail.”

Photos via: Associated Press

Rev. Sharpton’s Family Arrested: Say It Ain’t So

According to the NY Post, Reverend Al Sharpton’s daughter and ex wife were put on lockdown over the weekend. Check it out:

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s ex-wife and daughter were arrested after berating two Harlem cops who had pulled them over for allegedly running a red light to get around their slow-moving, unmarked cruiser, sources told The Post.

Kathy Jordan, 53, and her daughter, Dominique Sharpton, 23, were handcuffed Friday night and hauled to a precinct, where the raging reverend’s daughter tried to get off the hook by citing her family ties, the sources said. They were issued desk-appearance tickets and released.

The road-rage incident began around 7:30 p.m. on West 110th Street and Eighth Avenue when Dominique became frustrated as she drove behind the crawling police vehicle, the sources said.

Sharpton honked her horn and tailgated the vehicle from the NYPD’s Housing Bureau before finally losing her cool. She furiously swerved across the double yellow line and sped through a red light to get past the cop car, police said.

The officers pulled her over, and she and her mother became belligerent and argumentative, the sources said. They were slapped in handcuffs and thrown in the cruiser. Read The Rest Here

I don’t know about this one. I get the feeling some over zealous cops may have gone on a power trip and arrested them just because they were related to Rev. Al Sharpton. You know we’ll hear from the Rev on this one…don’t be surprised if there’s a march.

photo via : NY Post