Three Times Always a Charm.......and then there's the Funk!

Well it's that time again...interview time on Sunday's upcoming Afronerd Radio broadcast. I conferred with Mr. Shane Taylor earlier (of the counter protest against Rev. Sharpton) so be prepared for a fiery and informative program. We will not only discuss his recent endeavors but also the deaths of Sean Taylor, University of Chicago doctoral student, Amadou Cisse and of course Dunbar Village. You know the drill-call us "live" at 646-915-9620 or IM/email via afronerdradio@yahoo. And remember it's 8pm eastern. And it wouldn't be the weekend if I didn't lace you guys with some superior funk and musicianship. You know who it is.....Maceo Parker and His Royal Badness:

Maceo Parker and Prince
Uploaded by Petales

It's Going Down......Introducing MAD DADS

Jon M. Fletcher/The Times-Union
MAD DADS national President Eddie Staton (left) and Patrick Hadley, founder of the Florida chapter of MAD DADS, laugh during a news conference Thursday to announce the organization's sponsorship of the Florida Cares Initiative to recruit 100,000 black mentors for youths.


Courtesy of Jacksonville.com:

Black men's group seeks to save a generation

MAD DADS is working with Essence magazine to register 100,000 mentors for African-American youths in Florida.


By Charlie Patton, The Times-Union

Saying it's time to act or risk losing the next generation of African-America boys to drugs, crime and violence, a group of Jacksonville leaders announced a new Web site Thursday where people in Florida can sign up to become mentors.

People who sign up via www.floridacares.info will receive e-mail responses telling them how to find local organizations that will train and match them with mentees, Eddie Staton, the Jacksonville-based national president of MAD DADS, said during a news conference at Eugene Butler Middle School.

MAD DADS stands for Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder.

Those signing up will be referred to the Kesler Mentoring Connection for training and then matched with a mentee through organizations such as Project Reach and Big Brothers Big Sisters, Staton said.

MAD DADS is a partner in a national initiative launch called Essence Cares, which was launched last year by Essence magazine. The national goal is to sign up 1.2 million African-American males by 2010 to serve as mentors. The goal of the Florida Cares Initiative is to sign up 100,000 new mentors, Staton said.

Staton said there's a great need for "strong, drug-free, God-loving" black men to serve as role models to black boys, offering an alternative to "pimps and hustlers and gang-bangers."

In calling specifically for African-American men to sign up as mentors, Staton said "we're not shunning anyone."

"But we need to take responsibility for our own," he said.

"If we want change, we have to make that change happen ourselves," said state Sen. Tony Hill, who said he has gotten his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, to agree to make the mentoring initiative a national project.

Roy Mitchell, a Jacksonville native and retired educator who once served as principal at Butler, will be one of the co-chairman of the Florida Cares Initiative.

"I am a product of what we are talking about," Mitchell said. "Community-minded adults put their hands on my shoulders."

Raised by a single parent, Mitchell said he was guided by a couple of key mentors, one of them Earl Kitchens, a legendary high school football coach in Jacksonville for whom Mitchell played when Northwestern, now a middle school, was a high school.

Claudette Williams, president of Edward Waters College, said her students have a role to play, both as mentors and mentees.

"We have already lost a generation, I'm sure," she said. "We can't afford to lose another."

Staton said Thursday's news conference was called to bring attention to the new Web site. Sometime in early 2008, he said, he expects Susan Taylor, the editor-in-chief of Essence, to come to Jacksonville for a formal kickoff of the Florida Cares campaign.

While there have been a number of recent efforts to recruit more mentors, this campaign will benefit from the involvement of Essence, which is extremely popular among blacks, Hill said.

The Question Really is what are YOU going to do about Black on Black crime BLACK People? CNN/Youtube debates

A quick hat tip to NPR's News & Views blog for the above clip. By just doing a cursory review of what's being said about this particular portion of the Republican debates-one can find a number of progressive bloggers/commenters incensed over Governor Romney's response. I suspect invoking Cosby didn't endear himself to the Black victimization set either. What bothered me the most was not Romney's response but the question. How is one to answer a question that has an internal behavioral element attached to it? The question is analogous to a stranded person having a flat tire with a spare and a jack in his/her possession and then asking a passerby how are we going to get this tire fixed? Again, we understand structural socio-economic hindrances but let's use the late Sean Taylor as an example. Taylor was given money, opportunity and access(or is it excess) and he was still killed in the same manner as a poorer counterpart-except his demise took place in a mansion and not a street corner. If I were Romney (responding to Black people regarding a Black problem) I would have done what Jerome Benton has been doing for Morris Day for the last twenty plus years...hold up that mirror:

The Time - Jungle Love (morris Day)
Uploaded by coolfunk

If You haven't Already Guessed Our Show was Cancelled......but there is a reason...and riffing on Jason Whitlock and the Black KKK

First off folks, I really do get a kick out of doing our weekly broadcasts but if it's a matter of time constraints or if I feel the quality of the show will be hindered then rest assured I will always take a break and then regroup. That was the case this evening. I was working behind the scenes to get some interviews lined up so I had to opt out this evening. Once again, I conferred with Mr. Shane Johnson and we should be good to go for an interview this Sunday at 8pm-so stay tuned. Now on to matters that are somehow tangentially related. I have received numerous emails regarding sports columnist, Jason Whitlock's recent remarks (more specifically, his column from yesterday) regarding the untimely death of Washington Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor. In my estimation, Mr. Whitlock's (hell, if you haven't guessed I'm definitely a supporter) comments couldn't have been anymore poignant, concise and prescient. But what disturbs me the most are the emails I received that didn't like what Whitlock stated. I'm really beginning to understand what Charlton Heston's character felt like in the above clip. Let me share with the class an example of one of the emails in question:

Email Heading-

The Black KKK-What are we going to do about Jason Whitlock?

Come on now, someone should say something from a Black perspective.

If Don Imus can be run off the television screens of America, if not the radio, someone should call Jason Whitlock to account. Yesterday on Fox Sports, for whom he is a columnist, characterized those who represent as a class the brothers who presumably shot Washington linebacker Sean Taylor, as the Black KKK.

Personally I find that far more dangerous than the Imus account. This encourages every white man and woman in america to carry a gun and open fire on us all! The Black Caucus, if only they were up to it, should call Fox and that fascist jerk who lives in New York and owns Fox, on the carpet and answer to some form of accountability.

Wow! Several questions come to mind. What exactly must be done with or to Jason Whitlock? Why is he being compared to Imus? And why aren't Whitlock's comments Black? Folks, it's time for honest talk. Matter of fact-it's emergency time for transparency in Black public discourse. Let's take a look at an excerpt from Whitlock's column and flesh it out thereafter:

There's a reason I call them the Black KKK. The pain, the fear and the destruction are all the same.

Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death.

The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.

No, we don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it's no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You'd assume a heart attack, and you'd know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.

Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there's every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That's not some negative, unfair stereotype. It's a reality we've been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.

OK. Who are these people that have a problem with Whitlock's remarks? What is it that he is saying that is not factual? We will definitely discuss this and other related issues during this Sunday's broadcast. It's time to bring back the honesty people because our young Black/Brown men are paying the price for our feigned indignation-shout out to the excuse merchants! For the article in its entirety, click on the link below:

Taylor's death a grim reminder for us all

Afronerd visits Lightning Strikes on Blog Talk Radio today at 4pm eastern

Rod Amis host of the new live podcast, Lightning Strikes has developed a roundtable show and he was gracious enough to invite yours truly to participate. It should be a festive exercise where we (hosts Rod and Christina talk with Dr. Christopher Bell, and fellow blogger Field Negro) will be discussing the events of the day. Check us out at 4pm eastern-and the call in number is 646-595-3863.

Lightning Strikes

Guess Who's Back? Star & Bucwild Return to the Airwaves.......

This is really local/tri-state area news but I thought that it is interesting nonetheless-Troi "Star" Torain appears to be returning to NY radio. I did not support his statements that ultimately led to his dismissal from Clear Channel but I did like his irreverent wit, conservative political leanings and his notorious criticisms of the minstrel/gangsta element in commercial hip hop. Here's more on the return of Star, courtesy of Allhiphop.com:

Hip-Hop shock jocks Star and Buc Wild of the "Star and Buc Wild Morning Show" are returning to New York City airwaves, after being yanked off the air for making lewd comments about his rival, DJ Envy, in 2006.

The pair will hold a press conference tomorrow (November 28) at the posh Bryant Park Hotel in the Screening Room, where they will announce details of their return to morning radio.


While it is not confirmed, sources told AllHipHop.com that Star and Buc Wild will be broadcast on Island Broadcasting Company’s WNYZ 87.5, which has been airing Russian content since July of 2005.

WNYZ is a also low powered television station Channel 6, which is currently broadcasting audio over the 87.7 FM frequency.

The station is expected to switch from Russian programming to Top 40.

A representative for WNYZ 87.5 could not confirm whether or not the pair would be airing from WNYZ 87.5, but admitted to AllHipHop.com that she wouldn’t have knowledge of such matters.

Star & Bucwild started their radio career in 2000 along with Miss Jones on the Star & Bucwild Morning Show on Hot 97.

The controversial morning show drew high ratings, frequently beating shock jock Howard Stern in key demographic markets.

The duo left Hot 97 in May of 2003 to "pursue other interests."

The Star & Bucwild show was picked up New York’s Power 105.1 and syndicated by Clear Channel in 2004.

In May of 2006, Star was fired for making lewd and racist comments about DJ Envy’s wife and 4-year-old, daughter, who he said he wanted to urinate on.

In the aftermath of the controversial statements, Star was fired and even charged with child endangerment after making the comments over public airwaves.

The charges were eventually dropped, but Star filed a $10 million dollar lawsuit against the city, which was also eventually thrown out of court.

Come On, People! The Review

Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors

"In 1950, five out of every six black children were born into a two-parent home. Today, that number is less than two out of six."

The above quote comes from Drs. Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint's latest treatise, Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors-a must read for a community that despite immeasurable success also possesses grave failings that must be addressed with the greatest urgency. This harrowing quotation (which is just one of a number alarming statistics the book highlights) encapsulates the crux of what Cosby has been exclaiming since he gave his now infamous NAACP gala speech in 2004.

It is perhaps no secret that this writer owes a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Cosby for being bold enough to expose and analyze the rampant dysfunctionalism (colloquially known as "dirty laundry") that currently plagues the African-American underclass. Suffice it say, Afronerd.com gets its "bite" from the seed that the Cos planted three years ago. Come On People is essentially a codified version of Cosby's call-outs (townhall-esque forums hosted by Dr. Cosby and held in the troubled communities/cities in question) that reads like a doctor's manual for the socio-economically infirm. The book also allows Cosby to bluntly address his critics who have lambasted the educator/comedian for either being "out of touch" or elitist-simply for stating irrefutable evidence that factions within the Black community are failing-resulting in societal exclusion and death.

Within Come On People's 265 pages, the reader gets an opportunity to not only attend Dr. Cosby's nationwide call-outs (in a virtual sense, courtesy of the authors' narrative prose) but also hear from some of the "at-risk" citizens themselves. Case in point, check out this excerpt from Come On in which Krystal Gary, a young woman on track for college studying cardiac nursing tells her story:

"I did not have my mother. My mother was incarcerated. She was on crack cocaine. So I chose the streets. The streets were there for me. It was everything that I couldn't find in parents. It was people who were there to listen. I skipped school. I did drugs, alcohol, shoplifting, gangbanging, hustling, everything. I was in and out of jail for long periods of time. I didn't have any goals for myself. I didn't see myself graduating from high school."


Ms. Gary further opines:

"You can't expect to change just by yourself. You need somebody there, especially when you're young. These young kids need you. Even though I am twenty years old, and just now graduating from high school, I'm proud because I did not in a million years think I would graduate. I thought that I was going to be dead somewhere. I thought that I was going to be nothing. I thought that I was going to be a crackhead out on the streets. And I'm doing it."

Both Cosby and Pousssaint have painted a literary picture that is both dire and triumphant. Their tract contains a plethora of stories like Krystal's where our youth are in need of discipline, love and instruction. Ultimately, the good doctors have provided the African-American community with their best diagnosis-tough love, hard facts and honesty. It's time to clean up that dirty laundry folks. Come, On People!

Beware of the "Shopocalypse" & Reverend Billy

Under normal circumstances, I would suggest to steer clear of a minister called “Reverend Billy” BUT….if he is preaching the gospel of frugality and modesty especially during this holiday season-he has my devoted attention. Take a gander at the clip above and then click on the link below to check out his website. Encountering a minister that is against frivolous spending is about as rare as an eclipse-let’s see what he has to say.


Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping

It's a Madhouse!!!! Don't name your teddy bear Muhammed in Sudan.....UK Teacher charged!

My analysis will be available momentarily.....but in a nutshell...it's pure madness.


Ok…back to this story. And keeping it brief because this situation begs for simplicity and logic:

And I’m going to make this simple. This horrendous and alleged faux pas on the part of this poor educator should be a billboard sign for other western civilians to steer clear from these theocratic and oppressive nation-states. Our sensibilities are just not in tune with countries that still govern the same way they did circa 1500. Let’s pray that her consulate can work magic and come to some kind of agreement with the disagreeable. And as the article has clearly stated, Ms. Gibbons gave her students the option to name the bears Muhammed-a name that is common as John in the West. What’s next, the mispronunciation of a Koranic scripture insights the beheading of a tourist Texan grandmother? Don’t laugh.


This just in from the AP:

British teacher in Sudan questioned over naming of teddy bear Muhammad

KHARTOUM, Sudan: Sudanese authorities on Tuesday questioned a British teacher who could face charges of insulting religion — a crime punishible by up to 40 lashes — after she allowed her young students to name a teddy bear Muhammad in a class project.

Gillian Gibbons, of the private Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested Sunday after one of her pupils' parents complained, accusing her of naming the bear after Islam's chief prophet. Muhammad is a common name among Muslim men, but giving the prophet's name to an animal would be seen as insulting by many Muslims.

Several Sudanese newspapers Tuesday ran a statement reportedly from Unity High School saying that Gibbons had been "removed from work at the school" and apologizing for any offense, though it said the incident was a "misunderstanding."

But the Arabic statement was not officially confirmed by the school. A person reached by phone at the school who identified herself as an administrator said the statement was correct but would not confirm details in it. She refused to give her name, citing the sensitivity of the situation.

She said the school has closed for at least the next week until the controversy eases. The Unity High School, a private English-language school with elementary to high school levels, was founded by Christian groups but 90 percent of its students are Muslim, mostly from upper-class Sudanese families.

Today in Africa & Middle East
Seeking a Mideast path, Bush offers a nudgeU.S. and Iraq will negotiate agreement on long-term relationsSudan accuses teacher of Islam insult over teddy bear
The school's director, Robert Boulos, told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the incident was "a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

Gibbons, 54, was teaching her pupils, who are around 7 years old, about animals and asked one of them to bring in her teddy bear, Boulos said. She asked the students to pick names for it and they proposed Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad, and in the end the pupils voted to name it Muhammad, he said.

Each child was allowed to take the bear home on weekends and write a diary about what they did with it. The diary entries were collected in a book with the bear's picture on the cover, labelled, "My Name is Muhammad," though the bear itself was never labelled with the name, he said.

A former colleague of Gibbons, Jill Langworthy, told The Associated Press the lesson is a common one in Britain. "She's a wonderful and inspirational teacher, and if she offended or insulted anybody she'd be dreadfully sorry," Langworthy, who taught with Gibbons in Liverpool, said.

The case brought widespread calls in Britain for her release. The Muslim Council of Britain calls upon the Sudanese government to intervene in the case.

"This is a very unfortunate incident and Ms Gibbons should never have been arrested in the first place. It is obvious that no malice was intended," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general.

British opposition Conservative party lawmaker William Hague called on the British government to "make it clear to the Sudanese authorities that she should be released immediately."

"To condemn Gillian Gibbons to such brutal and barbaric punishment for what appears to be an innocent mistake is clearly unacceptable," he said.

Omar Daair, spokesman for the British Embassy in Sudan, said embassy officials were in touch with Sudanese authorities and had met with Gibbons. He said he expected authorities to decide whether to bring her to court, and on what charges, within a few days. "Her lawyer is trying to get her released on bail in the meanwhile," he said.

Gibbons was being questioned on suspicion of abuse of religion — a charge that is punishible by up to six months in prison, a fine or flogging of up to 40 lashes under Sudan's Islamic law-based legal system.

The case recalled the outrage that was sparked in the Islamic world when European newspapers ran cartoons deriding the Prophet Muhammad in recent years, prompting protests in many Muslim countries. The Prophet Muhammad is highly revered by Muslims, and most interpretations of the religion bar even favorable depictions of him, for fear of encouraging idolatry or misrepresenting him.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month suggested he would ban Denmark, Sweden and Norway — where newspapers ran the cartoons — from contributing engineering personnel to a planned U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.

But Sudanese authorities appeared so far to be playing down the incident of the British teacher. Her case has not been mentioned in state media.

The reported statement from the school said the administration "offers an official apology to the students and their families and all Muslims for what came from an individual initiative." It said Gibbons had been "removed from her work at the school."

The statement underlined the school's "deep respect for the heavenly religions" and for the "beliefs of Muslims and their rituals." It added that "the misunderstanding that has been raised over this issue leads to divisions that are disadvantageous to the reputation of the tolerant Sudanese people.

And if you just crawled out from Osama's cave-recent updates denote that there are protestors that are asking for this woman to be put to death. Mind you, in some of these Islamic states women are being jailed (or worse) for being the victims of sexual assaults. Remember victims not perpetrators of such crimes. Again, word to the wise-the attraction to the exotic is not always as enlightened as one would be lead to believe.

DOH! How did I forget this gentleman.....Introducing Leland Martin

Another hat tip.....actually a belated hat tip to fellow conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel for highlighting the achievements of scholar/athlete/astronaut Leland Martin thanks to her recent blog entry. Do me a favor and check out two of her entries-one on Mr. Martin and the other (once you scroll down) is a review of the new movie, This Christmas. I'm curious to see what our readers think about her spot on review of this latest celluloid effort. Is it truly a positive film portraying a slice of Black life? Or is it doling out the same tired stereotypes? Tell us what you think.

Debbie Does the Movies

And let's also take a look at the latest review of last week's comics from the guys over at Pulp Secret:

Dr. Cosby is delusional? I don't think so.......let's take a look at MSNBC's Week long special on Black women....

More black women taking care of business

It really is something to behold when so many folks absolutely refuse to accept certain facts. And then there are others like yours truly (and a whole host of socially/politically conservative bloggers) who have become empowered to discuss some of our realities ever since Dr. Cosby gave his catalytic and infamous 2004 NAACP speech. It appears that MSNBC is running a week long investigative piece centered around women of color addressing the fact that Black women statistically are out performing their male counterparts. I do not know if this news special will discuss what I have always surmised as perhaps one chief cause for the stark disparity in gender achievement-the drug-like affect that street life induces in Black men. And then there is a profound statement that noted educator and author Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu has exclaimed over the years-Black women raise their daughters but love their sons. Dr. Kunjufu's simple mantra is quite telling-Black women appear to be adept at giving their daughters the proper guidance to seek excellence but their sons are being coddled and loved to their detriment. Here's more on the MSNBC special, courtesy of EURweb.com:

NBC 'NIGHTLY NEWS' TO EXPLORE BLACK WOMEN: Week-long series includes health, dating prospects, politics, hip hop and more.

*Beginning tonight, "NBC News with Brian Williams" will examine issues facing African-American women across the U.S. in a new series "African-American Women: Where They Stand."

The series will cover a wide-range of topics - from their role in the
'08 Presidential race, to the increased health-risks that have been of longtime concern.

Monday's installment will discuss the progress of African-American women in the field of education. Nearly two-thirds of African-American undergraduates are women. At black colleges, the ratio of women to men is 7 to 1. And that is leading to a disparity in the number of African-American women who go on to own their own businesses. Rehema Ellis will talk to educators, students and businesswomen about the reasons behind the disparity.

Tuesday, Ellis will look at the relationships of African-American women, and how the gender disparity in education and business has an affect on relationships sought by African American. Some even say the implications could redefine "Black America's family and social structure." In the past fifty years, the percentage of African-American women between 25-54 who have never been married has doubled from 20% to 40%. (Compared to just 16% of white women who have never been married today). Ellis sits down with the members of a Chicago book club and talk about this difference and how it impacts them.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman will discuss the increases risks for breast cancer for African-American women on Wednesday. Mortality rates for African-American women are higher than any other racial or ethnic group for nearly every major cause of death, including breast cancer. Not only are African-American women more likely to die from breast cancer, but they're less likely to get life-saving treatments. Dr. Snyderman will profile one of the only oncologists in the world who specializes in the treatment of African-American women with breast cancer.

On Thursday, Ron Allen will take viewers to South Carolina -- the first southern primary state -- and ask the question: Will race trump gender or gender trump race? In South Carolina, black women made up nearly 30 percent of all democratic primary voters in 2004. This year, polls show a significant number are undecided, torn between choosing the first African-American or first female Presidential candidate. Allen talks with the undecided, as well the state directors for the Clinton and Obama campaigns, who happen to be African-American women.

To close the series on Friday, Dr. Snyderman will raise the frightening statistic that African-American women are 85% more likely to get diabetes, a major complication for heart disease. And, like breast cancer, more black women die from heart disease than white women. Dr. Snyderman will profile a leading expert and a unique church-based outreach program in South Carolina that seeks to spread the word about heart disease risks to black women congregants.

Meanwhile, Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent for "Nightly News," will address two hot topics in the African American community:
interracial dating and the impact of hip hop music on black women.

. An Essence.com poll found that 81% of participants approved of black women dating non-black men. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2000, 95,000 black women were married to white men. In 2005, that number increased to 134,000. Schiavocampo will talk to experts about the trend and discuss how this defines the "Black family" of the future.
. Schiavocampo will convene a panel of leading black men and women from the hip-hop industry for a discussion on whether hip hop lyrics and videos positively or negatively affect black women. The roundtable also will address how these portrayals are affecting relationships between black women and black men.

A hat tip to our regular commenter, Sergio for informing me about this crucial news piece. And as added treat, click on the above link for a video snippet of the Brian Williams special. Let's hear your thoughts on this as well-what can the brothers do about this dilemma? Or is Dr. Cosby truly the HSIC (Head Soothsayer in Charge) when he told Spelman students that the women are going to have to carry the torch as our men have come down with a case of penal dysfunction. What say you?

Let's try a Part 2: the Shane Johnson interview, Are Blacks really 2 races and is it time for new leadership-Next on Afronerd Radio

Unfortunately due to a scheduling mix-up our interview with Mr. Johnson fell through but we are working to set something up-hopefully by Thursday in time for the next show. Nevertheless, Sunday's program went forward and it was so lively that we are going to do a part 2 for this Thursday's broadcast. Perhaps due to last night's show in which the debunking of the Black monolith was discussed (in conjunction with Johnson's counter-protest efforts) I have been thinking more about the sometimes debilitating role that the African-American church plays in the lives of melanated people. First off, I must clearly state that I do have a historical appreciation for the Black Church's involvement in providing leadership as well implementing dire social and political change for the greater part of a century. Where would heroes such as Dr. King and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. have come from if it were not for the church? But this type of "no holds barred" life-risking leadership just does not appear to exist in the new millennium. Case in point-check out what some deem as the standard in Church leadership:








And perhaps the alternative:




For the uninitiated, the two videos are of Reverends Juanita Burnam and Harry Jackson-more on these two and their differences at a later date. Meanwhile, let's flesh out Afronerd Radio Par Deux on Thursday the 29th at 9pm eastern. Call us "live" at 646-915-9620 or via IM/email at afronerdradio@yahoo. Share your opinions with us and as always Be there and Be square.

Team Justice vs Bizarro Team Justice: Discussing counter-protest efforts with Shane Johnson-Sunday's Afronerd Radio at 8pm eastern

Sharpton: 'No Justice, No peace' & No mention of internal BS like Dunbar Village

I hope you guys are enjoying the holiday break as much as I am. Well to top things off, we will be interviewing Mr. Shane Johnson of the Black Sapience blog who gained recent notoriety for initiating what has been dubbed a counter-protest against members of the Civil Rights elite. To many it would appear that some African-American leaders are not addressing intraracial crimes with same intensity as interracial transgressions. So drop by at the same Afronerd channel (afronerd radio dot com) and the same Afronerd Radio time (Sunday, 8pm eastern) to add your 2 cents to this conversation. Drop us a call "live" at 646-915-9620. And as an added Thanksgiving treat, let's take a walk through memory lane and check out one of Sharpton's classic hits:



I kid....I kid. It was definitely in poor taste for CORE's Roy Innis to actually push Reverend Sharpton (in this infamous clip from the Mort Downey show) over ideological differences but perhaps it can be viewed as the early stages of diverging political viewpoints coming to a boil in the present-not all Black folk are on the same ideological page. To take a page from fellow conservative blogger Cobb, it's time to fight the monolith.

Another Thanksgiving morsel to chew on.......Alicia Keys at Hollywood's Writer's Strike!

Hat tip to the LAist blog for actually filming Ms. Keys' November 20th performance at Hollywood Boulevard's writer's strike. I always thought that Keys just possessed the physical attributes that seem to undermine the importance of showmanship in today's musical landscape. But as of late I'm beginning to think that she is being groomed like the Black artist's of yesteryear to be a real talent. Check out "Go Ahead" the latest song from her current effort, As I Am.

Heck......you know what they say about "from the mouths of babes"-Infants judge too!

Even during my nascent years of political awareness when I espoused progressive politics (due to a sisyphean notion of tribalism)-I was always taught to use discernment in my encounters with strangers. You can't live in a major metropolitan city and not utilize some of the precepts denoted in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink treatise. Now that I have accepted my contrarian nature and having been emboldened by conservatism, sophisticated profiling has virtually become a pastime. Whether one calls this discernment profiling or judging, the implication is always the same-you're not supposed to do it. Would you want your daughter to bring home a young man in complete gangsta garb? And would you expect him to be a doctoral candidate? I have argued with girlfriends, colleagues and friends over this belief system and now a recent study shows that even infants judge. Take a gander at this excerpt, courtesy of MSNBC.com:

Babies as young as 6 to 10 months old showed crucial social judging skills before they could talk, according to a study by researchers at Yale University’s Infant Cognition Center published in Thursday’s journal Nature.

The infants watched a googly-eyed wooden toy trying to climb roller-coaster hills and then another googly-eyed toy come by and either help it over the mountain or push it backward. They then were presented with the toys to see which they would play with.

Nearly every baby picked the helpful toy over the bad one.

The babies also chose neutral toys — ones that didn’t help or hinder — over the naughty ones. And the babies chose the helping toys over the neutral ones.

“It’s incredibly impressive that babies can do this,” said study lead author Kiley Hamlin, a Yale psychology researcher. “It shows that we have these essential social skills occurring without much explicit teaching.”

There was no difference in reaction between the boys and girls, but when the researchers took away the large eyes that made the toys somewhat lifelike, the babies didn’t show the same social judging skills, Hamlin said.

The choice of nice over naughty follows a school of thought that humans have some innate social abilities, not just those learned from their parents.

Click on the link below for the article in its entirety:

Even babies judge their companions

An Update regarding 2 forthcoming interviews (God willing) and why

I think that it would be apropos during this holiday to give thanks for simply living a relatively stress free existence. Sure, many of us experience the usual daily trials and tribulations but there are a whole group of citizens whose lives have been ravaged by being in close proximity to crime and gang warfare. As I alluded to previously, I am working on an interview with Claude Johnson of the Black Fives website but I am also attempting to converse with Shane Johnson of the Black Sapience blog. Mr. (Shane) Johnson recently garnered media attention due to his counter protest efforts against Team Outrage's (Reverend Sharpton, specifically) focus on the rise of racial incidents ignoring the intraracial violence that plagues communities of color. I would like for you to take a look at exhibit A, the video posted above. I believe I addressed this in an earlier post as well but this video is so heart-wrenching that I thought it is worthy of an analysis. In a nutshell-any new civil rights movement should center around the issues of Black or Black/Brown internal strife. I refuse to make a distinction with the gang violence that is occurring between Latin and Black rivals because realistically there has been enough human collateral damage amongst African-American gangs that the Latin equation is inconsequential. So I support Shane's endeavors in this regard and it becomes even more crucial that despite our differences, bloggers must develop liaisons to address this internal dysfunctionalism. Stay tuned.

Where's Dave Chapelle? It Appears recently in the UK....Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

Afronerd Radio will be preempted due to turkey day but it will return Sunday at 8pm. I came across a recent Dave Chapelle siting at Kojo's club (UK) courtesy of Youtube. Once again, please excuse the expletives but Chapelle appears to not have lost his comedic chops, despite the loss of 50 million dollars. I always debated whether Chapelle was a minstrel. I never thought that he was and I felt his humor had an intelligence base to it as both his parents were educators. I guess what is most important is that he thought he was becoming a minstrel and as you can see minstrelsy is a lucrative endeavor. I'm not sure as to the real reason for him walking away from that kind of money but if it honestly dealt with a stop to cooning-kudos to Mr. Chapelle. Let's take a look at an impromptu performance.

And just When I Addressed Common as the New Green Lantern......Comic Books vs Hollywood

I want you guys to check out this brief comic book documentary I found while walking the halls of justice....OK it was really Youtube. I think it's important to check out what the comic book fanbase really think about the graphic novel adaptations that we are force fed. Can we ask for accuracy folks? Let me know what you think about this short film.

Slate.com gets it right.........F&%K James Watson & F*&K Charles Murray's Bell Curve while your at it!

I'm sure our readers are aware of the rantings made by Nobel Prize winner James Watson in October concerning Africa, Africans and Black employees. His assertions are a time honored practice-no doubt dating back to his days as Director of The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory noted in the study of eugenics. Well I was perusing the halls of Slate.com when I came across an article that debunks the notion of racial intelligence. Check out the article below and share your thoughts with the class:

Slate.com-Created Equal

Is Obama Really Not as "Clean" as Biden once said? Or is there Dirt according to Robert Novak?

Talk about dirty poli-tricks! If you haven't been snoozing in Osama's cave, I'm sure you've heard about Robert Novak (why is this guy always in the know or rather in the Washington mix beyond reporting?) alluding to the Clinton camp possessing embarrassing-if not incriminating information on Senator Obama. Of course, the often touted conservative conspiracy was also mentioned in this latest campaign drama. But if Hillary does have unflattering information on Obama, the key question is.....will she disclose it? And if so, will it jeopardize her alleged standing in the African-American community? That, my friend is the $20,000 question. Check out this excerpt from Foxnews.com:

Novak's initial report said: "Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information" about Obama, "but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed."

On Monday, Novak told FOX News that claims that there is actual dirt on Obama might not pass the sniff test.

"This is very similar to the kind of trick that Richard Nixon used to pull, where he would say, 'I know some very bad information about the communists supporting George McGovern, but I can't put that out because it wouldn't be right, but I'm just too good of a guy,' " Novak said.

A message left seeking comment from a Clinton campaign spokesman was not immediately returned.

Novak also said he still had no proof that there really is scandalous information about Obama, only that he's certain that Clinton's campaign told well-connected Democrats that they had such information.

"Now whether there is any such scandalous information, I don’t' know, but what I know is I'm confident in my sources, who I trust. We're told this by Clinton people that there was such information out."

Obama responded angrily after Novak's column was published, challenging Clinton's campaign to come forward with the information, if it exists.

"Sen. Clinton should either make public any and all information referred to in the item, or concede the truth: that there is none. She of all people, having complained so often about the politics of personal destruction, should move quickly to either stand by or renounce these tactics."

For more of the Fox article in question, click on the link below:

Novak Stands by Obama Dirt Story, Compares Clinton Campaign Tactics to Nixon

Here We Go Again...and Again! First the Jena Six.....Introducing the Clearlake Three!

Courtesy of Black Voices:

Murder Charge: Racism or Justice in Calif.

Posted Nov 16th 2007 12:00PM by Jeff Douglas

LAKEPORT, Calif. (AP) --Three young black men break into a white man's home in rural Northern California. The homeowner shoots two of them to death - but it's the surviving black man who is charged with murder.

In a case that has brought cries of racism from civil rights groups, Renato Hughes Jr., 22, was charged by prosecutors in this overwhelmingly white county under a rarely invoked legal doctrine that could make him responsible for the bloodshed.

He is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 27.

"It was pandemonium" inside the house that night, District Attorney Jon Hopkins said. Hughes was responsible for "setting the whole thing in motion by his actions and the actions of his accomplices."

Prosecutors said homeowner Shannon Edmonds opened fire Dec. 7 after three young men rampaged through the Clearlake house demanding marijuana and brutally beat his stepson. Rashad Williams, 21, and Christian Foster, 22, were shot in the back. Hughes fled.





Hughes was charged with first-degree murder under California's Provocative Act doctrine, versions of which have been on the books in many states for generations but are rarely used.

The Provocative Act doctrine does not require prosecutors to prove the accused intended to kill. Instead, "they have to show that it was reasonably foreseeable that the criminal enterprise could trigger a fatal response from the homeowner," said Brian Getz, a San Francisco defense attorney unconnected to the case.

The NAACP complained that prosecutors came down too hard on Hughes, who also faces robbery, burglary and assault charges. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

The Rev. Amos Brown, head of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP and pastor at Hughes' church, said the case demonstrates the legal system is racist in remote Lake County, aspiring wine country 100 miles north of San Francisco. The sparsely populated county of 13,000 people is 91 percent white and 2 percent black.

Brown and other NAACP officials are asking why the homeowner is walking free. Tests showed Edmonds had marijuana and prescription medication in his system the night of the shooting. Edmonds had a prescription for both the pot and the medication to treat depression.

"This man had no business killing these boys," Brown said. "They were shot in the back. They had fled."

The district attorney said that race played no part in the charges against Hughes and that the homeowner was spared prosecution because of evidence he was defending himself and his family, who were asleep when the assailants barged in at 4 a.m.

Edmonds' stepson, Dale Lafferty, suffered brain damage from the baseball bat beating he took during the melee. The 19-year-old lives in a rehabilitation center and can no longer feed himself.

"I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was defend my family and my children's lives," said Edmonds, 33. "I'm sad the kids are dead, I didn't mean to kill them."

He added: "Race has nothing to do with it other than this was a gang of black people who thought they were going to beat up this white family."

California's Provocative Act doctrine has primarily been used to charge people whose actions led to shooting deaths.

However, in one notable case in Southern California in 1999, a man who robbed a family at gunpoint in their home was convicted of murder because a police officer pursuing him in a car chase slammed into another driver in an intersection, killing her.

Hughes' mother, San Francisco schoolteacher Judy Hughes, said she believes the group didn't intend to rob the family, just buy marijuana. She called the case against her son a "legal lynching."

"Only God knows what happened in that house," she said. "But this I know: My son did not murder his childhood friends."

Please excuse the expletives used by the young man in the video posted below-but I do appreciate his passion and forthrightness. Are we to expect The Justice Bros. Inc (Team Sharpton/Jackson) to swoop down on this case as well? Is this issue going to be the test case for the new Civil Rights movement remix (produced by Scott Storch and Timbaland)? I really can't pontificate on this matter any further because it really is self-explanatory at this point. Suffice it say, if it were feasible for yours truly to microwave ammunition-I would've shot jiffy-pop hot lead into the asses of these miscreants as well without remorse. If you trespass onto someone's property to assault and pillage-don't expect a bouquet of flowers and collard greens. The time of the minstrel and his criminal cousin is over. What do the progressives have to say on this issue? I await the excuses with baited breath.

Now if We Can Only Get that Alternative Soul & Black Rock Music station......Enter the Cosby Effect!

Folks-pass this around, I vow to do whatever I can to push for alternative Black music to be given a forum. Some may think that my push for an alternative soul (and a Black Rock) channel to be created for satellite radio is a pointless endeavor but I beg to differ. I think that if I'm able to see such a development to fruition, it is in essence-a seed being planted. This seed may grow towards terrestrial radio representation and hence a balance of perception. And better yet, it's an alternative revenue source. Black people are not a monolith-so why are we still getting singular media representation, oftentimes the buffoonish minstrel kind? Now the media are reporting that African-American films that show the middle class side of things are starting to gain in popularity and here's the real shocker-these films can actually make money. So I guess the potential for making money promoting alternative music by artists of color would be a fluke also? God forbid that the powers that be explore the concept. Check out this excerpt from the Chicago Tribune regarding the Cosby effect in movie making:

"A studio's traditional thinking was if you want to pull in an urban audience, you need to have a hip-hop element," said "This Christmas" producer Will Packer. "Over the past 10 or 15 years, hip-hop was a new and emerging form that pulled in that core African-American audience as well as had that crossover potential. It was a business decision more than anything. What is happening now -- and it's a great time as far as I'm concerned to be making films about the African-American experience -- is Hollywood realizes that there is an audience out there that doesn't regularly see themselves on film."

And when those films are in theaters, that audience will support them.

Buoyed by a strong cast, led by Angela Bassett, the 1995 drama "Waiting to Exhale" grossed $67 million domestically, according to numbers provided by Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com ). In 1997, George Tillman and Bob Teitel's set-in-Chicago film "Soul Food" cleared $43.7 million. And "The Best Man," the 1999 comedy-drama starring Taye Diggs and Nia Long, made $34.1 million.

"That middle-class African-American audience is sporadically taken seriously," said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, which since 1999 has tracked Hollywood box-office numbers. "You will get a picture like 'Why Did I Get Married' or 'Soul Food' or 'The Best Man,' and it will do well, and the industry will act shocked and surprised by it, as if it came out of the blue. But there is this sense that the audience isn't being as consistently served as it could be, because it is a lucrative market. These films tend to be relatively low budget, and they tend to post good grosses. None has been a real blockbuster, but they don't need to be blockbusters. They have a built-in audience."

To check out the Chicago Tribune article in its entirety, click on the link below:

African-american films ride Cosby Effect

Ok This is just Funny........Taking a break and then on to serious matters next entry

Damn I hate being late on Youtube trends-3 million plus views and counting. Hat tip to the Nat Turner's Revenge blog for highlighting this funny and Afronerdic clip. I also have to apologize (once again) for last night's Afronerd Radio cancellation. I'm working hard on setting up an interview with Mr. Claude Johnson, proprietor of the BlackFives.com site and blog. In nutshell, the Black Fives refer to the African-American basketball leagues pre-racial desegregation-think Negro League Baseball...except, well it's basketball. Here's a preview clip from Mr. Johnson's Youtube page:

Common is Green Lantern......hmmm....gotta Think About that one.

This just in, courtesy of Aintitcool.com:

Justice League cast to be announced next week, here might be an early preview...

Hey folks, Harry here... Warner/DC is being incredibly tight lipped about this JUSTICE LEAGUE film, but we've been hearing from all over that next week they're going to unleash the full cast on us. Well, got this email wanting to give us a drop on some of the casting? Can't get anyone at Warners to spill - but take it as you will... I actually think this makes sense and Common could be exceptional casting as the Green Lantern... and I can't believe I think that.

Harry/Mori/Merrick/Quint/Vern (who am I forgetting?)

I want you to have this before that OTHER site gets it... and I know they will.

The trades are going to announce the cast of Justice League next week, but courtesy someone connected to Ken Ralston I can tell you four confirmed names.

- Adam Brody (THE O.C., GILMORE GIRLS, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING)

- Common (SMOKIN' ACES, WANTED)

- Scott Porter (SPEED RACER 'Rex Racer', FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS tv show, DESCENT, MUSIC AND LYRICS)

- Teresa Palmer (WOLF CREEK, THE GRUDGE 2, DECEMBER BOYS)

Palmer is not Wonder Woman, I believe she's a villain. Brody is Wally West. Common is The Green Lantern. Porter, they think, is Superman. There's also word that Michael Gough might be appearing as Alfred.

The full cast should be revealed by this time next week.

OK, more on this Common casting choice. First off, I'm somewhat indifferent about the suits in Hollywood's choice of Common, specifically as he does provide an earthy and honest image in contrast to the neo-minstrel depiction we are accustomed to viewing. I'm just not pleased with Tinseltown's over-reliance on using rappers instead of capable actors that actually study the craft of thespianism. One literally has a plethora of virtual storyboards and scripts (the comics....the comics) at his/her disposal for source material to create these fantasy stories the correct way. The internet should also serve as an excellent vehicle to tap into the fanbase (as well as the experts that study these multi-decade characters) that support this medium and can give a glimpse as to how these films should be done. But ultimately money and greed are the real determining factors when these movies are developed causing accuracy to be thrown to the waste side. Let's hope Common does a great job and that the JLA movie doesn't end up in the $2.99 bin next to Halle's Catwoman-I won't be holding my breath on this one.

Any thoughts on this issue as it relates to Hollywood's habit of overlooking trained actors for monosyllabic rap artists when it comes to characters of color? Share your thoughts. And while you ponder that question, check out the latest from my favorite Youtube pastime-checking out Pulp Secret:

Karma really does Right the Wrongs in the Universe-Judge Loses Pants & Cush Jobby Job

This just in from the AP:

Judge loses more than pants in $54-million lawsuit
Updated Tue. Nov. 13 2007 7:51 PM ET

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A judge who lost a US$54 million lawsuit against his dry cleaner over a pair of missing pants has lost his job, District of Columbia officials confirmed.


Roy Pearson's term as an administrative law judge expired May 2 and the D.C. Commission on Selection and Tenure of Administrative Law Judges has voted not to reappoint him, Lisa Coleman, the city's general counsel, wrote Nov. 8 in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Associated Press.


Pearson was one of about 30 judges who worked in the Office of Administrative Hearings, which handles disputes involving city agencies. He had held his position for two years.


The Washington Post and The (Washington) Examiner, citing sources familiar with the case, reported the commission's decision last month. Coleman refused to release a copy of a letter to Pearson informing him of the decision, saying it is considered a personnel matter.


Pearson's lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court claimed Custom Cleaners, owned by South Korean immigrants, did not live up to Pearson's expectations of "Satisfaction Guaranteed," as advertised in store windows.


Pearson demanded repayment for the lost pants, as well as damages for inconvenience, mental anguish and attorney's fees for representing himself. He calculated his losses initially at US$67 million but lowered his request to US$54 million.


Pearson did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

Time to send out the Clowns folks!

I can keep this one short. Remember Mr. Wayans was the same person that wanted to copyright the word "nigger." As if the word has not been commodified enough. But then again, perhaps he was stuck in character:

Check out our Week in Review Show-Next on Afronerd Radio at 9pm eastern this Thursday!

Just like your grandma's favorite bowl of gumbo, Afronerd Radio will throw a mix of different ingredients in a proverbial pot, stir it up and see what happens. Let's talk about Hillary Clinton's plantgate debacle, Rudy's Kerik dilemma, the recent brush/gun shooting mix up resulting in a teens death and reality of class divisions in the Black community. Stop by and share your thoughts and ideas by calling in "live" at 646-915-9620 or IM/email (afronerdradio@yahoo). Intellectual gumbo now being served at afronerd radio dot com. Remember 9pm eastern-see you in 24!

Afronerd Radio's Week in Review

Talk about overstating the obvious! Not All Black People Think A Like-News at 11-Class Divisions in the Hood?

The above video encapsulates just one (American vs. Caribbean) of a myriad of divisions among people of color residing in the U.S. I just happened to come across an article in today's Philadelphia Daily News that highlighted a recent poll determining that there is are sharp demarcation within Black culture based on class/social standing. The general purpose of this blog-the both positive and negative reaction it has engendered also denotes this selfsame factionalism. It is ironic that for all the talk of trying to come together as a race perhaps a failure of cohesion is the root symptom of the larger issue-respecting and promoting diversity within the African diasporic experience. Here's a snippet from the Philly Daily News article:

Black people in America are starting to become more divided by their class than united by their race.

In fact, the gulf in attitudes and lifestyles between the growing ranks of the African-American middle class and blacks who are economically disadvantaged is becoming so large that 37 percent of all U.S. blacks now don't think they can be viewed as one race anymore.

That is one of the key - and stunning - findings of a sweeping poll of more than 3,000 American adults, including more than 1,000 black people, conducted last month by the Philadelphia-based Pew Research Center.

"What we're really talking about is class," said Molefi Kete Asante, professor at Temple University's African American Studies Department and noted author. "There are some people who don't live or operate in the African-American community because they are in a community of rich people, whether they are white, black, Japanese or Latino. They are just in a whole different world from the rest of us."

And economic trends are likely exacerbating that divide.

According to one study, the number of African-American households that make $75,000 to $99,999 a year quadrupled in the United States from 1967 to 2003.

When asked whether the values of middle-class and poor blacks become more similar or more different, 61 percent of the African-Americans surveyed said "more different." Majorities of white and Hispanic respondents agreed with that. And the divide was greater among younger blacks.

But A. Bruce Crawley, the businessman who was a founder of the Philadelphia African American Chamber of Commerce, argued that "if you are visibly black, if you have all the outward manifestations of being from Africa and you live on the Main Line, you may not think you are of the same social class as an African-American in South Philly but it would be difficult for you to be confused that you are African-American."

Click on the link below for the article in its entirety:

Poll sees class division among blacks

Maybe Mr. Chappelle was on to something-When Keepin' It Real Goes Wrong!-Police Mistake a Brush for Gun

I have an opinion on this....it's roasting in the oven and when it's done, the progressives and victimization set are not going to like it. Meanwhile check out an excerpt on this tragedy, courtesy of the NY Daily News:

A Brooklyn teen carrying a hairbrush was shot 13 times and killed by police Monday night after his mother told the officers he had a gun, authorities said.


Five cops, including two sergeants and a detective, opened fire on the youth, who had been arguing with his mother and standing on a first-floor window ledge screaming and acting irrationally, police and witnesses said.

"Basically, it's suicide by cop," said a police source.

Cops and witnesses said the mother of 18-year-old Khiel Coppin was standing outside the building at 590 Gates Ave. when officers arrived.

"He's got a gun! He's got a gun! He's going to kill you," the mother told cops, according to the police source.


Cops said Coppin, who had a history of mental problems, was standing on the first-floor ledge of apartment 1-D in Bedford-Stuyvesant, concealing something under his shirt.

"They were shouting, 'Halt! Halt! Halt!'" a police source said of the moments before cops opened fire on the teenager.

OK-my formal opinion. It's time for many in communities of color to come clean and start to become more self-effacing-ultimately lives are at stake. And we must also fight the compulsion to be duped or mislead by media manipulation and substandard leadership. If you notice, the photo above shows an alleged activist with an over-sized orange brush, highly unlikely to be akin to the brush in question. Also the photo below of the tragic youth is a dated picture-definitely cherubic and innocent. But what did the youth look like in the present day?

Trust me folks-I do not want any more young men of color to die senselessly but the facts as they have been presented depict a troubled young man who hours before threatened to kill himself-all the while making gun references. How are the authorities supposed to approach such a person? Are there cases of police misconduct? Yes-but are there also cases of certain folks in Black and Brown communities that test the limits of decorum and logic in their encounters with the police? The answer must also be in the affirmative. If the police are to be called into question regarding tactics and procedure then conversely some in our communities must also be brought to task for non-compliance when questioned or promoting a macho/criminal prose when encountering the authorities. Am I wrong on this? Let's hear your thoughts.







And for the article in its entirety, click below:

18-yr.-old carrying hairbrush shot 13 times by cops

It Doesn't Stop..... Road Rage Dentist Fiasco in White Plains NY

http://view.break.com/398554 - Watch more free videos

Time is fleeting but I will provide my editorial momentarily-in the interim-talk amongst yourselves. But as a reminder-in the immortal words of Rick James-Cocaine is one helluva drug (not to say that the dentist in the clip is on anything but.....)

Courtesy of InsideEdition.com:

Dentist's Road Rage?

It's an apparent case of a road rage meltdown caught on tape. On the video, an angry dentist who drives a Mercedes pulls another driver out of his car and incredibly tries to get behind the wheel.

Then, he walks after the cameraman who's taping the whole thing, grabbing at the camera. The reporter of the passing news crew who captured the incident on video tells the dentist not to touch the camera and claims that the dentist is assaulting the cameraman.

During a confrontation with a woman who pushes the dentist, the dentist pushes the woman to the ground. The woman is the other driver's sister, and the confrontation leads to a fight between the dentist and her brother.

Finally, cops subdue the dentist and cuff him.

The ugly incident happened in White Plains, New York, just as a news crew from WCBS-TV was driving by.

Dr. William Moody is the dentist. He was apparently upset because the other car was blocking the entrance to a parking lot.

INSIDE EDITION met up with Moody and showed him the tape of the incident.

Moody tells INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd that the other driver had called him the N-word and that he shoved the woman in self defense. "I had no intention of hurting her, of injuring her, I was just protecting myself," Moody says.

The woman who was pushed to the ground was not seriously hurt, but now has a restraining order against the dentist.

As for dentist William Moody, he's now facing charges of harassment, assault and disorderly conduct.

Go Out and See This Movie-Stop Funding Foolishness & Start Funding Respect-The Great Debaters!

To take a page from the What About Our Daughters mantra-Stop funding foolishness and start funding respect. I have been hearing some real positive buzz about Denzel's next celluloid effort (courtesy of Harpo productions), The Great Debaters-a period piece set in the 30s centered around Melvin B. Tolson, while at Wiley College created an African -American debate team that bested Harvard in the 1935 national championships. And concerning the aforementioned "buzz," let's make sure that the buzz rings as loud as a church bell by assuring that the Debaters becomes the number one movie when it opens this Christmas. Now if we can only get that African-American sci-fi picture made-perhaps Black to the Future?

The Great Debaters-Official site

Ok I can Dig it.....It's Funny and Creepy at the Same time-Introducing the Cyber James Brown

James Brown in an animated format-Ya gotta love it! More serious fare coming up.

Stanley Crouch admires Oprah's integrity

As much as I like Stanley Crouch's no holds barred analysis on newsworthy and cultural issues, I may not be in total agreement on his latest take relating to Oprah Winfrey and her academy's molestation fall out. Here's an excerpt from Crouch latest piece, courtesy of today's NY Daily News:

If irresponsibility is a disease, Oprah may have the cure

I know an exceedingly intelligent woman who has spent much of her adult life trying to conquer the feeling of betrayal and resentment she directs at her mother for having denied the hard fact that her own brother was sexually abusing his niece. She is still somewhat bitter in her mind - because she, rightly, believes that one of the fundamental responsibilities of motherhood is facing whatever threatens your children, whether inside or outside of the family. For many years, she has fought to remove the anger from her consciousness.

That is why she called me and said how impressed she was by Oprah Winfrey during the press conference the world-famous talk show host gave to address child abuse allegations at the academy she started for girls in South Africa. I agreed with her that what was most important about the conference was that Winfrey did not try to pass the buck and, after describing her own depression in the face of colossal disappointment, stood up for the children who had been abused and moved to right every possible problem at her academy.

I thought how different Winfrey is from those irresponsible men at the top of the Catholic Church who almost brought down the institution here in America because they preferred to subject more and more boys to abuse by priests than subject the church to the bramble bushes of embarrassment and jeering.

It is not hard to believe that those august and holy men may have experienced the sandpaper night of the soul when the information was brought before them. They may have been torn between their loyalty to the reputation of the church and the compassion that would have provoked profoundly horrible thoughts of how each abused boy must have felt. In her case, Winfrey said that the shock and disappointment was "one of the most devastating, if not the most devastating, experience of my life."

As much as I may admire Winfrey for being a beacon of light in a maelstrom of neo-minstrelsy, she still represents the over-celebrification of our culture-her philanthropic efforts notwithstanding. I, like many others were taken aback by Oprah's intention to build a school in South Africa when children of color in the U.S. could have also been the recipients of such an act of kindness. Her explanation that children in the U.S. would not have been as appreciative of such an endeavor opting for materialism over education did possess a ring of truth but I still wasn't sure if her anecdotal assertions were completely valid. Now it's been less than a year since the Oprah Academy opened it's doors and claims of cruelty and molestation have surfaced. Also some have claimed that due to Oprah's own personal bouts with past molestation at the hands of a male family member has served as the impetus for the oftentimes anti-male sentiment displayed on her show. However the culprit alleged to have enacted the assault on the children was a woman. The gender of this person is not the main premise of my argument but perhaps putting your name on an institution half a world away bemoans of product placement gone awry-accept the product is child and not a can of soup. I will flesh this out during tonight's Afronerd Radio broadcast, if time permits. Meanwhile, for more of the Crouch article click on the link below:


If irresponsibility is a disease, Oprah may have the cure

Just a reminder-We still read Comics at Afronerd-The latest from Pulp Secret!

Just for the record-I really dig what the guys at Pulp Secret are doing media wise courtesy of Youtube. If you are not familiar with Pulp Secret, it's essentially an online media comic news resource. Check out the latest clip which covers last week's graphic novel releases. Excelsior!

And for more Pulp Secret related info, click below:

Pulp Secret Youtube clips

Pulp Secret's blog

Remind me to never walk into the Lion's Den-I'll bring a Batarang next time on tonight's Afronerd Radio show-7:30pm(eastern)

We're a bit off schedule this week but I assure you that we will get back on track as fast as Barry Allen (or perhaps a better example would be Stanley Stewart). Next up-we're going to do a special 90 minute broadcast of Afronerd Radio (starting at 7:30pm tonight/eastern) stemming from a Friday night call I made to another BlogTalkRadio show, entitled The Elle Word. After calling the show, my "lion's den" reference couldn't be any more apropos. And the only person that I can lay blame to this faux pas is yours truly. I simply perused Blog Talk's home page and noticed that the Dog the Bounty Hunter mishap was going to be discussed on this program. When I spoke to the show's host(s)-I was quickly mischaracterized as an apologist for Dog/Duane Chapman and my point about people of color paying for the sins of a minstrel image industry was lost. After the broadcast I made a closer inspection of Elle's website and low and behold it's flavoroflove.blogspot.com Again, I literally walked into the lion's den and here is a link to the show in question (save yourself the trouble and fast forward to approx. 30 min. into the show for my infamous call):

The Elle Word Meets Afronerd

It's my turn this time and we will discuss their show, my thoughts (and mistake) as well as a modified Week in Review segment (returning to its regular Thursday slot)-I will cover last week's NPR appearance, oprah's capitulation regarding her South African school and Nicky Barnes' call into question the authenticity of American Gangster. So let's get into it-remember the show is 7:30pm/eastern tonight-call us live at: 646-915-9620 or IM/email (afronerdradio@yahoo). Be there, Be Square and not a minstrel.

"We Wuz Robbed" but we're still in Business! NPR's News & Notes....

Delays and more delays but I'm back in business. And my first order of said business is to provide a link for our readers (and Afronerd Radio listeners) to my latest Bloggers Roundtable appearance. I jokingly referred to the "We Wuz Robbed" tagline (for trivia buffs it was exclaimed by boxing manager Joe Jacobs during a Max Schmeling match-sorry Spike Lee) because we didn't get a chance to address all of the topics that we thought we we were going to talk about-especially the Enough is Enough campaign. But NPR was gracious enough to allow the same set of bloggers to appear on their News & Notes program in a few weeks to use our scalpels to discuss Enough is Enough. Anyway, please accept my apologies for the delays for the last week but we're back and Black (at least to some in the community) so check out the links below for your listening pleasure:

Bloggers' Roundtable: Presidential 'Undorsements'

Bloggers' Roundtable: 'Jena Six' Charges Reduced"