This brother won a gold medal

In a repeat of his gold medal-winning performance in Turin four years ago, Olympic speed skater, Shani Davis, won gold again in the 1000 meter race yesterday in Vancouver with a time of 1 minute 8.94 seconds.  He edged out the competition by 0.18 seconds by pumping his arms and summoning his last reserves of energy to cross the finish line. 
“It doesn’t matter what it looks like, just as long as you get across the line as quick as you could,” he said with a laugh.

Davis is the first skater to win that event twice at the Olympic Winter Games.  He is was the first African American to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games when he won his first gold four years ago at the games in Turin, Italy; he is also only the third American male to win more than one speed skating gold medal.

Source

A 13-year-old is attending Morehouse

It CAN be done.  Show this to every child you know.

Usain Bolt in running to be Time's Person of the Year

The world's fastest man, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, is a runner-up for Time Magazine's Person of the Year 2009. The 6'5" 212 lb sprinter wowed when he broke the 100 meter and 200 meter world records at the 2009 Beijing Olympics. In Berlin, the site where Jesse Owens humiliated the Nazis in the 1936 Olympics, Germans sang Happy Birthday to Bolt. Since then, the world has been captivated with the golden shod, fleet footed phenomenon. He is known for his victory pose to the world, feet planted shoulder's width, one hand pulling back an imaginary bow, the other pointed at the heavens. The sky's the limit for Bolt's success. Congrats.

Did you know the Pope rocks out to Tupac?

Tupac Shakur is one of only nine artists worldwide to make the Vatican's MySpace Playlist for the album Alma Mater: Music From TheVatican. His song "Changes", a call for self-examination and racial harmony places him in the ranks with Mozart. I wonder of heaven got a ghetto?

Public Enemy raises money for a Washington DC youth shelter

I have met Chuck D and he is a stand up guy. It pleases me to see this group still out there trying to raise consciousness in the community after all these years. Now if only Flav could get it together.

Darius Rucker has unprecedented win at CMA awards

Hootie and the Blowfish front man Darius Rucker celebrated a historic win at the Country Music Association Awards show in Nashville, Tennessee Wednesday night. Rucker became the first African-American ever to win the best new artist of the year award; he joins Charley Pride as the only African-Americans ever to win major individual awards at the awards show.

Rucker took the stage while the audience cheered and roared, “What a year! First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me,” the crowed. “And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”

Meet The Roberts Companies of St. Louis...

Master P. is giving back to his community

Percy "Master P." Miller is working with HUD to rebuild the B.W. Cooper Housing Development in New Orleans that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The neighborhood, which is also locally known as the Calliope Projects, was a rough neighborhood where many local youth fell prey to drugs and crime. The new affordable housing community will be named Marrero Commons in honor of community activist Yvonne Marrero.

The project is dear to Master P's heart because he grew up in the Cooper Development: “I want to be able to show these guys look at me. I changed my image, I changed my life and I had to grow up. I'm honored to be a part of the ground breaking alongside President Obama's right hand man, Secretary Shaun Donovan who shares the same goals as me, which is to help B.W. Cooper residents get back into their new homes."

14-year-old self-taught engineer powers his African village

Bill Cosby has a rap album

An Invitation from Bill Cosby and The Cosnarati from Bill Cosby on Vimeo.

Bill Cosby is producing a rap album called “Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency.” He says the album will contain music by his group, the Cosnarati, which uplifts the Black community and does not demean or degrade women. The group's album premieres in late November, but the project will launch next Monday with a 90-minute live-stream town hall-type discussion. Cosby will also debut their first single "How to cheat on your wife with a white woman for 20 years and humiliate your family with numerous sexual harassment and assault allegations."

The Recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is.....

President Obama

For one of America's youngest presidents, in office less than nine months — and only for 12 days before the Nobel nomination deadline last February — it was an enormous honor.

The prize seems to be more for Obama's promise than for his performance. The Nobel committee cited as his key accomplishment "a new climate in international politics." The president has become "the world's leading spokesman" for its agenda, the committee said. The Nobel committee, it seems, had the audacity to hope that he'll eventually produce a record worthy of its prize.

Wyclef is going back to school

Fugees frontman Wyclef Jean is going back to study at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Wyclef, 36, dropped out of college after his first semester to devote his full attention to his group The Fugees. He starts classes Monday.

source

A Bronx Tale....

A good Samaritan perched atop a fourth-floor fire escape helped firefighters stage a dramatic rescue of a young boy from a burning Bronx apartment on Wednesday.

Firefighters from the FDNY's Ladder 47 raced to 1418 Zerega Ave. in Westchester Square shortly after 4 p.m. and found a fourth-floor apartment ablaze - with two people trapped inside. The truck's ladder was raised up to the burning apartment's window and Firefighter James Senk scampered up it - and bashed his way inside.Once inside the smoke-filled apartment, Senk found a 4-year-old boy a short distance from the window.

"He goes 10 feet deep into the the room, and pulls the kid out to the window," a Fire Department source said.

Just outside the window, neighborhood hero Horia Cretan - who had shot up the fire escape when he saw the blaze - waited to make sure the seriously injured boy made it to safety and performed CPR.

The firefighter passed the boy into Cretan's waiting arms, officials said.

Cretan then bravely carried the child down the fire escape and handed him over to rescue workers.

He said he just reacted instinctively.

"I heard somebody scream; I didn't know what was happening outside," he told Fox 5 News."I looked up and just couldn't see nothing - there was too much smoke. I just kicked in - I kicked in gear. ... I did the best I could."

The boy, who was not immediately identified, was in serious but stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center Wednesday night.

Edwidge Danticat just received a half million dollars

Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat was just awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship. The so-called "genius grant" is generally considered a pretigious recognition for an artists entire body of work and comes with no strings attached. I consider The Dew Breaker and Krik? Krak! to be among the best books I have ever read. Follow the link to read previews of her major works.

The Dalai Lama Welcomed to Memphis

vide credit: Fox 3 Memphis'

'brutha dolly what it look like?'
His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Memphis Tuesday to receive the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award. He also visited the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was slain and said a prayer.

Reuben Studdard will be a spokesperson

American Idol winner Reuben Studdard will be the voice for Be Sickle Smart. The program is a nationwide health education program aimed at increasing awareness of iron overload among people living with sickle cell. Reuben has co-written a song titled "I'm A Fighter" and will tour and perform on 'Empowerment Days'. The tour will educate and provide attendees with free iron overload screenings.

The EriAm Sisters are the next big thing

The EriAm sisters are members of a close-knot Eritrean family who have taken the internet by storm since they first started appearing on America's Got Talent this summer. The lead singer Haben is just 11 years old, but she is a clear leader with her strong vocals and charisma. The middle sister is a fresh-faced 13 year old named Salina. The oldest sister, 15 year-old Lianda, could be mistaken for a budding supermodel. Together they make stage magic not seen since the likes of Destiny's Child over 10 years ago. If you like what you hear, please visit their website www.eriamsisters.com and show them some love.

The White House is still a family home

Peep Sasha Obama sneaking up on daddy in the Oval Office. Sometimes it is easy to forget the White House is still a family home and Pres. Obama is a father first. I respect that. The Obamas are just so real. I have lost track of the number of times I have seen those girls just out in regular clothes with fuzzy hair just as happy as can be. Sasha is such a cutie!

Attorney gives Jena 6 teen counsel, chance at new life

Alan Howard an attorney, met Jesse Ray Beard, the youngest of the African-American teens who made up the Jena Six, in January 2008 when he began representing him in a lawsuit filed by beating victim Justin Barker. Beard, 18, now interns at a New York law firm as he prepares for his senior year next month at Canterbury School, a Connecticut prep academy where Beard is highly regarded among peers, teachers and coaches.

Howard said his first impression of Beard -- that he had "tremendous character, tremendous resilience and tremendous potential" -- was so strong he invited the teen to live with his family in New England. The Howards say Beard meshes seamlessly. Though he struggled with the curriculum at Canterbury, a Catholic school in New Milford boasting a six-to-one student-teacher ratio, he is seeing tutors and showing improvements.

Around the house, he's a big brother, said Howard, whose children welcomed Beard immediately."My kids were the ones who said, 'If it means getting out of Jena, let him stay here,' " Howard said. "My 14-year-old son said, 'He can share my room,' and he doesn't even let his 11-year-old brother in his room." "He's just another member of the family," Jessie said. "Now, when people ask me how many brothers I have, I say three, not two."

Beard said he could never be proud of his involvement with the Jena Six, but he believes God put him through tribulations to deliver him to a better place.

"I'm not glad it happened, but I'm glad I came to a good family," he said.

See? We're always on our grind. There is never a slow news day on Planet Jackson!

source

Roxanne, Roxanne Has Warner Bros. Pay For Ph.D

The '80s icon scored a smash hit at age 14: "Roxanne's Revenge," a razor-tongued response to rap group UTFO's mega-hit "Roxanne, Roxanne." The 1984 single sold 250,000 copies in New York City alone, making Roxanne Shante (born Lolita Gooden) hip hop's first female celebrity. She blazed a trail followed by Lil' Kim, Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah - although Shante didn't share their success.

After two albums, Shante said, she was disillusioned by the sleazy music industry and swindled by her record company. The teen mother, living in the Queensbridge Houses, recalled how her life was shattered and they stopped paying her royalties. "Everybody was cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies," she said. "And to find out that I was just a commodity was heartbreaking."

But Shante, then 19, remembered a clause in her Warner Music recording contract: The company would fund her education for life. She eventually cashed in, thanks to the dean at Marymount Manhattan College, Marguerita Grecco arm-twisting the label, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 - all covered by the label. But getting Warner Music to cough up the dough was a battle.

"They kept stumbling over their words, and they didn't have an exact reason why they were telling me no," Shante said. She figured Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college. The company declined to comment for this story.

Dr. Shante, 38, runs an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans - a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help. She also offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.

Now there's at least a lifetime movie in here somewhere!