African-American News Archives

The state chapter of the NAACP says it will file a complaint against an eastern North Carolina school system alleging that its practices have hampered black students.

Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, was the highest-paid university president during the 2007-08 academic year.

Professor Moshe had called into a live radio show by Dr. A. True Ott, (explanation of Joseph Moshe’s call at 06:00) broadcast on Republic Broadcasting claiming to be a microbiologist who wanted to supply evidence to a States Attorney regarding tainted H1N1 Swine flu vaccines being produced by Baxter BioPharma Solutions. He said that Baxter’s Ukrainian lab was in fact producing a bioweapon disguised as a Joseph Moshe, MOSSADvaccine. He claimed that the vaccine contained an adjuvant (additive) designed to weaken the immune system, and replicated RNA from the virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic Spanish flu, causing global sickness and mass death

With Michelle Obama in the White House, consciously and conspicuously serving as mom-in-chief , I expected a resurgence of Claire Huxtable images of black motherhood: effortless glamour, professional success, measured wit, firm guidance, loving partnership, and the calm reassurance that American women can, in fact, have it all. Instead the news is currently dominated by horrifying images of African American mothers. Most ubiquitous is the near universally celebrated performance of Mo'Nique in the new film Precious. Critically and popularly acclaimed Precious is the film adaption of the novel Push. It is the story of an illiterate, obese, dark-skinned, teenager who is pregnant, for the second time, with her rapist father's child. (Think The Color Purple in a 1980s inner-city rather than 1930s rural Georgia)

Four African-American undergraduates have won Rhodes Scholarships and will travel to Oxford University for study, according to a BlackAmericaWeb.com report.

A little girl who trembled in her house in York during race riots in 1969 has grown up to become the first black mayor of the central Pennsylvania city.Forty-five-year-old Kim Bracey is an energetic veteran of the struggling city's improvement efforts.

*As we keep saying, this Tiger Woods story keeps getting jucier and jucier by the moment. Here's the latest.

TMZ is reporting what we've been speculating all along ... that the dust up between Mr. and Mrs. Woods can probably be attributed to reports that he's got a side piece.

(Click over for more on that.)

They say argument got heated and, according to their source, she scratched his face up. It was then Woods retreated to his Cadillac SUV. Here's what else TMZ says about what happened next, according to their source:

"Woods says his wife followed behind with a golf club. As Tiger drove away, she struck the vehicle several times with the club.

We're told Woods became 'distracted,' thought the vehicle was stopped, and looked to see what had happened. At that point the SUV hit the fire hydrant and then hit a tree.

We're also told Woods had said during the conversation Friday he had been taking prescription pain medication for an injury, which could explain why he seemed somewhat out of it at the scene."

The kids are really looking forward to this. I expect it will be the same man that has played Santa for many years in the city riding in the parade. It is this expectation that made me think about the fact that my children have never seen a Black Santa. In fact, when I think of Santa I can only envision a White man because that is what has most popularly been portrayed.

While I want my child to see a Black Santa because they should grow up seeing images that reflect them, if it is not positive, if the images are encoded with all of the negative stereotypes that are attached to Black people, it will do more harm than good.

So many of the images that are positive in this culture are associated with Whiteness; even when the original legend or story involved a person of color. Jesus is the prime example of this. In early Christianity images were truer to what Jesus may have looked like because he was often drawn with darker skin. There is no way that Jesus was a White man with Blue eyes. Now we may say that it is not important what color he was because of the message that he came to earth to deliver but that can only be the case if we lived in a color blind world.

Matthew Salih, of Friendship, looks at eye-glass holders made of beads on sale at the Hope Square Building in the Hill District yesterday.

Black women get breast cancer at younger ages, but the new breast-cancer guidelines entirely ignore that fact. This is the very definition of institutionalized racism.

Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:49 p.m. There are a number of talented local residents who create stunning works of art.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry has donated $1 million to the NAACP to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the civil rights organization.

A higher percentage of Latinos and African Americans in California value college education as a necessary path to success in today's work world, compared to their Asian and white counterparts, according to a recent survey.

While as many as 108 cases remain open with the FBI, they can use the public's help in identifying the victim's next of kin in 33 cases.

There is a saying that claims, "There is no such thing as a no good woman...if so, she was made by a no good man." Well, the publisher of Virtue Today Magazine , feels that both men and women are wounded souls that cause "hurting people to hurt people." The new issue of Virtue Today ordained the "healing issue," provides a healing for just about ...

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus threatened to oppose a key financial regulatory reform bill Thursday over unrelated economic concerns, forcing Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank to yank his bill before a final committee vote.

Marijuana, music and video games are potentially Mind Controlling agents. Mind control is also referred to as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, and thought reform. It refers to a broad range of psychological methods and processes thought to subvert an individual's control of his or her own thoughts, behaviors, emotions, or decision-making. Brainwashing and mind control theories originally developed to explain how the enemy indoctrinated their people using mind control techniques. Drugs and chemicals were also experimented with. The Nazis were heavily involved in such methods. Ecstasy was routinely given to the soldiers to keep them overly violent. What is not widely known is the fact that following the war, Nazi scientists infiltrated the American Psychiatric community, many becoming leaders.

The leader of the Nation of Islam began a major lecture series, a oeThe Time and What Must Be Done,a by using scripture, current events, social conditions and, at times humor, in a poignant warning about the need to change to avoid divine chastisement as an old world goes out and a new reality begins to come into existence.

*Highland Park, MI. -- A 37-year-old man was arraigned today in 30th District Court after being accused of shooting his teenage son execution-style while the boy pleaded for his life.

Jamar Pinkney Sr. faces one count of first-degree murder, three counts of felonious assault and one count of felony firearm.

Judge Bridgette Officer today in court ordered Pinkney Sr. to be held without bond as he awaits a preliminary exam on Dec. 1.

The courtroom was packed with emotional family members, including one who broke down and was escorted out of the room. Click over to read more and link to full story.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nooooo it’s the Heron! Gil Scott-Heron that is!

The man that had been long thought dead has arisen and is back with a new album that has only been whispered about as legend in smoky after hour joints for years.

He’s come out of the shadows to grace the stage and preach once again.

Gil Scott-Heron, in case you’re not familiar as you should be, set the stage for hip-hop. The poetry and verse that he’s given us, like “The Revolution Won’t Be Televized”, gave Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five their Message.

Heron was one of the first to lay the truth on track and pave the way for the beginning of the rap game.

Reporting from Atlanta - In a ruling that could leave the government open to billions of dollars in claims from Hurricane Katrina victims, a federal judge said late Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had displayed "gross negligence" in failing to maintain a navigation channel -- resulting in levee breaches that flooded large swaths of greater New Orleans.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval peppered his 156-page decision, issued in New Orleans, with harsh criticism of the Army corps, at one point citing its "insouciance, myopia and shortsightedness" in failing to maintain the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, known locally as MRGO.

Irene Khan meets members of the Alyawarr language group. Amnesty International has slammed the Australian government's inability to tackle the poverty the country's aborigines are facing. The London-based organization's visiting Secretary-General Irene Khan said on Wednesday that the conditions aboriginals are facing are deeply disturbing and require a new approach. "In the heart of the First World, I saw scenes more reminiscent of the Third World - of countries torn by war, dominated by repressive regimes or racked by corruption," AP quoted Khan, a Bangladesh-born lawyer, as saying. She underlined that the aborigines are suffering from the violation of their basic human rights.

The boys are back and better than ever in a new series! All your favorite characters are back along with appearances from a whole bunch of A-list celebrities, like Rove, Keisha Castle-Hughes, famous New Zealand fashion designers Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Francis Hooper, Kate Sylvester and Karen Walker, as well as Michael Jones, Nathan Rarere, Teuila Blakely, John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld, and even Prince Charles! New Zealand's first adult-targeted animated series – often compared to The Simpsons or South Park – Bro’Town follows five teenagers through the “mean streets” of Auckland, New Zealand. Set amongst the country’s growing Pacific Islander community, the series is based on the performance of the local four-man group The Naked Samoans. Of course, the boys get up to all sorts of antics in the second series. They attend Morningside Fashion Week, get lost in the bush, adopt a baby and convince their dad to buy a racehorse. All episodes of Bro'Town, Season 2 are now available in their entirety online for viewers in the U.S.!

Ten months after Democrats took over the Capitol and the first African-American president moved into the White House, black lawmakers are in control of some of the most powerful positions in Congress - and face new challenges to using their long-sought influence.

Would you join the oath keepers?

Such a time is near at hand again. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this Army -- and this Marine Corps, This Air Force, This Navy and the National Guard and police units of these sovereign states.

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, peace officers, fire-fighters, and veterans who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic … and meant it. We won’t “just follow orders.”

Below is our declaration of orders we will NOT obey because we will consider them unconstitutional (and thus unlawful) and immoral violations of the natural rights of the people. Such orders would be acts of war against the American people by their own government, and thus acts of treason. We will not make war against our own people. We will not commit treason. We will defend the Republic.

Ten months after Democrats took over the Capitol and the first African-American president moved into the White House, black lawmakers are in control of some of the most powerful positions in Congress - and face new challenges to using their long-sought influence.

(CNN) -- A doctor in suburban Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was arrested Monday and accused in the early morning death of his 9-year-old son, police said.

Dr. Stephen Wolf, 51, faces first-degree murder charges, said Nichols Hills, Oklahoma, Police Chief Richard Mask.

Third-grader Tommy Wolf was dead when authorities arrived at the family's home about 4 a.m. CT in response to several 911 calls,

"It was obvious there had been some type of altercation" when police arrived, Mask said. Arriving officers disarmed Wolf, he said, but did not elaborate except to say a knife was found at the home. Although the investigation is still under way, authorities believe the altercation may have begun in the boy's room "and proceeded from there" to other rooms, Mask said.

When the black folks rolled into Kennett, Missouri for our rally, the entire town stopped, the police showed up in massive force and there were even snipers on the rooftops. I assume the snipers were there for our protection, but after visiting the Lorraine Hotel (where Dr. King was killed) just the day before, I was honestly a wee bit nervous. There were people standing on the side of the road, taking pictures and some holding up flags with swastikas and confederate flags on them. It was very interesting.

There was a standoff with police and the city attorney's office over whether or not our permit was valid. This led to some yelling back and forth between Heather's father and the officers, but I simply sat quietly during the entire process, since we'd won the battle before it even began. After the yelling stopped, our outstanding legal team simply informed the officers that we had legal grounds to hold our march with the specified permit. The officers (joined by the city attorney) had a three minute meeting and then came back to inform us that we would be allowed to march as we'd specified. THIS IS A REMINDER THAT EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE GREATEST WEAPONS YOU CAN HAVE WHEN DEFENDING YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS - IT IS BEST TO JUST WALK SOFTLY AND MAKE SURE YOU CARRY THE BIGGER INTELLECTUAL STICK.

As social justice minded people, we may bristle at homophobia, sexism, racism or ableism, however; what we often fail to do is honour the rage, if it manifests in a way that makes us uncomfortable. If said rage interacts with something that we have personalized, somehow it is not acceptable and we turn our backs upon the marginalized person.

Black woman are often called angry, when they dare to speak about racism, thus denying that rage is a legitimate response to being demeaned. When you decide that you have the right to taunt someone, you have no idea what kind of marginalization that they have put up with before encountering you. You have no idea the fear they may have built up regarding those considered privileged, after countless encounters and yet we still expect that they will react in a way that soothes our sensibilities. The fight or flight instinct is alive and well in all of us.

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. - A Rensselaer County man is behind bars after allegedly tossing a teen into a fire early Friday morning in a fit of rage. It happened at an outdoor party in East Greenbush.

Police say it was 23-year-old Bruce Vroman who grabbed 18-year-old Derek George and threw him into the flames. Friends quickly pulled Derek out, but it wasn't fast enough.

18-year-old Derek George can barely speak through his pain. Second and third degree burns cover his leg, back, and half his face. "It hurts a lot," he says softly.

Derek was at a party around a bonfire when he says Bruce Vroman, a man he did not know, yelled a racial slur at him.

Derek's mother, Dorma George, explains, "Out of the blue they're like, 'you n***** you need to leave!' "

You wouldn't know it from our myopic and entertainment-obsessed US media, but there's a whole peace-loving world out there beyond our borders. Late last month Cynthia McKinney, the former representative from Georgia traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to participate in a conference on the criminalization of war.

On the evening of Nov. 15, President Barack Obama, the youthful leader of one of the world's youngest countries, begins his first visit to China, among the world's most ancient societies. Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, have much to discuss. Nukes in Iran and North Korea. China's surging military spending. Trade imbalances. Climate change. But the visit comes at an awkward moment for the U.S. China, despite its 5,000-year burden of history, has emerged as a dynamo of optimism, experimentation and growth. It has defied the global economic slump, and the sense that it's the world's ascendant power has never been stronger. The U.S., by contrast, seems suddenly OLDER and FRAILER. America's national mood is still in a funk, its economy foundering, its RED-vs.-BLUE POLITICS AS RANCOROUS AS EVER. The U.S. may be one of the world's oldest capitalist countries and China one of the youngest, but you couldn't blame Obama if he leaned over to Hu at some point and asked, "What are you guys doing right?"

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (FinalCall.com) - It started with a simple question, “Why are so many Black men in our community being sent to prison for such small crimes?”

When Rev. Edward Pinkney, founder and president of a local activist group the Black Autonomy Community Organization (BANCO) pursued the question, he ended up paying a price, accused of threatening a judge because he cited a scripture, he was placed under house arrest, unable to leave his home.

Recently released from prison himself on a $10,000 bond, having won an appeal for accusations of threatening a judge and released from legal tether, Rev. Pinkney has mounted another platform to continue his fight for justice. He is the new president of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph NAACP.

“I couldn't believe how they mistreated us the way they did,” Rev. Pinkney said, whose advocacy started after visiting county court house to witness how cases were handled. The Berrien County Court House is located in St. Joseph, Mich., which is known as a twin city with Benton Harbor because of its close proximity. He started picketing outside the court house when he discovered many were afraid to challenge those who lived “across the bridge.”

Having no health insurance means an early death to almost 45,000 people in the United States annually—almost two-and-a-half times the number previously estimated—according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The research team used the latest figures from the National Center for Health Statistics to update previous calculations based on 20-year-old data. They tracked 9,004 uninsured individuals ages 17-64.

The study included special “over samples” of Blacks and Mexicans—who were found to die at about the same rate as their White counterparts. The study was published Sept. 17.

A 14-year-old Virginia boy is weak and struggling to walk after coming down with a reported case of Guillain-Barre syndrome within hours after receiving the H1N1 vaccine for swine flu.

Jordan McFarland, a high school athlete from Alexandria, Va., left Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Tuesday night in a wheelchair nearly a week after developing severe headaches, muscle spasms and weakness in his legs following a swine flu shot. He will likely need the assistance of a walker for four to six weeks, plus extensive physical therapy.

Physician bias might be the reason why African Americans are not receiving kidney/pancreas transplants at the same rate as similar patients in other racial groups.

KILLEEN, Tex. — Sgt. Kimberly D. Munley has been applauded as a hero across the nation for shooting down Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan during the bloody rampage at Fort Hood last week. The account of heroism, given by the authorities, attracted the attention of newspapers, the networks and television talk shows.

But the initial story of how she and the accused gunman went down in an exchange of gunfire now appears to be inaccurate.

Another officer, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, 42, said in an interview Thursday that he fired the shots that brought down the gunman after Sergeant Munley was seriously wounded. A witness confirmed Sergeant Todd’s account.

Click the link to read the Officer's full story.

In a federal lawsuit filed yesterday, an organization of African American firefighters accused the Philadelphia firefighters union of being "racially harassing and abusive" to blacks.

A Black man doing a rap at the behest of a White kid. Of course no rap segue would be complete, without a Black woman shaking her ass. This is not the kind of comedy that says I am laughing with you. No, MacFarlane is laughing at us. He is not putting these images out there to challenge stereotypes, he does so to get a cheap laugh.

*According to information received from Team Elevation, today, for the first time, Former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, went on the record to share the advice he gave President Obama regarding Afghanistan.

He spoke exclusively with Roland Martin on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Powell's comments to "take your time" are in stark contrast to the reported suggestions that Cheney has given.

According to Powell:

This is a very difficult one for him. And it isn't just a one-time decision. This is the decision that will have consequences for the better part of his administration. So Mr. President, don't get pushed by the left to do nothing; don't get pushed by the right to do everything. You take your time and you figure it out. You're the commander-in-chief and this is what you were elected for.

Powell also said ...

Even as every day persons of all colors in this nation increasingly undergo unacceptable and growing economic hardships, the black underclass sustains the brunt of economic and social apartheid in this nation. Notwithstanding the arrogance of the corporate / military elite of this nation, who see in their slick political puppet Barack Obama, a type of urban uprising insurance against the masses of every day people whom they exploit; the laws of physics simply cannot long be avoided. Two things cannot exist in the same place at the same time. In other words one cannot have tranquility of the masses while at the same time they are jobless, homeless, and starving. This untenable scenario is becoming an increasing reality for millions of citizens of all colors, and most especially as it exacerbates the economic and social horrors faced by the black underclass.

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia on Tuesday announced the discovery of a mine containing more than 40 tonnes of gold deposit worth 1.7 billion dollars (1.1 billion euros).

The state-run Ethiopian News Agency reported that the new find, announced by the ministry of mines and energy, will require some 200 million dollars to extract and process.

"Geological survey indicates that... an estimated 500 tonnes of gold deposit is found in the country," the agency said, providing a figure for the whole of Ethiopia.

Some 44 companies are engaged in gold exploration, earning Ethiopia about 105 million dollars in export every year.

The Horn of Africa country has mineral resources that have so far remained unexploited.

Gov. Tim Kaine denied clemency Tuesday for sniper John Allen Muhammad, clearing the way for him to be executed for the attacks that terrorized the nation's capital region for three weeks in 2002. Muhammad is set to die by injection Tuesday night at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt. His attorneys had asked Kaine to commute his sentence to life in prison because they say he is mentally ill. The U.S. Supreme Court turned down his final appeal. "I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury and then imposed and affirmed by the courts," Kaine, who is known for carefully considering death penalty cases, said in a statement. "Accordingly, I decline to intervene."

This month Harpers Bizarre features the top ten outfits worn by Michelle Obama in the past year. In a world in which Black women are still not seen as beautiful, the elevation of Michelle has done much to reinforce a more feminine identity. Black women have always struggled to have our womanhood validated.

It is insulting to reduce Michelle Obama to the clothing that she wears and assume that this is elevation. It is insulting to sit there and compare her to Jackie O, as though the two women have even one single thing in common. Michelle may be the first lady but she comes to this position with the experience and life of an African American woman.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Sunday that he has been in rooms with white Republicans who are "scared" of him.

Sosa made waves last week when he showed up at the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas with a noticably lighter skin tone than he had during his playing days. So what's behind this new lighter skin tone?

Muhammad's lawyers filed their appeal with the high court last week. It marked the third time his case was presented to the US Supreme Court, and the third time it was rejected. The court did not explain why it would not hear the case. But three justices – John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor – said they were concerned about the rapid pace of the Muhammad case. Rules in Virginia allow for capital cases to move through the state system faster than the time frame set out under federal law. Justice Stevens said he would favor granting an automatic stay of execution in every death-penalty case before the high court to allow careful consideration of the issues. But Stevens wrote that having reviewed Muhammad's claims, he would not dissent from the court's decision to not hear the appeal. Muhammad still has a request for clemency pending with Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

*Lionsgate's "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" set a new record for films opening in limited release.

The indie movie's weekend take of $1.8 million from just 18 theaters is the best gross ever for a film opening in fewer than 100 theaters, reports Variety. Last year, by comparison, Focus Features' "Milk" grossed $268,487 from 34 theaters on its first Friday.

The LA Times is reporting that the studio behind "Precious," Lionsgate and its hybrid strategy -- playing "Precious" in both highbrow theaters, and in African American communities -- worked extremely well.

*Of all the people you might have expected to have “racial” identity problems, former Major League baseball player Sammy Sosa never came to mind.

Some people really have issues with their skin pigmentation. Either they’re too light or too dark. But, when you see the Hispanic/Latino baseball players interviewed, they normally show a lot of pride in their country.

The pictures of Sammy Sosa from last week juxtaposed with photos from May 13, show a remarkable difference in skin tone.

It’s as if he used whatever Michael Jackson used for his “vitiligo” problem. The only difference is that Michael Jackson’s transformation happened over a period of years. Sosa’s seems to have taken place in a matter of months

Whatever the issue is, racial or illness, he’s going to have to make some kind of statement soon. The media won’t let up on this.

Click over and check out the remarkable and kinda weird looking transformation.

Oprah is taking her syndicated talk show off network broadcasts and is moving it to her cable network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, in 2011, Nikki Finke reports.

Here's the key points:

* She's moving her production out of Chicago to LA as soon as 2011.

* She's moving the show to OWN, because Discovery Communications (who owns OWN) told Oprah to move the show, or lose her network.

* OWN is in 70 million homes replacing Discovery Health.

* CBS and ABC will be the big losers. CBS syndicates the show, ABC stations are the core station group for Oprah's show.

* Discovery is rumored to lose millions on OWN, so they're treating it as a loss leader.

* Oprah's meeting with programming executives to get the network up and running.

The House passed its $1 trillion healthcare overhaul late Saturday by the thinnest of margins, becoming the first chamber to vote on such a significant expansion of healthcare since Congress passed Medicare in 1965.

The 220-215 vote late Saturday was a victory for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who came to Capitol Hill to rally his fellow Democrats in the hours before the vote.

The bill includes a requirement for individuals to have health insurance and for larger businesses to provide it to their employees. It also includes a public health insurance option that is not tied to Medicare. But most of the $1.052 trillion cost of the bill comes in the form of subsidies to help low- and middle-income people purchase insurance.

Supporters called the passage a historic moment on par with the New Deal and the creation of Medicare. They said the bill will finally guarantee health coverage to nearly every American.

"This legislation will mean affordability for the middle-class, security for our seniors, and honors our responsibility to our children, adding not one dime to the deficit," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

*Oprah Winfrey has removed gospel singer BeBe Winans from her show's "karaoke challenge" until charges against him for allegedly pushing his ex-wife to the ground are resolved.

Winans appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last week to discuss the selection of contestants for the season-long challenge. He was also seen surprising some of the finalists with news they had made the cut.

Winfrey spokesman Don Halcombe said Thursday that Winans will be cut out of the karaoke segments entirely.

Winans was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault in a Feb. 13 incident, where Winans and his ex-wife Debra were allegedly arguing about their children. Winans has a court date set for Jan. 20.

As previously reported, Winfrey was criticized this week for including Winans after she had taken a strong stand against domestic violence earlier this year. She did a show on the topic when singer Chris Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Winfrey said at the time: "Domestic violence is something that I wouldn't tolerate. Period."

Michael Jordan and his son think they are slick.

*Jordan's son, Marcus, attends the University of Central Florida (UCF). No problem there, right?

Well, in a game Wednesday, young Jordan, being the brash fellow he apparently is, decided he wanted to wear his family shoe ... Air Jordans, of course.

The only problem with that is UCF is sponsored by Adidas! As you can imagine, Adidas was not thrilled.

Read on to find out about the ensuing drama and what's about to happen next.

Maggie Thornton Renfro will be 115 in November. She is the 7th oldest in the world. Her life will be celebrated alongside her three sister, Carrie, 107, and Rosie Thornton, 103.

The House ethics committee is currently investigating seven African-American lawmakers -- more than 15 percent of the total in the House -- and privately, some black members are outraged.

(CNN) -- At least seven people are dead and between 12 and 15 wounded in shootings at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, senior Pentagon official told CNN.

At least one person is "neutralized" in connection with the incident, and a second is "cornered," retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore told CNN, citing "unofficial, unconfirmed reports" from two sources.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations/units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."

Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

The military installation is located near Killeen, Texas. It is the Army's largest installation, Honore said.

Nearly half of all US children, including an overwhelming majority of black children, will eat meals at some point during their childhood paid for by food stamps, an indicator of poverty, a study showed Monday.

*Well, you know where this is going, right? Wow… it’s funny! That’s probably the first thing all her friends say to her when they come by.

But seriously, Playboy bunny, Nicole Narain, was interviewed by Joy Behar yesterday on her show and Narain admitted that her sex addiction has had her scared that she wouldn’t get out of bed some days.

She wants to start a new life, masturbation-free. By the way, that’s her drug of choice in her addiction. She simply can’t get enough, but now she’s learning to cope with her “disorder.”

Can you imagine if her and Eric Benet ended up in the same Anonymous group? Good grief! Just check out the interview. There’s far too much material here.

Let’s look at this seriously, shall we? In fact, click over and check out her video.

Last month, an interracial couple seeking a marriage license was turned away by a Louisiana justice of the peace on the grounds that their marriage was "mixed." The refusal was met with an eruption of criticism from civil rights groups and public officials, including Louisiana's governor, Bobby Jindal.

Finally bowing to mounting pressure, the justice in question, Keith Bardwell, resigned Tuesday, according to an Associated Press article.

We say good riddance.

When asked about the incident, Bardwell, a white man, admitted that he has a habit of turning away interracial couples because the children of these couples will suffer in life.

It's 2009. We have an interracial president. We are shocked that people like this justice still exist, let alone that they are allowed to hold public office.

But apparently Bardwell is not a relic of bad times passed. Rather, he is an example of the work America has left to do.

So, it is without any sense of irony that the liberal-socialist-left-wing-conspirators at the Alligator Editorial Board congratulate Republican Gov. Jindal - gasp - for his outspoken criticism of this man and his ignorant bigotry.

Jindal, an ethnic Indian born and raised in the southern state of Louisiana, likely faced some of the same bigotry that he publicly denounced in the weeks since this issue hit the headlines.

It would have been easy to stay out of the public discourse, or at the very least, make a few passing remarks about the issue. But Gov. Jindal kept the pressure on, with public statements that undoubtedly contributed to Bardwell's resignation.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle allegations he discriminated against African- Americans, Hispanics and families with children at apartment buildings he controls in Los Angeles.

To Shut Up the Critics: What Obama's Done in a Year. A blow-by-blow breakdown of the young president's first year reveals that today's frustration stems not from a lack of policy so much as a lack of common ground. We already know who won't read this type of article.

Milton H. Jones, Jr., Chairman and President, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., and John T. Grant, Jr., CEO, along with Members of the Board of Directors are pleased to announce a contribution of $84,000 from The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation to 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.

Erie County Legislator Michele Iannello, D-Kenmore, has lost the support of a union less than a week before voters hit the polls to decide whether or not to give her another term.

Rock created a movie that satisfied the voyeurism of Whiteness on the issue of Black hair. It even allowed Roger Ebert, a White man, to play the role of expert. Don’t Black women have enough to put up with, without White men believing they know everything about our beauty rituals? Whiteness never seems to miss the opportunity to inform us about ourselves. Yes, Ebert knows all about relaxers because he read about them on Wikipedia.

*Folks have realllllllllllly been trying to push that race card as far as they can with President Obama being in office.

Now, the latest of many other race infractions is Whitney Islieb, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, who thought it would be funny if she showed up to a Halloween party in black face.

Check her out with two unidentified black girls cheezin’ it up with her! Crazy right? The information is scant on what exactly went down at the party. But, surely if the black girls weren’t on top of her beating her senseless, the night probably proceeded without incident.

We've got more photos to show you, including a white dude (yes, in black face, too) at the same party who's trying to look like Dennis Rodman, we think.

Click over to access the ish.

The time is certain. At 9 a.m. each weekday they come pouring from their homes after all of the students are off the SEPTA buses and trains.

The Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Underserved Outreach Program raises the quality of life for African-Americans who have vision loss and who have not received rehabilitative help due to a lack of awareness of the services available through CABVI.

The four candidates running for Fort Mill's school board are expecting tough questions tonight from black families concerned about how their children are faring in the district.

A summit at Duke University and the University of North Carolina will address whether the recession has disproportionately affected blacks.

A new report from the American Cancer Society finds the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than 2 percent per year, a trend that began in 1990, and that over the last 10 years the rate of decline among African American and Hispanic women is similar to the drop among white women.