Hate Still Alive In 2009!

I'm sure that when Stephen T. Johns went to work yesterday as a security guard at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. he never thought that it would be his last day of life on earth. Johns was the lone murder victim yesterday as James W. von Brunn went on a shooting rampage at the museum in the early afternoon. It's a shame that in 2009, hate is still alive and well, and that Johns family has to cope with the loss of a loved one in a worthless display of violence.

Kanye and Amber Still An Item?

Although he's reported to now be single, Kanye West is still finding time to spend with his ex, Amber Rose. Page Six reports that Ms. Rose attended Kanye's birthday party at the Spotted Pig on Monday in New York, and the two were seen shopping on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Kanye and Amber, celebrity doesn't equate to having a private life.

The Drug That Is The High School Standout!

USC basketball coach Tim Floyd resigned yesterday amid allegations that he paid money to an associate of former basketball standout O.J. Mayo who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. Of course everyone involved is denying the allegations, but why would Floyd resign if wrong doing wasn't involved. So let's review this, the lure of recruiting a basketball standout to your school has essentially ruined Tim Floyd's career and lost him millions of dollars in potential income. Must be some kind of drug to cause a coach to risk everything for a player who he knew was only staying a year, and is now a millionaire himself.

This is one of the reasons that the age requirement in the NBA is a joke. Player's receiving money, having other people take SATs so that they can qualify for school, and surely other outlandish infractions just so that these players can stay for one year. David Stern let these players who have no interest in attending college take their chances on the pros, so that coaches like Tim Floyd don't get addicted to the drug of the high school standout. Surely, O.J. Mayo is somewhere laughing about how he got over on the system, and Floyd's wife is probably calling him a couple of unmentionable names.

Jermaine Dupri Does Sinatra!

Superstar music producer Jermaine Dupri appears to always be looking for the next opportunity as he continues to get his hustle on as a mogul. If anyone follows him on Twitter (LTLline) you know that he's constantly roviding updates on his "Oceans 7" crew comprised of him, Nelly, Johnta Austin, Bow Wow, Brian-Michael Cox and Trey Songz. Dupri is constantly updating music and video on his blog global14.com. Dupri tells the Atlanta Journal Constitution that plans for a stage show and moving are in the works as the pay homage to the days of "The Rat Pack" paying homage to Sinatra, Martin and Sammy.

Nagin and Wife's Quarantine Could Last A Week!

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife's Seletha quarantine in Shanghai as a swine flu precautionary measure could last up to a week according to The Times-Picayune. Fortunately neither Nagin or his wife are showing any signs of the flu.

America's First Black Female Rabbi: Alysa Stanton

Alysa Stanton was formally ordained yesterday as America's first female African-American rabbi. She will will be the first non-white rabbi of Congregation Bayt Shalom, a 60-family synagogue in Greenville, N.C. TIME Magazine profiles Rabbi Stanton.

David Carradine Dead At 72!

Actor David Carradine was found dead yeasterday hanging in a hotel room closet in Bangkok. Carradine starred in the television show "Kung Fu" in the 70's. Rest in Peace Mr. Carradine.

Whitney Houston Returns Sept. 1!

Billboard.com is reporting that Whitney Houston's next studio album will be released on September 1st. The as yet untitled set will feature production by will.i.am, Akon and Sean Garrett. Here's wishing for a successful comeback for Whitney, who arguably has the best voice of any female singer of her generation.

Kobe "Bean" Fighting Father Time!

I found this great article from the Los Angeles Times regarding Kobe Bryant, who begins his quest for a 4th championship tonight against the Orlando Magic. Kobe is in his 13th NBA season and has played 1,118 games, or 340 games more than Michael Jordan had played at the same age. The 340 games is the equivalent of 3 NBA seasons, and considering that Jordan was still playing at a high level at 36, Kobe probably has at best 3 peak seasons left in his body assuming he doesn't have any devastating injuries. With the "young boys" like Melo, LeBron, Dwight and Dwyane knocking at the door, in reality this may be his best chance to secure that elusive 4th championship.

President Obama Speaking To Muslims!

President Barack Obama is spreading the word of peace as he speaks in Cairo this morning. I haven't really written a lot about our president recently, but after watching the last 2 nights of the NBC special profiling the White House and how he's handling his business, I just have to conclude that he's "the real deal."

Taking The Law Into Their Own Hands!

Jose Carrasquillo, 26, was a suspect in the rape of an 11 year-old girl in Philadelphia on Monday morning. A few hours after police released his name and photograph as a potential suspect he was spotted by residents where proceeded to take the law into their own hands:

Carrasquillo was seen by residents walking west on Clearfield toward Front about 3:15 p.m. A block before Front, at Lee Street, several males, including at least two teens, confronted the suspect.

"Hey, yo! You raped this girl," one of the teens told the suspect, according to Kris Torres, 16, who was part of the group of three or four. The suspect denied it.

"No. I have a daughter myself," said Carrasquillo, according to Torres.

But the neighborhood was convinced he was the suspect because detectives came to the area in the morning showing a photograph to residents. Torres said the teens, including himself, started hitting the suspect.

"We just pounded on him because we wanted him arrested," Torres said.

The suspect, however, continued to deny he was the attacker, said Louis Rodriguez, 16, who said he also was involved in the beat-down. "Stop! It wasn't me," the man yelled, according to Rodriguez.

The suspect tried to walk away but was knocked down along the side of a corner store at Front and Clearfield Streets.

A large crowd then gathered and urged the teens to pummel the suspect. The beating was captured on videotape by an outside security camera just down the street.

Physical evidence has been found at the scene linking the suspect to the crime. Police describe the incident as sadistic, and the young girl is in stable condition with a long road to recovery ahead. Thanks to the Philadelphia Inquirer for the article.

50 Cent's Costly Purchase!

Rapper 50 Cent purchased Mike Tyson's former home in 2003 under the assumption that it would take $500,000 to repair the home according to BVH Integrated Services, the engineering firm he hired to inspect the home. It wound up costing $6 million, and 50 wants $3 million as he testified in court yesterday according to the New York Daily News. He put the home up for sale in 2007, but had no takers for it.

The GM Rescue!

The above graph was supplied by the Detroit Free Press. General Motors filed for bankruptcy yesterday, and the government is on the hook for about $50 billion that we may never see again. GM has lost $82 billion in the last 4 years. Is there really hope that the company can be turned around?

Sugar Ray Leonard Speaks To His High School Alma Mater!

Sugar Ray Leonard spoke at his alma mater Parkdale High School's graduation yesterday telling the students:

"You have so many doors and opportunities that are available to you that not succeeding is not acceptable." "You must be a fighter in life."

Leonard, now 53, graduated 36 years ago from the high school and went on to have a legendary boxing career. The school that he graduated from was a mixture of blacks and whites back then, and though the demographics of the school have changed, the goals of the students should still be the same to live productive lives while striving for excellence. Good to see that Sugar Ray hasn't forgotten where he came from, and is still uplifting the younger generation. Thanks to the Washington Post for the article.

Joe Frazier's Step-Grandson Killed In Philly!

The Philadelphia Daily News reports the sad news that legendary boxer Joe Frazier's step-grandson Peter Lyde Jr. was shot and killed while working as a security guard at a Philadelphia bar.

Mike Brown Has To Go, LeBron!

Admittedly I had coronated LeBron James as the second greatest player of all time, and assumed that he was going to win the NBA Championship this year. Along the way, Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy had different plans and threw a major wrench in the coronation plans.

6 years into his career, LeBron James is at a crossroads. 3 seasons ago, LeBron's Cavs were swept in the finals by the San Antonio Spurs. The 2 subsequent seasons have ended with losses in the conference finals. LeBron needs to be in owner Dan Gilbert's office this morning requesting a new head coach. While Mike Brown may be a very nice guy, Stan Van Gundy coached circles around him, which is unacceptable. LeBron has to realize that Dwight Howard's full potential is about to be unleashed, and it's going to be even more difficult to win a championship in the future. Unfortunately the next Scottie Pippen is not walking through the door, and Brown simply has to go.

Eminem:Was It Intentional Or A Prank?

Last night at the MTV Movie Awards, Sasha Cohen "teabagged" Eminem as his alter ego "Bruno". Eminem proceeded to leave the festivities in a huff. Entertainers will do just about anything for publicity, so either this was an intentional stunt or Eminem's lyrics finally caught up with him.

The Black Men Did It!

Bonnie Sweeten has gained national headlines for alleging that 2 black men abducted she and her 9 year-old daughter in Bucks County Pennsylvania. It turns out that Mrs. Sweeten made the story up, and was found with her daughter in Florida. She's now facing numerous charges and has been extradited back to Pennsylvania. Annette John-Hall writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer that it's "Time To Stop Demonizing "Black Men." She writes correctly that when a crime is being fabricated that the "black man" is usually the fall guy and gives these examples:

It worked for Susan Smith. South Carolina mother. Children missing. The black man did it. Racial tension. Turns out she had driven her "missing" car into a lake to drown her kids.

Charles Stuart, Boston store manager. Pregnant wife murdered in a carjacking. The black man did it. The case ignites fear and door-to-door searches. Except that Stuart did it.

Tanya Dacri from Philly. Child missing. Black men did it. Three of them. It worked until police discovered that Dacri had drowned and chopped up her infant son.

Ashley Todd, John McCain campaign volunteer in Pittsburgh. Accosted at an ATM. A backward B (presumably for Barack) cut into her forehead. The black man did it. She gets sympathy call from Sarah Palin. Todd was sentenced to probation this week, having confessed to her self-mutilation.

Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry even made the following alarming statement:

"It's a terrifying thing for a community to hear that two black men in a black Cadillac grabbed a woman and her daughter. . . . It's terrifying,"

Admittedly black men are not perfect, but they are not at the root of all that is violent in America.

Rodney Rogers Update!

Sometime during tonight's NBA basketball game between the Cavs and Magic, TNT will broadcast an interview that Chris Webber conducted with former player Rodney Rogers who is now paralyzed from the shoulder down due to a dirt bike accident last November. I found this article from SPORTSbyBROOKS.com which profiles Rogers. The interesting part of the article highlights the fact that although Rogers is "financially set" he took a job working for Durham, N.C.'s public works department. The health benefits that he secured has helped pay his medical bills since the NBA's collective bargaining agreement doesn't cover for catastrophic insurance for retired players. Rogers is dealing with his paralysis in an upbeat manner with the help and support of his fiance Faye Suggs.

Is Michael Jordan Wanted As An Owner In Charlotte?

It was announced last week that BET founder Bob Johnson is rumored to be willing to sell the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats to the highest bidder. Michael Jordan, who is currently a minority owner, is also rumored to be interested. Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer feels that Jordan would be a bad fit as an owner because he's not visible and even questions whether Jordan has made the "nice" moves that he's been credited with making in the last year since Larry Brown has been the coach. If Jordan wants to purchase the team he has the money and right to do so. The Bobcats are still essentially an expansion team, and I find it amazing that Sorensen appears to be questioning Jordan's ability to do the job.

Dirk's Ex Is Pregnant!

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki's ex-fiance Cristal Taylor, who has been in a Dallas jail since May 6th after being charged with felony crimes in 2 states is indeed pregnant as she has asserted for the last week. Nowitzki has refused comment on Taylor's incarceration since she was arrested at his home earlier this month. Looks like Taylor may have finally hit the jackpot if she can overcome her legal issues. Thanks to the Dallas Morning News for the article.

Twitter Wants To Make Money!

The Houston Chronicle reports that Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams state that they will eventually charge fees for some of the online text based platform's services, which has become the rage over the last year. The company, which has doubled in employees to 43 since January, been linked to buyout rumors, however the co-founders indicate they'd prefer to keep the company privately held for the foreseeable future.

R.I.P. Exodus Tyson!

It was very sad to hear that Mike Tyson's 4 year-old daughter Exodus died yesterday after a tragic accident while at home in Phoenix, AZ. Prayers go out to Mike Tyson and his family for their tragic loss.

Roland Martin Not Campbell Brown!

CNN political commentator and replacement host for Campbell Brown's "No Bias No Bull" during her maternity leave has seen his star ascend during the last year. Page Six is reporting however, that the shows ratings have nosedived since Martin has taken over hosting the show. Martin isn't alone in his struggles, as Anderson Cooper's ratings are down 30 percent in key demographics.

Mike Tyson's 4 Year-Old Daughter On Life Support!

This is a very sad story. Boxer Mike Tyson's 4 year-old daughter, Exodus Tyson is on life support in a Phoenix area hospital after being found with a treadmill cord wrapped around her neck. We wish all the best for the family.