For those who missed the Soul Train Music Awards 2009 tonight, here are videos of some of the night’s performances… Watch ‘em on Crosby Street TV

Sexy Brazilian Mini-Skirt Wearing College Student Geisy Arruda

Brazilian college girl,Geisy Arruda, expelled from school,… reinstated for wearing skimpy clothes to class,has become an international sensation in less than two months.

Who ever said …’’sex sells”…sure knew what he/she was talking about!!! 

Geisy Arruda,20, after being harassed by fellow students , was expelled from Uniban, the private university where she is studying tourism, accused of wearing a dress that was too short and sporting a provocative attitude. 

 She had to be readmitted later .

The AP reports…”There are hundreds of girls wearing miniskirts on this campus every day, and nothing has ever happened,” Vice Dean Ellis Brown said at a news conference held earlier this month. “The size of the dress was never discussed — her behavior was.”

Arruda has vehemently denied acting provocatively, telling the private Agencia Estado news agency: “It’s a big lie that I raised the dress.”

In reversing the decision to expel Arruda, Brown said the school was opting for educational rather than disciplinary action.

Although Brazil is known for revealing clothing — especially in beach cities, where one popular style of bikini is so skimpy that it’s called “dental floss” — most college students dress more modestly on campus, commonly in jeans and T-shirts.

“It will be a dream come true for me,” Arruda said just before giving a deposition to police who are investigating whether crimes were committed when a crowd of students harassed her on Oct. 22 at the University Bandeirante in Sao Bernardo do Campo, just outside Sao Paulo.

She will parade for the Leandro de Itaquera samba school in Sao Paulo and the Porto da Pedra school in Rio. The Rio and Sao Paulo parades are broadcast live in February throughout the nation of more than 190 million people.

“Sometimes, good things come from bad things,” she said.

Carnival features nearly nude dancers in elaborate feathered costumes, and Arruda said she plans to wear another short outfit when she parades atop a float in Rio.

Playboy Editor Edson Aran said that the young lady complies with the requisites to be front page of the magazine. “To have your photos in Playboy,” Aran explained, “a woman not only has to be beautiful but have notoriety, which is the case of Geisy.”

Geisy answered Playboy with this thought…”I don’t have anything against it, but I think I would not do a photo essay. This a matter of personal choice.”

She left clear, however, that she was not shutting down definitively the door on such a possibility.

 There might be mitigating circumstances she admitted: “Since I’m unemployed this might help. If I really need it, I will not be a hypocrite and say no.

We will be on the lookout for more of Geisy, as she rides her wave of mini skirt titillation all the way to the bank, as she extends her 15 minutes…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gWYXyUj7NHnnHQM_iOUoe-EXYCmwD9C7HQ781

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/27/geisy-arruda-brazilian-mi_n_372143.html

(CNN) — Oprah Winfrey will interview President Obama and his wife, Michelle, next month for a 60-minute program to air before Christmas, the talk show host announced Wednesday.

“Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special” will air at 10 p.m. ET December 13 on ABC, her Web site said.

“The intimate, informative and entertaining hourlong special will include a one-on-one conversation with the president, marking the first time Oprah has interviewed him since he took office, as well as an exclusive sit-down interview with the first couple,” it said.

The special “will showcase behind-the-scenes preparations as the White House gets ready for the holiday season,” the Web site said.

Winfrey, who supported Obama in his presidential bid and this month interviewed defeated GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, recently said she will stop hosting her syndicated talk show in 2011 to focus on launching an Oprah Winfrey Network

Miss R&B featuring Brandy…

Killing black women in south Los Angeles

In a case that is reminiscent of the police oversight in Cleveland, by being remise in their investigation of a series of missing women reports in the same neighborhood for over 15 years, they only recently were able to arrest convicted rapist Anthony Sowell for the killings.

http://wp.me/pEzT2-hC

As in the Cleveland serial killer case, the perpetrator was able to get away with his murderous rampages for several years, due to the fact that police departments around the country continue to fail to follow-up and thoroughly investigate the murders, or the missing case reports, of black women that they deem to be street trash.

In Los Angeles, we see that black women are treated like dirt, as compared to the way a white women would be assisted, and if they go missing, it is the top priority for the department.

We see that with the mishandling of the Mitrice Richardson disappearance by the Malibu Police Department, after they released her after she clearly was acting disoriented as if her life and safety did not matter.

http://wp.me/pEzT2-3R

In LA, the name of the serial killer is ‘The Grim Sleeper’. A citizens action group has been set up to keep a focus on finding and prosecuting this killer. In south LA, the police were not very quick to connect the dots to incriminate one killer.

The following is quoted from their website, http://www.blackcoalitionfightsback.org/, and I encourage you all to look at it and support their effort to capture this killer…

Because the killings were not connected as serial murders, the tragic enormity of the situation has been hidden and downplayed, and vital evidence, connections and patterns may have been missed.

 Public and media attention which would have been greater if the total numbers of deaths had been known, would have spurred the police into a more vigorous investigation. Lives might have been saved and the community better protected from further attacks.

The first set of murders was announced in the mid-1980s after eleven women had already been killed in a 40-mile radius in South L.A. The police falsely referred to the killer as the “Prostitute Slayer” a name then picked up by the press.

By the end of the 1980s the public was told that the murders committed by the South side Slayer were solved.

The police named the second set of murders the “Strawberry Murders” (a name given by LAPD because they said the victims were mainly women who exchanged sex for drugs). A Sheriff’s Deputy, Ricky Ross, was arrested and charged with three of the murders and then subsequently released for lack of credible evidence.

 After 11 dead victims and one surviving eyewitness, LAPD have finally re-released 1988 composite sketch of serial killer infamously known as the “Grim Sleeper.”

A well spoken, 20 or 30-year-old man began attacking women, typically those working as prostitutes in South Los Angeles in 1985. Police found fingerprints, DNA and other compelling evidence that point to the same killer. All victims, including the surviving woman, were shot with the same small-caliber gun.

One woman, ‘Enietra’ Margette, survived an attack in 1988. The alleged serial killer shot the victim in the chest and sexually assaulted her.

Families of several of the victims were never notified by law enforcement that their loved ones were killed by a serial murderer—and neither was the lone survivor of the attacks.

 Each was made to believe that it had been a random killer. Many families had to learn from press articles or from television! Crucial patterns of evidence have been missed.

The public is deeply disturbed by the lack of information released over the past 20 years. The  Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders challenged the LAPD to take more aggressive actions toward solving the cold cases.

According to reports, the police have recently released a 911 tape of witness who saw the driver of a van dump a body.

The Black Coalition begs the questions, “Why was so little done in 20 years to solve these murders?”

I know the answer to that is easy….”because it is easy for many in law enforcement to believe that black women are trash”….

Their treatment of our women proves this to be true.

Known Victims Of The Grim Sleeper

“This guy’s targeting people on the streets. Most of our girls have had issues with narcotics or prostitution, so it’s not so much that he’s creeping around, taking innocent mothers off the street. We suggest people just use caution when they’re out.”

“It’s the difference between the valuing of Black life versus the valuing of White life.

 Clearly if these were White women, as opposed to being Black women, especially if these were White women sort of in the working class, there would be an all-out onslaught. It would be national news … whether or not they were prostitutes,” said Atty. Gyamfi.

Family members of victims held a meeting with task force investigators to determine what else they didn’t know, like police had a composite sketch of the suspect but have never released it.

“They have a sketch that was done back in 1988 and that is something that normally you get out everywhere. You think about the Craig’s List killer, and how they had pictures of him and his head was always down or turned to the side. They didn’t care. They put that mess up and said if you have any information let us know,” she said.

And the 911 tape about Barbara Ware’s murder existed in the 1980s—but wasn’t made public until earlier this year.

LAPD is currently composing an updated sketch of the serial killer who may be in his late 40s to mid 50s now.

At the time of the eyewitness’s attack, the alleged murderer was described as well spoken, 20 to 30 years old, pockmarked face, between 5’8” to 5’10.” He was last seen driving an orange two-door 1970’s Pinto, hatchback with tinted windows and green interior.

Anyone with information is urged to contact 800 Task Force Detectives, Robbery-Homicide Division at (213) 473-0346 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. During non-business hours, call the Detective Information Desk 877-LAPD-247.

If the murders had not happened in South L.A. against working-class Black women but in Beverly Hills or some other affluent neighborhood would they have been handled with the same lack of care and seriousness, would they be so under-reported by the media?

What do you think?

Source…

http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and- rticles/news/2009/11/lapd_releases_sketch_of_1985_serial_killer.html

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_6366.shtml

Oprah looking at some "legend's balls"

They say that white women are the black man’s Kryptonite, and so I’ve always said that white women’s Kryptonite (WWK) is Oprah Winfrey.

I know what you’re going to say: “But Kids, I’ve seen the Oprah show–there’s colored women in the audience all the time.” Yeah, but here’s the thing, stupid: those are like all her relatives–cousins flown in from out-of-town to support their cousin. If you read the exit attendance rosters, you’ll see names like “Fropah”, “JoePah”, “Lopah”, “Bropah” and “Maya Angelou” who’s allowed to be there every show– same seat, same clothes, same pained look on her face– largely because none of the staffers are sure whether she’s alive or not (“is that caged bird singing or not?”).

Well, anyway, WWK and one of The Kids’ favorite targets–media Godzilla, Oprah Winfrey–announced that she was stepping down from her talk show throne.

The crazy thing is though, is that she announced that her show’s not ending for another two years.

During her first weeks of retirement, Oprah will return to Tattoine to gaze at Han Solo's frozen body in her enterainment chamber.

Who the Smurf announces something two years in advance? If you ever wanted/needed/refuted proof that Oprah was essentially nothing more than Nell Carter with a better weave and a talk show couch well, there you have it. Happy holidays.

To be fair, reports are that she’s planning on going into cable programming, and if it’s anything like getting service from Comcast, she probably needs to put her bid in two years ahead of time.

Anyway, with 730 (or, I as like to call it, “two Oprahs”) days until her final airing, it’s fine time to start guessing how she might or should end her show.

And so, some suggestions on how the Queen of Talk can take her final walk:

1. Unveil her Macy’s Thanksgiving Day float–along with Spiderman, she’d be the perfect addition to the collection of larger-than-life, full-of-hot-air things floating down the streets of Manhattan. I imagine her float will have a microphone in one hand, Stedman’s nuts in the other, and hordes of suburban moms dancing on her back. In an Oprah surprise twist, she’ll actually be the float itself. They will play Kelis’ “Milkshake” as she floats on by.
   

   "....and here they are: a Pokemon, a toy soldier and Chicago's own OPRAH WINFREY! Retirement's never looked so good, Katie!"

2. Thanks to the efforts of her producers, she will be reunited with her childhood friends Christopher Robin and Piglet.
3. Invite all the things that her show spawned to take a curtain call with her: Dr. Phil, Tom Cruise and his sex-slave Katie Holmes, Maya Angelou’s corpse, Tyra Banks and her fivehead forehead, and middle-class white women dementia.
4. In one corner: Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell. In the other corner: Oprah Winfrey and Gail King. Bell sounds. Mud-wrestling match begins.
5. “The Winfrey Gauntlet”–where Oprah has to run (or gallop or trot or whatever she does) through a series of physical challenges like on the old American Gladiators show, only instead of dick-eating muscle-bound “ladies” like Diamond, she’s got to face all the old talk show hosts that she’s defeated over the years. Jenny Jones shooting NERF balls at her weave. Rope-racing Phil Donahue. Arm-wrestling Ricki Lake. With color commentary by Tempest Bledsoe and Montell Williams.
   

   Can Oprah best both Ricki Lake AND Judge Judy in the Gauntlet????

Oprah excitedly imploring the 'razzi to "Watch this!" before pounding Stedman one to the face.

So yes. She’s got some options. And she’s got 2 Oprahs and counting before she has to decide.

We just returned (Thanksgiving Day, 2009) from watching Precious at 13th St. Warren Theaters in Wichita.  Ran into some K-State folks there too!

It is the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and I can’t get this movie out of my mind.  Not that I really want to!  It is a must-see!

The big idea I’m struggling with is why it has taken so long for a movie like this to come out.   Another question in my mind is why it is making such a big impact through African-American characters.  When Barbara Streisand starred in “Nuts” in 1987, we were introduced to the rage of incest by a parent through a White character.  Streisand played a call girl who killed one of her johns.  The case hinges on whether Barbara’s character is willing to claim an insanity plea or to argue her case directly.  I saw this movie in 1987 right after it came out.  It was not popular.  But many of my friends and I were fascinated by the storyline.

There have been many TV movies since then that star mostly White characters and White families; most of them middle class; some of them wealthy.  Perhaps TV producers believe it is acceptable to raise the subject of incest and rape on TV within the White dominant culture, but Hollywood believes that this issue must stay within a non-White culture.  Is this because we (that is, Whites) don’t want to see the darker side of our nature?  I don’t think this is the reason since many of the incest/rape stories on TV are presented within White families.

What is very different about “Precious” the movie is that for the first time I can remember, a mother describes in detail her thinking and her actions in relation to allowing her child to be incested by the father.  She explains this to a social worker (played by Mariah Carey) in a busy office during the day.  She does not explain her violent behavior, her hate of Precious’ daughter (a girl with Down’s syndrome), her foisting “Mongo” off on the grandmother, her agoraphobia, or her own incestuous behavior.  But she does give an explanation that Precious is needing to hear and digest; likewise, the social worker is allowed to know these things in order to grant welfare assistance.

Mo’Nique does a magnificent job of playing the mother.  She is like Louise Fletcher in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.  We want to hate her; but we know she is playing a part.  We are not meeting Mo’Nique the stand up comedienne; we are meeting an actress playing a part.  Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are boos and hisses from the audience when her name is read for “Best Supporting Actress” at the Academy Awards.  When Louise Fletcher received her award, that is exactly what happened.

Clarice Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is able to move along with her life after this last meeting with the social worker.  We do not know where she goes next.  What we do know is that she has been given an explanation (as horrible as it was) that lets her know that the incest was not her fault; she is no longer at the effect of her mother’s obsessions.  As she walks down the stairs carrying her son and holding the hand of her daughter, we see a young girl (she is still only seventeen at the end of the movie) who has an extended support group (Ms. Rain, played by Paula Patton; her classmates at “Each One-Teach One”, the alternative high school she attends; the social worker), who has a place to live (the shelter where she has been living since leaving her mother’s apartment), who is completing her middle school education, and who is almost ready for a public high school.

Will she make it?  Or will she be another statistic?  Some viewers will want to know what happened to Precious.  I’m not sure this movie will satisfy.  But I now understand why Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry felt so strongly about making sure this movie got distributed to a wider audience.  It is a story of telling the truth, of getting on with life, of valuing education and of making family.

por SHARLEE TRUJEQUE.

“My Brother´s keeper” es el título del segundo episodio de Ylse, denominada como una latina que rompe con los estereotipos típicos, donde nos reiremos un rato de situaciones que nos identifican con la realidad y “no es mera coincidencia”.

Héctor, el hermano de Ylse, aparece en escena como el típico machito conquistador y mantenido “huevos de oro”, que con su guitarrita buena onda y su cotorrez, se cuelga de su hermanita Ylse para sacarle provecho a cuanto puede, desde una pizza hasta invadir la privacía de la pobre mujer y lidiar con el parásito familiar que carga.

¿Cuántas veces hemos lidiado con sobrepesos emocionales, familiares y profesionales?…una anécdota de cangrejos, señala que existian dos baldes llenos de cangrejitos: un balde, con latinos, y el otro, con americanos. Los cangrejos americanos estaban tapados, porque entre ellos se ayudaban para subir y escaparse…pero los latinos estaban sin tapa: entre ellos se jalaban para evitar subir a la superficie, incluso poniendo trabas para que el otro ascendiera; he conocido mujeres que viven en carne propia la penitencia de cargar con un bulto que segun ellas significa “marido”, “hijos”, “cuñados”, y demás anexos que se convierten en viles sanguijuelas y truncan los deseos de subir a un nivel mejor, solo porque “necesitan apoyo financiero en tiempos de hambre”…zas.

Y cuando la sociedad actual se forma ídolos modernos que nada tiene que ver con santidades: Una Sor Juana retadora, una Oprah Winfrey triunfadora, y una Juana de Arco guerrera, dejan ver las cualidades de la mujer del siglo XXI, que no tiene ni pelo de tonta como muchos “homo sapiens” aseguran.

La mujer latina enfrenta una sociedad dura y crítica en Estados Unidos, donde las presiones por eliminar sus raíces y verdadera identidad, forzan a buscar diferentes ángulos donde la palabra “latino” es sinónimo de verguenza y persecusión.

Con tintes sarcásticos y un punto de vista más diferente, Ylse nos sigue recordando que las barreras y los estereotipos son lo de menos…lo importante es la esencia, el talento y las agallas.

Disfruten el segundo capítulo en nuestros domingos de webserie, directamente desde Hollywood, con Ruth Livier.

www.Ylse.net

A sexy new music video from Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

The song is called ‘Video Phone’.

I love how provocative the outfits are….this is Beyoncé on fire…and we already know Lady Gaga likes to literally set the stage on fire.

Oprah will interview President Obama and First Lady Michelle at the White House for a Holiday special.  No one does it quite like Oprah…

Via CNN:

Oprah Winfrey will interview President Obama and his wife, Michelle, next month for a 60-minute program to air before Christmas, the talk show host announced Wednesday.

“Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special” will air at 10 p.m. ET December 13 on ABC, her Web site said.

“The intimate, informative and entertaining hourlong special will include a one-on-one conversation with the president, marking the first time Oprah has interviewed him since he took office, as well as an exclusive sit-down interview with the first couple,” it said.

The special “will showcase behind-the-scenes preparations as the White House gets ready for the holiday season,” the Web site said.

Winfrey, who supported Obama in his presidential bid and this month interviewed defeated GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, recently said she will stop hosting her syndicated talk show in 2011 to focus on launching an Oprah Winfrey Network.

In 2000 CBS launched the reality TV show Survivor. It was a simple premise 8 contestants lived on a desert island and each week one was voted off. The last one standing won a million dollars. Richard Hatch was the winner and he has since spent time in prison for tax evasion. Since that time we have seen literally hundreds of reality shows. There was a show on Fox that asked the question “Who wants to Marry a Millionaire?”   Women vied for the affection of a complete stranger because he had a million dollars. We learned later that he did not have the money. We have seen a woman give birth to 8 children at one time when she already had six. Why would a single mom do this? She wanted a reality show. We saw a cute family show morph into a family tragedy, and that was Jon & Kate Plus 8. In the early years we saw a seemingly loving couple try to raise their kids with the help of supportive family and friends. We saw both Jon and Kate buy into their own hype and ultimately become shadows of their former selves. When TLC (the Learning Channel) saw the marriage start to unravel they decided to change the direction of reality. They wanted to launch Kate and 8 and just drop Jon from the show. This seemed to be a working solution for them, but Jon did the first paternal thing he has done in months. He said enough and decided his children would no longer participate in this perverted reality. We have seen Susan Boyle the brilliant singer plucked from obscurity meltdown under the constant pressure of the spotlight. Her story started out as a Cinderella story. Here was this plain Jane with an incredible set of pipes. We heard people make fun of her looks and marvel as if only beautiful people could sing. We witnessed her external makeover, but we have seen her recently reduced to sucking her thumb for comfort in public. She is a woman on the edge, but because she is hot she will continue to be pushed as long as it is profitable. We are left to ask why are these average people willing to do almost anything for their 15 minutes? In most cases it is not the money, but it is the fame. When you watch these shows you see they tend to select people with extreme personalities. The more extreme you are the more camera time you will get. On the first season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta one of the wives was DuShawn Snow wife of former NBA player Eric Snow. She was dropped from the show because she was too normal and normal does not bring in the big ratings.  On the flip side Nene Leakes is loud, brash and obnoxious and she is recognized as the show’s star. Bravo knows how to sniff out a star, and that’s why it is hard to believe that Bravo is feigning ignorance in the White House Party Crashing Fiasco. Bravo assigned a camera crew to cover the Salahis the day of the State Dinner. Bravo said they were told by the couple that they had been invited and they acted on good faith. This is an inadequate excuse. Most parents do more vetting than this when their child visits a new friend. At any time did the officials at Bravo ask to see the invitation?  Right now the spotlight is on the inadequacies of the Secret Service and the actions of the couple, but Bravo does not have clean hands in this and they need to also be called on the carpet. The reality is reality television is cheap to produce and networks make a lot of money off the misery of people. We are seeing people cheapen themselves for a few minutes in the spotlight. We saw the Heenes lie to police and say their son was missing. What was the motive? To get a reality show. Law enforcement devoted manpower and resources to search for a missing child who was actually at home. The Salahis are the latest to attempt to jump on this speeding train to fame, but finally it hit a glitch that might actually derail the fame train, but fear not maybe they can star as the Real Inmates of DC.

Jin Kyu (Suh) Robertson

Major (retired), U.S. Army; Ph.D., Harvard University

jkrobert@hanmail.net

Oprah Winfrey Show

Harpo Studios

1058 W. Washington St.

Chicago, IL 60607

Dear Ms. Oprah Winfrey:

             I would like to be a guest on your show because I have an unusual story which can inspire/motivate the people in the world: beginning as a virtual slave in a wig factory in Seoul, Korea, I completed a doctorate in the history of international relations at Harvard University.

             I am a sixty-one year old woman who retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of major in 1996, after having served for twenty years. I joined the U.S. Army as a private first class to stop being a battered wife and was a twenty-eight year old mother of an eight months old daughter.

             My life in America began in 1971 when I immigrated alone as a housemaid, having found a job from a newspaper advertisement of a referral agency. I was twenty two years old, spoke very little English, had no relatives or friends in America, and had only $100 to my name with much debt to pay back. But my life in Korea was worse. I was born into a poor Korean family and worked as a waitress, housemaid, and clerk in addition to a factory girl.

During my early teen years, I had to help mother with endless house chores. She had a small tavern to attend to and had no time for anything else. I also had to look after my baby brother who seemed younger than his age: he was retarded. His condition caused my mother to turn to drink, and that added more nightmares to my childhood. Reflecting anger for her sad fate of being a woman, mother used to yell at me, “Girls are useless! You are useless!” Over mother’s heartbreaking wails, I heard the louder voice of my silent anger: “Why? Was it my fault to be born a girl?”

Then there were winters: the cold, cold days of my childhood. While washing a mountain of dirty clothes in freezing water at a small stream nearby, soon my wet hands became numb as icicles were forming on my feet. As I pounded the cloth on a rock with a wooden stick, my trembling voice echoed a scream through my shaking body: “Why me? Why do I have to live like this?”

One cold winter night, I was standing outside of mother’s tavern while carrying my baby brother on my back trying to put him to sleep. The snow had stopped after painting the whole world white. Following my white breath, I found the sky with a pale blue moon and twinkling stars. Between the hissings of the wind, I could hear the soft breathing of my brother peacefully sleeping with his small head comfortably resting on my shoulder. My bare cheeks felt cold but the close warmth from my baby brother’s tiny body on my back felt very nice. As if dreaming, I stared into mother’s tavern. Behind the steam-fogged glass door, I saw mother arguing with town drunkards and father busily trying to separate them. My frozen nose tingled. At that moment, along with the drunkards, father came out to go to work at the railroad station for the night shift. With a broad smile, he lightly patted my head before he got on his old bicycle. Suddenly I felt a big lump blocking my voice. I stood there silently watching his skinny small back disappearing into the dark alley as his rusty bike slid dangerously over the slippery snow. Then, suddenly, he disappeared into the dark alley as if he had been sucked into the mysterious world, leaving only a thin trace of white smoke behind. As warm tears were rolling down my cold cheeks, I felt my sobbing voice swirling in my heart: “It is not your fault that you were born into a poor lowly family. One day father, I will achieve my goal and will take care of you. I will show the world that what you are born into does not decide how you must live!”

Four decades later, two major Korean TV stations made documentaries about my life, and my autobiography was published in Korea and Japan where I began giving motivational speeches in both languages. The story of my odyssey could inspire people around the world to follow their dreams, whatever hardships they have endured as it has already inspired millions in Korea, where I am a well known speaker and bestselling author.

             Most of all, I am a lucky mother. I am truly proud of my daughter, Jasmin S. Cho, who in spite of having been raised by a single mother as an army brat, graduated from Harvard College in the year 2000.  After having been a top cadet of her ROTC Class throughout her college years, she is now a Captain and a Company Commander of an Air Defense Artillery (Patriot Missile) Battery in the U.S. Army.  Although she studied at public schools most of her childhood, when she graduated from a high school (public), she received an award from President Clinton as one of 141 Presidential Scholars, selected out of 2.5 million American high school graduates in 1995. She is also fluent in English, Korean, and Japanese.

             My story of the American Dream has made quite an impact on the lives of many Koreans and Japanese thus far. I hope to partake in your endeavor, helping not only Americans but also the people of the world in bettering their lives, by appearing as a guest on your show.

Sincerely Yours,

Jin Kyu (Suh) Robertson

520 Bayshore Dr. 

Fayetteville, NC 28311

 jinkyurobertson@jinkysworld.com

As the annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj kicks off in Saudi Arabia, many of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha under hardship.

The effects of previous wars coupled with the devastation from natural disasters in their country has stopped them short in their rejoice of the annual holiday.

The weather was sunny and hot Friday morning over the desert valley on Mina, a contrast to the unusually heavy rains that soaked the faithful on the pilgrimage’s opening day Wednesday. The downpours caused heavy flooding in the nearby Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah, killing 83 people.

The stoning rituals at Mina have long been the most hazardous of the hajj. The pilgrims — more than 3 million this year — file past three stone walls representing Satan and stop to pelt them with stones in a symbolic rejection of temptation. In the heavy traffic, crushes and pileups have killed hundreds, most recently in 2006.

Wikipedia reports…

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎ ‘Īdu l-’Aḍḥā) “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid” is a holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. It is also celebrated by the Druze.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from the Quran.^[1] Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).

Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. The festivities last for three days or more depending on the country. Eid al-Adha occurs the day after the pilgrims conducting Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha

“A good Muslim should bring happiness to the hearts of fellow human beings” he said.

After the early morning prayers, the faithful flocked to makeshift animal markets, while others, dressed in their finest clothes, headed to cemeteries to visit the graves of dead friends and relatives.

Source…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jzONYVoEPpfYIKnFrS3bg-WGHf3QD9C7UM8O0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/20/eid-alfitr-2009-feasts-ce_n_292769.html

Radiohead – Kid A

A Tribe Called Quest – Electric Relaxation

The Five Stairsteps -  Didn’t It Look So Easy

What They Talking Bout…….

Five Reasons Before I Self Destruct Flopped   (Vibe)

Cyber Monday Deals 2009 (Black Voices)

The ’00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell (Time)

Oprah to Interview President Obama at The White House   (Essence)

Tiger Woods: Injuries Caused by Wife, Not SUV (TMZ)

Hip-Hop Rumors: Jay-Z & Nas To Collab On “Empire State of Mind” REmix! (AHH)

It is all over the news, now, Oprah Winfrey has plans of ending her longtime daytime talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Usually, when a popular TV talk show host leaves their show, they always find a good friend to replace them. As everyone knows, Oprah’s best friend is Gayle King. King has become quite a popular radio talk show host.

Now that Oprah is leaving, fans are in need of something. Just hoping for something to happen, they have begun floating the idea of Gayle King taking over the show once Oprah leaves for her own cable network. Due to her close relationship with Oprah, the fans have become very receptive to King. If she were not associated with Winfrey, there is no way her radio show would be as popular as it is.

With all of that in consideration, Gayle King realizes that no matter how great of a host she could be in replacement of Oprah, she could never fill those shoes. Moving into that show would be career suicide. No one realizes this more than King, she said that no one will ever be able to replace Oprah and she is not going to try.

With her recent role in the Tyler Perry-directed and Oprah-backed film, Precious, Mo’Nique proved her versatility. She is known for portraying roles in comedy films, but she is aiming to become an overall actress. Usually, she is overlooked for these types of roles, but after this performance, all of her phones will be ringing off of the hook.

Even with all of the praise and critical acclaim, some negativity came. Not long after the film premiered to rave reviews, rumors of turmoil began. It was said that Mo’Nique has been feuding with Oprah and Tyler Perry. The feud was said to stem from Mo’Nique wanting thousands of dollars to walk the red carpet at a film festival in Canada.

For a little while, these rumors began to heat up. It was not until Lee Daniels, another worker with the film, denied these charges that people backed off. He said that the relationship between Mo’Nique, Perry, and Winfrey is just as strong as it had ever been. Daniels also denied rumors of her demanding money to walk the red carpet.

Despite the rumors of Oprah also being upset, Mo’Nique’s representative said that there is nothing going on besides mutual respect and admiration.

Incredibly Simple

PAYPAL INCOME GENERATING SYSTEM!

The $7 PayPal Income Generating System?

This is an opportunity where EVERYONE can win by working together.

The system is verified, so cheating is not an option and cheaters may face criminal charges. Best to do it right or not participate! This program is for honest people who want to make money!

IMPORTANT PREVIEW NOTE

“First and foremost, to keep this system legal, we have have created a service and by ‘paying’ for this service, we have maintained the legality of the system.”

Here’s how it works

- 7  accounts are listed (below) in order of 1 to 7

- You deposit (Pay) $1 to each PayPal account on the list requesting you are added to their opt-in email list. “This is a email list builder service that keeps it legal.”

- Then you delete the PayPal account in the #1 spot and move the accounts below up one spot.

- Then you add your PayPal account in the #7 spot.

- Next copy and paste this information in an email and send an invite to as many friends and associates as you know.

- As your friends and associates join you will start to see $1 deposits in your PayPal account. As your friends and associates share this system with there friends and associates, your account will move up through the list.

- The higher you move up the list, more people will deposit $1 into your account.

Now $1.00 does not sound like much, right?

But like the MegaLottery – the more people that play, the bigger the jackpot. The difference in this system is that everyone gets paid!

Think about this, if you get 7  people to play and they get 7  people to play and they get 7 people to play and so on right through to 7 levels, this is how many people you will have in the game.

1st level – 7
2nd level – 49
3rd level – 343
4th level – 2,401
5th level – 16,807
6th level – 117,649
7th level – 823,543

** Oprah Winfrey and ABC’S investigation team 20/20 also proved this system is a success**

If a 15-year old boy could make $71,000 in just 5 weeks and other people have made $250,000 in a few weeks more – - – S0 CAN YOU !!!

Here’s what you need to get started

1) A valid e-mail address

2) A PayPal account – Must be Premier or Business Account. It can’t be a personal account!

3) $7.00 available in your PayPal accoun

You have nothing to lose. (Ok a total of $7.00 at most) You are only sending $1.00 to 7 people. I was skeptical at first, but over a few days, hundreds of $1.00 payments starting appearing in my PayPal account! Ever since, it’s been like Christmas morning every day!!!

(I’m still e-mailing my lists and the $$$$$ are still rolling into my PayPal account on a daily basis ….. oh happy days !)

PayPal verifies that this $7 investment program is 100% legal and is a big hit of the year.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 – SETTING IT ALL UP

The first thing to do is highlight and SAVE this entire post in word, notepad or copy and paste on your computer, so you can come back to it later. After that, if you are not already a PayPal user you need to go to the PayPal website and SIGN UP.

If you want to be able to receive credit card payments from other people then you will need to sign up for a BUSINESS account. This is highly recommended to allow all the easy payments options.

If you prefer you can sign up for an Premier account, but do not sign up for a personal account as it won’t work for the $7 PayPal Global Money Making System.

In order to place the initial $7 into your account, you will have to verify your bank account with PayPal (which may take a few days). PayPal is 100% secure and is used by millions of people worldwide.

STEP 2 – HERE IS WHERE THE ACTION OCCURS

The first thing to do is to send a $1payment to each of the 7 email addresses on the current list below. To do this quickly and successfully, follow these simple steps:

1. Login to PayPal and click on the “Send Money” tab near the top of the screen.

2. In the “To” (Email box) enter the email address from the list below.

3. In the “Amount” box enter “$1.00″ and click U.S. dollars

This is a Global program and we keep it fair by having everyone use U.S. dollars. Your PayPal account automatically converts your currency into U.S. dollars for you.

4. In the “Send Money for” box, select “Services/Other” (Keeping it legal).

5. Click on the “Continue” button.

6. On the next page DO NOT CLICK ON THE FIRST “Send Money” button, instead scroll down to the message box and enter – “PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR EMAIL LIST.”

By doing this, you are creating a service and maintaining the legality of the system by “paying” for the service.

7. Finally, click on the “Send Money” button to complete the payment. Repeat these steps for each of the 7 email addresses.

That’s it! By sending the $1.00 payment to each address, you are implementing the compounding power of the system. You will reap much more than what you sow!

Everyone can get paid over and over by thousand and thousands by promoting it across the entire Internet to billions.

For the sake of 7 measly dollars, there is no need to cheat in this system
or no one will get paid.

IT’S ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE IN IT’S SIMPLICITY – ALL FOR $7!

This is the current Email list for you to send $1 to each PayPal account

1) onyangoken@yahoo.com

2) joshua.sanborn@gmail.com

3) chillin-wear@hotmail.com

4) upgrade@read2money.com

5) easierwithhelp@gmail.com

6) highlanderdave63@hotmail.com

7) scorpiolou61@hotmail.com

Now take the #1 email off of the list that you see above (from your saved file)
move the other addresses up (7 becomes 6, 6 becomes 5, etc.) and
add YOUR Email address (the one used for your PayPal account) as number 7 on the list.
This is the only part of the document that should be changed!

STEP 4 – INVITE AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN THINK OF TO JOIN THE PROGRAM
Send a copy of this system to as many friends and associates as you like, inviting them to join.

You can post this letter to as many forums as possible. You can search Google for free forums that allow posts.

Also, send this as an email to your lists / downlines. Then just watch the money roll in daily into your PayPal account!

Just think of the RESULTS you can obtain when your Email is shown to millions of people each and every day and they pay you!

You can also build your lists from everyone that sends you a dollar too!

You just cannot buy this anywhere, people sending you $1 AND you are building your list with their email address at the same time.

Simply follow the PayPal Money Making System, as featured on Oprah and we are all winners!

http://Easier-With-Help.ws/$7Email/index.html

Whatever became of me...

When Black Friday comes
I’m gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it
‘Til I satisfy my soul
Gonna let the world pass by me
The Archbishop gonna sanctify me
And if he don’t come across
I’m gonna let it roll
When Black Friday comes I’m gonna stake my claim
I guess I’ll change my name.

- Steely Dan, “Black Friday”

Well, now that we’re all sated on turkey, football and bargain crazed shopping, let’s give thanks that its once again Friday and time for us to our trip through the tubes.  I’m most thankful that my fellow GonzoGeeks got their links in to me before they disappeared for the holidays.  We’ve got some good stuff here today kids, so hang on.

Of course, before we serve up the links, we have to serve up the cheesecake.  This week, we decided it was time to go retro once again.  Stephe and I decided that we could think of no vintage cheesecake more appropriate for the day after Thanksgiving than Loni Anderson.  Why?  Because of the legendary “Turkey Drop” episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, that’s why.  Loni tweaked the dumb blonde secretary stereotype magnificently on WKRP and in this episode especially.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  CLICK HERE.

In the meantime, enjoy the links.

1. The early days of some of your favorite websites.
2. Iraqi Metal.
3. The BIG Boom (scroll down).
4. Translation be fun time to me.
5. Ms. Couric, your freak is showing.
6. Rob Schneider vs. radio imbeciles.
7. Stephe’s lone contribution of the week.  Its even in English this time.
8. TEQUILA!
9. The dangers of MMORPGs exposed.
10. Another chimp attack victim goes on Oprah.
11. Cool pictures of vintage girl bands.
12. As the 00’s come to a close the “best of” lists have started to roll in.
13. This week’s gratuitous Twilight post #1.
14. Gotcha?  You betcha.
15. Even when Hulk Hogan is playing air guitar on the title belt?
16. How to pick cereal.
17. This week’s obligatory Twilight post #2.
18. Just in time for Black Friday, what not to buy in 2009.
19. 25 scariest moments in non-horror movies.
20. It’s evolution baby!
21. Rock Band reaches 1001 song catalog.  Take that Creed!
22. This is as close as I will ever come to watching a Lifetime movie.
23. At long last, Angelina Jolie weighs in on POTUS.  America can sleep better tonight.
24. The Most Brutal Martial Arts Training…EVER.
25. I fail to see the problem.
26. But who will correct and/or hack the entries?
27. And finally, David’s Iraq deployment blog.

 DISCLAIMER: Hot and Cold Health and Disease (c) 2009 ($16.95) is a based on Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines and the questioning and counseling of 10,000+ people. Western medical authority does not scientifically recognize either medicine. It considers them more opinion than fact despite the fact that two billion plus people practices them. All material contained herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you need medical care.

Tras pasar un fin de semana largo juntitos en el foro, estábamos tan relajados que esta tertulia nos ha quedado muy de estar por casa. Se nota que el teleginismo había fluido entre nosotros y nuestra charla estaba mejor engrasada que un guión de Aaron Sorkin. Como dice Irene, no hablamos de nada, pero yo me atrevería a decir que es la mejor tertulia que hemos grabado en mucho tiempo. Vamos, que si hubiera unos Emmy de las tertulias radiofónicas, sería esta la que enviásemos para que Sus Majestades televisivas nos premiaran.

Dicho lo cual, solo me queda mandar un abrazo a mis contertulias y a la entrañable Arena García, futura alcaldesa de San Vicente del Raspeig. A vosotros, os animo a escuchar la tertulia haciendo clic aquí o pinchando en la imagen inferior:

By HarlemGal

I finally went to go see the movie Precious over the holiday weekend and all I can say is “go see it.” I thought the entire film was excellent from start to finish. However, I under estimated the power of the subject matter and how it would affect me. I read all the reviews in the newspaper and online, but I had no idea this film would send me to a place of endless tears. I cried, cried and cried. As a matter of fact, the movie theater I was at had everyone bawling, like children. It’s that good and emotional of a film!

All of the actors were excellent in the film, especially Gabourey Sidibe. After seeing Sidibe’s performance, I hope she receives a ton of acting award nominations for Precious. If I was a member of the Oscar Academy, I would vote for her! If no Oscar nod happens, the next best thing would be for the entertainment industry to reward her with endless acting opportunities. Go see the film for yourself and tell us what you think. Precious is showing at the Magic Johnson Theater at 125th and Frederick Douglass Blvd.