Getting a Chance at Love

Sandy and Chance met during their junior year at USC. During their time in college, they ran with different crowds. Chance was a jock, with a chip on his shoulder. At 6’3” and 253 lbs, this all muscle dark-brown Adonis was a force to be reckoned with. He was headed to the NFL and nothing would stop him. With that said, he knew that he should also get a college degree. On the off chance that something happened, he wanted a back-up plan and a degree in architecture was the answer that he chose. Although he played football for the love of the sport, the women that chased him was the biggest reason that he took the physical beatings on the field. There was no woman of any nationality that could resist his looks, charm and desirability.

On the other hand, Sandy was a quiet bookworm with few friends. You normally could find this Nia Long look-a-like sitting somewhere alone studying or reading a book. Although she was one of the most beautiful women that walked the campus, she kept to herself. She didn’t have the time or the patience for idiocy. It was a miracle that their paths had ever crossed, but it was meant to be.

Sandy happened to be working at the campus library on the Saturday morning that Chance strolled in. It was not his M.O. to be in such a setting, but with finals coming up, he knew that the apartment that he shared with his buddies was not conducive to real studying. He did pride himself on being an intelligent athlete. He was looking for a book on 18th century architecture and Sandy was the only one to help him. As he approached the desk at which she was sitting, Sandy’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. His face was flawless. He had a slight slant in his dark brown eyes that made him look exotic; lickable lips; long powerful legs and a chest so dark and hard that it must have been made of raw mahogany wood. Sandy had never seen any man so beautiful in her life. She wanted to run out of the room as he got closer and closer.

“Go away, go away”, she thought to herself.

Click to read more.

Your Black College: Regimens: For the Best Pick-Me-Up, Lie Down

A cup of strong coffee might make you feel wide awake, but a small study suggests that for improved physical and mental performance, an afternoon nap works better.

Scientists spent a morning training 61 people in motor, perceptual and verbal tasks: tapping a keyboard in a specific sequence, discriminating between shapes on a computer screen and memorizing a list of words. Then the scientists randomly divided the subjects into three groups. The first took a nap from 1 to 3 p.m. At 3, the second group took a 200-milligram caffeine pill, and the third took a placebo. The subjects repeated the tasks they had been taught earlier and were scored by researchers who did not know which group they were in.

Those who had caffeine had worse motor skills than those who napped or had a placebo. In the perceptual task, the nappers did significantly better than either the caffeine or placebo group. On the verbal test, nappers were best by a wide margin, and the caffeine consumers did no better than those given a placebo. Despite their mediocre performance, caffeine takers consistently reported less sleepiness than the others.

“People think they’re smarter on caffeine,” said Sara C. Mednick, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and the lead author of the study, which appeared in the Nov. 3 issue of Behavioral Brain Research. “But this study is a strong argument for taking a nap instead of having a cup of coffee.”

Originally posted on NYTimes.com

Your Black College: Absentee Voting Made Easy

Worried about how to vote absentee while you're away from home at college?

After making sure you're registered to vote, visit this website for a step by step guide to voting absentee. 

Your Black College: Links of Interest

• Listing of various minority scholarships and non-profit organizations, from the African American Web Directory on Blacknews.com
  
• VH1's annual Hip-Hop Honors are coming up. Vote for your favorite Hip Hop centered website, read up on the Honorees, or play a few games on VH1's interactive site. 
• Mixtape lovers can download mixtapes from DJ's all over the country for free, or for a voluntary donation.
• Read today's Sunday Secrets from PostSecret and find out if the exhibit is coming to your school here.
• New Orleans will be hosting it's annual Voodoo Music Experience at the end of October. This year's lineup includes artists such as Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D. and Wyclef Jean.
• Let Dead Prez inspire you to live life with discipline and health.

Dr Boyce on Black Money 101: The Financial Crisis in America

by Dr. Boyce Watkinshttp://www.boycewatkins.com/

1) FDR had it partially right when he said that "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." While we have other worries as well, the greatest obstacle to economic progress is the HUGE psychological impact of Americans watching the stock market plummet right in front of their faces. This is going to cause consumer spending, lending, borrowing and investing to freeze like a deer in stadium lights. When people stop spending, economies start dying.

2) This crisis was a long time coming. De-regulation pushes down on the economic gas, but increases the chances of an economic crash. The dramatic growth of the past 8 years was a result of the same policies that are leading to the huge challenges we are faced with today.

3) Much of the impact of this crisis is a financial illusion. A large percentage of the devaluation in stock and home prices is driven by the fact that the original value was incorrect in the first place. When prices are out of whack, they must correct themselves. While a crisis may also be a correction, a correction is not necessarily a crisis.

4) Prepare for a period of "Financial McCarthyism" in America. Many baby boomers are closing in on retirement, and scared to death. To boot, many of these individuals have not properly prepared for retirement. When Americans get scared, politicians get nasty. We will likely see some of the most Draconian legislation in history.

5) What makes this crisis such a concern is that even before the meltdown, the economy was already quite fragile. With soaring gas and food prices, the economy was the #1 issue on the minds of most Americans. The decline of many financial services firms was, for the most part, a logical continuation of the fact that many homeowners were defaulting at the start of the year. This crisis is most certainly going to shift the political landscape and might give us our first Black president.

6) Yes, this market drop was the largest in history, 770 points in one day is nothing to sneeze at. But keep in mind that this drop doesn’t even make the top 10 in terms of percentage declines.

7) The American consumer is not off the hook. The “Wall Street Greed” angle of this story completely denies the fact that many American consumers tend to overspend and over borrow. Many Americans were buying homes they could not afford and borrowing against their home equity in order to go on vacation. It takes two to tango and banks rarely forced anyone to take the loans being offered to them. If Obama can tell Black Men to take more responsibility for our economic challenges, then he should be willing to say that to the rest of America.

Your Black College: The Importance of August 28th

I heard Barack Obama give his speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 28th of this year, and towards the end I heard him allude to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the famous speech given in Washington, D.C 45 years ago.

I heard him say that the young preacher brought people from all over this country together, to listen to his words of hope, faith, and a wish for a better tomorrow.

What I didn’t hear him say was the name of the young preacher, nor that the 45th anniversary of the “I Have A Dream” speech is also the 53rd anniversary of the death of Emmett Till.

Isn’t that just as important?

Then I heard Dr. Cornel West speak to a less than impressive crowd at my prestigious university last night.

The school knew he was coming...this world-renowned professor from Princeton University, yet only a third of the room was filled… even though hearing him speak was a free event.

When one of our esteemed white alums comes to speak, seats are filled and tickets are pricey.

Isn’t he just as important?

It is with these issues that I urge black students to really take notice of the things that aren’t being said. I do not devalue the importance of Dr. King’s speech. Nor do I devalue the historic event that was the speech given by Barack Obama. I only suggest young people to not take lightly the history that is often times ignored, and the names that are too often not mentioned in regards to history’s popular stories.

Dr. West made a tremendous point in his address to the crowd last night, which was to take notice of the fact that Barack Obama has no lineage (before his two lovely daughters and wife Michelle) of Blacks in America. He is of native African and White lineage. This means it is not his obligation to be fully aware of everything that happened in Black history. That does not make him any less qualified to lead this country, but it does demand for young black students every where to take value in Black history. Learn the facts, so that we will be able to educate our children about just how both August 28th, 1955 and August 28th, 1963 have an enormous effect on August 28th, 2008 and Obama’s ability to run for president today.

Bill Cosby once said, “The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now.”

But in the nature of ghosts, the past will forever haunt. In the same way we think of dreams, the future is within reach. If all we ever have is now, then our now should be a manifestation of both the past and the future, in a way that says the best of our Black history is yet to come.

Your Black College: New School Year, New Boys

By Joy Leopold

New Year, New Boys

The problem with old boyfriends is that they never go away long enough for you to get your life back in order before they show up again. Maybe you’re at the point that you don’t think about him every time you pass that old tree the two of you once had a picnic under. You even forgot what color his eyes are and which side his dimple was on. You’re well on your way to that special place where out of sight meets out of mind, but before you reach it, he’s back, and with a vengeance.

Maybe you run into each other at the grocery store. You’re in the t-shirt you slept in, and, of course, he looks good enough to eat. He smiles a smile, that perfect smile he used to smile, and suddenly he has you back where you started. Suddenly your unsuspecting and confused mind is spinning. You can’t remember any of the reasons you promised yourself you’d never speak to him again. You can’t remember why you spent weeks screening his calls. You can’t remember anything…

“Hey,” he says. “Hi,” you say. You try to sniff his cologne without him noticing. He doesn’t notice. He’s too busy noticing how you look cute even though you’re in your pajamas. You notice him noticing you and your heart skips a beat. “Aha,” you think, “he’s still hooked.”Still hooked is a good place to have him. Still hooked means you can have him back if you exert a little effort. Still hooked means the two of you could wind up back where you were when there would be no way you could forget the deep brown color of his eyes. Still hooked means your life is in danger of never getting back in order.

But this is a new year. Remember what he did in April that made you so angry you could barely see? And whatever he said in May that made you wish you’d never met him? Yeah, he’s the same. He hasn’t changed. He’s still cute, and you still kind of can’t breathe when you’re around him, but he hasn’t changed. He hasn’t changed and what’s more, he doesn’t want to change, so he’s not going to. If you’re like millions of college-aged girls, your fall semester is just beginning. Your schedule is soon to be filled with new classes in new rooms with new teachers and new classmates. Maybe you’ve got a few new roommates to get to know. And with all this newness, the last thing a girl needs is the same, trifling boys from last semester.

It’s time for 20somethings everywhere to stand up and say, “new year, new boys!” Out with the old, the tired, the trifling, in with the new. Be as happy as you deserve to be or be single!

So you’re in the grocery store, holding your breath, wondering what to do. Make small talk? Try to find out if he has a new girlfriend? Kick him? Mentally shake yourself. “Get it together,” tell yourself. Then, “He’s so not ready for this.” Next, smile a smile, that smile you smile when you know you’re about to win. Say goodbye, and walk away. Look back, just once, to make sure his jaw is touching the ground and once you see that it is, keep going.

And when he calls a few days later, send him to voicemail without hesitation. Listen to the message he leaves, but don’t call him back.

New year, new boys.

Black College Students: Romance In 2008

By Chiderah A. Monde


It is rather discouraging, being a huge fan of Motown and music from years past, because these songs make us girls wish for the times when there was actual courting by a gentleman admirer, dates that consisted of moonlit walks and holding hands, celebration of how beautiful women are in all of our perfect imperfections, and written love letters singing a sad song of wishing she would come back when she’s gone…

It’s discouraging watching movies like “The Notebook” and getting falsified ideas of what men in love look like, since dating back in 1940 is obviously the same as it is now…

It just doesn’t happen like that anymore…and I’m a little bitter.

There are a few guys out there who will argue to the death that they are still perfect gentlemen who know how to treat a lady right, and this might be true….but the characteristics that make a “Southern gentleman” today has definitely changed from what was considered one back then.

Sorry guys, technology won’t let you be “Southern gentlemen” anymore.

Because today ladies, instead of hurriedly bumping into a man on the street and turning to apologize at the same time he is, causing your eyes to meet and your heart to instantly be captured…

We turn to Myspace, Facebook, Match.com, Eharmony.com and many other websites to see if we can lock eyes with his perfect picture. And then we pray he looks like that in real life if it is at all an attractive profile picture.

And today, instead of receiving a letter in the mail titled “To My Dearest” and detailing the outing he plans to pick you up later tonight for…

We get 10pm text messages saying “Wussup, whatchu doin tonite boo?”

Followed with “I’m tryna chill tonite, you gonna let me come ova?”

Or maybe that’s just us college aged girls….I should certainly hope those older aren’t subject to the same unfortunate text messages.

Still today, instead of getting close at a local lounge dancing the night away, face to face, his hands on your hips, yours around his neck slowly swaying to the sounds of Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’” or Marvin and Tammy’s “You’re All I Need To Get By” (my favorite songs)….

We go to the club and get freaky to “Falsetto” or bend over to the remix of “Back That Ass Up” as the DJ asks over the microphones “Where my nasty girls at?!” and naive girls scream in response.

When did it become okay to leave the “getting to know you” part of human relationships out and get right to the relating?

To need a “down ass ride or die bitch” as opposed to feeling so lucky because there “ain’t no woman like the one [you’ve] got”

To see him across the room at the next party instead of him picking you up and assuring your parents he’ll get you back safely by midnight.

To never spend nights on the phone talking with your special someone because he prefers texting anyway…

Or even to be told things like “damn girl you look good” or “you sexy as hell”, in replacement of being told you’re beautiful.

It became okay when texting became a verb, when Facebook became a verb, when Match.com became where you find your one true love, when love dropped it’s vowels and became luv, when terms of endearment like “bust it baby” replaced “sugar pie, honey bunch”….

And when girls began taking directions in a song from Lil John, who says things like “bend over to the front, touch your toes, back that ass up and down and get low”.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

If technology is going to be the death of romance, then only people can be its savior

African American Males in Michigan Not Graduating

DETROIT (AP) — A national report says Michigan is the worst in the nation when it comes to graduating black male students from high school.

It also says Detroit has the second-lowest rate among big-city public school districts. The report issued by the Schott Foundation for Public Education says Michigan graduated 33% of black males in 2005-06, compared with 74% of white males.

Detroit Public Schools graduated 20 percent of black males and 17% of white males.

State Superintendent Mike Flanagan says the low graduation numbers are a “major concern.” He says Governor Granholm’s small high school initiative will help build greater relevance and relationships with schools and students.

Oprah Winfrey vs. Ice Cube: Dr Boyce Watkins

Is Ice Cube correct in his accusation that Oprah Winfrey discriminates by refusing to book black male rappers on her show? Fo-shizzle. When I heard Ice Cube, the gangsta of all gangstaz, go after the queen of the universe for her disposition against black men, my reaction was the same as the one I had when my cousin CC finally had the courage to fight the big female bully on the corner of my street. I admired CC’s courage, but I feared for his life, since nobody but nobody had the audacity to attack Big Becky Smith. Oprah is Big Becky all over again, and I am definitely shaking in my boots.

By the time this controversy is over, Ice Cube will be selling Ice Cream out of the back of his mama’s pick up truck. He has balls for going after Oprah, but her balls are bigger….bigger than all of ours. Besides, she can kill Ice Cube’s argument by reminding him that she has booked rapper/actor Will Smith in the past. But using Will Smith as a representative of all black male rappers is like representing The Grizzly Bear Coalition with Winnie the Pooh. Since the balls are already out on the table, why don’t we use this as an opportunity to discuss whether or not there is something to discuss? Is Ice Cube just hatin on Oprah, or is there a legitimate beef?

Let’s look at the evidence. Most of the time, when I turn on Oprah’s show and see a black man, it is usually for one of the following reasons: He has cheated on his wife, beat his girlfriend, has a boyfriend for a girlfriend, or tells jokes for a living. I often wonder if she knows that regular black men exist, ones who don’t do all the crap that she seems to think men do. We are not monsters, but in Oprah’s world, we might as well not exist.

Exhibit B: Oprah creates icons the way a sick 3-year old creates slimy bugars. She has given birth to Suzie Orman, Dr. Phil, and enough best-selling authors to fill a Chinese sweatshop. How many of these Dr. Phil types happen to be black men? Zippo. None. Or, as Ice Cube would say, “Not nare a mah-fauka.” You mean to tell me that she can’t find one black man on earth smart enough to impress the white women in her audience? Damn Oprah, I am really disappointed.

I love Oprah, really I do. She has attained more white power than the Ku Klux Klan, getting soccer moms all over the nation fiending for her like Crystal meth. Both Ice Cube and I would agree “that’s gangsta.” I don’t even care that she doesn’t have black men on her show. With so many negative media portrayals of us, I would rather the media ignore us. But when I do turn to the show on my way to ESPN, and the one representation I see of black men is some brother on the down-low, I get a little fired up.

I don’t even know this secretly gay dude I am watching, but he is already affecting my life. Next thing you know, I am having my female friends questioning why I am in my 30s and not married. A brother puts a potted plant in his living room and he’s suddenly accused of greasing up his homeboys in the middle of the night. All because Oprah has decided to make “black men on the down-low” into a national epidemic. Thanks Oprah, you have now officially informed the world that the black man is the cause of all social ills. We already have “the man” on our back. Now, “the man” is a black woman. All this “hatin” has just got to stop.

So, Ice Cube, you have my back. I have felt compelled to support you since you agreed to get rid of that greasy Jerry Curl back in 1996. But you can’t blame Oprah for being a little irritated with you. After all, you made a song 15 years ago called “A bitch is a bitch.” First, I should say that is a stupid title for a song, sort of like saying, “A monkey is a monkey”. Dawg, you are stating the obvious. Secondly, a title like that doesn’t exactly make you a champion for women’s rights. Even I got a call from Oprah’s producers before you did, and my album hasn’t even dropped yet.

My goal in all this controversy is to sit to the side and “peep game”, as Ice Cube and Oprah are definitely some of the biggest “Playa pimps” on the block. The same as I did when my cousin CC went off on Big Becky, I sincerely fear for Ice Cube’s life. But even through all the fear, you always want to stick around and watch the fight. I am not going to miss this one, because it’s going to be really good.

Black College Athletes Being Exploited - Boyce Watkins

Your Black College: The "Miseducation" of Black Youth

Going to a prestigious university, and having come from a well recognized series of primary and secondary education is a blessing that I never take for granted. My high school’s graduating rate was about 90% my senior year, and moved up to 94% the year after. Out of about 500 seniors, less than 100 are not continuing on to higher education or vocational options.

A fifteen minute metro train ride from my high school in Maryland will take you to the D.C. public school system, where everything is the complete opposite. Washington D.C. public schools have received and/or tied for the lowest rankings in the country as far as basic learning skills, test scores, drop-out rates, poverty make-up, and safety issues are concerned. The Washington Post featured an article about whether or not the District schools are fixable. Noting that

“After decades of reforms, three out of four students fall below math standards. More money is spent running the schools than on teaching. And urgent repair jobs take more than a year…”

Washington Post article

There is a deeper issue than this. I think the most important thing that contributes to the success of students in any school system, is the attention paid to the racial make-up of these students and their needs, their economic backgrounds, the lack of motivation, and the unfortunate plight of using property taxes to pay for the upkeep of schools in cities where property tax is low or properties are not owned.

Most of the students that attended my high school come from middle-class, single family homes and townhouses, decent paying jobs, and safer-than-most neighborhoods. At a glance I would say the school is about 56% white, 26% Black, 10% Asian, 6% Hispanic, and the rest a combination of smaller populations.

In the cities where most Black and Hispanic families are, the Black population can sometimes be as high as 98% and the poverty level beyond belief. Even the city of Syracuse, where I attend the university, sees similar results to those of the D.C. public schooling systems. The problems are repetitive. More attention is given to thriving schools that have enough money coming in from their property taxes to pay for newer and better facilities and equipment. More parents in these thriving schools are actually involved with the schooling of their children. More teachers and guidance counselors are helpful to students that don’t pose as threats to their safety.

My younger sister is the president of her high school’s NAACP Youth Leadership Chapter, so when I am home, I attend some of the meetings with her. In almost every meeting, the topic has been about how to get the Black students of Maryland and D.C. public schools motivated enough to come to school, stay in school, and graduate to higher learning.

Too many of our youth are “miseducated” about their chances of success. The guidance counselors and teachers in these schools of urban areas suggest these students consider working after high school instead of going to college. The parents either did not go to college and don’t tell their children they should, or are not home enough to really be involved with their child’s education (although, I do understand that some parents have no choice but to work- sometimes multiple jobs, sometimes for single parent families).

Too many children drop out and follow lives of crime or become pregnant. Those that drop out are often times not given any reason or motivation to go back. Too many children believe that rappers and athletes are the only moneymakers, and therefore see no point in school for those talents ( what about doctors, lawyers, journalists, businessmen/ or women…?), and finally, too many children are not informed about the MANY scholarships, programs, fee waivers and resources that can help them succeed regardless of their race, gender, family, and economic standing.

The problems are repetitive. The initiative has been taken, but the results are far from where they need to be. I do not think it is Obama’s job to come to the rescue of the Black community. What he can maybe do for the school systems, is see to it that the governors of each state make sure that funding is equalized for all of their areas.

Kanye West said in his song “Champion”:

“‘Cause who the kids gonna listen to, huh?/ I guess me if it isn’t you”

I take that as a personal challenge. Whether or not you have children, it is our duty as members of the Black community to see our kids succeed. Better yet, it is our duty as members of the human race to see all kids succeed. They at least need to know that they have options, because success does not only mean going to college, it means living up to their fullest potentials- whatever that may be.

Black Female May have been Murdered in Army, but ruled a suicide

19 year old Lavena Johnson was murdered in the army and brutalized. The military has ruled her death a suicide. People don't agree.

Your Black College Students: Steppin' Out On A Relationship

There is a saying that warns us never to “lie, cheat or steal”, but there are no sayings that have stopped the middle man- cheating (in the context of relationships) from being the reason for, and looming over more than 40% of failed relationships between men and women.

Many people consider it the unforgivable act and the ultimate end to a union. Cheating is regarded as an act of selfishness, of absent-mindedness, or to some…a way to find out how strong a relationship is.

Cheating is just as prevalent in youth/college-aged relationships, as it is in marriage. The statistics for both are very close in number, and responses are quite similar. What does the abundance of cheating in youthful relationships say about the cheating patterns, and likelihood of growing up to cheat on a spouse in marriage?

I performed a simple Facebook question and answer survey, and invited my friends between the ages of 16 and 25 to respond and comment about their thoughts on cheating.

Out of all of the participating respondents:

60% of the respondents between the ages of 16 and 25 had been cheated on at least once.

20% of the respondents had been cheated on more than once.

60% of males admitted to having cheated on a partner at least once.

20% of females admitted to having cheated on a partner at least once.

70% of respondents agree with the “once a cheater, always a cheater” saying.

60% of females stayed with a partner who once cheated on them.

30% of males stayed with a partner who once cheated on them.

50% of the respondents had relationships that ended because of cheating.

70% of the respondents agreed that cheating means purposefully hurting a partner.

80% of the respondents agreed that the decision to cheat is harbored by some sort of insecurity.

100% of the respondents agreed that cheating is a selfish act.

100% of the respondents agreed that cheating is not worth it in the end.


These statistics speak volumes for the effect of cheating on trust issues for people that have been cheated on, and potentially even for the success rate of couples between the ages of 16-25. More girls are likely to forgive their cheating boyfriends, while more boys consider cheating the ultimate unforgivable act. Of course there are exceptions to all of these statistics, but from the survey and the responses that I received, I can conclude that cheating is a more serious problem than some may dismiss it as, and a huge contribution (or rather hindrance) to the success rate of future couples.

This is not to say that the act of cheating is right or wrong. These opinions vary per individual, but the general consensus is that selfishness and insecurity have a lot to do with the reasons why people cheat. Although most would rather not admit to this, it may be an important underlying cause.

African Americans Protest Fox News Racist Attitudes toward Black People

Black people are getting tired of fox. It's time for their racism to end. This video expresses the concern that many people are having about Fox and encourages people to do something about it.

Black College Professor Boyce Watkins on Ice T, Soulja Boy, Kanye West

Soulja Boy’s music?….not that great to me. But then again, it expresses a type of greatness that I probably can’t comprehend. It’s as if I am an expert in German and Soulja Boy did an Edgar Allen Poe in Chinese. If you go to Youtube and check out the hottest artists in America, you might see that a video has 3 million views, maybe 7 or 8 million if they are really hot. Soulja Boy? Try 30 million.
So Ice-T, you might think Soulja Boy’s music is garbage, but there’s a whole generation of brothers, sisters, white kids, Asians, Africans, Latinos and even Martians who disagree with you.

I respect Ice-T. The man’s game is nuclear war-like and I even looked up to him when his musical career was colder than icecream in an Eskimo’s ass. But never once, even at the peak of his career, has he ever done anything hotter than what Soulja Boy did with his Superman joint. Soulja Boy did more with his “15 minutes” than a lot of artists do with 15 albums.

With that said, Soulja Boy has a lot to prove. First, he has to prove that he can actually write some lyrics that make a lick of damn sense. I don’t exactly sense lyrical brilliance in Soulja Boy’s music. He also has to prove that he has staying power. If I’m still listening to Soulja Boy when he’s a crusty old man dissing some 18 year old artist, then I’ll know he was onto something.

Ice-T, in his “apology” for telling Soulja Boy to “eat a d*ck”, issued the heaviest pimp-timidation I’ve ever seen dropped from one black man to another. Now I know why he was a successful pimp, and I seriously thought he was gonna back hand Soulja Boy through the camera. Ice T (who I actually believe to be a genius) played politics with Soulja Boy, reminding him that by coming at Ice-T, he was also coming at all of hip hop and all of the west coast. I can’t disagree with that, since Ice T’s roots run deep. This brother was dropping records before Soulja Boy was Semen Boy, Embryo Boy or Aluminum lunch box Boy.

But Soulja Boy can come back at Ice T with this: “Grand Daddy OG, you got the whole west coast sewn up, but I got every 18 year old in the world dancing to my song. When you’re rollin on 24s in your wheelchair, they’ll still be reflecting on how they were bumpin to my song on prom night.” Soulja Boy is a lock for the “Greatest Hits of the New Millenium” soundtracks being sold on paid TV programs at 3 o’clock in the morning in the year 2032. My man had a classic with that song, there is no denying that.

It was not my impression that Soulja Boy started the beef, and that is the dividing line. It can be hurtful when you are young in the game, trying to get your respect and an old cat just broadsides you like that. Kobe went through it when he joined the Lakers, which was Shaquille O’neal’s team. Tiger Woods went through it when white men didn’t believe a black man could dominate professional golf. I applaud Kanye West for coming to Soulja Boy’s defense. Kanye made it plain: This is not 1996 anymore. Tupac and Biggie are gone, gangsta rap has turned into something else, and many college sophomores were born during the same year as the tv show, “Yo MTV Raps”. I grew up on Ice T’s music, and I remember 1996. I listened to Tupac every morning before class, and NWA got me through college. So, I respect the west coast, I respect Ice T and I respect hip hop. But there comes a time when the old school has to add another wing of the building and make room for the new school. Soulja Boy is a respected member of the new school, whether we like it or not. Don’t player hate, collaborate and respect this man’s achievements.

Traditions in hip hop are like pillars of a building. On one hand, they give you stability and a strong foundation. On the other hand, they can be rigid constraints that demote progress within the institution. The more I listen to old school rappers complaining about young entrants, I stop hearing rappers, and start hearing “grumpy old mufukaz”. Instead of offering Soulja Boy a meal he would probably refuse (“eat a ….”), maybe Ice T could have invited the man into the studio. Ice T, your game is strong, Soulja Boy can learn from that. He can also learn a lot from the genius that kept you from getting pimped by this rap game, we know how those contracts work. Soulja Boy doesn’t want your game to die, he wants it to multiply. But if you come off as an old hater, your legacy will blow away like dust in the minds of the next generation. In other words, don’t become a lyrical Bill Cosby…..haterology won’t go as far as constructive critiques when you’re dealing with a fellow soldier.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the author of "What if George Bush were a Black Man?" He does regular commentary on BET, CNN, ESPN and CBS. For more information, please visit http://www.boycewatkins.com/.

Video: Dr. Boyce Watkins speaks on Soulja Boy, Ice T, Kanye West.

Things We’re Thankful Our Parents Aren’t In College With Us to See

While I’m away at college I often find myself saying “Thank God my mom isn’t here to see this”. When I heard my close friend say the same thing one day, I decided to ask around and compile a list of the top 10 things we are so thankful that our parents are not there for. Here are some of the funniest, and best reasons why black kids have so much fun in college.


Things We’re Thankful Our Parents Aren’t In College With Us to See:

1. Our “sex-capades” (the sexual behavior). Obviously. It may not be your precious little angels, but “that girl” or “that boy” that we know down the hall definitely doesn’t want his/her parents to find out what they’ve been doing.

2. Our morning classroom naps. Maybe you will understand why we sleep through some classes (or don’t even go at all) when you sit through one of those boring writing or statistics lectures at 8:25am.

3. Our laundry habits. We don’t separate the colors. Some of us don’t even know the difference between detergent and fabric softener.

4. Our ears. Cleaning the ears was something for the parents to do, since they could see them. They don’t really bother us, out of sight…out of mind. Cue-Tips are now widely used for removing nail polish or make up.

5. Our eating habits. So pizza can be breakfast, cereal can be dinner, and wings are usually fourth-meal (2am snack). Most of us only get fruit servings through Gushers’ candy, and the only veggies we see are the celery sticks that come with the wings.

6. Our parties. Well…we just don’t dance like you do. That’s all.

7. Our procrastination. Actually, some of us might benefit from having our parents to remind us about those papers. It would save us from pulling the all-nighters!

8. Our video game habits. Without parents there to tell us to stop playing and come for dinner, we don’t.

9. Our outfits. Sometimes looking nice and presentable is too much of a hassle. Other times showering and wearing clothes at all is too much of a hassle.

10. Our Facebook profiles. Thank goodness for privacy settings.

Some parents reading this might find this compilation quite comical. Others are probably concerned and wondering about what their kids are doing. But, think about your own college experiences. It is the same script, different cast. For the most part, these behaviors are not life threatening. Most of the above is all part of the fun of college no matter what graduating class you are, they never change. Besides, if we’re not failing out of school, there’s no need to worry! Parents ought to give their college students a lot of credit. We somehow manage to survive and figure things out for ourselves, and that is how you know you’ve done a good job in raising us.

Young Brothers Don't Want Black Women Anymore?

“We Like Black D***, Just Not Black Men”

Let’s be honest- who wouldn’t want a Morris Chestnut, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, or Taye Diggs type of man?


As black women, we’ve watched our brothers be romantically involved with white women for as long as we’ve been in this country. Just when we thought we were accepting it, Asian and Hispanic women picked up on the trend, and Black men started to choose them first. In a day and age where interracial dating is more or less accepted, we have to redirect our anger.

Now, black women are upset because we’ve taken home the bronze medal in comparison to the other races that seek out Black men. For the most part, young Black men are not choosing their Black women, while everyone else is choosing the brothers.

First, look at the music videos you see on BET, MTV or anything else. No longer are “video girls” really black. Hispanic and mixed women seem to be getting closer and closer to the camera. The Vida Guerra’s of the world have taken the front seat, and more brothers want long REAL hair, fair skin and another language to go along with the urban style.

Some people say Black and Hispanics are one in the same, and although we share the same ancestry, I think to put us in the same boat is to ignore the many differences that the two have, especially historically and politically (for the most part, Hispanics picked Hillary over Barack. Does that say anything significant? I think so.)


Next, let’s look at white women- from whom I got the title of this article. It’s not the preferred conversation to overhear during a study break snack, but that statement is exactly what my girls and I heard one day while sitting in the student center on our college campus.

“ Oh my god, I hooked up with a black guy last night…no, I don’t like black men, but I do like black d***!”

…Was this girl serious?

It just goes to show that the physical attraction is- in some cases- the only reason why these unions happen. Okay brothers, I’ll give you that. Some men enjoy having gorgeous exotic looking women of different backgrounds and ethnicities to trophy around with…but ask yourselves, are your parents going to approve of your relationship?

Maybe so, but what about her parents? Are they really as open-minded as she is? The truth is, not all parents are as accepting and open minded as their children.

Do not misinterpret what I’m saying, I do have a lot of white, Asian and Hispanic female friends who date Black men. They are girls with good heads on their shoulders, who are usually friendly, more reserved, smart and very genuine. They have no problem being my friend, and I have no problem being theirs.

It may just be from what I’ve seen around my campus, but the other-race girls who only go after Black men for their well-endowed features, are the ones who do not take the time to befriend black women.

Those girls stick to their own "kind". They’d rather say the curiosity about the physical pleasure was the reason they did it. Those are the kind of girls I overheard saying the above statement.

Brothers, let’s not take this completely as a compliment. You should be offended by such a blatant proclamation. What does this say about you? ”I don’t like black men” means I don’t like black people, and “I just like black d***” means I don’t see you for who you are.

I’ve dated white men, Hispanic men, and even an Asian once. But ultimately and collectively, they don’t want black women either. Of course there are some exceptions to this, one of my best white male friends only dates black women.

Who you choose to date is completely up to you. This article isn’t about that- it is about the reality of human attraction. It is about why Black women in general are becoming the least desired women of all.

We’re too strong-minded, independent, practical, and unadventurous. We argue too much. We work too much. We’re not as fair skinned or pleasing to look at. We like to dress down more than dress up. We’re not always creative in bed. Our hair doesn’t always blow in the wind, and isn’t always our own. We talk too much. We don’t give oral pleasure (says who?), we don’t want to cook every day (actually I love to cook), and we won’t stay with you after you cheat on us (yea, maybe not).

But if that’s why you’d rather not have us, then by all means, as Tyler Perry would say, have your 20%.

Dr Boyce Watkins: Apology to Method Man, Tupac Shakur

Tavis Smiley Bounces from Tom Joyner Show

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com
Tavis Smiley just left the Tom Joyner Morning Show. If I said I was surprised, I’d be lying. The truth is that I wondered why Tavis’ days were not numbered from the jump, because his strong commentary wasn’t quite a fit for the style of The Tom Joyner Morning Show. Black people don’t mind black people being controversial, as long as the controversy only makes white people mad.

The Tom Joyner Morning Show is about being popular. That is what keeps the sponsorship money coming in, and that’s what keeps people bopping their heads to Kool & the Gang and going on your Fantastic Voyage cruise every year. Tom Joyner and Tavis worked together to make black people laugh, cry and think; the show was always fun.

But then Barack Obama showed up and Tavis Smiley suddenly appeared to be a hater.
I don’t know if Tavis Smiley is an official Barack Obama hater, I am not so quick to issue Advanced Playerhaterology Certification. But he certainly sounded like a guy with a grudge. Seeing one strong and popular brother turn his vocal gun onto another powerful brother just made black people sick. Tom Joyner doesn’t make money when black people get sick.

What is most disturbing is that reading between the lines led many African-Americans to feel that Tavis Smiley’s love for Hillary Clinton, in conjunction with his disdain for Senator Obama, was a function of Ms. Daisy having paid off the help to get some extra support. This is not to imply that Hillary paid Tavis, but there was certainly quite a bit of asymmetry in the way Tavis dealt with Hillary vs. Barack.
Having the backing of Black America is one thing. But being too boastful about it and assuming that you control the minds of millions of people is a dangerous game. Tavis sounded no different from a man grabbing his girlfriend by the arm and telling another male suitor, “This is my woman….I own all of thisssssssss…..”
No woman would want to hear those words coming out of her man’s mouth, and neither does Black America. The public ass whooping that our readers put on Tavis after the Obama situation would have put the Michael Vick trial to shame. I honestly felt sorry for Tavis.

I don’t hate Tavis, I actually respect him. But all indicators say that he hates me. That’s why I am no good at this social commentary game: you give one small critique and people think you hate their guts. Either way, I am going to keep telling the truth, since that’s one thing I do well.


VIDEO: TAVIS SMILEY LEAVES THE TOM JOYNER MORNING SHOW

The fascinating parallels between two 20th century geniuses: Martin Luther King and Albert Einstein

by Kevin D. Johnson, Your Black World Contributor and Publisher of AUC Magazine

As I learn more about the great minds of the 20th century by reading in-depth biographies, I realize that popular culture often has the unfortunate effect on shaping the ideas and thoughts that we have about our country’s most important heroes. From a financial company that carelessly uses the image of penny-pinching Ben Franklin, to a brewery that peddles images of American patriot Samuel Adams to gain more loyal customers, it seems as if such desecration is becoming more common. As a result, we begin to recognize American icons in the most simplistic and incomplete ways. Such is the case with Martin Luther King, Jr., the charismatic leader of oppressed black people, and Albert Einstein, the spike-haired scientist responsible for the most famous equation in modern science: E = mc2.



With a closer look, the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Albert Einstein reveal much more than the watered-down and sometimes sacrilegious portrayals of both men found in modern media. Martin Luther King, Jr. represented so much more than black civil rights in the 1960s. Likewise, Albert Einstein was so much more than a brilliant theoretical physicist. After exploring the lives of these individuals and their true passions, I stumbled upon the fascinating parallels between the two; something that because of my cursory understanding of them, I never thought was possible. My discovery –though nothing extraordinary– was at the least inspiring.



Of the many parallels I found, three stood out as the most interesting and lesser-known. The first commonality is that both men believed in absolutism. In his sermon entitled “Rediscovering Lost Values”, King speaks unequivocally about his belief that there are moral absolutes just as there are physical absolutes. “There are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws… Because we unconsciously know that there is a final law of gravitation… even if we don't know it in its Newtonian formulation…we just don't jump off the highest building in Detroit for the fun of it… Some things are right and some things are wrong. Eternally so, absolutely so.”



Similarly, Einstein believed in the absolute physical world. His amazing theory of relativity was one of the most misinterpreted theories in scientific history. The Relativity Theory does not purport that “everything is relative”, especially in a moral sense. Instead it posits, in the realm of science only, that spacetime remains invariant in all inertial frames. In fact, Einstein considered calling his creation the Invariance Theory. Later in life, he struggled to find a unified field theory that would further prove the invariance and structure of the physical world. He would search for the answer unsuccessfully until his very last breath.



Second, both men were outspoken pacifists and supported the idea of democratic socialism. Though in the 1960s it was unpopular to protest the Vietnam War and by doing so directly challenge the policy of the United States , King vociferously denounced all forms of war and violence. His adversaries believed that criticizing the military policy of the United States was un-American and that he should stay within his lot: civil rights for Negroes. King had a bigger vision for his movement and proceeded to broaden his message to include advocating equal distribution of wealth on behalf of poor people. King paid the ultimate high price for his democratic socialist beliefs, provoking even more public ridicule and intrusion by the FBI. Some would argue that not until King preached a message of “reconstruction of society itself” was he doomed.



Likewise, Einstein had a strong aversion to militarism and jingoism from an early age, so much so that he renounced his German citizenship at the age of seventeen. Growing up a Jew in Europe during the early part of the 20th century shaped Einstein’s political ideology. He witnessed first-hand the effects of the First World War that eventually led to Hitler coming to power in 1933 and the expulsion of millions of persecuted Jews from Europe . Many criticized Einstein for meddling in international political affairs, but his sincere passion for establishing world peace equaled that of his scientific aspirations during the latter portion of his life. His much lesser-known passion was evinced by his unwavering support of antiwar organizations and numerous public speeches against war. Like King, Einstein admired Ghandi (he hung a picture of him in his office) and urged the use of civil disobedience to resist war and injustice. As a result of Einstein’s support of pacifist ideas, he too fought false accusations of being a communist. Einstein’s FBI dossier contained 1,427 pages, none of which recorded any incriminating evidence. Though not a supporter of pure socialism, he did believe that the combination of democratic and socialist ideas was the ideal political system.



Third and most importantly, both men defied conventional thinking, and by doing so greatly expanded the limits of our social and physical world. As a world watched peaceful organizers march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama only to suffer at the hands of a violent mob of policemen, many questioned the non-violent tactics employed by King and his followers to fight the evils of segregation. Not until the civil rights movement of the 1960s was civil disobedience used on a mass scale in the United States . Though the idea of civil disobedience was not his creation, King was able to utilize an unconventional tactic to successfully fight against racial injustice and precipitate the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



In the same way, Einstein’s genius can be found in the way his mind worked, not necessarily in the end result. For example, Einstein imagined what it would be like to race beside a beam of light. His creative thought experiments served as the basis for his theories including the Theory of Special Relativity and the Law of the Photoelectric Effect. Such radical thinking based on a deductive approach formed the theoretical basis that enabled the development of several technological breakthroughs such as the atom bomb and laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). Einstein’s ability to conjure up the most creative thought experiments, which eventually were verified through mathematical and empirical proof, was revolutionary. All throughout his life he was a nonconformist, and therefore advocated tolerance of free thought.



Finally, I do not know if Martin Luther King, Jr. and Albert Einstein ever had the opportunity to meet each other. However, I am sure that the two Nobel Prize winners would revel in each other’s company. Perhaps King would thank Einstein for hosting contralto Marian Anderson at his house because the Nassau Inn refused her a room when she visited Princeton for a performance. Maybe Einstein would commend King for his fight for human rights and engage him in a conversation about the most effective means to prevent nuclear proliferation. Regardless of how that meeting would have gone, I am sure of one thing: it would have been a beautiful fusion of genius. Simply put, the individual accomplishments of King and Einstein will forever secure their names in history, but when compared to one another reveal an unexpected commonality of unabashed resolve, social consciousness, and intellectual genius that is ever more inspiring.

WTF: Why Don't McDonald's Workers Wear Gloves?

It's 5 in the morning in beautiful East St.Louis, Illinois


1. Lisa, a stripper, takes her night's worth of salary home and counts it.

2. Most of the dollar bills have been saturated with vaginal juice, alcohol, sweat and possibly various forms of communicable diseases.

3. Lisa is hungry after a 10 hour shift, so she decides to fulfill her hunger at McDonalds. She takes 3.50 of her $500 worth of work and buys an Egg McMuffin Value Meal.

4. Ernest, the McDonalds morning crew manager, takes these storied bills and places them in his register.

5. Ernest proceeds to make the Egg McMuffin Value Meal with NO GLOVES ON.

6. Lisa devours the Egg McMuffin Value Meal that was prepared with NO GLOVES ON.

7. Daunte (me) orders 2 Sausage, Egg and Cheese Value Meals.

8. Ernest, the McDonalds morning crew manager, takes my money and places them in his register and gives me back 3 dollar bills. (The same 3 bills Lisa gave him)

9. Ernest prepares my 2 Sausage, Egg and Cheese Value Meals with NO GLOVES ON.

10. I quickly scarf my meal that was prepared with NO GLOVES ON.

11. Daunte’s sick


The End


This story sounds very far-fetched and possibly outlandish, yet at least 2 or 3 of those gross things occur at McDonalds every time you go.


Every time I go to McDonalds I see one or more of the following:

-workers preparing food with NO GLOVES ON

-managers taking money from customers and then preparing my food with NO GLOVES ON

-workers using the bathroom and not washing their hands


When I was around 6 0r 7, I distinctly remember food service being cleaner; workers used gloves, there was a distinct system of duties that didn't allow people to handle money and prepare food. Where has all of that gone? I'm sorry but hand sanitizer isn’t good enough for me, people need to wash their hands with HOT water and used gloves. I don’t mean to just point out McDonalds because Popeye’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and many other fast food places don’t use gloves. I'm glad restaurants don’t have a visible kitchen because I'm sure there are worse.


I know McDonalds has the best fries but just be mindful that you might be eating a Big Mac with cheese, influenza, yeast infection and ketchup. Just a thought.

Pimp C Was Killed by Over The Counter Overdose

Pimp C, a high-powered artist that was part of the group UGK, was found to have died from an overdose of over the counter cough medicine, according to the LA County coroner.

Pimp C, whose real name was Chad Butler, was found dead on December 4, but it took two months to determine his cause of death. The coroner's report stated that the death was "due to promethazine/codeine effects and other unestablished factors."

Ed Winter, the Assistant Chief of the Coroner's office, said that the levels of the medication were high, but not high enough for an overdose. However, the high levels of cough medicine, mixed with Butler's sleep apnea, created the deadly combination.

Pimp C was part of the hot hip-hop team UGK, along with rap artist Bun B. The group hit #1 with their last release "Underground Kingz."

Pimp C's cause of death led to some controversy after UGK recorded "Sippin on some Sizzurp", which some connect with cough syrup. The rap lyrics included one controversial line: "I'm choking on that doja sweet and sipping on that sizz-erp."

The medication that led to Pimp C's overdose has been considered popular in the south for young people who want to get high. Rap artist Big Mo even called Houston "City of Syrup", for being known for recreational cough syrup consumption.

Jose Martinez, a DEA special agent, said that the cough syrup is only available by pescription, but that it's recreational use is widespread.

"It is not uncommon to see large quantities of the controlled substance being sold and transported," he said.

The medication found in Pimp C's hotel room carries a warning against use by those with sleep apnea.

An Obama Nation: Are We Ready for Change?

by Kevin D. Johnson, Publisher of AUC Magazine

Depending on your political persuasion, the title of this piece connotes a change for the better or a change for the worse. To those Democrats who believe this country needs a new face in the White House, Barack Obama seems to be the clear choice, but to those who are staunch Republicans, Obama's unprecedented political success would be best described in homonymic terms: an abomination.



No matter what your opinion of Obama, one thing is certain: this country has never witnessed such a well-organized, awe-inspiring campaign such as Obama's presidential run. Regardless of race, gender, and socio-economic background, the charismatic senator has ascended, in a relatively short time, the political ranks to coalesce millions of Americans around a mantra of hope and change.



My fascination with the campaign of "hope and change" started in February of last year, two weeks after Obama's official presidential campaign announcement. Somewhat bitten by the political bug, I decided on a whim to attend an informal meeting at a Starbucks in a northern suburb of Atlanta . A group of about thirty diverse people gathered to meet one another, share why they support Obama, volunteer for tasks, and discuss how to recruit more people to the campaign. As an aloof spectator, I was amazed to see the dynamics of the enthusiastic meeting, organized and facilitated by the kind of diverse leadership that has become synonymous with Obama's campaign. I knew something was brewing after that meeting and decided to find out more.



I quickly read Obama's The Audacity of Hope, a beautifully written semi-autobiographical book that avoids delving too deep into policy, but gives the reader —regardless of the extent of their political knowledge— enough substance and fresh perspective to crave more. After doing my due diligence on all presidential candidates, I was convinced that Obama was a competitive candidate capable of winning the White House. I then decided to contribute to the campaign even though my complete allegiance to his cause was not decided.



Having had a few opportunities to meet and talk with the Obamas, both Barack and his wife Michelle, I can say firsthand that the hype is real; it is palpable. I was honored to walk beside him and the Clintons during the commemoration of Bloody Sunday in Selma , Alabama of March of last year. Later that month, I was honored to be the youngest co-host of Obama's first visit to Atlanta as a presidential candidate where alongside my co-hosts including distinguished Atlantans Lisa Borders, David Adelman and Sandra Baccus, we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. My participation in the campaign continues in various ways. As a contributor, I have noticed that no matter where I am with or without Obama's presence, the excitement and mobilization of people to make change is astonishing; no other candidate has been able to engender such a response from the American populous, especially among the young.



Despite Obama's unique ability to bring together people from all walks of life, I often get asked (primarily from black people): Do you think we are ready for a black president? This question is ridiculous because it implies that the merit of Obama has little if any significance in his ability to take this country to the next level, that his blackness will always becloud his ability to lead and bring together this country, something that he has already done to an extraordinary degree. Such negativity cloaked with a tone of compassionate concern shows no faith in the American people to transcend race. In my opinion, the question reflects poorly on the person asking it and points to their own lack of self-esteem and vision. Perhaps these people are the posterity of those who asked Dr. King, "Do you think the country is ready for us to demand civil rights?" Or maybe they asked John F. Kennedy, "Do you honestly think we can put a man on the moon?" Or maybe they doubted the timing of Abraham Lincoln's agenda by asking, "Do you think the country is ready for the abolition of slavery?"



By no means am I a political pundit able to pontificate with the likes of George Stefanopolis or Sean Hannity. My attempt at passing National Government 251 in college was pathetic at best. I do, however, pride myself like most Americans on being able to follow along with the best political analysts and to determine what I think is the best vision for the future of the United States of America . Currently, this country needs a leader who can imbue an emaciated nation with hope, and not a kind of fraudulent hope that has been trumpeted by Obama detractors, but a kind of hope that inspires people to act and play a meaningful part in their government to improve their circumstance, the quintessence of American democracy. To me, the only candidate who has thus far proven his or her ability to do this is Barack Obama, who in his own words can "rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose".



The nation is ready for change!

Lil Wayne Arrested for Drugs

Lil Wayne, the hottest rapper in America right now, was arrested for felony drug possession early Wednesday. The arrest occurred as the bus was being stopped at the California-Arizona border checkpoint.

Lil Wayne, actually named Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was arrested for alleged possession of cocaine and ecstasy, in addition to drug paraphernalia. He was being held in the Yuma County Jail on a $10,185 bond.

Other passengers on the bus with Lil Wayne included Curtis Stewart and Harold Johnson, who were both arrested for marijuana possession.

The bus was stopped by the Border Patrol agents at 11:30 pm Tuesday, after a dog smelled drugs on board. The amount of drugs on the bus included the following:

105 grams of marijuana
29 grams of cocaine
41 grams of ecstasy

Authorities also allegedly recovered a .40 caliber pistol. The gun was registered to Lil Wayne.

Lil Wayne is not the only hot rapper to be arrested recently. The rapper TI was also arrested for felony weapons possession. The rappers are not without support. Dr. Boyce Watkins argued in a recent column that the scrutiny of rappers can lead to excess incarceration at times.

"If anyone had the feds following them around the country all the time, many of us would end up in jail," says Dr. Watkins. "This does not imply that I think Lil Wayne is a good person, I am not sure of that. But the truth is that many Hollywood celebs engage in drug abuse, but they are not being followed around by the cops."

Noose Cover Draws Fire for Golfweek Magazine

Golfweek Magazine announced that it had fired editor Dave Seanor after Seanor agreed to put a noose on the cover of the magazine. The noose was in response to a recent event in which PGA tour commentator Kelly Tilghman jokingly said that Tiger Woods should be "lynched in a back alley."

Tilghman apologized on the air two days later, and the Golf Channel suspended the anchor. However, the light nature of the disciplinary action angered many black leaders.

Golfweek argued that it was seeking to create a debate over the issue. However, some have accused the magazine of sensationalizing a very sensitive issue.

“We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country,” William P. Kupper Jr., president of Turnstile Publishing Co., said on Golfweek's Web site.

“We were trying to convey the controversial issue with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic.”

Jeff Babineau was the editor chosen to replace replace Seanor. The magazine has claimed that the decision making committee had no African-Americans present when making the decision to place the noose on the cover.

Oprah Winfrey already has a top-rated talk show, Web site, magazine, XM satellite radio network and a number of TV movies, now she is stamping her name on a TV network.

It was announced Tuesday, that The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will debute next year as part of a deal with Discovery Communications, according to The Associated Press.

The new network will replace the Discovery Health Network which has been declining in popularity over the years.

The deal states that OWN will be a 50-50 partnership between Discovery Communications and Winfrey's Harpo Productions Inc.

Winfrey will be chairwoman of the new network, which will reach about 70 million cabel accesssible homes.

"This is an evolution of what I've been able to do every day," Winfrey said.

Furthermore, Winfrey plans to show programs that deal with issues such as health, raising children, wealth and relationships.

My Hair by Donisha Adams

Hair texture and hairstyles have been complex issues in the African American community. Some of us prefer to straighten our hair, while others prefer to “go natural.” No one is right or wrong, but the causes for these modifications may be deeply rooted in American society and socialization theories.

American society is driven by white standards of beauty—that blond hair, blue eyed and model thin look. Media perpetuates this ideology in movies, television shows and books. They teach us that there is only one way to look, well if you want to be successful anyway.

Braids, cornrows and dreadlocks symbolize our culture—where we have come from and where we have yet to go. They are a link to our ancestors and they pay honor to creativity and originality.

I wear long, flowing braids because they are beautiful and they allow me to pay homage to tradition. I cherish my badge of individuality, knowing that my braids may look odd to some people. However, I know that people judge me by my braids.

Growing up in Washington, DC, most of the girls that I knew had braids of all different shapes, sizes and colors. If I had some nice braids, people in my community would be sure to let me know. On the other hand, if I had too much “new growth” I would be told to get a “touch-up” immediately. This is how things are. I mean, this was how things were until I decided to attend a predominantly white college in Pennsylvania.

“How do you get your hair like that?” “Does it hurt?” I heard all of these comments and more, on the day-to-day basis. While some comments were positive, some of them hurt.

The hair debate is very heated when it comes to the professional world, especially a career in journalism. For instance, I have been told many times that I should not wear braids to an interview, because it is not professional. People tell me: “It is better to straighten your hair and tie it back.” What is really being said is that white employers (and some black employers) will be less likely to hire me if I have braids.

Why is this? Do braids symbolize how smart I am? People might look at my braids and see all of the ethnic stereotypes—loud, uneducated ghetto girl, because that is what they see on television.

However, I am ME-the smart, funny, beautiful and polite young woman who likes to wear her hair in braids. I am just as qualified as the next person so check my resume before you look at my braids.

Ice Cube Inspires Black Students to Be successful

Ice Cube's new flick, First Sunday, was #2 on the Friday box office estimates. The film had an estimated take of $17.25M, putting it second behind "Bucket List", starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. "Bucket List" is estimated to have taken in $18.6M.

Ice Cube, considered one of the founding fathers of the multi-billion dollar gangster rap industry, has turned himself into a high powered film maker. What is most impressive about Ice Cube's resume is that he has been able to produce albums regularly, family films, and urban comedies, sometimes in the same year. Most artists are only able to brand themselves for a particular genre, without the ability to serve multiple demographics.

IceCube has incredibly successful at creating lasting series, earnings millions for the "Friday" series, along with "Barbershop" and "Are We There Yet?"

Some consider Ice Cube to be a film making genius.

"As a business school professor, I can say that Ice Cube is more brilliant than any dot com billionaire," says Syracuse University Finance Professor, Dr. Boyce Watkins. "He was able to take virtually no capital and create multi-million dollar films that served a clear and necessary niche in filmmaking. In fact, the film "Friday" was about two guys sitting on a porch. That's as inexpensive as you can get."


ICE CUBE'S ALL-TIME TOP FILM OPENINGS

1. Barbershop 2: Back in Business - $24.2M
2. Barbershop - $20.6M
3. Are We There Yet? - $18.5M
4. First Sunday - $17.25M (estimate)
5. Anaconda - $16.6M
6. Three Kings - $15.8M
7. Next Friday - $14.4M
8. Are We Done Yet? - $14.2M
9. Higher Learning - $13.2M
10. Friday After Next - $13M

"Get Low" (Our Song)~by Donisha Adams

Get low, get low, get reaaaal low until you touch the floor/

Those that spread their hate/ Those that kill your spirit leaving carnage in their wake/

They make you get low, get low, get reaaal low/

Those that want your body without taking the time.../the time to wonder about the inner trappings of your mind/

Those that say they love-like love was a brand new pair of Jordans that can be bought/I know that love is blind/

Yahhh, they make you FEEL low, FEEL low, FEEL reaaaal low until you feel this____big.

Who helps the little girls who are caught up in deception?/ Who can't love themselves unless they look like VIDEO GIRLS/

They feel low, feel low, feel reaaaal low-trapped/

Their wings have been cut/No one taught them how to fly/ Above it all/ And eventhough you are 5 feet tall you can still carry yourself like you are a GIANT/But, here you are in the club EVERY NIGHT trying to be seen/ Feeling good because you are looking like that VIDEO GIRL/Letting some man treat you like dirt...because "atleast you got a man."/ And sometimes love hurts/

Getting low, getting low, gettin real low until u hit the floor/

One day, you will see/ You create your own self-image/ You create your destiny/ You demand respect./

When all is said and done you give yourself the wings to...Get high, get high. Get reeeaaal high until...you...reach...THE SKY!

Educating Ourselves on Racism and Martin Luther King

I did a show on the CBS radio network today in which we discussed the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I haven't been doing many interviews lately, but I took the interview as a favor to my buddy Chad, a producer for the Lars Larson Show. Lars is a crazy conservative guy out west who loves to try to push my buttons. I push his right back, and there is a friendly exchange. But given that he is down with Bill O'Reilly, I guess you can't assume that the friend of your enemy is your enemy. I respect Lars but can't stand O'Reilly. Bill O'Reilly is a loser and a terrible human being, which is why I am glad that Obama and others also agreed to never appear on his show again. My conversations with him have never been productive, and when he physically attacked Obama's aide this week, it reminded me of how negative he was toward me during my appearances on his show. I DO NOT respect that man, and I do not respect Sean Hannity.

On CBS today, we talked about the legacy of Martin Luther King, and what it means for all of us. I went through the somewhat challenging exercise of explaining exactly how racism works and why people don't always seem to get it. People think that racism is about someone calling you a "n*gger" in the hallway or hanging a noose on your door. It is not. The biggest racial disease is INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM. Institutionalized racism is what you get when you have universities, board rooms, coaching positions and other entities that have never allowed an African-American to walk through the door or get the job. I think about my own university, which has dozens of academic departments that have NEVER tenured an African-American in over 100 years of operating history. Rather than working to fix the problem or at least acknowledge it, people would rather attack those who choose to point it out.

Imagine an oil spill. Let's say that a company spends 400 days dumping thousands of barrels of oil into a lake. The poison from the oil kills every single animal in the lake and makes the lake unfit for swimming, fishing or anything else. Then, after the company is confronted with what they've done, they simply stop doing it.

When asked what they are going to do to rectify the problem, the company simply says "We stopped dumping the oil, what in the hell else do you want?" They may even claim that another management team was in place when the dumping occurred and although they profited directly from the dumping, they are not liable for cleaning up the mess. I mean, after all, it's not like they're doing it anymore.

That is how America deals with racism.

The social poison of racism has been dumped into the lake of humanity of our country and into our institutions for 400 years. We fought like hell to stop the dumping, but the poison remains. It is not going to naturally clear itself up, the same way that the oil left behind by the corporation isn't going to go away on its own. A proactive, prolonged and committed effort must be made to clean the lake if it is ever going to be healthy again.

That, in a nutshell, is how I explained Dr. King's legacy to the show hosts. The conversation was respectful, but I made it clear that America and its ancestors left a 400 year legacy of toxic socioeconomic inequality that (many of) their grandchildren have taken little or no personal responsibility for helping to clean up. So, respecting Dr. King's legacy means dealing with all legacies of this country, and not just the ones that make us feel good.

Educating Ourselves on Racism and Martin Luther King

I did a show on the CBS radio network today in which we discussed the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I haven't been doing many interviews lately, but I took the interview as a favor to my buddy Chad, a producer for the Lars Larson Show. Lars is a crazy conservative guy out west who loves to try to push my buttons. I push his right back, and there is a friendly exchange. But given that he is down with Bill O'Reilly, I guess you can't assume that the friend of your enemy is your enemy. I respect Lars but can't stand O'Reilly. Bill O'Reilly is a loser and a terrible human being, which is why I am glad that Obama and others also agreed to never appear on his show again. My conversations with him have never been productive, and when he physically attacked Obama's aide this week, it reminded me of how negative he was toward me during my appearances on his show. I DO NOT respect that man, and I do not respect Sean Hannity.

On CBS today, we talked about the legacy of Martin Luther King, and what it means for all of us. I went through the somewhat challenging exercise of explaining exactly how racism works and why people don't always seem to get it. People think that racism is about someone calling you a "n*gger" in the hallway or hanging a noose on your door. It is not. The biggest racial disease is INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM. Institutionalized racism is what you get when you have universities, board rooms, coaching positions and other entities that have never allowed an African-American to walk through the door or get the job. I think about my own university, which has dozens of academic departments that have NEVER tenured an African-American in over 100 years of operating history. Rather than working to fix the problem or at least acknowledge it, people would rather attack those who choose to point it out.

Imagine an oil spill. Let's say that a company spends 400 days dumping thousands of barrels of oil into a lake. The poison from the oil kills every single animal in the lake and makes the lake unfit for swimming, fishing or anything else. Then, after the company is confronted with what they've done, they simply stop doing it.

When asked what they are going to do to rectify the problem, the company simply says "We stopped dumping the oil, what in the hell else do you want?" They may even claim that another management team was in place when the dumping occurred and although they profited directly from the dumping, they are not liable for cleaning up the mess. I mean, after all, it's not like they're doing it anymore.

That is how America deals with racism.

The social poison of racism has been dumped into the lake of humanity of our country and into our institutions for 400 years. We fought like hell to stop the dumping, but the poison remains. It is not going to naturally clear itself up, the same way that the oil left behind by the corporation isn't going to go away on its own. A proactive, prolonged and committed effort must be made to clean the lake if it is ever going to be healthy again.

That, in a nutshell, is how I explained Dr. King's legacy to the show hosts. The conversation was respectful, but I made it clear that America and its ancestors left a 400 year legacy of toxic socioeconomic inequality that (many of) their grandchildren have taken little or no personal responsibility for helping to clean up. So, respecting Dr. King's legacy means dealing with all legacies of this country, and not just the ones that make us feel good.

DNA Test Frees Dallas Man~by Donisha Adams

Charles Chatman left a Dallas courtroom Thursday, with his arms raised in victory. The 42-year-old man was released after spending 26 years in prison for rape that DNA tests proved he did not commit.

“I’m bitter. I’m angry,” Chatman said. He continued: “But I’m not angry or bitter to the point where I want to hurt anyone or get revenge.”

Chatman said that his race proved to be a factor in his conviction, noting that there was one black member of the jury.

In 1981, Chatman was arrested for aggravated sexual assault after a woman pointed him out in a lineup as the man who raped her. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Although Chatman lived five houses from the victim, he said that he did not know her.

“I was convicted because a black man committed a crime against a white woman,” Chatman said. He continued: “And I was available.”

This case made Chatman the 15th Dallas County inmate since 2001 to be exonerated by DNA testing.

Vivica A. Fox Was Doing What on Camera?

Rumor has it that Vivica A. Fox may have an opening to get her dead ass career back on track. Porsche Foxx at V-103 in ATL is confirming that there is a sex tape circulating where Vivica allegedly got drunk off her booty and started giving head to some dude. The dude allegedly took advantage of the situation and recorded it on his cell phone.

That damn technology!

Apparently, the tape was forwarded to old dude's friends, who forwarded it to Vivica, who then forwarded it to the police.

Here is the truth:

1) The dude who put out that tape is going to get Michael Vicked. You go to prison for taping someone "in their rare form" without their permission.
2) I can only pray that old-ass Vivica isn't doing this ish on purpose. Dang girl, is it that hard to get an acting job?
3) Should anybody really be embarrassed over this too much? I mean come on, it ain't like we all don't take care of our man in some special way. We dog out chicks like Superhead for doing it on tape, but alot of people can outdo that girl in private. Get a damn life.

In fact, if you ain't taking care of your man, somebody else probably is. But then again, a man who ain't your man recording you on his cell phone and sending it to all his friends? Well, that's another story.

Study: Racism in Emergency Room Medication Dispension

CNN is reporting that whites are more likely than blacks to receive painkillers when waiting in the emergency room. The results are from a 13 year study of 150,000 emergency room visits. The gap exists for every type of pain, and for both urban and rural hospitals.

"The gaps between whites and nonwhites have not appeared to close at all," said study co-author Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California, San Francisco.

The results are to appear in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Linda Simoni-Wastila of The University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy argues that the racial gap may be due to the fact that doctors suspect minority patients of being drug abusers and lying to get narcotics. This would be ironic, since the rate of white prescription drug abuse is far greater than that of African-Americans.

The researchers argue that stricter protocols for prescribing narcotics may help close the gap.

In the study, opioid narcotics were prescibed 31% of the time for whites, 28% for Asians 24% for Hispanics and 23% for blacks. Minorities were slightly more likely than whites to get aspirin, ibuprofen and similar pain-related medication.

In kidney stone visits, whites got drugs 72% of the time, Hispanics 68%, Asians 67% and African-Americans 56%.

Study: Racism in Emergency Room Medication Dispension

CNN is reporting that whites are more likely than blacks to receive painkillers when waiting in the emergency room. The results are from a 13 year study of 150,000 emergency room visits. The gap exists for every type of pain, and for both urban and rural hospitals.

"The gaps between whites and nonwhites have not appeared to close at all," said study co-author Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California, San Francisco.

The results are to appear in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Linda Simoni-Wastila of The University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy argues that the racial gap may be due to the fact that doctors suspect minority patients of being drug abusers and lying to get narcotics. This would be ironic, since the rate of white prescription drug abuse is far greater than that of African-Americans.

The researchers argue that stricter protocols for prescribing narcotics may help close the gap.

In the study, opioid narcotics were prescibed 31% of the time for whites, 28% for Asians 24% for Hispanics and 23% for blacks. Minorities were slightly more likely than whites to get aspirin, ibuprofen and similar pain-related medication.

In kidney stone visits, whites got drugs 72% of the time, Hispanics 68%, Asians 67% and African-Americans 56%.

Is the Heisman Trophy Racist?

Perhaps they should just call it the "Whiteman Award" and cut to the damn chase. Seriously. 3 out of 4 of the Heisman Candidates this year were white, although anyone with eyeballs knows that college sports is dominated by black men.

But then again, the Heisman always goes to the golden boy. That is usually a white quarterback. The black guys get the Heisman sometimes, but they have to be supermen to beat out the leading white guy.

Then, the NFL draft comes, and we see all the black guys getting drafted first. This clearly shows that they are the best players on the field, but the white guys keep getting the Heisman.

So, let's just call it the WhiteMan Award. What is most ironic is that it was not until after the year 2000 that the Heisman became it's most racist. Since the year 2000, 6 of the 8 Heisman Trophy winners have been white quarterbacks. What is also interesting is that when a black man wins it, he is usually a running back. When a white guy wins it, it is as a quarterback.

Here is a list of the Heisman Winners since the early 80s. Out of this list, only a couple of the white winners have done jack squat in the NFL. Most of the black running backs who win the Heisman went on to have great NFL careers. Some of them did not. But while the black failure of a Heisman winner is rare, the failure of white quarterbacks after winning the Heisman is the norm. It is no different from the year that Shaquille O'neal was given none of the player of the year awards, while Christian Laettner got everything. That was a travesty.

Here is a list of the Heisman winners. You be the judge:

2007 Tim Tebow Florida (Quarterback)
2006 Troy Smith Ohio State (Quarterback)
2005 Reggie Bush USC (Running Back)
2004 Matt Leinart USC (Quarterback)
2003 Jason White Oklahoma (Quarterback)
2002 Carson Palmer Southern California (Quarterback)
2001 Eric Crouch Nebraska (Quarterback)
2000 Chris Weinke Florida State (Quarterback)
1999 Ron Dayne Wisconsin (Running Back)
1998 Ricky Williams Texas (Running Back)
1997 Charles Woodson Michigan (Cornerback)
1996 Danny Wuerffel Florida (Quarterback) 1995 Eddie George Ohio State (Running Back)
1994 Rashaan Salaam Colorado (Running Back)
1993 Charlie Ward Florida State (Quarterback)
1992 Gino Torretta Miami (Quarterback)
1991 Desmond Howard Michigan (Wide Receiver)
1990 Ty Detmer Brigham Young (Quarterback)
1989 Andre Ware Houston (Quarterback)
1988 Barry Sanders Oklahoma State (Running Back)
1987 Tim Brown Notre Dame (Wide Receiver)
1986 Vinny Testaverde Miami (Quarterback)
1985 Bo Jackson Auburn (Running Back)
1984 Doug Flutie Boston College (Quarterback)
1983 Mike Rozier Nebraska (Running Back)
1982 Herschel Walker Georgia (Running Back)
1981 Marcus Allen Southern California (Running Back)