Category Archives: NEWS/STORIES

NEWS ROUNDUP: CHINA DENIES REPORT OF BAN / FEDS DROP PROBE OF SHARPTON’S FINANCES / KILPATRICK STILL UP TO NO GOOD

The 2008 Summer Olympics kick off next week in Beijing, and China’s Foreign Ministry denied that bars in Beijing had banned blacks.

According to a statement posted on the ministry’s site:

“The report proved to be sheerly groundless as we checked with the Beijing Public Security Bureau. Beijing’s public security departments, including the Sanlitun police station, have never demanded that any bar stop serving customers from any region or country.”

Authorities have, however, imposed mass security measures before the opening ceremony on August 8. Subway station and airport checks have increased, and anti-terrorist forces have been deployed to Olympic sites.

Additionally, some bars have been closed and others have been told they cannot have live music.

FEDS DROP PROBE OF SHARPTON’S FINANCES

Federal prosecutors have dropped their criminal investigation involving the finances of Al Sharpton.

Sharpton said he’d learned a lesson: “I have learned that everybody is not necessarily out to get you. And, I hope [prosecutors] have learned that everybody who questions the system is not trying to beat the system.”

Authorities were looking for tax fraud and probing allegations that Sharpton had extorted donations to his National Action Network from corporate sponsors by threatening to boycott them and their products.

Sharpton said that “was a total fabrication. Some of the companies called me, outraged.”

According to the reports, since the criminal case has ended, it has been turned over to the IRS to pursue civilly. The IRS is still calculating what it believes the organization owes in taxes. “I make money, so I can pay,” Sharpton said.

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Posted in NEWS/STORIES, ROUND UP

DID YOU WATCH? CNN’S ‘BLACK IN AMERICA’

More than 2 million people tuned into the CNN’s “Black in America” special on the black woman and the black family on Wednesday night and I’m sure the same number tuned in Thursday to part two of the special featuring CNN’s take on the black man.

Question: Did you see the special? If so, what did you think?

For the most part Part Two was far more appealing to me, due to the fact that it didn’t seem as forced as the premiere episode. I applaud CNN and Soledad O’ Brien for trying to bring light to the plight of the black man and woman, but for some reason it fell a little short. They weren’t really telling me anything I didn’t already know, but I did appreciate the real life stories and their take on the day to day life of everyday men and women.

I came across a good article written by Karen Hunter, in which she expresses her opinion on the very talked about special. Here is a snippet:

“Who is watching “Black in America” on CNN? I ask the question because it was raging inside of me as I listened to pundits and experts, educators and pastors, business professionals and actors—all attempting to make sense and give shape to what it means to be black in America.

I asked the very same question after Tavis Smiley produced the “The Covenant with Black America” a few years ago. That book sold millions of copies, and was the topic of quite a few talk shows.

Is Shaniqua living in a tenement in Brooklyn with five babies by five different “men” watching? Is James, who stands on a corner in Baltimore selling crack cocaine to his community watching? T-Bone, a Blood from South Central and his boys and rival Crips from cross-town, are they watching? Janice, who dropped out of Somerville High School in Massachusetts, will she be tuning in?

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Posted in NEWS/STORIES, POLITICS

TV ROUNDUP: Kanye & MTV’s “Choose or Lose” Give Back To YOUNG War Vets / ‘BLACK IN AMERICA’ ON THIS WEEK

In this next installment of “Choose or Lose,” MTV’s ongoing campaign to bring awareness to young veterans issues, MTV News and Kanye West have teamed up to tell the stories of returning veterans in the powerful documentary “Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming” set to air on Monday, July 28 at 10pm ET/PT.

In this one hour special, Kanye, along with Sway Calloway, give recently returned Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans the surprise of their lives by unexpectedly visiting their homes. Viewers will see first-hand the difficult and often painful challenges young vets face when they return home.

“There are hundreds of veterans out there who are falling through the cracks. They make the ultimate sacrifices for us by laying down their lives, but it seems like a lot of them just get forgotten about,” West said. “I know my music inspires and helps a lot of people, but you can always do more. I teamed up with MTV and took the opportunity to share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories. I went to their homes to listen and get their firsthand experiences. I wanted to hear their stories.”

On behalf of MTV and the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Sway and Kanye gave each veteran a life changing gift. Debts were paid off, rents were taken care of and tuitions were funded. Make sure to tune in.

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Posted in NEWS/STORIES, ROUND UP

POLITICAL/NEWS ROUNDUP: BEIJING BARS TOLD TO BAN BLACK PEOPLE DURING OLYMPICS? / CONDI PRAISES BARACK & PLANS TO MOVE ON / TAVIS TALKS

The 2008 Summer Olympics will be hitting China in a couple of weeks and some disturbing reports are coming out of Beijing.

According to the South China Morning Post, bar owners in the Beijing area were asked to refuse service to black patrons for the upcoming games. The article reports:

Bar owners near the Workers’ Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises.

“Uniformed Public Security Bureau officers came into the bar recently and told me not to serve black people or Mongolians,” said the co-owner of a western-style bar, who asked not to be named. [SOURCE]

WOW! The Olympics theme this year is “One World, One Dream” hopefully China will try to uphold it.

CONDI PRAISES BARACK & PLANS TO MOVE ON

When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared on CNN’s Late Edition earlier this week, she was asked about the historic nature of Sen. Barack Obama’s position as the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency.

WOLF BLITZER: One final question. Your immediate predecessor, Colin Powell. I interviewed him many times. But he said this to Tavis Smiley, back in January. About this race and about the phenomenon of Sen. Barack Obama, he said this:

“Let’s enjoy this moment where a person like Barack Obama can knock down all of those old barriers that people thought existed, with respect to the opportunities that are available for African Americans. And my congratulations to him.”

Now, you grew up in the segregated South. You know what racism is in our country. The fact that Barack Obama is now the Democratic presidential nominee, what does that say to you?

RICE: I think it’s great. And I think it’s great for our country.

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Posted in NEWS/STORIES, POLITICS, ROUND UP