Now That the Smoke Has Cleared...

Barack Obama showed up at high noon in the center of town. He turned and walked 20 paces. As the people braced for what was about to happen, he reached for his weapon and fired. *POW* A thick cloud of smoke makes it difficult to see who got hit...

After yesterday's events I was left feeling deflated, despondent, discouraged, in disbelief, dismayed and downright dissed. Over the last 24 hours I've received irate phone calls, traded emails, read blog sites and analysis, listened to national radio commentary, and pondered the question "Where do we go from here?" I was emotional when it first happened. I and many in my circle were disappointed. We were numb, not able to comprehend what we had just heard.

Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite, favorite scriptures and I have learned over the years to "Be still...". Sometimes we need to stop, take a deep breath and just be still. Let the dust settle and the smoke clear. Never make an emotional decision.

Roland Martin, CNN commentator has eloquently put this whole situation into perspective.

Now, let's refocus. Let's take back our agenda. Let's put the issues back on the table and not be duped by a cleverly constructed smoke screen. Jeremiah Wright is not running for President. He is not responsible for the state we are in and he will not create the policies that will change our course. YES, Barack Obama is a politician, but let us not buy into the subtle distrust that is feeding the division. We are not choosing between Obama and Wright.

To quote the song my mama used to sing around the house when times were hard, "Nobody told me that the road would be easy...I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me." Listen folks, we've come too far as a people to have this page in history re-written before it even makes it into the book. We need to finish this and not allow them to use fear to run us back into the house and into the fields.

I referred to the Willie Lynch letter yesterday and it bears repeating:

"...I take these differences and make them bigger. I use FEAR, DISTRUST and ENVY for control purposes. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male....BEING A FOOL IS ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF ANY INCIDENTS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SLAVERY SYSTEM."

Don't be fooled. On BOTH sides of the table, Republican and Democratic, they are all sitting together in the back rooms smoking cigars, drinking brandy, and slapping high fives. Amused at how after hundreds of years, it's still working like a charm. Meanwhile, we're distracted, fighting, arguing, bickering, and assassinating one another's character for the sake of posturing and looking good in front of "them". They want us to turn on him. They want us to despise and distrust him. They want us to do the dirty work of tearing him down. In no way am I suggesting that we not hold him accountable as we should do with ANY and EVERY elected official. What I am saying is that we need to STAY FOCUSED on November. STAY FOCUSED on January. STAY FOCUSED on healthcare, education, economy, foreign policy, supreme court appointments, and all the other issues that will affect our children's children. As one of my good friends always says - don't fall for the banana in the tailpipe. IT'S A TRICK, A DISTRACTION, SMOKE & MIRRORS!!!

The Civil War ended over 140 years ago. North and South pitted brother against brother and they shed the blood of their fathers. Now it's time to get on the same side despite our differences and despite our disagreements. This time we know what we're fighting for, and we know who our enemy is. Turn the page. Change the subject.

Yes We [Still] Can.

Obama vs. Wright: Divide and Conquer

"...I HAVE OUTLINED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SLAVES; AND I TAKE THESE DIFFERENCES AND MAKE THEM BIGGER. I USE FEAR, DISTRUST AND ENVY FOR CONTROL PURPOSES. ...DISTRUST IS STRONGER THAN TRUST AND ENVY STRONGER THAN ADULATION, RESPECT OR ADMIRATION. The Black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for HUNDREDS of years, maybe THOUSANDS. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male.

...BEING A FOOL IS ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF ANY INCIDENTS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SLAVERY SYSTEM."

Excerpts from the "Willie Lynch letter: The Making of a Slave".

I got a call while I was out at lunch from my girlfriend Tiffany. Sounding alarmed and excited, she wanted to know if I was watching CNN. She mentioned that she was in a restaurant or something and could see the picture but not hear the what was being said. Barak Obama was on and the words she was reading did not sound so good. As I turned on CNN for myself, I was in total shock at the words splattered across the screen. Barak Obama was standing at a podium at a press conference, visibly ticked-off, disclaiming everything (see Obama 'outraged' by Wright's remarks article at CNN.com) that Rev. Jeremiah Wright said yesterday during the National Press Club appearance.

Obama took questions from the press and was clear to brand Wright's appearance before the National Press Club yesterday (see video here) as a "performance" saying "yesterday was a bunch of rants not grounded in truth." "It was a show of disrespect to me...she [Michelle] was similarly angered." Obama also stated that everything that Rev. Wright said contradicts who he is and what he believes and that Wright didn't show consideration for him or his campaign.

Now, the question that the media has posed for weeks is how will Rev. Wright affect Barak Obama's electability? Prior to today, I would have said that it wouldn't have had much of an effect, but now I'm not so sure. Is Barak getting caught playing politics? Is Rev. Wright insensitive to Barak's campaign and speaking out at the wrong time? Should Barak have stood strong in defense of his pastor? Should Wright have backed out of the spotlight to let Obama shine?

The bible says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The Willie Lynch letter (whether fictional or not) proves that division can be institutionalized and used for generations to control people. I believe that we are in the midst of watching that theory try to play itself out. Pitting old black man against the young black man and the young black man against the old black man. Now, we are taking sides. We either agree with the old black man or the young black man. We are deciding to vote for Obama or against him based on whether or not we perceive that he is standing up for his "house". We have watched the media create a frenzy around Rev. Wright and Obama. They have injected distrust and anger, fears and vocabulary words that most of us have now incorporated into our normal lexicon. We are now standing on two sides. Divided by our desire to see history made and our desire to make a sound decision that will impact our generations. Divided by our desire to hear Obama stand up for Rev. Wright and our knowing that he has to play the political game. Divided by the feeling that Barak sold Wright out for political gain and that Wright sold Obama out for the purpose of pontification.

Karl Rove recently published an article giving some "advice" to Barak Obama and I hate to say I saw it coming, but his #2 pointer was:

When you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. You said you weren't sitting in church when he said those ugly things. Two days later, you excused him, saying his comments didn't give "a well-rounded portrait" of him. Two days after that, you condemned his statements as "not only wrong but divisive" but still couldn't "disavow him" any more than you could your grandmother. Ten days later, you implied if Wright hadn't retired, you might have left his church. It would have been better to say from the start that Wright's words were wrong and offensive and you should have spoken out earlier. The applause would have been deafening.

Is Obama buckling under the pressure to conform to Washington politics? I wonder if we will see his campaign strategy conform to Rove's advice. I'll be watching closely. You should too.

These recent developments beg us to revisit the question, "What is the Prize?"

Public Enemy #1

I have to admit that before today, I had never purposed to read one of Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches. The "I Have a Dream Speech" runs every year in January and again in February for Black History Month. People of various backgrounds - conservative, liberal, black, white, male, female - all seemly have acquiesced to the notion that MLK is the greatest example of a black American to have ever lived. I'm amused when I read comments on blogs and hear media pundits exclaiming that MLK was a great American and that he taught love and tolerance. He was never divisive or anti-American.

The idea here is to contrast Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the profound pastor who has recently been thrust into the international spotlight (not of his own choice), with Dr. Martin Luther King who is the "American standard" by which the black church and black preachers are to be measured.

In reading an article in Time.com (excerpt below), my thirst for knowing more about MLK heightened.

Many Americans who were shocked by the clips of Wright's sermons have only known a Disney-fied version of the black church. We know about the good music,
but don't listen to the lyrics of pain and suffering. We praise the rousing preaching without paying attention to the words. Civil rights leaders have become aging wise men revered for their inspirational sayings, not radical activists who preached truth to power. "There is so much more going on in black churches than gospel music," says Emilie Townes, professor of African American religion at Yale Divinity School.

The poster boy of the reimagined black church is Martin Luther King, Jr. "King said America suffered from a 'congenital disease' and that disease is racism," notes Eddie Glaude, Princeton professor of religion. He says that King's speech against the Vietnam War, delivered at Riverside Church in April 1967, was not a feel-good speech. "It was a passionate cry to speak to these enormous problems that were linked to America's imperialism and militarism, and what he saw as the evils of capitalism." By that point int his career, King had been banned from Lyndon Johnson's White House. The New York Times condemned his speech, running an editorial calling it "Dr. King's Error." And Barry Goldwater said King "bordered a little bit on treason."

Everybody wants to have the race conversation, but no one wants to hear what's being said. Rev. Wright has been nothing if not consistent in his cry for unification despite our differences in race, faith, education, social class, or political preference. The media is on a daily mission to parse out certain statements that Rev. Wright has made and spin them into a series of whacked-out, hate-spewing, race-baiting rants of an angry black man stuck in a 1960s mentality. He has become the poster child for everything that's wrong in America. Rev. Jeremiah Wright is public enemy #1. This has nothing to do with Barack Obama. It has everything to do with the a sense of entitlement that tells certain people that they have a valid voice and that others who do not meet the media's approval or makes the status quo uncomfortable need to disappear or be exiled to outer darkness.

This episode in our history is riveting, stimulating, and infuriating all at the same time. The lack of objective reporting in the media is being revealed and exposed like never before. The accessibility of the internet is allowing us to seek out the truth for ourselves and make our own intelligent decisions. The media would have you believe that "mainstream America" is so outraged over Rev. Wright's remarks and ready to burn him at the stake, but I believe that is the furthest from the truth. They want us to think that he is wrong and they are right. They want us to believe that he is an elitist who is dividing this great nation and that poor and disenfranchised blacks now have an excuse to be uneducated, angry, and violent because Wright is stirring the pot. They would have you believe that he is a media hungry, arrogant, anti-Christian heretic. They are afraid that this intelligent, black, scholar who speaks 5 languages has 2 masters degrees and has influence beyond their control - will raise blacks and whites to a higher level of consciousness. Don't allow television to brainwash you into thinking that the FoxNews and CNN analysts are right and everyone else is wrong.

It's time to turn the tables on the media. Talk about it, blog about it, email about it, comment about it. Go on CNN.com, FoxNews.com, MSNBC.com, Time.com and any other site you come across and let your voices be heard. Gone are the days of objective journalism. There is no such thing as fair and balanced. Turn the tables on the media who is pushing their agenda on you and PUSH BACK! The time for silence is over. This is a call for change.

Keeping it in the Family

DNA testing has proved that an Austrian man has fathered 6 children by his own daughter. According to CNN.com, 73-year old Josef Fritzl kept his now 42-year old daughter imprisoned under his home for 24 years. The man's wife had NO IDEA that a whole other family was living in a dungeon in her basement. There was a seventh child who died shortly after birth.

The children are 19, 18, 15, 14, 12 and 6.

Here's the timeline:

1977: Elisabeth Fritzl claims she was first abused by her father Josef when she was 11 years old.

1984: Elisabeth is allegedly lured into the cellar of her house and drugged and handcuffed by her father. She is forced to write letters saying she has run away from home.

1988: Her first child, Kerstin, is born.

1989: Elisabeth gives birth to her first son, Stefan.

1993: A baby, nine-month-old Lisa, is left on the doorstep of the Fritzl house, with a letter asking Josef and his wife Rosemarie to look after her.

1994: Another child, Monika, arrives with another similar note and is adopted by the Fritzls.

1996: Elisabeth gives birth to twins, but one dies after three days. Josef allegedly burnt the body.

1997: Alexander, the surviving twin, is moved upstairs to join rest of family.

2003: Another letter from Elisabeth arrives saying she had a second son, Felix, the previous year. he is also raised in the cellar.

2008:
April 19: Kerstin is taken to hospital after falling serious ill, and doctors discover that her grandfather is in fact her father.

April 20-27: Josef releases Elisabeth along with Stefan and Felix and tells wife they have chosen to return home.

April 26: Police pick up Josef and Elisabeth near the Amstetten hospital where Kerstin is being treated.

April 27: Josef admits his guilt following Elisabeth's statement.

April 28: Police search the family's house and discover cramped cellar with special security door.

April 29: Josef Fritzl appears in court.

Elisabeth told police that only her father supplied her and her children with food and clothing, and that she did not think her mother, Rosemarie, knew anything about their situation.

Police continued to question Josef Fritzl and he led police to the underground cellar on Sunday. A day later, he confessed to raping his daughter, keeping her and their children in captivity, and burning the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house. The retired electrical engineer faces a possible 15 years in prison if charged and convicted of rape.

The Time is WRIGHT!

To quote CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, "an unbelievable speech!" The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. delivered in Detroit at the NAACP's Freedom Fund Dinner. (read CNN article here)

See the speech in its entirety in four parts here.

I have heard many people, black and white, ponder why Rev. Jeremiah Wright did not just slink away into the shadows and disappear for the sake of Barack Obama's campaign. The assumption is that he should be so ashamed and live in isolation and condemnation for remarks that were taken out of context. Oh, how they miscalculated and underestimated this Man of God.

My friend Daniel and I were trading text messages as his address to the NAACP was progressing and Daniel mentioned that he liked the mix of "Christ and justice." My response was that it was not a mix. One cannot exist without the other. Rev. Wright's voice has been exposed to the world for an express purpose. The bible says that if hell and satan's demons had known who Jesus was, they would have never crucified him. I venture to say that if FoxNews, and the media lynch mob who propagated their agenda against Obama by continually blowing up sound bites, had known who Jeremiah Wright was, they would have NEVER given him the platform that he has been catapulted to today.

The time is right for Jeremiah Wright. He has the ears of the world hanging on his every word. The theme of his speech was that African Americans are "different, not deficient" and that a change is gonna come. It was funny, it was serious, it was responsible, it was honest, it was enlightening, it was thought provoking, and it was convicting. Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech on race in America may have been been a spark, but Rev. Wright's speech was a like fire from heaven.

NOT GUILTY! Cops Acquitted in Sean Bell Murder

The verdict is in and the three New York City detectives who shot Sean Bell to death outside a strip club in Queens just hours before he was to be married, have been found not guilty. Bell, who was unarmed, was killed in a blaze of 50 bullets - one of the detectives even stopped to reload his semi-automatic. (source)

Justice Arthur Cooperman said he found problems with the prosecution's case. He said some prosecution witnesses contradicted themselves, and he cited prior convictions and incarcerations of witnesses. He also cited the demeanor of some witnesses on the stand.
Here's the background on the case:

The strip club was under investigation by a NYPD undercover unit looking into complaints of guns, drugs and prostitution. Undercover detectives were inside the club, and plain-clothes officers were stationed outside.

Witnesses said that about 4 a.m., closing time, as Bell and his friends left the club, an argument broke out. Believing that one of Bell's friends, Joseph Guzman, was going to get a gun from Bell's car, one of the undercover detectives followed the men and called for backup.

Bell, Guzman and Trent Benefield got into the car, with Bell at the wheel. The detectives drew their weapons, said Guzman and Benefield, who testified that they never heard the plain-clothes detectives identify themselves as police.

Bell was in a panic to get away from the armed men, his friends testified.

The detectives thought Bell was trying to run down one of them, according to their lawyers, believed that their lives were in danger and started shooting.

In a frantic 911 call, police can be heard saying, "Shots fired. Undercover units involved."

A total of 50 bullets were fired by five NYPD officers. Only three were charged with crimes.

Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Marc Cooper was acquitted of reckless endangerment.

The announcement immediately sparked anger among some in the crowd outside the courthouse. Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have been monitoring the trial. It is likely authorities will conduct a review to determine whether there were any civil rights violations.

This is gonna get ugly.

UPDATE: Controversial North Carolina Republican Ad

Check out the ad below. These people are crazy for real.

To voice your disgust with this ad email the N.C. Republican Party at mailto:email@ncgop.org.

By now you've heard the rumbling about the television ad that is set to run in North Carolina on Monday. It was created by the N.C. Republican Party and John McCain has called it despicable and not a reflection of the tone of his campaign, yet the party chairwoman Linda Daves has refused to pull the ad.

The ad is an attack against two North Carolina Democratic gubernatorial candidates, but the punchline is an association that they try to draw between the two candidates endorsement of Barak Obama, and the controversial remarks made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This ad is such a stretch and absolutely manufactures a theory that because Obama's former pastor is controversial and the state's democratic candidates endorse Obama, then somehow the judgement of the candidates needs to be questioned because of Obama's past affiliation with Wright. (...WTH?)

I got the opportunity to hear Ms. Daves give a live interview with Michael Baisden and Roland Martin this afternoon, and I tell you, she is in another world (check out Roland's blog on essence.com for his perspective). To hear her condescending tone and race baiting was infuriating. She tried to insinuate that Roland was an angry black man. She talked down to both Michael and Roland like they were third graders. Daves sounded like one of those people who is finally the head of something and now is drunk with power. She constantly reiterated that she was the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and it was her duty to ensure that the people of North Carolina questioned the judgement of the two candidates and that they issue a "denounce and reject" type statement of Jeremiah Wright (who has absolutely nothing to do with politics in North Carolina!).

To top it all, John McCain has "asked" that the ad be pulled as it is not a reflection of the kind of campaign that he wants to run. Daves has refused to do so and will run the ad starting Monday. Obama campaign spokesman, Hari Sevugan, just released this statement: “The fact that Senator McCain can’t get his own party to take down this misleading, personal attack ad raises serious questions about his promise to the American people that he will run a civil, respectful campaign.”

Rev. Jeremiah Wright Speaks

After much character assassination and condemnation by the media, Rev. Jeremiah Wright has finally emerged and is ready to talk. In an interview with PBS that will air Friday, Wright expressed frustration with how his sermons had been portrayed by the news media and critics of Obama's White House bid. (source)

“I felt it was unfair,” he told PBS' Bill Moyers according to released excerpts. “I felt it was unjust. I felt it was untrue. I felt that those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious reasons.” Speaking to PBS, Wright did not recant his past sermons. "The persons who have heard the entire sermon understand the communication perfectly," he said.

"The message that is being communicated by the sound bites is exactly what those pushing those sound bites want to communicate," he said, adding later, “I think they wanted to communicate that I am unpatriotic, that I am un-American, that I am filled with hate speech, that I have a cult at Trinity United Church of Christ — and by the way, guess who goes to his church, hint, hint, hint? That’s what they wanted to communicate.”

Wright also said he has never discussed politics with Obama. “He goes out as a politician and says what he has to say as a politician. I continue to be a pastor who speaks to the people of God about the things of God.”

I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing about this. Apparently, this is the only ammunition that anyone has on Obama and most of it was manufactured and sensationalized for dramatic effect. Here are several reasons why this is not important:

1. gas costs $4/gal

2. teenagers have STDs, are planning bombings and attacks, and beating each other up on video

3. people are losing their homes to foreclosure

4. jobs are shutting down or laying off

5. rice is being rationed at Sams and Costco

6. 8-year olds are being abused and working in slave sweatshops to produce shrimp

We seriously need to start boycotting the news organizations for keeping this mess alive. Enough is enough.

Wesley Snipes Gets 3 Years in Prison

Yep. Nino Brown is going to the pen. According to CNN.com,

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison and fined up to $5 million Thursday for failing to file federal tax returns. It was the maximum sentence
possible under federal sentencing guidelines. Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failure to file federal income tax returns.

U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a "history of contempt over a period of time" for U.S. tax laws. Snipes apologized while reading from a written statement for his "costly mistakes," but never mentioned the word taxes.

Snipes will serve one year of supervised release. Snipes and co-defendant Douglas P. Rosile remain free and will be notified when they are to surrender to authorities.

So, another one bites the dust. They got Willie Nelson. They got Red Foxx. Ron Isley is behind bars for taxes. Now Wesley is going upstate for stiffing Uncle Sam. Maybe we should all go rent New Jack City or Jungle Fever or Blade or White Men Can't Jump so that Wes can at least get enough royalties coming in to pay the $5Mil back.

Wow...since Wesley is off the streets, who's left to hold it down for the coffee brothas? Does this mean "light skinned" is comin' back in?

*in a baseball announcer's voice* Djimon Hounsou steps to the plate for Team Coffee. He's their last hope. With 2 out and the team down by 3 runs, Akon is on first. Seal is ready at second base. Idris Elba is ready to steal home. Will they pull out a win after losing their strongest batter? Here comes the pitch *collective gasp*...

...on a side note, when is somebody gonna send R. Kelly to jail?!?!

Eating Bananas May Produce Boys?

According to the old nursery rhyme, little boys are made of "snips and snails and puppy dog tails." No one ever mentioned anything about bananas.

Scientists at Britain's Oxford and Exeter Universities have confirmed that women can influence the gender of their child with what they eat before they conceive, according to new research that lends scientific support to age-old superstitions about pregnancy. (source)

"We were able to confirm the old wives' tale that eating bananas and so having a high potassium intake was associated with having a boy, as was a high sodium intake," research leader Fiona Mathews, a specialist in mammalian biology at Exeter University, told the Guardian newspaper.

"But the old take about drinking a lot of milk to have a girl doesn't seem to hold up. In fact, more calcium meant they were again more likely to have a boy."

Mathews said the study pointed to a simple technique to influencing the chances of a male birth: Eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. "If you want a boy, eat a healthy diet with a high calorie intake, including breakfast," she told New Scientist magazine.

Interesting. I'll have to remember this one.

Louisiana Senate Panel Rejects Saggy Pants Bill

Right here in Baton Rouge, the AP reports that a Louisiana State Senate panel rejected a bill on Tuesday that would make it a crime to wear one's pants too low, even as towns around Louisiana have been banning saggy pants from their streets.

Sen. Derrick Shepherd's bill would have made it illegal to wear, in public, clothing that "intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of the buttocks or genitals." Violators would have faced a fine of up to $175 and eight days of community service.

Sen. Yvonne Dorsey said she disliked the look of baggy pants but wanted to defend the public's right to wear their clothes as they wish. "When we begin to take the freedom of speech away ... I think we're doing something that's just not right," said Dorsey, a Democrat.

I totally agree with Sen. Dorsey. It's an eye sore, but where do you draw the line? Do you fine the women who proudly display a "camel toe" or the man who's jeans are so tight there's no hope for him to ever produce children? What about the repairman who can't work unless his crack can breathe? Though we may not love the look, these clowns have the right to look foolish. Just train your boys better...and your girls.

At 33 years old, I don't find a man or boy with his pants hanging below his waist very alluring at all. I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to walk around holding their pants up. What happens when you need to use 2 hands to do something? Do you sacrifice the pants or the ice cream cone? Something has to give...right?

The funniest thing I've ever seen was a young man walking down the street with his pants sagging and he had the nerve to have DINGY underwear on. Sooooo not cute!

Star Jones is Getting a Divorce

After much speculation about the recent absence of the ever so metro Al Reynolds, Star Jones has finally admitted that she and Big Al are getting a divorce after three and a half years.

In a statement released exclusively to Entertainment Tonight, the former "View" co-host says: "Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. A month ago I filed for divorce. The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone's life that requires privacy with one's thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman."

The filing took place on March 26 in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. Starlet M. Jones versus Al S. Reynolds was marked as an "Uncontested Matrimonial" case by the court and the records were sealed.

TMZ has learned that:

Al's lawyered up large for his upcoming divorce scrap with Star. He's hired New York disso-macher Stanford Lotwin, who handled splits for Howard Stern, the Donald, and Diana Ross, among others. Still, according to Reynolds' rep, Howard Bragman, Al "intends to take the high road." Will it get ugly -- unclear. Reason for breakup -- unclear. Reason for marriage in the first place -- unclear.

Meanwhile, Al's got a busy social schedule, as in social science -- turns out he's a professor at Florida Memorial University where he's finishing off the semester.

A moment of silence please.

Juanita Bynum to Appear on Divorce Court

Why?

The Associated Press reports that Bynum, a prominent televangelist whose message of women's empowerment resonated with many followers, said she saw signs of trouble in her marriage well before the assault.

"I was just trying to make it work because I don't like losing relationships," Bynum told Judge Lynn Toler, who hears cases on the syndicated show distributed by Twentieth Television. "All of this just kept getting swept under the rug ... So you begin to adapt to a very wrong and very unhealthy marriage."

In episodes scheduled to air Thursday and Friday, Bynum also says she had thoughts of suicide and weighs in on a case involving domestic violence. When asked what advice she had for women in situations similar to hers, she said, "I have to make a decision ... to take the love that I had for him with me."

In a transcript of the show obtained by The Associated Press, Bynum said she would always love Weeks, but made a decision to "love me more." Bynum says in a two-part episode of "Divorce Court" that she's through with her marriage to minister Thomas W. Weeks III, who is on probation for assaulting her.

When asked on "Divorce Court" whether she and Weeks were planning a reconciliation, Bynum said she is "done." "I can't speak for him, but I no longer want the marriage," she said.

I told you there is something about that bubblegum pink lipstick she and rapper Foxy Brown wears. It has spirits in it or something.

The Pope was just in town. Nobody must've told him about this cause I'm sure he would have visited them or made a speech about it or something. Again I say, "Why?"

Jay-Z & Beyonce's Marriage is Official

According to People.com, Jay-Z and Beyonce's marriage is officially confirmed. The couple filed their signed wedding license Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y.

The couple's license was filed more than five days after the wedding – as required by law – it's expected to be processed with the state without a penalty.

Though sources confirmed the wedding to PEOPLE, the couple have remained silent about their nuptials. Shortly after the wedding, Beyonce was spotted with a ring while joining Jay-Z on tour, but neither of them have publicly stepped out with new jewelry.

Let the gas prices fall!

The Deion & Pilar Sanders Show

You may have heard that former NFL and MLB baller Deion "PrimeTime" Sanders and his gorgeous wife Pilar, star in a new reality series about their marriage and family (they have 5 children!). The show actually began airing on April 15 and follows Sanders' home life. The eight episode series will also focus on Pilar's contribution to Deion's life and how they're raising their five children in the small town of Prosper, Texas.

Check out the videp below for tips from Deion & Pilar on how to keep the spice in your marriage (good stuff!). If the video doesn't work, try this link. They've been married for 9 years and seem to be going strong!

Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love can be seen on the Oxygen Channel Tuesdays at 9:30 pm (Central).

Hillary Clinton Takes Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania primary is now over and Hillary Clinton has been officially declared the winner by a margin of 10%. The Obama camp is not surprised by the win, it was actually expected. Their only concern was to narrow the margin of victory and they have done so significantly as Clinton started off with better than a 20% projected margin of victory at the start of campaigning.

Clinton commended Obama and his campaign, saying they are in many ways "on this journey together."

According to CNN.com, Clinton will pick up a majority of the state's 158 delegates.

But the win still leaves Obama ahead in the race to the Democrats' August convention in Denver, and he is likely to hold that lead unless "the wheels come off his wagon," said CNN analyst David Gergen, a former adviser to both Republican and Democratic candidates.

"He came up short, but it doesn't look like the wheels came off," Gergen said. "That's going to be her problem. I don't see her way to the nomination. The wheels aren't coming off the wagon unless there is some new, big revelation."

Despite her victory, the dynamics of the race are the same as they've been for more than two months. Obama remains the front-runner, and that gets more important the closer the campaign comes to the end of the primary season. "He's content to essentially run out the clock with his narrow lead, while she needs something dramatic to happen," said California-based Democratic consultant Dan Newman.

According to CNN's latest count, Obama leads in the delegate count -- 1,694 to 1,556. He also leads in the popular vote and the number of states won so far this primary season.

Obama congratulated Clinton on her win and looked ahead to the May 6 contests in North Carolina and Indiana.

Clinton now faces a dwindling number of contests, and she's at a steep financial disadvantage. To win, she needs to convince voters that Obama is not electable in November even though he's ahead in the delegate race.

She needs a big influx of cash.

She needs a stunning change of fortune.

Olympic Gold Medalist Drugged with Date-Rape Pills

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist ice dancer Pasha Grishuk was drugged with GHB, a common date rape drug, during a business meeting at a ritzy Orange County hotel, a sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday (source).

Feeling sick and numb, Grishuk noticed a partially dissolved pill in her drink at dinner and then investigators found another dissolved pill in the bottom of a drink she ordered from the hotel's lounge.

It is not clear who was attempting to drug the former Olympian. The investigation is ongoing.

Has anybody seen Tonya Harding hanging around O.C. lately?

On a serious note, this is a whole new level. This happened at a posh hotel in Orange County. Ladies, watch your drinks and teach your daughters to do the same! Better yet, just order bottled water or something that hasn't been opened.

UPDATE: SC Teen May Get Life in Prison for School Bombing Plot

It may sound more like a case involving a terrorism suspect, but a straight-A South Carolina high school student will face a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Ryan Schallenberger, 18, was arrested for allegedly plotting a suicide attack on his school in the small town of Chesterfield, S.C. He's seen here in court Tuesday. (source)

Schallenberger will be charged with federal counts of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to use explosives on a building that gets federal funding, and using interstate commerce to obtain explosives to be used against people and property. Authorities have said Schallenberger bought the ammonium nitrate off eBay and that company said it's cooperating in the investigation.

Schallenberger's mother and stepfather, Laurie and John Sittley, are "heartbroken," according to Sheriff Sam Parker."They were very concerned about his future education. I kind of explained to them and told them we've got to deal with two options here, we've got to deal with his education or with his life," Parker told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.The Sittleys have not commented publicly on the case.

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SC Teen Plotted to Bomb School

An 18-year old student in Chesterfield, SC is sitting in jail after being arrested for plotting to suicide bomb his high school. The whistle blowers: his parents (get them the Parents of the Year Award asap!). After a shipment of 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an oxidizing agent in explosives, was delivered to their home in Chesterfield, near the North Carolina border, Ryan Schallenberger's parents called police.

Schallenberger's journal revealed that he was sympathetic towards the two Columbine shooters and that he had been carefully and methodically plotting his attack for more than a year. The journal detailed his plans for a suicide attack and included maps of the school, police said. The writings did not include a specific time for the attack or the intended targets. He also left an audio tape to be played after he died explaining why he wanted to bomb his school. Police officials wouldn't detail what was on the tape except to say Schallenberger was an angry young man."He seemed to hate the world. He hated people different from him — the rich boys with good-looking girlfriends."

Read full story on AOL or CNN.com

Free Foxy Brown!

I usually scan the net for pictures to compliment my posts, but this one that was on AOL Music was already more than enough.

Why Lawdddd?!?! Why is this chile a hot mess? AKA's all over the world need to unite and ride on this chick for making pink and green look so bad.

Fox Boogie got out of the pen after serving eight months of a one-year sentence stemming from an assault of two nail salon stylists over a $20 manicure. (source)

I remember back around 1998 or 1999 when Foxy paid a visit to where I used to work. She came to the studio to work on a song. She was a hot mess even then, but believe it or not, she has improved over the years.

I believe the lip gloss is to blame. If we could get Foxy and Juanita Bynum on board with a new color, the world would be a safer place.

Violence seems to follow that shade of pink.

UPDATE: Tia Mowry Gets Married

Tia Mowry (one half of twin actresses Tia & Tamera Mowry) married longtime beau, actor Cory Hardrict on Sunday, according to People.com.

Mowry and Hardrict, 28, were engaged on Christmas Day, 2006.

The two were married at the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara in front of 170 guests. Mowry walked down the aisle to a live performance by R&B singer Kenny Lattimore, who sang "For You." Of course, twin sister Tamera served as the maid of honor.

Congrats to the new couple!