Rihanna Resurfaces!

Rihanna resurfaced for the first time in weeks on her 21st birthday, yesterday. Her father tells US Weekly that the photo that surfaced yesterday was "disturbing." He goes on to say, "It's good and it's bad to see the picture because there's other people who were thinking differently, that [Rihanna's injuries] may not be that bad, just a little spank or a little thing."

To be so young, and to have to deal with disturbing real life issues hopefully will benefit Rihanna in her future decisions regarding men. Thanks to the New York Post for the article.

Another Snub For Dixon!

Embattled Baltimore Mayor, Sheila Dixon was uninvited by the U.S. Conference of Mayors yesterday for a scheduled meeting of 70 mayors at the White House today according to the Baltimore Sun. Dixon, who made comments earlier this week that she felt snubbed by President Barack Obama when she wasn't acknowledged in a speech is obviously not making friends in Washington. The White House is not commenting.

New York Post Offers Apology!

The New York Post issued an policy regarding the controversial cartoon that was published in the paper this week depicting police shooting a chimpanzee in an effort to have someone else write the next stimulus bill. The Post issued the following apology:

It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.
"Period.
"But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.
"This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.
"However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.
"To them, no apology is due.
"Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."

The Rev. Al Sharpton led protesters, who picketed outside the paper yesterday. Sharpton is not fully accepting the paper's apology.

"They made what could have been a noble gesture ignoble by trying to attack people at the same time they're trying to apologize to them. It's not opportunistic to say 'I've been offended.' This makes it hard to take them seriously."
"They've done a number of cartoons on me over the years, and I've never marched on them. They just don't get it."

This story obviously has more legs than I thought it would have with all of the other issues going on in our country. Hopefully Sharpton will get the result that he's looking for in leading the protest. The depiction a chimp possibly being the first black president is clearly offensive, if that's the intent, but President Barack Obama is a month into his presidency and people are losing their minds over editorial cartoons. The fact that we have a black president means that we've come a long, long way. This probably won't be the worst editorial that we see regarding our new president over the next 4 years, and Sharpton may want to toughen up and get ready for it.

Rihanna Bruised And Battered!

TMZ.com has published the first pictures of a badly beaten Rihanna. Rihanna sustained the injuries allegedly after an altercation with singer Chris Brown. This picture shows the extent of the alleged beating. This story will only become more sordid, and it's probably time for Mr. Brown to do more than simply issue a public statement if he wants any chance at salvaging a once promising career.

Charles Barkley: "It Was Unacceptable"

Charles Barkley granted an interview to TNT co-host Ernie Johnson, which has been posted on NBA.com. As usual, Barkley is brutally honest about his situation, and admits that he may have to do jail time, and undergo alcohol counseling. Below is Barkley's response to one of Ernie's questions:

EJ: When you look back at it now and see that you were almost two times over the legal limit and you got behind the wheel, what do you think?
CB: This is just my bad, no excuses, it was unacceptable. I think that a DUI is unacceptable. That can't happen and I've got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you've been drinking. We've discussed this many times on [Inside the NBA] when other [players] have gotten DUIs. I challenge everybody to really think hard before they get behind the wheel after drinking. Nobody thinks they're drunk driving. But for me, getting a DUI is unacceptable.

It will be good to see Charles back for tonight's TNT broadcast, and hopefully he will heed his own words, and make better decisions while drinking in public.

Isaiah Washington Finds His Roots!

The Los Angeles Times reports that actor Isaiah Washington recently became a citizen of Sierra Leone as a result of DNA testing that showed that he had roots in the West African country. Washington has even started a foundation to aid Sierra Leone, contributing nearly $1 million to build a school, restore a hospital and preserve a historic British slave castle on nearby Bunce Island. Good to see that Washington is being recognized for doing something positive, and let's see how much publicity this story receives from a national standpoint.

B-More Mayor "Floored" By Charges And "Bothered By Obama Snub!

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon told a local television station that the charges pending against her for theft and perjury simply aren't true, and that she was bothered when now President Barack Obama failed to recognize her during a nationally televised speech on Jan. 17th during his train ride to Washington, D.C., although he did recognize mayors from Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia, PA. Hopefully Dixon understands, that our president couldn't afford to be linked with more potentially shady associates. Thanks to the Baltimore Sun for the article.

Luther Campbell Jailed For Failing To Pay Child Support!

Rapper, and former 2 Live Crew front man, Luther Campbell was jailed Tuesday night in Miami-Dade County for allegedly failing to pay child support of $10,223.36 according to the Miami Herald. Campbell most recently appeared on the VH1 reality show, "Luke's Parental Advisory."

T.I.'s Redemption!

Yes, rapper T.I. is being forced to complete 1000 hours of community service as part of his plea agreement on federal gun charges. However, what he's doing with his reality show "T.I.'s Road To Redemption" is commendable and necessary for any young black male headed down the dark side of life. The show's second episode will be broadcast tonight at 9:30 on MTV. Last week's premiere episode focused on T.I. taking a neighborhood drug dealer and exposing him to time in jail and seeing a dead body being prepared by a mortician. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports on the Powder Springs, GA police department's involvement in the first episode. T.I. still has to do a prison time as part of his sentence, and six episodes remain of this great show.

Reckless Jason!

The Arizona Republic reports that Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson was arrested Sunday evening for driving 90 mph in a 35-mph zone with his 3 year-old son unrestrained in the back seat of the car. He was booked on counts of endangerment, reckless driving, failure to use a child seat and excessive speed. The 27 year-old guard already has a DUI charge pending against from Dec. 21st of last year. Whatever Richardson's issues are, and he's gradually wasting away a career, hopefully help will come before the spiral that he's in can't be stopped.

Shaq Performs With Jabberwockees During All-Star Game Inroduction!

Ever the showman, Shaquille O'Neal performed with the Jabberwockees during the introductions of last night's NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Shaq also went on to earn Co-MVP of the game with his former teammate Kobe Bryant. Shaq now refers to the former teammates, who have feuded in the past as the "legendaries."

Are Black Colleges In Peril?

In 1977, 35% of black students received degrees from historically black colleges. 32 years later, 13% of black students are enrolled at Historically Black Colleges. Many students are simply choosing the diversity of a Harvard or Georgia Tech, while in many cases it's simply coming down to the scholarship money that's available at larger schools. Three HBCU's in the Atlanta area: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman all announced cutbacks to staff in the lat month, which is a direct result of the economic downturn.

HBCU's are are suffering from the pneumonia that hits black establishments during a major economic downturn. I wonder if there's any money in the stimulus package to assist in these times of need. Thanks to the Atlanta Journal Constitution for the article.

Gang Members Give Back In B-More!

"Black" whose real name is Tony Wilson and a long time member of the Bloods street gang. Wilson is now a Youth counselor with the Rose Street Community Center in Baltimore. On this day, he's lambasting youngsters who choose drug dealing and buying $100,000 cars instead of paying rent and even securing drivers licenses and car insurance. Wilson is giving back by attempting to steer youngsters in the right direction, and even assisting them in securing GED's and taking care of the basic necessities of life such as establishing bank accounts.

Rose Street is being subsidized by a $220,000 federal grant and has the complete support of Baltimore's City Hall. Thank to the Baltimore Sun for the article.

Leonard Abess Gives Away $60 Million To Employees After Selling Bank!

Miami Banker, Leonard Abess took $60 million of the sale proceeds after selling Miami-based City National Bancshares last November, and distributed the money to his bank employees. 399 workers on his staff and 72 former employees benefited from the proceeds. Spanish bank Caja Madrid purchased an 83% stake in the company for $927 million. Truly a great story of respecting and caring for employees and sharing the wealth. Thanks to the Miami Herald for the story.