We need to adopt these beautiful black babies!

Source of this Article: http://www.blackrefer.com/br-family1.html

The Internet Offers Adoption Resources for African Americans Hoping to Adopt
Author: Mardie Caldwell, COAP

With infertility struggles on the rise, more hopeful parents are turning to the internet for help in building their families through adoption. African American couples and women who are facing infertility are logging on to their computer to find resources to help them adopt.

Expectant African American women seeking adoptive parents for their children have increased drastically in the last year, even though the African American community has historically been opposed to the option of adoption. Opponents of adoption often state "We take care of our own," and "We don't believe in having anyone outside of our family raising our own flesh and blood." However, this too has been quickly changing, as the internet is opening many new avenues for adoption. Women access the websites from a library or a friend's computer if they don't have their own.

In the past, if a young woman was not ready to parent, she just "got ready." Adoption was not an option to her as a African American woman. The pressure from family and friends was just too great. She and her family would often raise the child together. Many African American grandmothers are involved in raising their grandchildren; however, some are unable to raise them because of poor health or finances.

Birth mothers now have many choices in adoption, and are making decisions for the good of their child and for themselves, instead of relying on their families. This marks a new view of adoption for African American birth parents.

Shauna was 19 when she became pregnant for the first time. "I felt terrible. I was raised in the church, and my mother raised us to get ahead and have a good future." She remembers the conversation in her mother's kitchen. "Mom, I want to finish college," Shauna pleaded. "I want a career; I want more than you have. I'm not ready to be a mother." Her mother slapped Shauna and left the room. She was asked to leave the house, and that's when she decided to look at adoption. "None of my family supported me, and I knew I wanted to do more. I knew I couldn't take care of a baby either. Adoption was the best answer for me".

As more African American women start to attend college away from their families, they do not want to give up their independence to raise a child. Others have said that their parents have stated "you made your bed, now sleep in it," offering no help at all. Increasingly, more African American women are choosing adoption, even if it means their family may be upset for a while about their choice. They feel they can live with that in order to give their child a good life.

Women facing an untimely pregnancy are turning in larger numbers to the web to find resources, services and support. The internet allows birth mothers to research and read about adoption in the privacy of their homes. This is allowing families and birth mothers to work with organizations across the country, such as Lifetime Adoption, which has an African American Enrichment program, and does more than 120 adoptions every year.

22 year old Sheila was seeking to relocate out of state until the birth and then wanted to return home to continue her career. She said, "It's no one's business but mine." Since 1996, internet adoption sites have more than quadrupled. In the past it would have been difficult for prospective adoptive parents for example in Michigan to meet a birth mother in California. Now, wIth web sites like African American Adoptions and Bi-Racial Adoptions adoption answers are at everyone's fingertips anytime of the day. Birthmothers can read about waiting adoptive families of all races, view their photos, and read their online "dear birthmother" letters before speaking to them on the phone. The site Lifetime Adoption includes the confidential posts of over 200 birth mothers of all ages who are seeking adoptive families. Many of them are African American women. Lifetime states "it is not uncommon for a birthmother to email or call after finding three families she is interested in speaking to, just from reading their profiles on the web site." African American families are often matched very quickly. Most birthmothers are requesting married couples with traditional values and some faith in God, with at least one parent who is African American.

Some women are comfortable contacting families of another race, as long as the family has already adopted a child who is African American or bi-racial. Other women are open to families of all races, as long as the family will maintain the African American culture with their child. When it comes to contact after adoption, many birthmothers would like to exchange letters and photos with their birth child after they are adopted. Others want little or no contact. Many birthmothers have children already, but for others this is their first pregnancy.

An adoption coordinator at Lifetime Adoption commented, "There always seems to be a shortage of black adoptive families. Most are chosen within weeks of being featured on the African American website. The need for more black adoptive parents who can provide a secure, loving and stable home is always present." Yet, many families who are open to adoption are unaware of this need. Websites completely devoted to African American Adoptions are helping to raise the awareness of this issue.

Websites of this kind are great resources for the African American birthmother as well. As with any adoption, internet birthmothers must provide proof of pregnancy, are screened, and are given resources to help them throughout the adoption process. These resources include optional counseling, and opportunities to speak with an attorney free of charge.

These services are offered regardless of where the birthparent lives. If the birthparent would like even more privacy, these services can be offered over the phone. Many African American birthmothers face immense pressure from family and friends to keep their babies, so outside support and help is very important.

In a recent interview, a social worker gave the following information: "Statistics show that in the US, there are over 500 thousand children in foster care. The majority are African American or biracial children. Approximately 100,000 of these are waiting to be adopted. Because the number of children entering the foster care system is so great, the children can't be processed quickly enough. So, they are being placed in overburdened foster care programs."

Many state and county adoption programs have so many hoops to jump through before a child is available for adoption. Even if the assigned social worker knows that the best interest of the child would be to have them in a permanent adoptive home, their hands are tied with red tape for months or even years . Children that could have been adopted immediately as infants become older, often with more problems, making it harder for some to be adopted.

Some websites are trying to help alleviate this problem by offering a 24 hour hotline to call. Birthparents and hospital social workers are now given the option to call whenever the baby is born. Their child is adopted immediately, going home with the adoptive family from the hospital, and avoiding foster care altogether. "When we receive a call in the middle of the night from a birthmother or social worker, we are able to help them the same day. Birthmothers can speak to pre-screened adoptive families on the phone," says Heather Featherstone, Director of Adoption Services at Lifetime Adoption. Once the birthmother has chosen a family, she has the option to meet them, and the baby normally goes home with the adoptive family from the hospital.

Shauna was one mother that felt that this was a big benefit of adoption, "I didn't want to take her home. When I signed the papers, I had a real peace about my decision." Legal and medical expenses are paid for by the adoptive parents, so there are no expenses to the birthparents. Since the adoption is private, the process is much more confidential, allowing the birthmother freedom to share her plans only with whom she wishes.

Latisha was in her first year of nursing school when she found she was pregnant after a one-night encounter. She was afraid that her parents would find out about the pregnancy. "I just knew adoption was the only solution," she said. She wanted her baby to be adopted by a family she chose. She found her baby's adoptive family on the internet in the privacy of her dorm room. "Not even my roommate knew about my plans for adoption until I had chosen the family and was going to meet them. She even went with me and was very supportive." Through the internet site Open Adoption, she was able to select and meet a young professional African American adoptive couple. Latisha and the chosen adoptive parents spoke on the phone, met and spent time together before the birth and at the hospital. "We had a lot in common, and that helped," she says. Once the baby was born, Latisha planned to let the adoptive mother hold the baby first in the delivery room. "By planning the adoption, I was aware of what to expect," she said. "It confirmed my decision when I saw them holding their new baby. Even though I gave birth to him, I knew they were his parents. I didn't want a social worker making the decisions about where my baby was going."

Three years later, she receives e-mails, letters and photos about her son's life. The family has a web site where they post current photos of the baby that she can access. It was Latisha's choice not to have physical contact: "I felt the time I spent with them convinced me that they would love him just as much as I did. I just didn't want to interfere in their life. I am always going to be his mother, they are his parents, and I am okay with that. The photos are wonderful, I know he has a great life, and that helps me feel good about my decision. It was hard at the beginning and I experienced some depression, but I know that they will share with him the photos and letter I wrote him. If in the future he would like to meet me, that will be his choice. I am happy for my son and his new family." The internet and open adoption programs are giving pregnant women options for their unplanned pregnancy.

About the Author: Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. is a Certified Open Adoption Practitioner, an award winning author of 2 adoption books Adopting Online and Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide. Mardie is also the talk show host of Let's Talk Adoption.com with Mardie Caldwell and the founder of Lifetime Adoption in 1986. She travels and speaks nationwide on adoption topics, family topics, infertility and writing. She has been quoted in and consulted for Parenting and Adoption magazines and has appeared on CNN, CBS, ABC, BBC, NBC, and Fox. Featured in Parade Magazine, Caldwell is an adoptive mother living in Northern California.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/the-internet-offers-adoption-resources-for-african-americans-hoping-to-adopt-189753.html

Source of this Article: http://www.blackrefer.com/br-family1.html

Do you see how savage our youth are becoming...

Source of this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kh7ehzbv4c

Marcus comments: "This is yet another example of the filth, the ignorance, the msysoginy and self hatred that rap music promotes to our young people. We are not going to get away from it. I don't care if Barack Obama wins the election or loses it, we have to do something about the horrible condition that rap music and hip hop culture is leaving our young people in. Parents have to take more responsibility to make sure that they know what their children are watching and listening to!"

Source of this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kh7ehzbv4c

Up oh... Hilliary please drop out! it's Over!

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_el_pr/obama_edwards;_ylt=AuNEKrgtNiSwLz.ZwO0Vc11xFb8C

Edwards gives long-awaited endorsement to Obama

By CHUCK BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Democrat John Edwards is endorsing former rival Barack Obama, fresh signs of the party establishment embracing the likely nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to give up her long-shot candidacy.

Edwards was to appear with Obama in Grand Rapids, Mich., as Obama campaigns in a critical general election battleground state.

The endorsement comes the day after Clinton defeated Obama by more than 2-to-1 in West Virginia. The loss highlighted Obama's work to win over the "Hillary Democrats" — white, working-class voters who also supported Edwards in large numbers before he exited the race.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and the 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in late January.

Both Obama and Clinton immediately asked Edwards for his endorsement, but he stayed mum for more than four months. A person close to Edwards, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he wanted to get involved now to begin unifying the party. Obama also signed on to Edwards' poverty initiative, which was a major cause for Edwards in his campaign and since he left.

When he made his decision, Edwards didn't even tell many of his former top advisers because he wanted to make sure that he personally talked to Clinton to give her the news, said the person close to him. Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, who has spoken favorably about Clinton's health care plan, did not travel with him to Michigan and is not part of the endorsement.

HILLARY, LEAVE NOW!

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_el_pr/obama_endorsement

NARAL Pro-Choice America backs Obama
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Democrat Barack Obama has won the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading abortion rights advocacy organization that has supported rival Hillary Rodham Clinton throughout her political career.

The organization announced the endorsement of its political action committee on Wednesday.

"Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race," NARAL president Nancy Keenan said in a statement. "Today, we are proud to put our organization's grass-roots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Senator Obama."

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson said he was surprised by the group's decision to back Obama.

"Senator Clinton's leadership and advocacy on choice issues is second to none," Wolfson said.

Ellen Malcolm, president of EMILY's List, which helps elect female candidates who favor abortion rights, harshly criticized the endorsement.

"I think it is tremendously disrespectful to Senator Clinton — who held up the nomination of an FDA commissioner in order to force approval of Plan B and who spoke so eloquently during the Supreme Court nomination about the importance of protecting Roe v. Wade — to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process," Malcolm said in a statement. "It certainly must be disconcerting for elected leaders who stand up for reproductive rights and expect the choice community will stand with them."

Officials said NARAL's political committee board was about evenly divided among Clinton and Obama supporters and that the decision to endorse was hard fought. Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to support the Illinois senator.

NARAL officials said the decision wasn't intended to be a snub of Clinton, who is running to be the first female president.

They said the board decided to back Obama over Clinton because he is overwhelmingly favored to win the nomination and to heal what the organization viewed as a growing rift between black voters and white female activists that the protracted Clinton-Obama contest may have caused.

The organization endorsed Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in 2004 when he was well on the way to securing the party's presidential nomination.

And the distasters continue....

Source of topic: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aWSWIqRRjPY8

China Hit by 7.9-Magnitude Quake; More Than 8,700 Die

By Aaron Sheldrick and Eugene Tang


May 12 (Bloomberg) -- China was hit by a magnitude-7.9 earthquake, the nation's strongest in 58 years, killing more than 8,700 people. The temblor in Sichuan province shook buildings in Beijing, more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away.


The quake struck at 2:28 p.m., 10 kilometers deep and 90 kilometers west-northwest of the central city of Chengdu, followed by aftershocks including a magnitude-6 quake 15 minutes later, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Chengdu, home to 11 million people, is the capital of Sichuan, site of 40 percent of China's gas deposits and its largest panda reserve.

``The epicenter of today's quake was shallow, which means it released more destructive energy,'' Zhang Guomin, a researcher at the China Seismology Bureau, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency. ``We have to guard against mudslides and collapsing buildings.''

The death toll in the province is at least 8,700, Xinhua said, with as many as 5,000 killed and 10,000 injured in one county, Beichuan. Rescuers recovered at least 50 bodies from the debris of a high school in the city of Dujiangyan, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter, Xinhua said.

As many as 900 students were buried in the rubble.

China allocated 200 million yuan ($28.6 million) for disaster relief, Xinhua said.

Older Buildings
The death toll may rise, Deng Changwen, a spokesman for the Sichuan provincial seismological bureau, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Rescuers battled their way to reach Wenchua County, near the epicenter, using excavators and cranes to remove debris on the roads, Xinhua reported.
Four military helicopters heading to the area were forced to return because of heavy rain, the news service said.


``The rescue efforts will be focused on the older parts of the city, where there are older buildings that aren't well reinforced,'' Deng said.


The quake was originally reported as magnitude 7.8 before it was revised by the USGS today.


Five other schools collapsed in the province's Deyang City, leaving an unknown number of students buried, Xinhua said. Four students were killed and at least 100 were injured when two schools collapsed in Liangping county of Chongqing municipality, adjacent to Sichuan. Chongqing is about 350 kilometers from the epicenter of the temblor.


Buildings in Beijing shook for more than three minutes and traffic stopped. Construction cranes ceased work, while hundreds of people were seen scrambling to get out of buildings including the China World Tower, one of the tallest structures in the Chinese capital.


Felt in Bangkok
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the capital. Shaking was felt as far as Hong Kong and Bangkok in Thailand, 1,950 kilometers away.

China is to host the Olympics Games in August at more than 30 venues. The frequency of earthquakes in the Beijing area was taken into account during construction, and none of the venues was damaged, Sun Weide, deputy director for the Olympic media, told Agence France-Presse today.

The quake sparked panic in cities and towns across Sichuan and other central provinces, Xinhua said. No damage was reported at the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, Xinhua said.

The quake damaged more than 2,000 China Mobile Ltd. base stations, Vice President Sha Yuejia said in an interview broadcast on state-run China Central Television.

Trading Halted
The Shanghai Stock Exchange said trading in Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., Chongqing Iron & Steel Co. and 43 other listed companies based in Sichuan province and Chongqing city was suspended until they provide investors with trading updates.


The quake may help fuel increases in corn and soybeans after the disaster threatened to disrupt domestic supplies, analysts said.


``The earthquake in China is going to cause major disruption in transportation,'' which could boost demand for U.S. grain and meat imports, said Roy Huckabay, an executive vice president for the Linn Group in Chicago. ``Chinese soybean prices soared overnight,'' a sign of increased demand for available supplies, Huckabay said.


Chinese carriers including China Eastern Airlines Corp. halted flights to some cities hit by the quake.


Pleas for Calm
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who described the earthquake as a ``disaster,'' called for calm, according to state media, while President Hu Jintao issued an order for an immediate response from government agencies, according to Xinhua.


Today's earthquake was the world's strongest since a 7.9- magnitude temblor struck Indonesia in September, according to the USGS. It was the biggest to hit China since a magnitude-8.6 quake struck Tibet in 1950, killing 1,526 people. China's deadliest disaster was a 7.5-magnitude quake that killed 250,000 people in northeastern China's Tangshan in 1976.


The USGS defines an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more as ``major,'' and one above 8 as ``great.''


There are 17 quakes measuring 7 to 7.9 annually worldwide on average, USGS said on its Web site, with five occurring so far this year. On average, there is one temblor annually measuring 8 or more.


``I extend my condolences to those injured and to the families of the victims of today's earthquake in China's Sichuan province,'' U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement issued by the White House. ``I am particularly saddened by the number of students and children affected by this tragedy. The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the Chinese people, especially those directly affected. The United States stands ready to help in any way possible.''


Skyscrapers Evacuated
Hundreds of employees were evacuated from skyscrapers in the Lujiazui district of Shanghai, the city's financial center, where the stock exchange and banks including Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc have offices. No damage was reported.


Sichuan produced about 22 percent of the nation's natural gas output in 2006, according to China National Petroleum Corp. and BP Plc's annual energy report.


To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo at asheldrick@bloomberg.net; Eugene Tang in Beijing at eugenetang@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: May 12, 2008 15:01 EDT

Lord have mercy! This is tragic...

Source of Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_re_as/myanmar

Red Cross: Up to 128,000 may have died in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar - The Red Cross on Wednesday boosted its estimate of the cyclone death toll in Myanmar to as many as 128,000 — a much higher figure than the government tally. The U.N. warned a second wave of deaths will follow unless the military regime lets in more aid quickly.

The grim forecast came as heavy rains drenched the devastated Irrawaddy River delta, disrupting aid operations already struggling to reach up to 2.5 million people in urgent need of food, water and shelter.

"Another couple of days exposed to those conditions can only lead to worsening health conditions and compound the stress people are living in," said Shantha Bloemen, a spokeswoman for UNICEF.

A tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal added new worries, but late in the day forecasters said it was weakening and unlikely to grow into a cyclone.

Myanmar's government issued a revised casualty toll Wednesday night, saying 38,491 were known dead and 27,838 were missing.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, however, put the number of dead at between 68,833 and 127,990. It said it arrived at the figure by pooling and extrapolating assessments by 22 other aid groups and organizations in 58 townships.
U.N. officials said there could be more than 100,000 dead.

The Red Cross estimated the number of people needing help after cyclone surged over the low-lying delta on May 3 at between 1.64 million and 2.51 million.

But the junta still refused to accept help from foreign aid experts, who have vast experience in handling humanitarian crises.

It insisted Myanmar can handle the disaster on its own — a stance that appeared to stem not from the isolationist regime's ability but from its deep suspicion of most foreigners, who have frequently criticized its human rights abuses and crackdowns on democracy activists.

"The government has a responsibility to assist their people in the event of a natural disaster," said Amanda Pitt of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs.

"We are here to do what we can and facilitate their efforts and scale up their response. It is clearly inadequate, and we do not want to see a second wave of deaths as a result of that not being scaled up," she said.

Myanmar's prime minister, Lt. Gen. Thein Sein, told visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Wednesday that the government was in control of the situation and didn't need foreign experts.

"They have their own team to cope with the situation," Samak said after returning to Bangkok. He said the junta gave him a "guarantee" that there was no starvation or disease outbreaks among survivors.

But critics say the government is woefully lacking in helicopters, trucks and boats as well as planning expertise needed to distribute aid to survivors, who have jammed into monasteries and relief centers or are camping outside.

U.N. agencies and other voluntary groups have been able to reach only 270,000 of the affected people, said Elisabeth Byrs of r the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva.

She said the World Food Program would need 55,000 tons of rice to feed 750,000 people for three months, but the agency had been able to ship in only 361 tons so far.

The junta did grant approval Wednesday for a Thai medical team to visit the delta, said Dr. Thawat Sutharacha of Thailand's Public Health Ministry. If the team goes as scheduled Friday, it will be the first foreign aid group to work in the ravaged delta.

Myanmar has limited the few international aid workers in the country to Yangon, the country's biggest city, and used police to keep foreigners from going to the delta.

The government gave a little ground to demands that it let in more experts. It announced it would allow in 160 relief workers from neighboring countries — India, China, Bangladesh and Thailand. It was not clear whether they would be permitted to go to the delta.

In New York, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes welcomed the junta's move. But he said it was not enough and demanded that Myanmar open its borders to foreign relief specialists and let outsiders work in the Irrawaddy delta.

"The relief getting through under the kind of restrictions we're operating under is by no means adequate to the task, and it's hard to see how just continuing with the status quo can ever be sufficient in the current critical time period that we're working in," Holmes said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called a meeting of key donors and Myanmar's neighbors to weigh options for speeding aid to cyclone victims.

"Even though the Myanmar government has shown some sense of flexibility, at this time it's far, far too short," he said. "The magnitude of this situation requires much more mobilization of resources and aid workers."

He also expressed frustration that he had not been able to arrange direct talks with the junta's chairman, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, despite repeated phone calls and letters.

While it has kept out all but a few foreign aid workers, the regime has accepted tons of provisions sent by international donors, including the United Nations and the United States.

Five U.S. C-130 military transport planes delivered drinking water, blankets, mosquito nets and plastic sheets Wednesday. Lt. Col. Douglas Powell said 197,080 pounds of provisions had been sent in on eight U.S. flights since Monday.

The State Department renewed an appeal for the junta to allow in outside disaster relief experts and more assistance. "This is not a political issue. This really is simply a humanitarian issue," said deputy spokesman Tom Casey.

The European Union's top aid official, Development Commissioner Louis Michel, said he was not opposed to the idea of parachuting aid into Myanmar, but said he did not think it was workable. Others have suggested unilateral air drops to circumvent the junta's restrictions.
___
Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer and John Heilprin at the United Nations, Matthew Lee in Washington and Sutin Wannabovorn in Bangkok, Thailand, contributed to this report.

When ants attack...

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_re_us/texas_ants

By LINDA STEWART BALL, Associated Press Writer

DALLAS - In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers.

The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as "crazy rasberry ants" — crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and "rasberry" after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

"They're itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they're just running everywhere," said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. "There's just thousands and thousands of them. If you've seen a car racing, that's how they are. They're going fast, fast, fast. They're crazy."

The ants — formally known as "paratrenicha species near pubens" — have spread to five Houston-area counties since they were first spotted in Texas in 2002.

The newly recognized species is believed to have arrived in a cargo shipment through the port of Houston. Scientists are not sure exactly where the ants came from, but their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the Southeast and the Caribbean.

"At this point, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the ant because it is so widely dispersed," said Roger Gold, a Texas A&M University entomologist.

The good news? They eat fire ants, the stinging red terrors of Texas summers.

But the ants also like to suck the sweet juices from plants, feed on such beneficial insects as ladybugs, and eat the hatchlings of a small, endangered type of grouse known as the Attwater prairie chicken.

They also bite humans, though not with a stinger like fire ants.

Worse, they, like some other species of ants, are attracted to electrical equipment, for reasons that are not well understood by scientists.

They have ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, fouled computers and at least one homeowner's gas meter, and caused fire alarms to malfunction. They have been spotted at NASA's Johnson Space Center and close to Hobby Airport, though they haven't caused any major problems there yet.

Exterminators say calls from frustrated homeowners and businesses are increasing because the ants — which are starting to emerge by the billions with the onset of the warm, humid season — appear to be resistant to over-the-counter ant killers.

"The population built up so high that typical ant controls simply did no good," said Jason Meyers, an A&M doctoral student who is writing his dissertation on the one-eighth-inch-long ant.

It's not enough just to kill the queen. Experts say each colony has multiple queens that have to be taken out.

At the same time, the ants aren't taking the bait usually left out in traps, according to exterminators, who want the Environmental Protection Agency to loosen restrictions on the use of more powerful pesticides.

And when you do kill these ants, the survivors turn it to their advantage: They pile up the dead, sometimes using them as a bridge to cross safely over surfaces treated with pesticide.

"It looked like someone had come along and poured coffee granules all around the perimeter of the rooms," said Lisa Calhoun, who paid exterminators $1,200 to treat an infestation of her parents' home in the Houston suburb of Pearland.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is working with A&M researchers and the EPA on how to stop the ants.

"This one seems to be like lava flowing and filling an entire area, getting bigger and bigger," said Ron Harrison, director of training for the big pest-control company Orkin Inc.

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_re_us/texas_ants

When is it okay for Police Officers in America to do this to it's citizens?

Marcus Notes: "It has always been okay in America to beat the living crap or even kill an American citizen especially when he or she was black. I will have more to say about this in the very near future."

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL9dr-am3ec

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL9dr-am3ec

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_en_mu/music_dmx_arrested;_ylt=Au_JlqrMb6YDWWmd6hPcGp5xFb8C
Rapper DMX arrested for drugs, animal cruelty

By BOB CHRISTIE, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 5 minutes ago

PHOENIX - DMX was arrested on drug and animal-cruelty charges following an overnight raid on the rapper's house Friday, authorities said.

The 37-year-old rapper, whose given name is Earl Simmons, initially tried to barricade himself in his bedroom but emerged when a SWAT team entered his north Phoenix home during the 3 a.m. raid, sheriff's spokesman Capt. Paul Chagolla said.

The arrest and search warrants stemmed from indictments for felony drug possession and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. He made an initial court appearance Friday where bail was sent at $7,500, said his local attorney, Cameron Morgan. Morgan said he expected bail to be posted quickly.

The indictment stems from an August search of the rapper's home prompted by reports of dogs being abused on his property. Detectives seized 12 pit bull dogs, dug up remains of three others and found marijuana on the rural property.

During Friday's raid, officials said more drugs were found and weapons seized and additional charges were possible.

Simmons' New York lawyer, Murray Richman, said he told his client to expect such a raid after his efforts to make DMX available to law enforcement were rebuffed.

"I anticipated it, I explained to my client what was going to happen," Richman said. He said he believed evidence did not support the charges of animal cruelty, which has been a major focus of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

"I think that the animal cruelty is not going to be able to be established," Richman said, "and I think that this is Sheriff Joe's moment."

A statement from Arpaio said someone of DMX means "has no excuse for not providing proper care for his animals."

Sheriff's deputies made a series of visits to the rapper's home in August after receiving reports of neglected pit bulls. They found a caretaker who had been hired to look after the animals.
Richman said DMX was not in Arizona in the weeks leading up to the initial raid.

The rapper has had previous run-ins with the law, including an arrest Tuesday by the Arizona Department of Public Safety after speed-enforcement cameras captured him going 114 mph on a suburban Phoenix freeway.

In June 2006, Scottsdale police cited him for carrying a concealed handgun outside a nightclub.
He also served 70 days in jail in 2005 for violating his parole following a 2004 incident in which he posed as an undercover federal agent and crashed his sport utility vehicle through a security gate at Kennedy International Airport.

DMX recorded the 1999 hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)." His last album, "Year of the Dog ... Again," was released last year.

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_en_mu/music_dmx_arrested;_ylt=Au_JlqrMb6YDWWmd6hPcGp5xFb8C

Is it a wrap for ole Hillary?

Source of Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_el_pr/obama_endorsement

Obama picks up 9 superdelegates, union endorsement

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign.

Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter.

In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the federal and Washington, D.C., governments.

Obama, who won a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and lost Indiana narrowly on Tuesday, has been steadily gaining strength in the days since.
Clinton also gained a superdelegate.

The developments left the former first lady with 271.5 superdelegates, to 271 for Obama. Little more than four months ago, on the eve of the primary season, she held a lead of 169-63.
Superdelegates are party leaders who attend the convention delegates by virtue of their positions, and are not selected in primaries and caucuses.

In an interview with National Public Radio, former candidate John Edwards said Clinton has made a compelling case for her candidacy, but "I think it's very hard for her now to make a compelling case for the math. I mean, I think that's the reality of what she's faced with. She knows that. ... It's just very hard to see how the math works."

In addition to Payne, Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, two members of the Democratic National Committee from California and a party official in South Carolina announced they were supporting Obama. Superdelegates from New Mexico and Virginia also joined the migration.

So, too, John Gage, president of the AFGE.

"Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign," he said in a statement.

"The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won," said Vernon Watkins, one of the two Californians.

"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," said Payne, who in a statement said that Clinton is a good friend and he still holds her in high regard.

Payne is one of at least 10 superdelegates who have switched allegiances from Clinton to Obama. None have publicly switched the other way.

In the overall race for the nomination, Obama leads with 1,859.5 delegates, to 1,697 for Clinton. Obama is just 165.5 delegates short of the 2,025 delegates needed to win it.

Clinton's new supporter was Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa. His congressional district voted overwhelmingly for the former first lady in the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.

Both Obama and Clinton have courted superdelegates in recent days in private meetings at party headquarters not far from the Capitol.

Despite Watkins' assessment, Clinton has shown no signs she is ready to quit the race. She is heavily favored to win Tuesday's primary in West Virginia, and is in the midst of a two-day swing through several other states with upcoming elections.
___
Associated Press Writers Jesse Holland and Matthew Daly in Washington and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Source of Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_el_pr/obama_endorsement

Is it Mother Nature doing this or God? Who is controlling the weather? Can we arrest them?

Marcus Comments: "My teacher taught me that whatever you see happening afar off will be at your doorstep tomorrow. When you see tragedies happening like this in the world do you ever think about those people for even a moment and the great sadness and devastation that this unfortunate event has caused. We are seeing calamity after calamity in the world and there is more on the way. What's going on? Why is this happening? Why is the weather so out of control?What do you think?"

Source of this Topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_cyclone

Myanmar cyclone death toll soars past 22,000:
state radio

YANGON, Myanmar - The cyclone death toll soared above 22,000 on Tuesday and more than 41,000 others were missing as foreign countries mobilized to rush in aid after the country's deadliest storm on record, state radio reported.

Up to 1 million people may be homeless after Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian nation, also known as Burma, early Saturday. Some villages have been almost totally eradicated and vast rice-growing areas are wiped out, the World Food Program said.

Images from state television showed large trees and electricity poles sprawled across roads and roofless houses ringed by large sheets of water in the Irrawaddy River delta region, which is regarded as Myanmar's rice bowl.

"From the reports we are getting, entire villages have been flattened and the final death toll may be huge," Mac Pieczowski, who heads the International Organization for Migration office in Yangon, said in a statement.

Buddhist monks and Catholic nuns wielding knives and axes joined Yangon residents Tuesday in clearing roads of ancient, fallen trees that were once the city's pride. And soldiers were out on the streets in large numbers for the first time since the cyclone hit, helping to clear trees as massive as 15 feet in diameter.

President Bush called on Myanmar's military junta to allow the U.S. to help. The White House said the U.S. will send more than $3 million to help cyclone victims, up from an initial emergency contribution of $250,000.

"We're prepared to move U.S. Navy assets to help find those who have lost their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the situation. But in order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country," he said.

Bush spoke at a ceremony where he signed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar's military regime has signaled it will welcome aid supplies for victims of a devastating cyclone, the U.N. said Tuesday, clearing the way for a major relief operation from international organizations.

But U.N. workers were still awaiting their visas to enter the country, said Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"The government has shown a certain openness so far," Byrs said. "We hope that we will get the visas as soon as possible, in the coming hours. I think the authorities have understood the seriousness of the situation and that they will act accordingly."

The appeal for outside assistance was unusual for Myanmar's ruling generals, who have long been suspicious of international organizations and closely controlled their activities. Several agencies, including the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, have limited their presence as a consequence.

Allowing any major influx of foreigners could carry risks for the military, injecting unwanted outside influence and giving the aid givers rather than the junta credit for a recovery.

However, keeping out international aid would focus blame squarely on the military should it fail to restore peoples' livelihoods.

Some aid agencies reported their assessment teams had reached some areas of the largely isolated region but said getting in supplies and large numbers of aid workers would be difficult.

The cyclone came only a week ahead of a key referendum on a constitution that Myanmar's military leaders hoped would go smoothly in its favor, despite opposition from the country's feisty pro-democracy movement. However, the disaster could stir the already tense political situation.

State radio also said that Saturday's vote would be delayed until May 24 in 40 of 45 townships in the Yangon area and seven in the Irrawaddy delta, which took the brunt of the weekend storm. It indicated that the balloting would proceed in other areas as scheduled.

The decision drew swift criticism from dissidents and human rights groups who question the credibility of the vote and urged the junta to focus on disaster victims.

Myanmar's generals have hailed the referendum as an important step forward in their "roadmap to democracy." It offers the first chance for voters to cast ballots since 1990, and the probability is high they will approve the constitution — a legal framework the country has lacked for two decades.

But critics, including the United Nations, the United States and human rights groups, question whether it will lead to democracy.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. Its government has been widely criticized for suppression of pro-democracy parties such as the one led by Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been under house arrest for almost 12 of the past 18 years.

At least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests in September led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.

Washington has long been one of the ruling junta's sharpest critics for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.

Bring Marcus Girard in to your school, your church or organization to talk about the truth about Hip Hop...

Bring
Motivational Speaker and Trainer,

Marcus Girard

into your school, your church or organization to talk about

the truth about Hip Hop...

This Workshop is a Power Point Presentation around the topic of, “The Truth About Hip Hop”. The presenter will offer participants a look into the good, the bad and the ugly about the attitudes, mentality and mindset that hip hop culture brings into the hearts and minds of young people. The presenter will examine the role that Hip Hop has played in producing the current mentality that we see young people playing in the society. The presenter will discuss the hip hop cultures obsession with drugs, alcohol, crime, fornication, adultery, sexual deviance, guns, gangs and the great misuse and abuse of the female.

The history of Abortion / My God this is horrible...

Someone shared this with me in an email so I thought I would pass it right along to you the viewers of this Blog. This Blog is devoted to sharing knowledge, wisdom and understanding on all kinds of subjects....

In the early middle ages abortion was induced by herbs and manipulation and was used as a form of birth control in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It was generally accepted in Europe, in the early months of pregnancy. Later on in the 19th century many changed their view on abortion in the Roman Catholic Church. It was completely prohibited under any circumstance. In the Muslim community it was also prohibited unless the woman was sexually abused or the woman’s health was at risk. During the 19th century, in England and the United States antiabortion laws were passed. Many people became liberal toward the situation in the 20th century. After several debates and court hearings the three types of abortion was finally legalized under a Supreme Court ruling in 1973.

The types of abortion being Therapeutic abortion, Spontaneous abortion and abortion in general. Therapeutic abortion is an induced abortion performed to preserve the health or life of the mother. Spontaneous abortion is a miscarriage that is used to signify delivery of a nonviable embryo or fetus due to fatal or maternal factors, as opposed to purposely induced abortion. Abortion in general is a expulsion of the products of conception before the embryo or fetus is viable.

There are six ways to perform an abortion. The first one being RU-486. This is a drug given to the mother after her first missed period, that blocks the progesterone ( a crucial hormone during pregnancy). Without the progesterone the developing baby receives no food, fluid, and oxygen, so the baby can no longer survive. Then a second drug is given, which causes the uterus to contract and the baby is then expelled from the womb. Secondly is the Aspiration abortion. This type of abortion is done by stretching the cervical muscle and cutting into the uterus, the baby is then sucked out in pieces into a small bottle. The third type of abortion is Dilation and Curettage. This procedure a curette is inserted into the uterus and the baby the placenta is cut into pieces and scraped out into a basin. The fourth abortion (being the cruelest) type is a Dilation and Evacuation abortion. With this procedure the abortionist must dilate the cervix before the abortion. The abortionist then inserts a pliers-like tool through the cervix into the uterus and begin to tear the body apart, until the only the baby’s head is left. Then the skull is crushed and pulled out. The abortionist reassemble the body parts to make sure the baby is fully out of the uterus. The fifth abortion type is the Prostaglandin abortion. This abortion is done by injecting a feticide (a drug that kills the fetus) into the babies heart due to complications of the mother. After this procedure the abortionist administer prostaglandin and a dead baby is delivered. Lastly is the Dilation and Extraction abortion. This type of abortion the baby is positioned in the breech position (feet first faced down). The abortionist hooks their fingers over the babies shoulders and insert surgical scissors into the base of the baby’s skull, and a suction is inserted into the baby’s skull and the brain is sucked out. Many of these types of abortions are not force upon the patients. It is only by choice or to help save the mothers life.

Many of us in today’s society are not aware of how many lives are being killed by way of abortion. Each year about 1,500,000 babies are killed by way of abortion and each day the rate of abortion is increasingly high. Between the years of 1973-1996 a total of 35,273,792 children were aborted. Currently 1 in every 4 of our generations are not living due to abortions and 1 in every 6 women had abortions.

It is very important that we are aware of the importance of planning parenthood. If many of us in today’s society promoted avoiding non-marital sex, a numerous amount of women could avoid considering abortion or killing a young innocent baby as being an option. This will decrease the loss of lives each year.

But due to the lack of positive influence in their lives this is not considered in most cases. Abortion or neglect of the child is then an option as a result of unplanned parenthood. So the mother is either left to take care of her child in most cases, which is not sufficient for the child because the baby is not receiving the proper care that is needed from both parents. The mother is then left to only three options, to work to help provide for her family and not create a bond with her child, give her child up for adoption or an abortion. Now the child is neglected by both parents.

It was recently reported that many women who have abortions are most likely to commit suicide, than those who did not have abortions. But many are not aware that this will effect them mentally in the long run. On the physical side many women who had an abortion their first pregnancy was at higher risk of getting breast cancer than the average woman by 1.7%. If a women had aborted her child her second, third or fourth pregnancy she had an even higher risk by 4.0 times.

Many women who were victims of breast cancer did not know that it was as a result of their abortion.

Those same women who were at a higher risk of breast cancer, also dealt with the psychological and emotional trauma. Knowing that they were another statistic by killing another innocent child and they had to deal with it for the rest of their lives. Oft-times these kinds of thoughts lead to depression, alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues. This is what causes our children in today’s society to be violent, cold-hearted and rebellious. Many of us want the luxury of sex but not responsibility, so we think that abortion is the way, not knowing that the child that is in your womb could be the greatest blessing ever or a gift from God. The women today who get abortions don’t see the consequences of damaging her body mentally and physically and her child’s body physically, until later on in the future. It all ends with suicide or a severely damaged mind.

Many are left in the dark of what produces the thought of abortion. It starts from being raised in a singled-family household. When the parents neglect the child because their was no commitment in the beginning of the relationship. So the child is left to bond with a child care provider not knowing why their parents are not there.

It is essentially important that a commitment is established, in a relationship between male and female, before the decision to be sexually involved is made. The reason is simple, the responsibility of providing for their child(ren) oft-times men decide to neglect their child(ren) and leave the women with the decision of whether or not she desires to bear the responsibility of raising her child(ren) alone, with very little financial assistance. However, the decision to abort should not be an option, with the exception of rape, incest or any health risk. By allowing women to continue to make the decision to abort, society is promoting recreational sex and negligence of men. This is why parents, teachers, the artistic community and diverse organizations should emphasize this especially to the youth because a quarter of the abortions performed per year are by women under twenty; who are most likely not married. This epidemic will not end until we as a society and nation discipline ourselves by promoting strong and healthy relationships, especially to our youth.

In September of 1975, a woman took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. This was very difficult for her to deal with, knowing she already had two sons and was single. She had no financial help because the father of her two sons walked out on her and failed to take care of them as he should. So she decided that she would abort her child. Between the months of September 1975 and January of 1976 she attempted to abort her child three times, and each time she failed at doing so. On April 21,1976 her baby girl was born, two months premature. Later on that following year in 1977 the baby’s mother passed away, and her father and grandmother took care of the baby and her two brothers. As the baby grew up, as a young girl her father explained to her what her mother attempted to do. The situation did not become clear to her until she was eighteen, married and five months pregnant. She did some research and retrieved her mothers medical records, which stated that her mom tried to terminate her unborn child three times. At this moment she knew she would not make the same mistake her mother did. Today Amy is twenty-five years old and is happy with a family and is now speaking out against abortion. If their were not as many abortions today, their could be many successful people in this world today just like Amy. So before you make a decision such as, abortion think it over because you might regret it in the future.

Bibliography

http://www.afterabortion.info/news/teens2.htm%20Pg.1
Priscilla K.Coleman, “Resolution of Unwanted Pregnancy During Adolescence. Through Abortion Childbirth: Individual and Family Predictors and Psychological Consequences.”
Journal of Youth and Adolescence (2006)

Howe HL, Senie RT, Bzduch H. Herzfeld P (1989) ET.AL, “Int.J. Epidemiol. 18:3004

http://www.afterabotion.info/news/suicide205.html%20Pg.1
M.Gissler et.al, “Injury Deaths, Suicides and Homicides Associated with Pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000, “European J.Public Health 15(5):459-63 (2005)

M.Gissler et.al, “Pregnancy Associated Deaths in Finland 1987-1994 definition problems and benefits of record linkage, “Acta Obsetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76:651-657(1997)

DC Reardon et. Al, “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome;A record Linkage Study of Law Income Women, “Southern Medical Journal 95(8):834-41 (2002)

M.Gissler et.al, “ Methods for Identifying Pregnancy- Associated Deaths: population-baseddata from Finland 1987-2000,” Paediatr perinat Epidermiol 18(6);448-55(2004)

Louis Farrakhan “ A Torchlight for America” Pg.109-111 FCN Publishing Company Chicago,Illinois

http://www.abortionfacts.com/ Pg.1-3 Performed abortion types, Heritage House 174

http://www.abortionfacts.com/ Pg.1, Heritage House 174 ‘A True Survivor Story”.

Abortion and the effect it has on today’s society.
________________________________________

I. History behind abortions.

A. When abortions were legalized.

B. The three types of abortions

C. Six ways abortions are preformed

II. What you need to know about abortions.

A. Statistics

III. The importance of planning parenthood.

A. Avoid premarital sex

B. The results of unplanned parenthood

C. The importance of commitment between male and female

IV. The havoc that abortion has caused.

A. The aftereffect of abortion.

1. Suicide

2. Breast Cancer

3. Psychological and emotional trauma

B. Circumstances in which thoughts of abortion are conceived.

1. Singled family households

2. The neglect of men

3. Sexual abuse

Utilize the services of Marcus Girard to help your School, Church or Organization to be successful with Young People!

Now this is interesting...

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzeZhCt5PVA

Marcus Comments: "Is what Ice Cube expresses in this video the truth?

What's your opinion, we'd like to know...

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzeZhCt5PVA

The ignorance continues - "Lollipop" Starring Lil Wayne

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740d8sTpM7U

Marcus comments: "I'm not downing rap music and hip hop culture. I grew up listening to it and have watched the enemy hi-jack the music and turn it into what it is today. Now, I simply wish to expose it to as many people, particulary parents who are oblivious to the kinds of messages that are being introduced to their wonderful children through mp3 players, cd players, cable and internet. You have to ask yourself, "What is coming into my child's heart and mind as they ingest this kind of music? And even more importantly is what will be coming out of my child's mouth tomorrow if they continue to listen to this kind of music. For it is not what goes into a man or woman that defiles them, it's what comes out of them. Lil Wayne is one of the hottest rappers out there today and our children love him. He is on I would say at least 60 percent of the new music that's out there. You need to pay attention to him. I hope that you are not so naive as an adult that you think that they are actually referring to an actual lollipop. Remember the great master teacher, Jesus, shared with us, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he and so is she."

What effect does this kind of song and music video have on the behavior of a high schooler, a middle schooler, or an elementary school student or even a pre school student? It doesn't matter whether the listener is male or female. All I know is that I work within school systems throughout America and I see the devastating effects that these songs are having on our young people. These songs are corrupting the hearts and minds of our youth culture making them falsely believe that they don't have to do something to have something. Many young men and women are so caught up in hip hop culture and what it has come to represent that they don't desire to do anything or be anything of any real value."

What's your opinion, we'd like to know...

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740d8sTpM7U

The ignorance continues - "Bust it Baby Video Remix featuring Plies and Ne-yo

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZHZLabAm8

Marcus Comments: "Here is the video as I promised in the last post. When the world see these kinds of images its no wonder people think about our people the way they do. You would to if you were made to see images of a particular segment of our society as a dope smoking, drug selling, msyoginistic, big pimpin, sex fiend. We'd better pay more attention to what is going into the hearts and minds of today's youth population. This stuff is very instructive..."

What's your opinion, we'd like to know?

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZHZLabAm8

What helps to make our job so hard?

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg_l5sSmgCY&NR=1

Marcus comments: "I first became aware of this You Tube spot after being sent the link by from my friend, Ms. Wendy. After viewing this I became further saddened and disturbed over the condition of the younger members of our family. I am working as hard as I can across America to encourage our youth to slow down and enjoy being a young man or woman. But as the young men and women continue to look at this video and thousands more like it than its no wonder our young men and women are in the condition that they are in. Just look at what these young beautiful sisters were willing to do just to be in a Plies's video! There are thousands of other rappers who are both male and female who are promoting even filthier concepts and practices than this.

"Bust it Baby" is the new term in many middle and high schools across America. I sincerely encourage you to be very careful in rearing your female children in today's times. Try to make sure she isn't anybody's bust it baby. No-one should be busting anything if they haven't made a committment to your daughter or mine. Please encourage your female daughters and your male sons to value their virginity and the importance of remaining sexually chaste. I am posting the actual video of this in my next post so that you can see the entire video for yourself. Listen carefully to Mr. Plies as he speaks to your daughter. You better teach her how to deal with the type of character that he portrays himself to be in his music. We should remember that this goes all over the world. No wonder folks across the world view the black female as a sex crazed animal when they see stuff like this." - Brother Marcus

What's your opinion, we'd like to know?

Source of this Topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg_l5sSmgCY&NR=1

What is the life of a Black Man worth in America... What it has always been worth...nothing at all!

Source of this Topic: http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=604&I

Freedom Rider: Sean Bell and Wesley Snipes
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

The ghastly record of police acquittals in the death of unarmed Blacks continues to unfold. In a verdict that "surprised" even the governor, a New York judge found three cops innocent of all charges in the 50-shot volley that killed Sean Bell on the morning of his wedding, wounding two of his companions. "The police have no expectation of punishment, even when they kill without cause." It made little difference that two of the policemen were also of African descent. But race seems to factor heavily in some celebrity cases. Just ask actor Wesley Snipes, who was sentenced to three years on an income tax charge.

"The police have no expectation of punishment, even when they kill without cause."

The United States leads the world in putting its citizens behind bars. The nation with just 5% of the world's population has 25% of the world's prisoners. One out of every 99 adults in this country is behind bars, and half of those persons are black. Those figures are horrific, but the explanation for them is not at all complicated. Racism is the reason that so many are behind bars. If America were not so committed to continuing its culture of white supremacy, those dreadful statistics would not exist.

Black people can always expect to be punished, and to the harshest degree possible. We can expect punishment whether guilty or not, whether the punishment fits the crime or even if no crime has been committed at all.

Those facts are turned upside down where police crime is concerned. The police have no expectation of punishment, even when they kill without cause. Their victims are usually black, and they are rarely if ever punished for indiscriminate murder.

Two cases recently in the news illustrate that point. One man, Sean Bell, died in a hail of police bullets for committing the crime of saying farewell to his last night of bachelorhood. Bell was a New Yorker celebrating with friends in the wee hours before his wedding, as young men usually do. Cops surveilling the club he left believed, wrongly, that Bell and his friends were armed. They fired 50 shots into his car, killing Bell and injuring his friends.

The Bell case had a terrible familiarity from the very first day. The community is outraged, the Mayor and the police commissioner at first claim the shooting is justified and then back pedal. There are indictments but the police choose to be tried before judges instead of before juries. As almost always happens with fatal police shootings, Bell's killers were acquitted.

"America's judges are fully dedicated to maintaining the white justice status quo."

As always, the community protested, and continues to protest the verdict. But in the end, Bell's killers will never be brought to justice. If trigger happy cops know that judges will view them more kindly than ordinary citizens will, is it any wonder that America's prisons are bulging at the seams? A book by the late Judge Bruce Wright was aptly entitled, "Black Robes, White Justice." America's judges are fully dedicated to maintaining the white justice status quo.

Two of the three cops indicted in Bell's case are themselves black, but that fact makes little difference. The system that insures greater scrutiny of black people and their communities will mean greater likelihood of arrest, brutality or death, even when the police are black too.

It may seem strange to compare the fate of the late Sean Bell with that of actor Wesley Snipes. Snipes is still alive after all, but he has fallen victim to the same black robe, white justice philosophy that has deprived the Bell family of justice. The day before Bell's killers got off scot-free, Snipes was sentenced to three years in jail for misdemeanor tax evasion convictions.

"This case cries out for the statutory maximum term of imprisonment, as well as a substantial fine, because of the seriousness of defendant Snipes' crimes and because of the singular opportunity this case presents to deter tax crime nationwide," so said prosecutor Robert O'Neill. It is obviously absurd to think that anyone needs to be deterred from repeating Snipes' experience. The real deterrence has nothing to do with rendering unto Caesar on April 15th.

"How better to justify the prison nation and its racist nature than to put a famous black person behind bars."

Jail time for a misdemeanor conviction is not unusual for this prison nation. Neither is the need to make examples of black people who run afoul of the law. A prison sentence is unnecessary for Snipes, as well as for many of the thousands behind bars. How better to justify the prison nation and its racist nature than to put a famous black person behind bars for a crime that a jury determined was minor.

Snipes was once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, commanding millions of dollars for every movie he made. Such success is a double edged sword for black people. If they fall, they are punished and punished severely. Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick was doomed to be behind bars, so was Olympic athlete Marion Jones. The combination of their fame and their black skin meant they were destined for the big house, even though probation or lighter sentences were justified in their cases.

Judge William Hodges admitted as much. "One of the main purposes which drives selective prosecution in tax cases is deterrence. In some instances, that means those of celebrity stand greater risk of prosecution. But there's nothing unusual about it, nor is there anything unlawful about it. It's the way the system works."

He might have added that prosecution is especially important in a system determined to make examples of black people wherever possible. As the judge said, it is the way the system works.

Source of this Topic: http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=604&I

Have you ever wondered why did they chose the fox to represent their criminal "news" racket? What are the characteristics of the fox?

Source of this Topic: http://www.newshounds.us/2008/04/30/fox_and_friends_should_change_their_name_to_the_rev_wright_show.php

Fox and Friends Should Change Their Name To
'The Rev Wright' Show
Reported by Donna - April 30, 2008

The closer we get to the election the more Republicans we see on Fox and Friends and the more Democratic bashing goes on. Frankly, it's getting boring, talking about Reverend Wright everyday, the former pastor of Barack Obama.

Barack has already disavowed Wright's words -- the end.

But no, Fox and Friends continues to have a number of Republicans (sometimes under the pretext of talking about Republicans and inevitably, Wright comes up. Even after Barack renounced Wright, Carlson said it should have been done months ago. They wanted to know if tax dollars had paid for and if he should be crucified in the country for saying 'God damn America?'

Fox said maybe they were giving too much credit to Wright but it was too much fun.

Brent Bozell said that this could be Wright getting back at Barack because Barack used him and his church to give himself credence as an African American because he was from Hawaii and went to Harvard. (Comment: Since when does living in Hawaii and going to Harvard keep you from being African American?)

Whenever they have a clip from a late night show, Stephen Colbert, Conan or Jay Leno it is mostly always making fun of Democrats.

They also had Ari Fleisher on to say that this Wright business will go on until September, so they are basically swiftboating Barack. Ari said right now, Wright and Barack help McCain.

They also had on Newt Gingrich to promote his new book and he also got into the Wright story. He said this would last for another 2 weeks. He also went on about what a great man McCain is.
To top it off they had Kelsey Grammer on to promote his new show. Then they asked Kelsey who he was voting for and Kelsey said John McCain and said he was one of about 6 or 7 Hollywood people who were Republicans.

Comments: So, as you can see, the whole show was practically about Rev. Wright and Barack Obama. They had all these Republicans on to talk about Wright and even found an entertainer to talk about him.

This is fair and balanced? I don't think so. Frankly, I think people are getting tired of the Wright story and Fox needs to do somehting to make itself fair and balanced and get out of the Democratic bashing business.

Source of this Topic: http://www.newshounds.us/2008/04/30/fox_and_friends_should_change_their_name_to_the_rev_wright_show.php

Is Sean Hannity a racist demon? Yes, He absolutely is!

Source of this Topic: http://www.newshounds.us/2008/05/03/fox_news_silent_about_hannitys_neonazi_connection.php
FOX News Silent About Hannity's Neo-Nazi Connection

Earlier in the week, I wrote to several FOX News executives asking for their comments about Sean Hannity's connection to Neo-Nazi/white supremacist Hal Turner. Given Hannity's and FOX News' endless fascination with Barack Obama's associations, it's only fair that they explain the far more substantial and prolonged relationship between their prime time host and Turner. To date, we have received no response. But the attacks on Obama continue unabated.

In fact, Hannity's America pre-empted Hannity & Colmes last night (5/2/08) for the second time in two weeks, giving white-rights enthusiast Hannity a prolonged platform from which to smear Barack Obama without the inconvenience of Alan Colmes. Is it just a coincidence that this pre-emption occurred on the Friday before two important primaries (Indiana and North Carolina) just as the last pre-emption, featuring another Obama-smear-feat, occurred on the Friday before the Pennsylvania primary? I report, you decide.

Here is the list of people I contacted. I received the email addresses from a source who works for another media outlet. None of the emails bounced. Perhaps if enough of us write, FOX will explain why they feel it's OK to bash Obama 24/7 over his associations and yet have no problem with Hannity's dubious associations - which directly relate to the racial issues FOX News keeps raising in the campaign.

Source of this Topic: http://www.newshounds.us/2008/05/03/fox_news_silent_about_hannitys_neonazi_connection.php

And she wants us to believe she's more qualified.... She can't even make coffee!

Source of this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9bkuJliMY

Source of this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9bkuJliMY

Is it God or Mother Nature doing this?

Source of this topic: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080503/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather

Twisters tear up parts of 4 states; 8 killed in Arkansas

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 52 minutes ago

DAMASCUS, Ark. - Violent storms unleashed tornadoes, high winds and hail in four central states and killed eight people in Arkansas, including a teenager who died when a tree fell into her bedroom as she slept.

The storms late Thursday and early Friday ripped off roofs and toppled train cars near Kansas City, Mo.; pelted parts of Oklahoma with hail; and knocked over tents at a popular open-air market in east Texas. Severe thunderstorms were moving into Kentucky and could make for a wet Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Greg Carbin, a meteorologist for the national Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said as many as 25 tornadoes may have cut through stretches of Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

Six of those killed were in two north-central Arkansas counties, Conway and Van Buren, that also saw fatalities from a devastating tornado Feb. 5. Gov. Mike Beebe declared those counties and five others disaster areas.

"This year it just seems like we're getting pounded," Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley said.

He said a man, a woman and a preschool-age child died when the storm hit their house just south of Bee Branch.

"There wasn't anything left," Bradley said. "It was demolished."

Another child who lived at the home had already left for school, escaping injury.

A father and two sons died in Conway County when a possible tornado hit their mobile home. A twister demolished a chicken farm in Center Springs, leaving thousands of dead birds on the ground.

Near the Oklahoma line in a working-class neighborhood of Siloam Springs, a 15-year-old girl died in the early morning when apparent straight-line winds toppled a tree into her family's mobile home. She and her 10-year-old brother were sleeping in bunk beds; the boy survived with minor injuries.

"She was on (the top bunk). He was on bottom. When it fell it just crushed her and pinned her on top of him," with a mattress between them, said Chad Tilghman, who lives across the street and helped pull the boy from the storm debris.

The seventh death was reported in Pulaski County, south of Little Rock.

More than a dozen injuries were reported, and about 350 homes were damaged or destroyed in several Arkansas counties.

Around the Van Buren County town of Damascus, deputies, firefighters and volunteers were going farm-to-farm to check on everyone.

Just north of town the wind knocked the roof off a new church that has yet to hold its first service. Members of a work crew ran inside the Southside Baptist Church after a neighbor warned them of the coming storm; they later exchanged soaked clothes for white choir robes.

Nearly 6,000 homes and businesses lost power in Arkansas, and about 40,000 lost power at the peak of the storms in the Kansas City area, where two small tornadoes touched down and several minor injuries were reported.

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser said 100 homes suffered significant damage in the city alone. Damage was also reported in the suburbs and in Lawrence, to the west. An 18-wheeler was blown over on Interstate 29 in Riverside, near five empty train cars that were toppled.

In northeast Kansas City, dozens of homes had chunks of their roofs missing, and trees were knocked from their roots and lying along the roads and in ditches. Police blocked off roads around the damaged neighborhoods Friday.

A twister ripped the roof off 74-year-old Ann Johnson's duplex in the suburb of Gladstone.

"The ceiling actually came down on top of her while she was in bed," said her daughter, Cindy Hopkins.

Johnson was able to roll out from under the collapsed debris but cut her foot on glass from a shattered window. A neighbor who heard her yells helped nurse the wound until paramedics arrived. Johnson, whose cut required seven stitches, remained at the hospital Friday afternoon.

"The fact that she is alive is the greatest gift," said Hopkins, of Richmond.

Tornadoes appeared to touch down in at least three east Texas towns, uprooting trees, flipping cars and yanking down power lines.

A tornado hit Canton, Texas, as visitors began to show up for a popular open-air market that draws thousands each month. The winds toppled tents and snapped power lines, but the market was soon back in business.

Three people in Canton were taken to hospitals; two had been at the market and had reported chest pains. City Secretary Julie Seymore said that no major injuries were reported and that overall damage was minimal.

At least three tornadoes raked central and northern Oklahoma, including one in Osage County near Tulsa that was an estimated 100 yards wide, but no serious injuries were reported there. A home was destroyed and about a dozen others were damaged in northeastern Oklahoma, and a hotel under construction near Tulsa was destroyed.

The storms moved into Kentucky and Tennessee on Friday evening, and other severe weather developed in Illinois, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights at Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport.

A day before the Kentucky Derby, some race fans at Churchill Downs sought shelter Friday when the storms arrived in Louisville. The Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of far western Kentucky, and meteorologist John Gordon said two more waves of storms were expected Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Rain was possible until about 6 p.m. EDT Saturday, just as the race is scheduled to start, but Gordon said he didn't think it would be extreme enough to affect the race.

Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher said the track was monitoring the weather but didn't anticipate heavy rain to interrupt racing.

"This track handles water as well as any track in the country," he said.
___
Associated Press Writers Kelly P. Kissel in Siloam Springs, Ark., Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Andale Gross in Gladstone, Mo., contributed to this report.

Source of this topic:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080503/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather