Please take a moment to admire the great LeBron for the special talent he is. It never gets old looking at the King's history. So many accomplishments Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan will never achieve:
1. Bronze 2006 2. Bronze 2004 3. NBA finals sweep 2007 4. Go entire Finals scoring 20 pts only one time 5. Quit on his team the year after he promises a championship 6. Dunked on by a highschool kid and then confiscate tape 7. Bail on the dunk contest 9 times 8. Only able to win a ring with 2 superstars 9. 7th best player in NBA finals series. 10. Average 1.8 pts in the 4th quarter of NBA finals. 11. Lose not 1, not 2, but 3 times in the Finals. 12. Host a national televised TV show to leave his team 13. Play on the same team as his moms boyfriend 14. Go 2 for 18 in an NBA playoff game. 15. Get stuffed by a player under 6 feet (Nate Robinson) 16. Flop every single game in the playoffs 17. Choke 4 out of 5 finals games by dropping FG% by 18 18. Vow revenge for 2007 sweep, then proceed to choke again
He/She Who Speaks For The Innocent Is Eloquent Enough.
Democalypse 2012 - Cockblock the Vote
A Pennsylvania court upholds a controversial voter I.D. law that affects 9% of the entire state electorate, but that's the price you pay to prevent something that doesn't happen or make sense.
For those of you who continue to doubt whether the voter ID laws being passed around the country are a political tactic by Republicans to steal the vote in the 2012 election.
Whether you’re first or last, you will be in the seat that is assigned to you. So why is it that everyone has to get up and start huddling towards the gate entrance like its the day after Thanksgiving? This is specifically towards the “senior citizens”. They are usually cane-walking their way to form a line at the gate 15 minutes before the airline even announces they are ready to board. And if I make even the slightest movement in their direction I get a death stare through tinted glasses telling me to back off or die. All I can think about is how easy it would be to give one swift kick to the knee and the old man would collapse. I would never actually do this, but I’m just pointing out the fact that the possibility is there.
So now I’m waiting to board behind a giant huddle of old people and I begin to do a scan of the passengers I will be riding with. I first look for potential disaster passengers such as crying babies or sick people. Then it goes to uncomfortable passengers such as someone with obvious bad hygiene. And lastly is the most important scan: are there any hot chicks? Not that it actually matters because the chances of her sitting by me are slim, but there’s nothing else to do while waiting so I might as well make it interesting.
First the lady with the crying baby walks by. Thankfully she isn’t sitting by me but if she was, I don’t think it would be a problem for long. I don’t know this from experience, but I heard if you shake a baby long enough it stops crying. Don’t know if its true but it seems logical. Next the sick patient walks by. Once again I am grateful this passenger moves along. In these situations your best bet is to mention something about how you worship Satan or let something about a herpes outbreak slip under your breath. They’re essentially guaranteed to not interact with you the entire flight. And then the hot chick starts approaching. Its almost like she is holding up a sign that I can’t quite read until she gets to my row and the words “DENIED” are written on it. I mean come on, is it that much to ask to sit next to someone appealing for once? Maybe its a hot chick. Maybe she has a low cut shirt on. Maybe she laughs at my jokes. I don’t ask for much. But no, the hot chick moves on and who should sit down next to me but a “senior citizen”. I should have gone for the knee, after all...
At this point you are probably wondering why I don’t just read a book or listen to my iPod on the plane. Believe me, I do listen to my iPod, or read a book, or even watch a movie. I’m just saying if I’m going to be stuck in the same seat for 3 hours sitting next to someone else who is stuck in their seat for 3 hours, why not make the trip go by a little faster by having a decent conversation. And by “decent” I don’t mean listening to someone else’s problems or learning about their life story. Just something simple and interesting like sports or a good movie. Who knows, maybe no one wants to talk about sports or good movies or maybe I’m just the asshole that no one wants to talk to on the plane. But if that’s the case then they can piss off.
The plane takes off, I read my book and eventually the stress relieving voice of the pilot comes on and announces we are beginning our descent. This is great news in knowing that the ride is almost over, but also bad news because I know what is about to come next. Sure enough the plane lands and who would have thought the day after Thanksgiving rush could come twice in the same day. Seriously, sit the fuck down. We are all going to get off the plane and I’m guessing it will happen even quicker if we don’t herd ourselves into the aisle. I mean obviously we all need to rush off and get to baggage claim so we can wait there for 15 minutes instead of in the plane. But in a situation like this, who has the time to be rational?
In the end I’m still going to have to fly more no matter what. I guess the best I can do is be prepared with fresh reading material and the latest podcasts. And maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of this than it really is. But I’m not going to admit that because that would mean that I am wrong. And I am never wrong.
In his first interview since the successful Nation of Islam Saviours' Day 2011 convention, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sat down in the studio with popular radio host and long-time friend Cliff Kelley on WVON-AM 1690 for a two and a half hour conversation.
A critically important portion of the discussion centered on the unrest in the North African country of Libya which the Minister spoke about for the very first time during his recent keynote address. He provided even more layered contextual understanding when questioned by Mr. Kelley March 10. Then the subject of Libya was raised. When the western media began reporting on Libya, Febbruary 15, it seemed as if it was a foregone conclusion that Col. Muammar Gadhafi would be ousted in the country he has led for over 42 years. Now, nearly a month later, he remains in power. On March 12, the Arab League agreed on asking the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, days earlier, the African Union voted against it.
It is no secret that the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Libyan leader for decades. The United States has long opposed Col. Gadhafi and attempted to force him out of office even bombing his country during the Reagan administration, Minister Farrakhan noted.
The Minister blasted President Obama and Secretary Clinton for their arrogance in meddling in another sovereign nation's affairs and publicly recommending regime change.
Minister Farrakhan instructed Americans to look beneath the surface to see who stands to benefit from the unrest, and warned President Obama to be careful of the words coming from advisors lobbying him to move in with military forces to depose Col. Gadhafi.
"Well, today our dear brother (Obama) has to be very, very careful in this decision that he and his Secretary of State, and [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy and [British] Prime Minister [David] Cameron and others are planning. They would love to go into Libya and kill Brother Gadhafi, and kill his children as they did with Saddam Hussein and his sons, Qusay and Uday. You must remember, dear people of America, that whenever government wants you to think and act in a certain way that would bring justification to an action that they are already planning to make, they must make the person that they hate a 'boogey man,' " he said. Col. Gadhafi, who led a bloodless coup against a U.S. ally over 40 years ago, has seen constant negative publicity and was once called the "Mad Dog of the Middle East" by American leaders and analysts.
People unhappy with government are not solely in Libya, he pointed out. Many are unhappy with Mr. Obama, he said. The U.S. government has a long history of deposing leaders of other nations in order to get natural resources, more specifically-oil, he continued, saying the imperialistic forces are not interested in saving those being killed, it is just a "noble motive to hide your (the U.S. government's) wicked agenda!"
"When George W. Bush was president, he said they wanted regime change in Iran, in (North) Korea regime change-how do you get regime change America? How do you do that? Congress, the Congress of the United States, voted to spend $150 million to replace the government in Iran that America doesn't like, so they send their agents in to work among the dissatisfied. So when they had this election, and the people in Iran rose up, they have legitimate grievances, all right-but stimulated from the outside," Minister Farrakhan continued. "Well, what about Libya? How much money is being spent to arm the so-called rebels? They're dissatisfied! Well, what is their dissatisfaction about? Do they (Libyans) have jobs? Yes. Do they have food? Yes. Has Gadhafi used the oil money to build Libya? Yes. Did Gadhafi use oil money and discover water under the Sahara Desert, and brought that water to the surface; and brought water from Benghazi all the way to the border almost of Tunisia? Did he impose farming in the desert so that they could feed their own people? Yes. Are there billions of dollars that he's spending building homes, building apartments for his people? Yes. So something is under this!" said Minister Farrakhan.
"Is it that you're (U.S. officials) so concerned over the blood that is being shed in Libya, when you looked the other way when the Israeli Defense Force was bombing the innocent people of Gaza, unarmed men, women and children? ... You looked the other way when the Israeli Defense Force went into Lebanon thinking that they were going to have an easy victory, then you had to come out with your tail between your legs?"
Minister Farrakhan said Col. Gadhafi has been investing money in Africa, enjoys international friendship, and should not be killed simply because he is not America's friend. "Now, I want to warn you, in the Name of Allah, that this is more complex than what you think! Go into Libya if you want to. The Libyans do not want foreign occupation on their land. And when you make that kind of move, if you're not careful, you'll unite the Libyan people against you!"
Inside America members of the Branch Davidian religious sect were killed in 1993 in Waco, Texas, by federal law enforcement, while men, women and children of the MOVE organization were killed when police bombed their home during a 1985 standoff in Philadelphia, he said. Current American outrage is nothing but hypocrisy, the Minister said.
To President Obama, Minister Farrakhan delivered a pointed warning: "Don't let these wicked demons move you in a direction that will absolutely ruin your future with your people in Africa and throughout the world. They don't like the way you handled (former Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak! They don't like the way you're handling the situation in the Arab world! So I would advise you to be careful-and move with wisdom and skill.
And then, Minister Farrakhan offered President Obama some divine advice.
"Why don't you organize a group of respected Americans, and ask for a meeting with Gadhafi? You can't order him to step down, and get out-who the hell do you think you are, that you can talk to a man that built a country over 42 years, and ask him step down and get out? Can anybody ask you? Well, well there's a lot, now, [that are] going to ask you to step out of the White House, because they don't want a Black face in the White House," said Minister Farrakhan.
"Be careful, brother, how you handle this situation because it is coming to America! It has already started. Look in Wisconsin! Look in Ohio! Look at what's going on in your country! And remember your words because the American people are rising against their own government: It's not Muslims; it's not Black people! It's White militias that are angry with their government, and they are well armed. Are you going to tell them-'Put your arms down, and let's talk it over peacefully?' I hope so. But if not, America will be bathed in blood, not because Farrakhan said so, but because the dissatisfaction in America has reached the boiling point. Be careful how you manipulate the dissatisfaction in Libya and other parts of the Muslim world," he warned.
It's hard to have more swagger than Usman Ahmed. After getting introduced in his fight against Ashley Sexton in January of 2010, the British boxer showed off some of his incredible dance moves on his way to the ring. The fans got a kick out of the entrance, but the atmosphere changed once the match started. Less than two minutes into the fight, Sexton knocked Ahmed out with a brutal right hook. Ahmed's entrance turned out to be longer than the actual match. Scroll down to watch the video. (Get's really good At 2min 13 sec's for you impatient ones)
Nostradamus: Century 1, Quatrain 40: "The false trumpet concealing madness will cause Byzantium to change its laws. From Egypt there will go forth a man who wants the edict withdrawn, changing money and standards."
Is Nostradamus predicting current events in Egypt?
“The false trumpet concealing madness”
Could the “false trumpet” be the Islamic call to prayer, which hides the decay of Islamic society under dictatorship? I call it using religion to justify the madness of central control of a population by an elite.
“Will cause Byzantium to change its laws.”
Byzantium was the Eastern Roman Empire. Does this mean the Christian West will change its policy (laws) towards Egypt and the Islamic world in general? Very big changes are ahead!
“From Egypt there will go forth a man who wants the edict withdrawn, changing money and standards”
This speaks for itself: it is happening. It is a call for CHANGE! An economic change (money) and a change of ethics (standards). But who is the man from Egypt who will make this change happen? This remains to be seen…perhaps the new leader of Egypt? Or maybe someone even greater.
Old countries don't disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast- Egyptian saying
After dropping five passes in Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Steelers, Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson blamed an odd culprit for his struggles. Johnson tweeted after the game:
“I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO…”
Johnson did manage to record seven catches but dropped a 40-yard pass in the end zone in overtime that would have given the Bills their third consecutive win.
The third-year receiver leads the Bills with 59 receptions, 796 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Last week, Johnson had a career-high three touchdowns against the Bengals and celebrated by showing off his undershirt that quoted The Joker, reading “Why so serious?”
An old farmer decided it was time to get a new rooster for his
hens. The current rooster was still doing an okay job, but he was
getting on in years. The farmer figured getting a new rooster
couldn't hurt anything. So he buys a young cock from the local
rooster emporium, and turns him loose in the barn yard.
Well, the old rooster sees the young one strutting around and he
gets a little worried.
"So, they're trying to replace me," thinks the old rooster. "I've
got to do something about this."
He walks up to the new bird and says, "So you're the new stud in
town? I bet you really think you're hot stuff, don't you? Well
I'm not ready for the chopping block yet. I'll bet I'm still the
better bird. And to prove it, I challenge you to a race around
that hen house over there. We'll run around it ten times and
whoever finishes first gets to have all the hens for himself."
Well, the young rooster was a proud sort, and he definitely
thought he was more than a match for the old guy. "You're on,"
said the young rooster. "and since I know I'm so great, I'll even
give you a head start of half a lap. I'll still win easy."
So the two roosters go over to the hen house to start the race
with all the hens gathering around to watch. The race begins and
all the hens start cheering the roosters on. After the first lap,
the old rooster is still maintaining his lead. After the second
lap, the old guy's lead has slipped a little but he's still
hanging in there.
Unfortunately the old rooster's lead continues to slip each time
around, and by the fifth lap he's just barely in front of the
young rooster. By now the farmer has heard all the commotion. He
runs into the house, gets his shotgun, and runs out to the barn
yard figuring a fox or something is after his chickens. When he
gets there, he sees the two roosters running around the hen
house, with the old rooster still slightly in the lead.
He immediately takes his shotgun, aims, fires, and blows the
young rooster away. As he walks away slowly, he says to himself,
"Damn, that's the third gay rooster I've bought this month."
1. BLACK PEOPLE AREN'T PATRIOTIC- That is so wrong. Black folks are some of the most patriotic A-merry-cans. Trust me, I know, I have been in quite a few knock down drag out fights with my A-merry-can brothers and sisters about my patriotism, because I happen to have been born outside of the country. Black folks love this country. If they didn't, they would have burned it down a long time ago.
2. BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS AGREE WITH EACH OTHER- Nothing could be farther from the truth. Black folks love to argue and fight more than any other group. We don't ever agree on shit. Don't believe me? Put a bunch of black folks in a room and watch them try to come together around a common goal. Talk about "herding cats."
3. BLACK FOLKS ARE SOFT ON CRIME- This is for my colleague. I hope he is reading the blog tonight as well. Any trial lawyer who practices cases in urban areas knows this: Black folks tend to be actually tougher on criminals, because we are more often than not the victims of crimes committed by some of the people in our own neighborhoods. Sadly, the white man's grass is always greener mind set doesn't extend to the criminals among us. To them, our grass is the only one worth taking. So we have no love for that element among our people.
4. BLACK PEOPLE ARE VERY RELIGIOUS- Wrong! Black people love to go to church, but we are not very religious. We will go to church and talk shit about who is wearing what, and about what the pastor talked about in his sermon. But I honestly think that it's a small number of folks in the church who are really religious, or at least trying to be.
5. BLACK FOLKS ALL LOOK ALIKE- Come on now. Look at Flava Flav, and look at Denzel Washington and tell me if you still think that shit is true.
6. BLACK PEOPLE LOVE THEIR CARS MORE THAN THEIR HOUSES. Nope, that's a myth too. We black people just use our cars a a *crutch(thanks PFABA) because we can't get a nice house to live in. I bet if we had nice houses like white folks we would love our houses too. But our credit is fucked up and we can't come up with the $20,000 down payment for a house, so we invest what little money we do have into our cars.
7. BLACK PEOPLE ARE LAZY-Wrong wrong wrong. Black people have no incentive to work because we don't own shit. We figure we are working to make someone else rich, and we are always going to get paid just enough to keep the company profitable. It's why so many black folks work for the post office. We figure if we are going to work, it might as well be for a someone we pay taxes to. At least we can say we own some of the federal government, and we know that if it's not profitable they won't fire our asses.
8. BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS VOTE FOR THE BLACK CANDIDATE NO MATTER WHAT-Myth! Black people will vote for the black candidate if he is a democratic candidate. Just ask Michael Steele, and Alan Keys if they think black people always vote for the black candidate. A white democrat will beat a black republican in a black neighborhood every time. It's not about race, it's about party.
9. BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT ADVENTUROUS-Myth! When you are black every day is a fucking adventure. So we don't have to go searching for shit like bungee jumping, and sky diving to get an adrenalin rush. Just walking home from the bus stop is adventure enough for most black folks.
10. BLACK PEOPLE DON'T TIP-This is one of those self fulfilling prophecy deals. If you, the waiter, dumb down your service when you see black folks because you think they won't tip you, guess what's going to happen? You guessed it; bad service, low tip.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Seven U.S. Postal Service workers in Puerto Rico have been indicted on charges they shipped thousands of parcels of heroin, cocaine and marijuana through the mail, the Drug Enforcement Administration said Wednesday. The mail carriers, who are among 20 people charged in the case, took advantage of their jobs to ship drugs between Puerto Rico, Texas, California and Arizona, according to a DEA statement.
As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is a favored transit point for drugs from South America because once they arrive in this Caribbean island, they do not have to clear customs to reach the American mainland. Agents from the DEA and the postal service's Office of Inspector General were executing arrest warrants for the defendants in pre-dawn raids around the San Juan metropolitan area.
The DEA investigation, named Operation Dirty Eagles, involved undercover agents who hired the mail carriers to ship parcels purportedly containing cocaine and heroin, according to the statement. The trafficking ring allegedly smuggled at least 100,000 pounds (45,000 kilograms) of marijuana worth more than $150 million into Puerto Rico over the last three years.
The mail carriers also are accused of facilitating the shipment of guns from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico.
Louie Rankin (b. Leonard Ford) was born in St. Thomas, Jamaica even though he was brought up in Rockfort, Warika Hill and finally East Kingston. Musically he is perhaps best known for the crossover hit »Typewriter« released in the early 90's. He has been an active deejay since the early 80's though with noticeable singles such as »Vibes Inna Me« that was featured on the Tidal Wave album comprised by Nicodemus, Louie himself, Bobby Culture and Brimstone & Fire.
L. Rankin has also found success as an actor in the movies Shottas and Belly. The latter directed by Hype Williams and also Louie's film debut. He is probably the only reggae artist to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Louie Rankin often refers to himself as the Original Don Dada.
I smoke two joints in the morning, I smoke two joints at night. I smoke two joints in the afternoon, And it makes me feel alright. Smoke two joints in time of peace, Into the time of war. Smoke two joints before I smoke two joints, And then I smoke some more.....
I've always had a guilty curiosity about the life of a pimp. Of course, we have those "pimp stereotypes" in films like "The Mack" and "Willie Dynamite." But do we really, really know ALL about this lucrative, though immoral, profession? Thanks to the Hughes Brothers, now we do.
First of all, this well-made documentary doesn't glorify the life of street pimps. I'm sure a lot of you out there (especially women) will take one look at a film like this, and say to yourself, "Why the hell do I want to watch a movie about greedy, heartless, misogynistic 'mack daddies' who make a living at degrading women for their own financial pleasure?" The Hughes Brothers don't try to take sides. In fact, the film opens with a montage of opinions (mostly negative) from everyday people about these pimps. Whether you condone the industry or condemn it, that's not the issue.
Allen and Albert Hughes do a wonderful job at intercutting the views and "days in the lives" of real pimps with clips from seventies blaxploitation flicks and topping it off with a vivid soundtrack filled with classic soul music. The film starts out by showing the more luxurious, darkly comic side of pimping. It's interesting to learn what real pimps really have to say. Of course, their vocabularies practically consist of three words: "ni**a," "motherf**ker" and "b**ch." But hey, that's how they talk. Am I going to blame the Hughes Brothers for writing an excessively profane script? They didn't write a script! This is how these pimps really talk!
As the film goes on, we learn the more serious side of pimping. We learn the pimping REALLY ain't easy. But at the same time, they're not completely heartless. When one of their "hos" die or get sucked into drug addiction, they can't go on with their lives like nothing happened. And it's interesting to see how different pimps took different paths. Some decided to quit the business and concentrate on raising their families, some ended up in the penitentiary and some (believe it or not) found religion. But some still feel that pimping is the way to go, and though it's immoral, they don't necessarily think it's wrong. We even get a brief introduction into the lives of "legal pimps." You know, those clean-cut white guys with the fancy whorehouses with quality hookers who will do anything they please for a large sum of money.
Expect to see gratuitous close-ups of female rear ends. At times, you feel as if you're watching a 2 Live Crew video. This is another film that I can consider a feminist's nightmare. Nevertheless, it's wonderfully done, eye-catching, compelling, funny and sometimes heartfelt. The Hughes meant to explore the subject without patronizing it. And I found it quite fascinating. If there happened to be a filmmaker who explored the world of pimping before these guys, then let me know. Until then, I give Allen and Albert two thumbs up for taking on daring subject matter involving an underworld of people often overlooked--or broadly portrayed--by the average filmmaker.
Remember this chick? Ms Cleo, the tarot card, crystal ball, 1-800 fortune telling, tele-scammer?
How many of you minkeys n monkeys actually called this number? ….. Yeah Right!?!
Truth be told we all knew she was a scam and so did she. But you know what, a hell of a lot of people “believed” in her n $he cashed in…. She knew and we knew but she damned conventional thought and wisdom! She marketed a lie in the form of hope and people believed. I know there are others like me who at one point thought about calling her at 3.28am on a Sunday, not because I was wasted, but just to see .....
My question to you is this. Are you telling the lies or are you listening?
An article in today'sWashington Post caught my eye with its description of an incident of road rage I would have thought more likely tho show up in a movie.
According to the report, the driver of one car: “Threw open the door of his silver Jaguar on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 95 in Prince William County and fired 13 shots at a dump truck, terrifying Tuesday evening commuters, Virginia State Police said.
The two drivers “drove recklessly and in a rage down a four-mile stretch of highway.”
But gunfire?
I’m sure most of us who drive have been angered by other motorists. A driver who cuts you off, who zips past at great speed only to pull in front of you and slow down, a tailgater, and on and on. But as drivers, aren’t we supposed to stay calm and in control?
Born Diana Spencer on July 1st, 1961, near Sandringham, England. Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most adored members of the British royal family. She was the daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Burke Roche, Viscountess Althorp (later known as the Honorable Frances Shand Kydd). Her parents divorced when Diana was young, and her father won custody of her and her siblings. She was educated first at Riddlesworth Hall and then went to boarding school at West Heath School.
She became Lady Diana Spencer after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975. Although she was known for her shyness growing up, she did show an interest in music and dancing. Diana also had a great fondness for children. After attending finishing school at the Institut Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland, she moved to London. She began working with children, eventually becoming a kindergarten teacher at the Young England School.
Diana was no stranger to the British royal family, having reportedly played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward as a child while her family rented Park House, an estate owned by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1977, she became reacquainted with their older brother, Prince Charles, who was 13 years her senior.
As the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles was usually the subject of media attention and his courtship of Diana was no exception. The press and the public were fascinated by this seemingly odd couple — the reserved, garden-loving prince and the shy young woman with an interest in fashion and popular culture. When the couple married on July 29, 1981, the ceremony was broadcast on television around the world, with millions of people tuning in to see what many considered to be the wedding of the century.
On June 21, 1982, Diana and Charles had their first child: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis. He was joined by a brother, Prince Henry Charles Albert David — known widely as "Prince Harry" — more than two years later on September 15, 1984. Initially overwhelmed by her royal duties and the intense media coverage of nearly every aspect of her life, she began to develop and pursue her own interests. Diana served a strong supporter of many charities and worked to help the homeless, people living with HIV and AIDS, and children in need.
In July 1993 Diana travelled to Zimbabwe in southern Africa. She was there on behalf of the British Red Cross, Help the Aged and the Leprosy Mission, all for whom she is a patron, visiting various health projects.
During the trip Diana visited Aids victims, leprosy missions, young disabled schoolchildren and the old, often on the verge of tears. A couple of days before the trip Diana's grandmother, Lady Fermoy died, but the trip went on. She and her party all flew economy class to save money.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles did not lead to a happily-ever-after marriage. The two became estranged over the years, and there were reports of infidelities from both parties. During their union, Diana struggled with depression and bulimia. The couple's separation was announced in December 1992 by British Prime Minister John Major, who read a statement from the royal family to the House of Commons. The divorce was finalized in 1996.
Even after the divorce, Diana maintained a high level of popularity. She devoted herself to her sons and to such charitable efforts as the battle against the use of land mines. Diana used her international celebrity to help raise awareness about this issue. She also continued to experience the negative aspects of fame — her 1997 romance with Egyptian film producer and playboy Dodi Al-Fayed caused quite a stir and created a media frenzy. While visiting Paris, the couple was involved in a car crash after trying to escape from the paparazzi on the night of August 30, 1997
Diana initially survived the crash, but later succumbed to her injuries at a Paris hospital a few hours later. Al-Fayed and the driver were also killed, and a bodyguard was seriously injured. French authorities investigated the crash and the driver was found to have a high level of alcohol in his system at the time of the accident. The role of the pursuing photographers in the tragedy was also scrutinized.
News of her sudden, senseless death shocked the world. Thousands turned out to pay tribute to the "people's princess" during her funeral procession. The funeral was held at Westminister Abbey, which was broadcast on television. Her body was later buried at her family's estate, Althorp.
In 2007, marking the tenth anniversary of her death, her sons, Princes William and Harry, honored their beloved mother with a special concert to be held on what would have been her 46th birthday. The proceeds of the event went to charities supported by Diana and her sons.
Continuing her charitable efforts is the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Established after her death, the fund provides grants to numerous organizations and supports initiatives to provide care to the sick in Africa, help refugees, and stop the use of land mines.
Arthur John (Jack) Johnson was the first black and first Texan, to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world.
Born in Galveston Texas on March 31, 1878, he was the second of six children of Henry and Tiny Johnson. Henry was a former slave and his family was poor. After leaving school in the fifth grade, Johnson worked odd jobs around South Texas. He started boxing as a sparring partner and fought in the "battles royal," matches in which young blacks entertained white spectators who threw money to the winner.
Johnson turned professional in 1897 following a period with private clubs in Galveston. His family's home was destroyed by the great hurricane of 1900. A year later he was arrested and jailed because boxing was a criminal profession in Texas. He soon left Galveston for good.
Johnson first became the heavyweight champion of Negro boxing. Jim Jeffries, the white champ at the time, refused to fight Johnson because he was black. Then, in 1908, Johnson knocked out Tommy Burns in Australia to become world champion, although he was not officially given the title until 1910 when he finally fought and beat Jeffries in Reno. Jeffries had come out of retirement to become the first of many so-called "great white hopes."
Race rioting was sparked after the Johnson-Jeffries fight. A number of leading American film companies joined forces to shoot footage of the Jeffries-Johnson fight and turn it into a feature-length documentary film, at the cost of $100,000. The film was distributed widely in the U.S. and was exhibited internationally as well. As a result, Congress banned prize fight films from 1912 until 1940. In 2005, the film of the Jeffries-Johnson "Fight of the Century" was entered into the United States National Film Registry as being worthy of preservation. The Texas Legislature banned films of his victories over whites for fear of more riots.
Johnson didn't merely offend the whites through his physical prowess, but also through his flaunting of wealth, racing cars, and most egregiously, associating with white women, often several at a time. This was also a great offense to many blacks.
Johnson was charged with violating the Mann Act in November 1912 for traveling across state lines with his white mistress, prior to the enactment of the Act. The Mann Act was designed to stop the interstate prostitution trade. It was not intended, and could not reasonably interpreted to apply to consensual adults. In 1913, Johnson fled because of the trumped up charges of violating the “Mann Act's” stipulations against transporting white women across state lines for prostitution.
During his exile from the U.S., Johnson lost his championship to a white man, Jess Willard, in Cuba in 1915. He returned to the U.S. on July 20, 1920 and was arrested.
Sentenced to Leavenworth in Kansas, Johnson was appointed athletic director of the prison. Upon his release, he returned to boxing, but only participated in exhibition fights after 1928.
Although married three times, Johnson never had children. He died in a car crash June 10, 1946, near Raleigh, North Carolina.
Shirley Chisholm was born as Shirley Anita St. Hill on Nov. 30, 1924, in New York City to Barbadian parents.
At age three, Chisholm was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother, Emaline Seale, in Christ Church Barbados. She did not return until roughly seven years later when she arrived in New York City on May 19, 1934 aboard the S.S. Narissa. In her 1970 autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, she wrote: "Years later I would know what an important gift my parents had given me by seeing to it that I had my early education in the strict, traditional, British -style schools of Barbados. If I speak and write easily now, that early education is the main reason.”
Chisholm earned her BA from Brooklyn College in 1946 and later earned her MA from Columbia University in elementary education in 1952. She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
In 1949, she married Conrad Chisholm, a Jamaican who worked as a private investigator. Shirley and her husband participated in local politics, helping form the Bedford-Stuyvesant political League. In addition to participating in politics, Chisholm worked in the field of day care until 1959. In 1960, she started the Unity Democratic Club. The Unity Club was instrumental in mobilizing black and Hispanic voters.
In 1964 Chisholm ran for a state assembly seat. She won and served in the New York General Assembly from 1964 to 1968. During her tenure in the legislature, she proposed a bill to provide state aid to day-care centers and voted to increase funding for schools on a per-pupil basis. In 1968, after finishing her term in the legislature, Chisholm campaigned to represent New York's Twelfth Congressional District. Her campaign slogan was "Fighting Shirley Chisholm--Unbought and Unbossed." She won the election and became the first African American woman elected to Congress.
During her first term in Congress, Chisholm hired an all-female staff and spoke out for civil rights, women's rights, the poor and against the Vietnam War. In 1970, she was elected to a second term. She was a sought-after public speaker and cofounder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She remarked that, "Women in this country must become revolutionaries. We must refuse to accept the old, the traditional roles and stereotypes."
On January 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her candidacy for president. She stood before the cameras and in the beginning of her speech she said,
"I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people."
The 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami was the first major convention in which any woman was considered for the presidential nomination. Although she did not win the nomination, she received 151 of the delegates' votes. She continued to serve in the House of Representatives until 1982. She retired from politics after her last term in office. She has received many honorary degrees, and her awards include Alumna of the Year, Brooklyn College; Key Woman of the Year; Outstanding Work in the Field of Child Welfare; and Woman of Achievement.
.jpg)
