Posts Tagged ‘Real News’

The Weinstein Co. Partners w/ Toy Company To Release Slave Action Figure Inspired By “Django Unchained”

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Everyone’s talking about  Quinton Tarantino’s “Django Unchanined” in one for or another. Some hail it as a must see classic Tarantino’s flick, while others are outraged over the lightheartedness the film makes on slavery. And the movie has caused all kind of controversy then a new line of slave toys are surely to push some to the brink.

Slavery-era action figures tied to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained are raising questions about whether they’re appropriate.

A line of figures of the movie’s main characters are on sale online, manufactured by toy maker NECA in partnership with the Weinstein Co.

Najee Ali, director of the advocacy group Project Islamic Hope, plans a news conference Tuesday with other Los Angeles black community leaders calling for the removal of the toys from the market.

Ali called the action figures “a slap in the face of our ancestors.”

“We were outraged,” said Ali, upon learning of the figures. “We feel that it trivializes the horrors of slavery and what African Americans experienced.”

The action figures are collectibles recommended for people older than 17. Tarantino has had such figures made for all of his films, including his last, Inglourious Basterds. That film, too, reveled in a revenge fantasy set in history — Nazi Germany.

The Weinstein Co. and NECA didn’t immediately comment Tuesday.

[Source]

Personally, I think its a damn shame that these toys are for sale. SMH.

 

 

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21 Year-Old Chavis Carter Dies In Police Custody, Suicide Suggested!

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

There’s been tons of reports regarding a questionable suicide that occurred while 21-year-old Chavis Carter was in police custody and in handcuffs. According to Arkansas police, Carter was arrested over a drug warrant from another state, and while cuffed somehow managed to shoot himself in the front temple area of his head.

Per The Daily News:

Carter was sitting in the backseat of a Jonesboro police cruiser on July 28 when he put the barrel of a handgun against his right temple and pulled the trigger “despite being handcuffed,” the report said, according to The Associated Press.

“At the time of discharge, the muzzle of the gun was placed against the right temporal scalp,” the report said.

The bizarre death drew scrutiny to the Jonesboro police department, who said two officers frisked Carter twice but never found the .380-caliber Cobra handgun found near his body.

Questions on how this could occur exploded on twitter and various social media sites, but the national media continues to ignore the story on any real level. How one can shoot themselves in the head while in plice custody, and handcuffed is pretty hard for me to mentally digest. And it seems it’s difficult for others as well, as police released an enactment video which you can see here [Watch Reenactment Video]

Was it suicide or a cover-up, who’s to say. But what is known is that yet another African-American has died mysteriously while in police custody.

 

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Racist News: Mississippi Church REFUSES To Marry Black Couple Over Member Complaints!

Monday, July 30th, 2012

As a black man there are certain places in the world I try to avoid. Certain affluent ATL neighborhoods. Chick-Fil-A. And, Mississippi. For more scoop,  I turn to the Clarion Ledger.

Charles Wilson said that he and his wife sent out invitations and the printed program with their wedding date of July 21 at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs.

Insiders say five or six members went to the Rev. Stan Weatherford after seeing the couple’s wedding rehearsal the Thursday night before their Saturday wedding.

The church pastor said he was surprised by the reaction of some church members.

“I didn’t want to have a controversy within the church, and I didn’t want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te’Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day,” Weatherford told WLBT-Channel 3.

Charles Wilson said it was a huge disappointment that he and his wife couldn’t get married at the church they attended because of the color of their skin.

“I feel like it was blatant racial discrimination,” Wilson said Friday.

The 150-year-old church hasn’t had any black couples married there in modern times. Weatherford married the couple but moved the ceremony to a nearby church.

Wilson said he had been attending the church for about a month and his now wife had been attending for more than a year. His wife’s father also attended the church, and her uncle was custodian at the church.

“Prior to this, I had been telling people how nice they were here,” Wilson said. “It makes you re-evaluate things. We were doing everything right. We wanted to get married.”

Wilson said he understands Weatherford was caught in a difficult position and he still likes the pastor, but he also thinks the pastor should have stood up to the members who didn’t want the couple to marry in the church. [Read More]

I have no words. Again, there’s places I avoid so I don’t have to go ape-shit on anybody.

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Sobering: New 74-Page Report Shows Gay Black Men Highest Rate for HIV/Aids Related Illness

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

This is some very sobering news. With all the tolerance and acceptance clearly shown from the world gradually day by day, as a black man its clear this news is very bleak for my fellow bruthas.

A new report shows that black gay men are the highest infection rate in America today. According to a new report,  one in two black men who have sex with other men are HIV positive, according to the report from the Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV-AIDS think tank focusing on African Americans.

Per the AP:

“AIDS in America is a black disease, no matter how you look at it,” its president and chief executive Phill Wilson, who is himself HIV positive, said ahead of Sunday’s opening of the six-day global conference.

“The best lens through which to figure out what AIDS looks like in America is to look at AIDS in black America,” he said in an interview, adding that it was time to “jump-start a new conversation… and build a robust response” to the crisis.

The 74-page report, “Back of the Line: The State of AIDS Among Black Gay Men in America,” says black gay and bisexual men make up one in 500 Americans overall, but account for one in four new HIV infections in the United States.

HIV prevalence among such men is twice as high than among their white counterparts. They are also far less likely to be alive three years after being diagnosed with AIDS than white or Latino gays and bisexuals.

[Read More PLEASE]

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Cyborg Insect Drones Are The Future of Military Surveillance

Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

The time for your awakening is imperative. Your freedom and liberties are being taken away with each passing moment. I figured while the urban blogs feed you nothing on intellectual nutrition, I’d chime in with some important information.

The kinds of drones making the headlines daily are the heavily armed CIA and U.S. Army vehicles which routinely strike targets in Pakistan – killing terrorists and innocents alike.

But the real high-tech story of surveillance drones is going on at a much smaller level, as tiny remote controlled vehicles based on insects are already likely being deployed.

Over recent years a range of miniature drones, or micro air vehicles (MAVs), based on the same physics used by flying insects, have been presented to the public.

The fear kicked off in 2007 when reports of bizarre flying objects hovering above anti-war protests sparked accusations that the U.S. government was accused of secretly developing robotic insect spies. [Read More]

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MugShot Scoop: George Zimmerman New Mug Shot Hits The Web, Faces 2nd Degree Murder Charges Over #TrayvonMartin Murder

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

A new mugshot of George Zimmerman has been released following his arrest earlier today for 2nd degree murder over the shameful killing of Trayvon Martin.Upon first glance I can’t see any visible signs of a broken nose. But that’s just me.

Per CBS NY:

George Zimmerman is in custody, and has been charged with second-degree murder in the Trayvon Martin case, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey announced at a press conference Wednesday.

“Today we filed an information, charging George Zimmerman with murder in the second degree,” Corey said. She also added that the prosecution was not as a result of “public pressure” or “petition,” but rather “facts” and the “laws of the state of Florida.”

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JusticeScoop: George Zimmerman WILL Be Charged in #TrayvonMartin Murder!

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Reports surfacing through the ABC network relating to George Zimmerman. It seems the public outcry has reached a fever pitch. And has resulted in Zimmerman being charged.

Per ABC

A Florida special prosecutor has decided to charge neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, sources told ABC News.

The decision by Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey is expected to be announced at a 6 p.m. news conference in Jacksonville, Fla.

The prosecutor’s ruling is certain to provoke controversy in Sanford, Fla., where shooting took place and across the country.

While there’s no official word yet from the prosecution, a press conference is scheduled today at 6PM.

Justice. How about that.

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WTF Scoop: 2 Men Arrested In Shootings of Black People In Oklahoma!

Monday, April 9th, 2012

This country has taken some serious hits these past couple of months over racism and violence. And today it seems the USA has garnered yet another black eye at the hands of crazy people.

Per LA Times:

Two men were arrested Sunday in connection with the shootings of five black people in Tulsa, Okla., and authorities were investigating their backgrounds and Facebook pages to try to determine whether the attacks were racially motivated.

Three of the shooting victims died. Police described the suspects as white, but a family friend said one was Cherokee.

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, both of Tulsa, were arrested after an anonymous tip about 2 a.m. north of the city, near where the shootings occurred, Tulsa Police Department spokesman Jason Willingham said.

England’s Facebook page seemed to indicate that he planned to target blacks out of revenge because a black man had killed his father. The shootings began Friday, one day after the second anniversary of his father’s death.

I just don’t know how we are to overcome this countries shameful history, and present, racial tensions. I just don’t get it.

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Dream Big: America’s Most Expensive French Chateau Deep In The Heart of Texas On Auction Block For A Few Million!

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

While I don’t know Beyonce, or Jay-Z for that matter, in any capacity, in my mind they  live more a than opulent lifestyle. So I when I discovered this massive Texas property, the most expensive in the United States in fact, I immediately thought of them. Or the Obama’s.

This French Chateau deep in the heart of Texas is up for auction. It’s a magnificent 80-acre estate designed after the Versailles Palace in France.

The mansion originally listed for $75 million, was reduced to $34 million. Now it’s on the auction block. And experts say you could own it for a meager 10.5. While I am adding this to my vision board today, I figured I’d pt you all onto a truly magnificent home.

The opulent 48,000-square foot mansion outside Dallas, has a majestic formal drawing room with a massive crystal chandelier hanging from a 30-foot ceiling. An enormous, well-appointed kitchen compliments the rich, French-inspired, formal dining room. The grand stairway spirals up the three story dome.

Too tired to walk? Take the elevator to the palatial grand ballroom, large enough for 250 guests. “The grand ballroom was modeled after the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles,” said Brady.

There here are six sprawling bedroom suites and the spectacular master bedroom suite. Before bed, cool off in the indoor pool or unwind in the steam room. It also boasts a beauty salon and a massive walk-in closet that could rival most bedrooms. The mansion also comes with a racquetball court and its own bowling alley.

The price tag? “You could potentially have this home for $10.3 million,” said Laura Brady, Vice President of Marketing for Concierge Auctions. [Source]

Living Room.

How exquisite.

Private Bowling Alley.

Partial Rearview

Racquetball court. (Which in my my mind would be transformed into a recording studio).

Indoor pool.

Look at the acreage.

If this spiraling staircase doesn’t sell you nothing will. Holy shit.

Walk in closet.

Movie theater.

Dining room.

Breath taking.

[See More Photos Here Auction Begins March 30th]

 

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Tell The Truth: @BillMaher To America, “Please Stop Apologizing!”

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Bill Maher’s op-ed piece in the New York times is causing controversy. If you didn’t know a actor Robert De Niro has come under fire for a joke that was intended to be light-hearted and fun about race, and the White House, was quickly dissected and attacked by right wing. Eager to sooth the outrage the First Lady’s press secretary released a statement calling DeNiro’s comments inappropriate. And even the Hollywood legend issued a statement of apology.

But with all the back tracking, and side-stepping, Maher calls us all out over all the sensitivity.

Per The NYT:

When did we get it in our heads that we have the right to never hear anything we don’t like? In the last year, we’ve been shocked and appalled by the unbelievable insensitivity of Nike shoes, the Fighting Sioux, Hank Williams Jr., Cee Lo Green, Ashton Kutcher, Tracy Morgan, Don Imus, Kirk Cameron, Gilbert Gottfried, the Super Bowl halftime show and the ESPN guys who used the wrong cliché for Jeremy Lin after everyone else used all the others. Who can keep up?

This week, President Obama’s chief political strategist, David Axelrod, described Mitt Romney’s constant advertising barrage in Illinois as a “Mittzkrieg,” and instantly the Republican Jewish Coalition was outraged and called out Mr. Axelrod’s “Holocaust and Nazi imagery” as “disturbing.” Because the message of “Mittzkrieg” was clear: Kill all the Jews. Then the coalition demanded not only that Mr. Axelrod apologize immediately but also that Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz “publicly rebuke” him. For a pun! For punning against humanity!

The right side of America is mad at President Obama because he hugged the late Derrick Bell, a law professor who believed we live in a racist country, 22 years ago; the left side of America is mad at Rush Limbaugh for seemingly proving him right.

If it weren’t for throwing conniption fits, we wouldn’t get any exercise at all.

I have a better idea. Let’s have an amnesty — from the left and the right — on every made-up, fake, totally insincere, playacted hurt, insult, slight and affront. Let’s make this Sunday the National Day of No Outrage. One day a year when you will not find some tiny thing someone did or said and pretend you can barely continue functioning until they apologize.

The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.

When the lady at Costco gives you a free sample of its new ham pudding and you don’t like it, you spit it into a napkin and keep shopping. You don’t declare a holy war on ham.

As a blogger and outspoken social critic I totally agree with the comedian. People have become so overly sensitive that you find yourself back tracking or apologizing for any and everything when at the end of the day you should have the right to say what you want. And, if you don’t like what is being said you have the right to log onto another blog, or turn the channel.

Will people still gripe about offensive matters (or matters they deems offensive) absolutely. But at least someone had to balls to say that our nation is rapidly becoming a bunch of babies.

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