Deborah Cox "Did You Ever Love Me"

Deborah Cox "The Promise"

R&B Singer Deborah Cox released her first studio album in six years titled "The Promise" this week. The album's lead single, produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and "Big Jim" Wright is titled "Did You Ever Love Me", is a poignant love song in which Cox openly sings about the good old days being long gone and questioning whether there ever was really love at all. This is unquestionably one of the best R&B love songs that I've heard in many years, and I admit that I'm not objective since I'm on record stating that Jam and Lewis are the greatest music producers of my generation.

Please give Ms. Cox some love and purchase "The Promise".

Michael Steele Wants To Be RNC Chair

Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor for the state of Maryland has thrown his name in the hat to be considered the next Republican National Committee Chairman. Steele apparently may have a shot at the position as he's being supported by Sean Hannity and Newt Gingrich.

Steele, who is a regular contributor to the Sean Hannity show. He's a die hard conservative, and although I can understand him not supporting our new president-elect, he showed Barack Obama no love at all, which is his prerogative. This is clearly a ploy of the GOP to clearly diversify the party for future elections. If anyone is interested, this is Steele's site.

Threats Against Obama Increase

Amid all of the adulation and elation that we feel with the election of Barack Obama, the real issue of protecting the president-elect has taken on increased importance. Philly.com reports that Obama has received more threats than any president-elect in recent memory. His ethnicity appears to be the primary reason for the spike in threats, and the article highlights one of the most popular White Supremacist sites, stormfront.org, which saw it's membership increase by 2,000 the day after the election. This is an example of some of the postings from the site:

"I want the SOB laid out in a box to see how 'messiahs' come to rest. God has abandoned us, this country is doomed."

I guess we really haven't come but so far as a country, if Obama's election is generating this type of hatred. Although this type of rhetoric may be isolated, it's still very sad and distasteful.

Kanye's Inner Turmoil

According to media reports, hip-hop superstar Kanye West was arrested yesterday after an altercation outside of a London nightclub. If the reports are correct, this will be West's second arrest in the last month.

Kanye lost his beloved mother just over a year ago, and lamented in an interview with People Magazine about wanting to find a woman who really cares about him. He also made the following statement:

"It's lonely at the top," he told reporters Tuesday at a London listening party for the new album. "Losing my mom, having no woman in my life to support me – I feel like I'm on my own and can only express it through my music."

He also seems to blame himself for his mother's death, stating:

It's a subject that, for a long time, was too sensitive to discuss. "I didn't do any interviews after my mom passed, I wasn't ready to speak about [it]," he said. "Now I'd rather talk it through than commit suicide. I'm super devastated." Cruelly, the rapper blames himself – or more specifically, his fame – for her death. "I feel like I moved to California, then my mom moved to California, and she did stuff she wouldn't have done if we'd stayed in Chicago," he said. "If I'd never made it in the music business, it never would've happened."

Kanye is is understandably still mourning the loss of his mother, who was his manager and rock of stability. Hopefully Kayne will understand that his mother is still living through him and his talent. I hope that these recent bouts of aggression aren't signs of additional problems, and if they are that his circle of friends and family will give him the support that he needs.

Would Hillary Be A Good Pick For Obama?

Since no one has confirmed whether an offer has been made to Sen. Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State, the New York Daily News speculates that it would be a good move for President-elect Barack Obama to have his former political nemesis as part of his cabinet. Clinton's knowledge and expertise on foreign affairs is a primary factor, but for Obama, simply showing that he's self assured enough to have people in his cabinet who are his intellectual equal should give him increased credibility.

The article correctly states that Obama is intrigued by the the book "Team of rivals" which is Doris Kearns Goodwin's account of Abraham Lincoln naming his top 3 political adversaries as secretary of state, treasury and attorney general, respectively.

Rev. Al Owes Feds $500,000 For Taking Illegal Campaign Contributions

The New York Post is reporting that Rev. Al Sharpton owes almost $500,000 in fines for financing his 2004 presidential campaign with illegal contributions. The Federal Election Commission has ruled that Sharpton mixed his personal and campaign expenses.

Sharpton has vowed to appeal, but I would assume that the fines continue to accrue the longer that he takes to pay them. He can't be feeling real good this morning.

Don Cornelius Charged In Two Domestic Incidents

Former Soul Train Host Don Cornelius as been charged by Los Angeles attorneys in two domestic incidents with his wife last month. Cornelius, who is 72, was charged with spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness from making a police report, all misdemeanors, city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said Friday.

Don Cornelius was a Saturday morning mainstay in my house back in the day, he's much too old to be acting the fool. Thanks to the Atlanta Journal Constitution for the update.

King Estate Seeking Doallrs From Obama/King Memorabilia

President-elect Barack Obama is not allowed to cash in on the sales of memorabilia bearing his likeness because he's a elected official, but the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has decided that it wants it's share of the proceeds of anything that bears King's likeness amidst the furor of Obama/King items that are being sold according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The estate is setting up it's own licensing agreements, but I doubt if it will be able to secure any dollars from the items that are being sold from the aggressive entrepreneurs who saw and opportunity and took advantage of it. The King Estate should have have been prepared for an Obama victory and already had licensing agreements in place.

The Fall of Damon Dash

Damon Dash, who was the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and the Rocawear clothing line, and sold his interest in the clothing company to former partner Jay-Z for $20 million, has apparently fallen on hard times according to the New York Daily News. Dash, who once bragged that he was worth $50 million apparently didn't set aside money for a rainy day, as he's apparently being hounded by creditors and attorneys.

When Dash was at his zenith, he was very self assured, and appeared to handle the separation from his former business partner without missing a beat. He once created a multi-million dollar business entity, but tough economic times have hit many Americans.

Hillary In Line To Be Secretary of State

The New York Post is reporting that Sen. Hillary Clinton is seriously being considered for the Secretary of State position in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet. Adding to the speculation is the fact that Clinton was in Chicago yesterday on "personal business". Clinton, who was beaten by Obama as the Democratic Presidential Nominee would be a great choice if she wants the position. She and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, kept their word and unconditionally supported Obama during the presidential election process, which went a long way towards helping Obama win the election.

"Dollar Bill" Loses Appeal

The Washington Post is reporting that a federal appeals court upheld the bribery charges against Louisiana Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson on Wednesday, clearing the way for a trial. These charges go back to 2007 alleging that Jefferson received more than $500,000 in bribes and demanded millions more between 2000 and 2005, including $90,000 he received from an FBI informant that was later found in the freezer of his Washington home. Jefferson of course has plead not guilty to the charges. Last week Jefferson actually won his primary runoff, and faces a Dec. 6 election against Republican, Anh "Joseph" Cao in his New Orleans-based district.

It's probably time to put "Dollar Bill" out to pasture.

Boston Church Fire May Be Related To Obama Election

The Boston Globe reports that the Macedonia Church of God in Christ was set on fire hours after Sen. Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States. Investigators and members of the community are suspicious of the timing of the fire.

Broun Calls Obama A "Marxist"

Georgia Republican Congressman Paul Broun stated that he regretted calling President-elect Barack Obama a "Marxist", however he stood by his comments comparing Obama's tactics to Hitler and the Soviet Union according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. I watched excerpts of a Gov. Sarah Palin interview last night in which she's still talking about William Ayers. I guess members of the GOP still haven't accepted that Obama is the president-elect, and that the election is over.

Cities Now Needing Bailout Plans

Amid all of the chaos of the economic downturn, AIG has received bailout money in the billions; the big three auto makers are all seeking relief from the government; and now in separate articles, city of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin says the city is in need of "federal rescue plan" according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Likewise the Detroit Free Press is reporting that the city of Detroit is in need of a $10 billion bailout. The $700 billion bailout money won't last long at this rate.

Public vs. Private Schools

Renowned columnist Clarence Page writes about the dilemma of the Obama's sending their daughters, Malia and Sasha to public or private schools once they relocate to Washington, D.C. in this Real Clear Politics article. It appears that since Malia and Sasha presently attend private schools that they will also do the same when they move to the District of Columbia.

The interesting part of Page's article profiles District School Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who has essentially cleaned house in the school district. Rhee, is a 38-year-old single Korean-American mother with two young daughters in her troubled 46,000-student system. With the backing of Mayor Adrian Fenty, she has closed 23 schools, restructured 27 others, fired more than 250 teachers and dumped about one-third of the system's principals.

In the black community most children are attending public schools. Rhee's approach to cleaning up a major problem may be needed as a benchmark for other cities. The problems of the Washington, D.C. schools only have to multiplied by thousands to illustrate the dire straits of most of our public schools.

Barack The Employer

The New York Daily News reports that President-elect Barack Obama has close to 8,000 job openings that can be applied for at change.gov. This is an opportunity to work in what will sure to be a historical presidential administration.

Barack The Brand

If you're one of the many Americans seeking President-elect Barack Obama T-Shirts, or the commemorative edition of your city's newspaper announcing the results of last week's election, the Los Angeles Times reports on entrepreneurs taking advantage of the Obama phenomenon, by selling Obama merchandise. Reporters who covered the election have even secured book deals.

Barack Obama is officially a brand, stimulating the economy to the tune of millions with anything bearing his likeness.

Thr33 Ringz

The music aficionado that I claim myself to be has quietly slept on the talent of the only 23 year old hip-hop artist T-Pain. T-Pain has become the Roger Troutman of his time by using auto tune technology to alter vocals on his songs, but he's also become a prolific producer working with such artists as Ludacris and Jennifer Hudson.

While I'm finished gushing over T-Pain's talent, he does release his third album "Thr33 Ringz" today, which features the hit single "I Can't Believe It". The Atlanta Journal Constitution offers a review of the album.

Michelle!!

As fascinating as President-elect Barack Obama's story is, his wife Michelle's story is the one that makes my heart flutter. The Chicago Sun-Times has published this article titled "The Woman Behind Obama". Many forget that she was once Barack's boss, and with black women being the "rock" of our community, she's a tremendous role model for young black girls, and black women.

Europeans Display Open Racism Regarding Obama's Election

The Washington Post reports that many Europeans are displaying a backwoods mentality concerning President-elect Barack Obama. The Post reports the following:

The day after Obama's victory, a leading Austrian television journalist said on camera that he "wouldn't want the Western world to be directed by a black man." A Polish lawmaker stood up in Parliament and called the election result "the end of the white man's civilization."

One of the milder gaffes came from Italian Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi. On Thursday, during a visit to Moscow, he praised Obama for being "young, handsome and even suntanned." .

An interesting read on how black people are viewed throughout the world.

Violent Crime Down In Philly

I guess any improvement in a violent crime statistic for a major city is cause for elation. Last year, the city of Philadelphia recorded 394 murders, and Mayor Michael Nutter's goal was to reduce that number by 25% by the end of this year to 294. Well, I'm proud to say that murders are down 15% from last year and violent crimes are down 4 percent according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. One interesting note is that property crimes have increased in the city and the rise is being attributed to the economic distress that many are feeling. The problem is that with the jails being overcrowded, burglars are being released to commit similar crimes.

A very disturbing statistic from the city of Brotherly Love is that rapes and aggravated assaults have also increased so far this year.

Obama's Visit The White House

Yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle visited the White House and were greeted by President George Bush and his wife Laura. Michelle Obama was given a tour of the White House by Mrs Bush, while the president-elect spent some quiet time with President Bush. The New York Post provides additional details on the visit.

It was noted on a prime time newscast that the White House has a half court basketball court. Knowing the president-elect's affinity for b-ball, I wonder if the court will need to be expanded.

Barack, Leola, and Freddie

Leola Brock-Reese and her best friend Freddie Simmons had the pleasure of greeting President-elect Barack Obama and being told by Obama himself that he'd won the election according to the Detroit Free Press. Brock-Reese greeted Obama in the hotel hallway of the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, asked to have a picture taken, and he politely obliged.

A feel good story about being in the right place at the right time, and being a part of history.

A Night On The Town

The Chicago Tribune reports that the new first couple dined out at Spiaggia restaurant on Saturday night, their first outing since election night. The first couple's every move will be chronicled over the next 4 years, and it'll be a beautiful thing to see for all of us.

Michelle's New Trail

When President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle visit the White Hose today, all eyes will be on the president-elect, but we can't forget his wife, Michelle's story of over coming all the odds, and being tremendously accomplished in her own right. The Chicago Tribune writes about Mrs. Obama " blazing a new trail" and about the fact that with her educational background, she'll be one of the youngest, most educated, and accomplished First Ladies.

Michelle Obama will be a breath of fresh air to Washington. Her grace, poise and support of her husband has probably been what has helped guide him through the election. I'm sure once she settles the family, she'll create her own niche and "Blaze an Enormous Trail as First Lady of the United States of America."

Farrakhan Speaks On Obama

Speaking yesterday at the Nation of Islam's National headquarters in Chicago, Minister Louis Farrakhan broke his silence and commented on the election of Barack Obama to be the 44th President of the United States of America. Farrakhan stated that it was God's divine plan for the world that explains why Obama won the election, and that God would make sure that Obama has the vision to guide our country through it's current economic and social woes.

Despite Obama's win, Farrakhan stated that the country remains divided and polarized particularly below the Mason-Dixon line. The Chicago Tribune provides additional details on Farrakhan's speech. Minister Farrakhan is one of the old guard of black leaders who kept silent during the election process. Thankfully he's decided to resurface, and express his support for the president-elect.