Giving new meaning to the term “Fantasy” Football League.

I guess that I don’t’ get out that often. I didn’t know this was an actually sport. Well I guess there is plenty of room. The Women’s Professional Soccer League is making a comeback after folding. The WNBA is losing franchises but still trying to maintain. It probably is sexist but the ladies are playing willingly.

Fractured English gone Mainstream

English is making a comeback in the news!!! Sportswriters are debating journalistic rules for using direct quotes. Sounds sexy doesn’t it? The problem is with interviewing black athletes. Uh Oh! One of Black America’s dirty secrets has reared its ugly head again. Some sportswriters are having to clean up the athletes words.

Phrases like “we was”, “ain’t just cause”, “we got to play”, and “they just like us” are peppering the newspapers and magazines.

Some writers are letting the words go to print verbatim. Apparently they feel that altering the quotes tampers with the athletes’ intent. Somewhere Clarence Thomas is yelling for the writers to doctor up the quotes!!!!! I’m sure he doesn’t want white folks knowing about our verbal challenges. But is it the writers’ responsibility to cover up the dirt? It’s not their fault that Tyrone can hit 3’s but splits verbs.

It all starts from home……………
1. The athlete’s Momma and (maybe Daddy) probably didn’t speak proper english.

It all starts in the community……….
2. The neighborhood that the athlete lived in was full of people that didn’t speak proper english.

It’s all about the books………..
3. The athlete was talented from an early age so people overlooked his academics.

It’s about having people concerned about your well being………….

4. The school that recruited the athlete wasn’t concerned about his grades.

But the problem is bigger than Tyrone’s college days. What happens when he retires from the Pro’s? You hear those former sports athletes on ESPN giving analysis - sounding like a jail house philosopher. One night Jalen Rose was talking and I almost spit out my drink. What in the whoseit? That’s what I would have said but I had liquids in my mouth. Emmitt Smith didn’t have his contract renewed by ESPN. He was labeled by many in the sports reporting industry as inarticulate. Watching him was difficult at times. It seemed as if the words were coming out faster than what he was actually thinking.

The Kings English is being slaughtered on bball courts and football fields all over America. Hopefully someone in this crib to pro system will step up and see the need to help these kids. But in the end, this is about something bigger than sports. It’s about a broken system that is supported by enablers. Eventually no one wins in this system. The athletes might win on the field but they lose in life.

Alabama hires 1st black basketball coach Anthony Grant.

I remember the fan fare when Kentucky hired Tubby Smith as head coach. Is this Déjà vu again for another 1st black bball coach in the SEC????? Coach Grant’s former team, VCU, was best known for their upset of Duke in the 2007 tournament. His conference record was 45-9 with an overall 76-25 record. Apparently Vanderbilt, Auburn, South Carolina and Florida are still the only hold outs when it comes to hiring black basketball coaches. I’m glad to see a qualified candidate get a shot. I just hope that Alabama is fair with the dude.

Business As Usual?????

I own a company that hires workers at the lowest possible wages. I also make them pay an arm and a leg for health insurance. To keep wages even lower I look for opportunities overseas. I will ship jobs to rinky dink foreign countries where I pay lower wages than I do with my workers.

I am “a capitalist” so I always want to make a profit. My workers have longer hours and take fewer vacations. The workers create and build products for my company but they have no ownership in the product. And sometimes I ask them to keep working (off the books of course).

If I see someone making the same product, it makes me angry. Remember I am “a capitalist” so I want to make all the money. I wipe out the competition by buying them out. Now I have a monopoly on the product that I make. It doesn’t matter if it is a small family business because I am “a capitalist”. The bigger I get the better because now I am a CONGLOMERATE.

I now own major print media, radio and television stations. I can control my image through different mediums. I can also manipulate your thinking by what I say on TV. and print. I’m also trying to get my hands into the military but that’s another story.

I am now part of the wealthy elite and I can give my family generational wealth. Before I step down as CEO, I name my oldest child heir to the company.

Years after my death, my oldest child is running the company and doing a piss poor job. We are still building the same products that I built when I was CEO. We didn’t change with the times by making diverse products. My child also dabbles in the mortgage industry (keep in mind nothing we make has anything to do with mortgages) because my child is “a capitalist” and it seems like a sure winner.

--------------------Then things get really bad-------------------------

The mortgage industry collapses!!!!

Another company in a foreign country builds our same product but better!!!

Now my inept oldest child is shutting down plants and laying off workers. My child has to go with their hat in their hands to the government asking for money.

After all of the failures of my former company do you think my child gets fired? Nope!!

And they get bail out money from the government as well.

Sanders Websites Inc.

Another new segment on The Desultory Life and Times Blog. I will be highlighting local entrepreneurs. I respect the hustle so I want to show the hustle some love. First up is my former co-worker Henry Sanders.


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The passing of Dr. John Hope Franklin

My Fraternity Brother, Dr. John Hope Franklin has passed. As one of America’s preiminent historians, he increased the nation’s understanding and knowledge of African Americans in its history. He was currently professor emeritus of history at Duke University. He was a major principal in the Brown vs. Board of Education case. He also was the author of From Slavery to Freedom which was published in 1947. To this day the book, through updates, has sold more than 3 million copies. After 62 years since the book was published, the information provided in print is still relevant. He also was a trailblazer in the education field. He was the first black department chair at Brooklyn College; the first black professor to hold an endowed chair at Duke; and the first black president of the American Historical Association. He also has received more than 130 honorary degrees, the NAACP Spingarn Award, the Charles Frankel Prize, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He died of congestive heart failure this morning in Durham, North Carolina. Brother Franklin was 94 years of age.

The Haters vs.1st Lady Michelle Obama

I was reading one of my favorite blogs by Professor Tracey and it seems like Michelle Obama is catching hell. Apparently some people have been saying nasty things about her. The 1st lady is a grown woman and she can take the heat. It’s her kids that I feel bad for. They have to read and hear these nasty things about their mother. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy for the Obama’s. I knew that some people in this country still have a problem with black folks. I was never naïve about this moment in our history. This race game is a dirty game that we play in America.

The End of Print?

From The Charlotte Observer On-Line

The Rocky Mountain News, gone. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, gone.

The chain that owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune is in bankruptcy. Other papers, large and small, are teetering on the brink.

On Monday, the Ann Arbor (Michigan) News announced that it will publish its last edition in July. Taking its place will be a Web site called AnnArbor.com.

Three other Michigan newspapers announced Monday they are reducing their publications to three days a week. The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times will publish print editions on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, according to the mlive.com Web site, as research shows those are the highest readership days for newspapers.

And the Charlotte Observer announced Monday it will cut its staff by 14.6 percent and reduce the pay of most of the employees it keeps. The situation now looks grim for The Tucson Citizen. In the past 25 years, circulation at Arizona's oldest newspaper has dwindled from 65,000 to 17,000. The Gannett Co. paper could fold if a buyer can't be found.

At least 120 newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008, according to Paper Cuts, a Web site tracking the newspaper industry. More than 21,000 jobs at 67 newspapers have vaporized in that time, according to the site.

More bad news could be coming this week as newspapers struggle to meet challenges posed by changing reader habits, a shifting advertising market, an anemic economy, and the newspaper industry's own early strategic errors. Amid the decline comes concern over who, if anyone, can assume newspapers' traditional role as a watchdog. For more than 200 years, that role has been an integral part of American democracy.

"I know it sounds somewhat cliché, but when you have competition with [the Arizona] Star, it makes both entities better," said Jennifer Boice, an editor who has devoted more than 25 years of her life to the Tucson Citizen.

Competition naturally breeds better journalism is the credo of many newspaper veterans. And better journalism means an engaged and informed public. "The winner is the community," Boice said. "They get better information quicker and more of it." Despite arguments like Boice's, newspapers are losing their relevance in the lives of a majority of Americans, particularly younger readers.

Many industry analysts agree many more papers will soon become extinct. Most two-newspaper towns will likely disappear, perhaps by the end of 2009, some experts say.
Among the next newspapers to go, experts say, are major metropolitan dailies relying on an expensive business model that requires costly newsprint consumption and gas-guzzling deliveries.

The quirky San Francisco Chronicle is reported to be circling the drain. If it were to close, San Francisco would be the first big U.S. city without a major daily paper. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Boston Globe are bleeding about $1 million a week, according to a media report issued by the Pew Center for Excellence in Journalism. Experts say more big-city papers are expected to follow the example of Gannett's Detroit Free Press, which started cutting back on print edition delivery in December.

The challenges facing newspapers long predate the worst economic slump since the Great Depression. Daily subscriptions per household began a steady decline in the 1920s, yet the newspaper industry adapted and thrived despite competition from radio and television.
But easily accessible, high-speed Internet connections and smart phones have dramatically shifted the way people get their news. Ironically, news is still in strong demand. It's abundant, accessible and usually free on the Web.

The outlook is so grim that the American Society of Newspaper Editors, a membership organization for daily newspaper editors, canceled its annual convention in April after deciding that "the challenges editors face at their newspapers demand their full attention."
To understand the financial crises plaguing the industry, one need look no further than the Tucson Citizen's parent company, Gannett, which reduced its work force by 10 percent only to see advertising and profits continue to plummet.

Things are no better at competitor McClatchy Co. The company eliminated 1,600 jobs companywide last week. McClatchy stock is trading for less than $1 a share compared with $70 a share five years ago. The industry's advertising revenue in 2008 was $38 billion, a staggering 23 percent drop from $49.5 billion the year before. Print media companies are failing to achieve market expectations each quarter, scaring away investors, venture capitalists and potential buyers in droves.

Still, a few deals have been struck. This week, a private equity firm in California purchased the San Diego Union-Tribune -- where advertising revenue has fallen 40 percent since 2006 -- for an undisclosed price.

"We think that the revenues from newspaper companies have been insufficient to cover their cost," explained Mike Simonton, an analyst at Fitch Ratings, who issued a negative outlook on the industry. "At that point they will need to tap into external financing to continue operations, and we believe external financing will be prohibitively expensive or not even available at all."
Job cuts are keeping many newspapers on life support.

Paul Gillin, a social media consultant, said such losses are to be expected for an industry that has failed to adapt to the influx of online publishing tools and social networking sites.
"Information has become democratized today," said Gillin, who has predicted print newspapers will disappear by 2015. "You get a lot of advice from your friends, blogs and multiple media sources. Who reads just one newspaper?"

Some of the biggest threats to newspaper profits have come from Web sites like Craigslist and Monster.com, online advertising venues that are chipping away at newspapers' classified ad sections.

Newspaper classified ad expenditures tumbled nearly 17 percent in 2007, according to the Newspaper Association of America. The recession is affecting auto dealerships, real estate companies and other local businesses, accelerating the advertising downturn.

Many newspaper experts expect national publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post and The New York Times to survive. They say the largest papers could even benefit from industry woes and grab market share because of their wide penetration.
In the meantime, these papers are facing a harsh economy. At The Washington Post, owned by Washington Post Co., earnings plunged 77 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. The newspaper was saved by the parent company's Kaplan educational division, which raked in more than half the company's revenue that year.

The future offers the industry little comfort, with studies showing newspapers have lost a generation of young readers. A Pew Research Center report this month found only one-third of Americans polled say they would "miss" the newspaper a lot if it were no longer around.

Screw Social Security!!! Following the Japanese old age plan.

Did I tell you about the time Citizen Daddy talked about his future social security check? He laughed and said he didn’t know about me but he was going to get a check. I mentioned this in an earlier post (month or so ago) but I still have nightmares about it. If you are my age, you have a lot to be concerned about. You’ve been paying into this broken down system that you will never get to use. Now the economy is setting you back either through layoffs or pay cuts. To top that off your 401K is dwindling as the days go buy. It looks like we will be working until we drop dead. Retirement?? No such thing suckers!!!!!

But in Japan, the elderly are in high demand. Getting too old for your American job? They want to give you a plaque and a pension. But you know that you still have some juice left in you. Japan is where you want to go. The question you have to ask yourself is do you have a problem with people watching you butt naked?

Do you need a drink to wash down that stimulus package?

What is Oprah’s secret? Stedman let me know dude, I got bills!!!!

There aren’t that many black American billionaires walking around these days. Actually there are only two. The Great Oprah Winfrey and that other dude who will remain nameless. I joke all the time about Oprah sending women secret transmissions via her show. Oprah is part circus ringmaster, self help guru, round the way sista girl and hustler. While people are praying that their badges work when they go to the office tomorrow. Oprah is sitting back wondering what the fuss is all about. Forbes Magazine has her net-worth on the rise. She increased her net-worth and rank on the Forbes list. With so many other billionaires falling down or off the list how does she do it? I think I have one reason for her success. I noticed that she hasn’t given any cars away in awhile.

Leaving the past and embracing the future: The new face of journalism.

A new investigative reporting web site was launched by Regina Holmes in Baltimore a few weeks ago. Mrs. Holmes was a recent assistant managing editor at the Baltimore Examiner before it went belly up. With the down fall of major newspapers many journalists are doing their own thing. Is it just possible that Holmes is ahead of the game? Is this the “new” journalism?

Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed, a novel by Marc Blatte

The following Book Review has been sponsored by FSB Associates

Outside one of New York’s hottest night clubs, at 4a.m., a young man is found murdered –no robbery, no clues – only yellow socks and bling to tell the victims tale...

To be honest, I don’t read much fiction. I am more of a non-fiction guy. I read biographies and stories about history and other real life events. I was always curious about reading a fictional book but never got around to it. Well better late than never. “Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed” is about New Yorkers and how they are connected due to a crime. It started off like a roller coaster when it goes up slowly before the drop. Then once it got to the top of the track it was off and running. I kept reading the book and yelling, “Who did it? Who did it?”

You had a wanna be rap group trying to break into the business, one of New York’s most decorated cops, a record mogul, a vengeful bouncer from Eastern Europe, a club called Kiki and one of New York’s wealthiest families. Mr. Blatte is from New York and you can tell by the story. His writing makes the city pop and come alive. You can feel the streets that they walked and almost taste the food they ate. I usually end up watching movies that first started as books. The only book I read before it became a movie was “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. While reading “Humpty Dumpty”, I kept wondering what this would be like as a movie. Or maybe a television show at least.

The rap group called Proof Positive had an interesting story arc. Kids from the hood that wanted to live the lifestyles of the rich and famous. But as the saying goes, “You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the cat”. They reminded me of every cliché rap group that ever had a demo tape. You've seen them in the barbershop or on public access television. Did you know they let anyone on public access television these days? Anyway, the way their story was told gave the raw emotion behind the want for success.

My favorite character was Detective Salvatore Messina aka “Black Sallie Blue Eyes”. He was serious about his job but he did have a level of compassion for people. Sometimes fictional cops are written with such a depressed state of mind. They are pessimistic because they have seen things that many of us can’t fathom. Detective Salvatore Messina was cool under pressure. His cat and mouse game with suspects was funny to read. This was one of the times I wish I could watch this on screen.

Overall it was a good read. I think that it’s a captivating story that will keep a reader engaged. I also think it would be a good read for folks that like Hip Hop. I wouldn’t mind reading another book by Mr. Blatte involving Detective Messina and his crew. Maybe he can make a series out of it. Then he can give me a cut for coming up with the idea. We are in a recession; you can’t blame a brother for trying to hustle.

Face It America, You need us……….Desperately

"I think the industry will continue to see people leaving until managers can articulate a clear vision of how they will make money providing content in a fashion that does not lead to annual or semiannual layoffs, pay cuts and benefit reductions. Currently no one seems to have a profitable concept for how to make money providing news and features digitally — which is the ONLY future."

San Antonio Express-News former business writer ~ Aissatou Sidime.



I always laugh at the disdain that many of my fellow bloggers have for the Mainstream Media. The Black Bloggers especially seem to have a lack of respect for them. That’s why a lot of people started blogging. They…..We…. essential thought we could do a better job. Some bloggers will be modest and tell you that’s not the reason but it is. I look at some of the bloggers on my blog list and they are talking about issues that I don’t hear about from the MSM. They are also giving insightful commentary about some of today’s issues. Even the gossip and celebrity blogs are beating out the MSM entertainment shows regarding information. Now I’m not suggesting that I want to hear about baby mama’s and breast implants but everyone has different tastes.

After years of providing our window to the world, the MSM is running on fumes. The MSM’s marriage with corporations has finally caught up to them. The lack of oversight has finally caught up to them. The inability to be able to adjust to a changing demographic has finally caught up to them. Don’t get me wrong because I enjoy reading the newspaper and magazines. But my problem is not the format (that is another conversation) of the news that I receive. My issue is how I receive it and what condition is it in when I get it. If a news organization doesn’t ask the tough questions, what good is it to me? If a news organization doesn’t hold peoples feet to the fire, what good is it to me? If a news organization only gives you the news that they want to give you, what good is it to me? The news has been massaged and dumbed down before we receive it. It reminds me of when a mother bird chews a baby birds’ food before they eat it. The journalists that are providing the news are compromised. They either are in the pockets of corporations or they are afraid of the government. Their job is to ask the tough questions so we can get honest answers. It started during Bush II administration and it hasn’t stopped since. Now that they don’t have the threat of being water boarded by Dick Cheney you would think things would be different. Instead it has gotten worse.

It seems as though the most credible journalist these days is a comedian. Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show”, is the only person asking the tough questions. His Spanish Inquisition of Jim Cramer, host of “Mad Money”, was brilliant. Finally, someone asking the questions that I wish I could ask. It wasn’t about him throwing around jokes. He actually gave a real deal interview. He even showed old footage of Cramer talking about how to “Game the System”. If he previously talked about “gaming” the system, what other tricks does he know? Matter of fact, what tricks does he know that other financiers might know (i.e. Madoff)? This is the same guy that is giving you (the regular joe) financial advice. All this is being done while he is on CNBC (a financial news show). Putting money in my mattress never looked so good.

Black journalists all over America were trying to figure out how D.L. Hughley got a weekend gig with CNN. It’s not hard to figure out that they were trying to compete with The Daily Show. Well we see how that turned out!!! Is that how they think we want to watch the news now? Why can’t the American people watch a show without some gimmick. The Daily Show does what it does and it’s successful. Don’t duplicate it!! I have nothing against D.L. but I have been waiting for more opportunities for minority journalists. We need people that can give insight to stories that the MSM won’t understand. We need people that can provide POSITIVE stories that the MSM won’t provide. Roland Martin had to wait for Campbell Brown to get knocked up before he could get a shot. TJ Holmes, Don Lemon, Fredricka Whitfield, all anchor on the weekends……..you see a theme here.

Only time will tell if the MSM finally gets it right. Maybe they won’t and a new form of media will come into existence. I just hope they know the clock is ticking.

The Reel Deal Movie Review

This is my first regular segment. My brother in law and I will be doing movie reviews and bringing them to the masses. So without further ado.....The Watchmen

Citizen Brother-In-Law thinks that Watchmen is definitely worth watching -

If you are looking for a classic superhero story — good triumphing over evil wearing spandex and a cape — Watchmen is not your movie. If you’re looking to see an action movie to be entertained in the Hollywood style of watered-down, spoon-fed narrative and cardboard-thin characters, wait a few months for the next "Fast and Furious" franchise. I am sure it’s just what you need.

But if you want a movie to make you think and bombard you with graphic-novel violence that will jar even the most desensitized moviegoer, pony up the dough and hold on tight.
There is a moral ambiguity in this film that is rare in big-budget Hollywood movies that I found refreshing. The premise that superheroes are real (albeit flawed, damaged and sometimes even psychotic) people is fantastic. The role of masked vigilante attracts people from every imaginable stripe. This makes for very intriguing and sometimes frustrating characters that are compelling to watch.

There was a perceived undercurrent of anti-intellectualism that I found a bit ironic (perhaps it was intentional, but even after a week, I am not quite sure) considering all the philosophical questions posed in the film. Perhaps it was just a character quality of Rorschach and not editorial commentary, but since Rorschach served as narrator, I don't know.

And my own desire for justice was not satisfied by the ending of the story. But after a few days to digest and process this, I think it was appropriate. We don’t live in a perfect world. Sometimes the bastards get away clean. Like Wall Street bankers. And sometimes the greater good is more important in the long run. We all could stand to be reminded of that from time to time.
The visual style of the film was great. Dark, gritty. And only once did I wince at the special effects. Three words: crater smiley face.

The Watchmen is not perfect—far from it. There is a lot to cover in the story and even at 2:43 the film seems a bit rushed. The sex scene was gratuitous and unnecessary, and was obviously meant to cater to the cave-dwelling, pimple-faced, Halo-playing, I’ve-never-touched-a-human-girl teen boy demographic. Not that I minded.

I emerged from the theatre exhausted from the sheer intensity of the movie, but very satisfied and happy that I went to see it. I hope viewers will open their minds and do the mental heavy lifting required to really appreciate this film. I have my doubts if they will.

Citizen Ojo thinks if you are squeamish at the sight of blood, this movie might not be for you -

This was one bloody movie. There was blood everywhere. No, I’m serious……blood everywhere!!! Zack Snyder, the director of the movie 300, was at the helm of this film. That will explain the level of violence. If you have younger children, 6th grade down to Pre-School, this movie might not be for them. But I know some of you are too cheap to get a babysitter so do what you want. Just remember when your kid is screaming in their sleep, that I told you so. I collect comic books but I have never read the Watchmen series. I always saw the cover of the Watchmen comic in the comic book store. It was a blood stained yellow smiley face. That always gave me the ebegebes so I never picked it up. Now I know why. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a “bash the movie” review because I actually enjoyed it. I didn’t like the ending but that is a personal preference.

The story involves a suspected plot to take out superheroes. Which was really weird because only one of the heroes had super powers. Doctor Manhattan, a glowing blue ex scientist that walked around the movie naked most of the time. I really wasn’t too cool with that. I generally don’t like to see other men naked so even though his junk was blue it was still in my face. The rest of the heroes include:

The Comedian, a sadistic cold blooded killer. This guy shot John F. Kennedy for crying out loud!!!

Nite Owl, a nerdy guy that I believe was a little slow in the bed room.

Silk Spectre II, she was hot but they could have kept the romance (it was really just casual sex – you know the kind in college) out of it. When people are busy making out somewhere a crime is being committed. Come on people get on your job.

Rorschach, an only kill bad guy’s cold blooded killer. He punishes people according to his own brand of justice. In the movie they called him a Vigilante. In Texas he would have been called a Texas citizen.

Ozymandias, the world’s smartest man. I thought he was a rich jerk though. If you haven’t noticed from my posts lately I kinda have a thing against rich people (bankers, congressmen, ceo’s). Don’t worry Warren Buffett I still like you.

I don’t want to give the movie away just in case you haven’t seen it yet. So I will only give the following highlights:

Pay attention to the opening credits with Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing”. I thought that was excellent in giving us some background about the movie.

Actor Jackie Earle Haley is excellent as Rorschach. If they are giving comic book characters Oscars now he needs to be on the list.

It is a very long movie. I went in around 9:58am and came out in the afternoon. Yes, that’s what I said.

Richard Nixon is President of the United States and it is 1985. It sounds like a bad acid trip but you will get accustomed to it. The thought actually scared me but once I realized it was a movie then I calmed down.

This is probably one of the deepest comic book made for movie films I have seen in awhile. It has so many themes that you have to pay close attention. Alternative Energy, Presidential Powers, War with a Foreign Country, and Corporate Egomaniacs attempting to change the world are themes that are relevant now. I plan on getting the movie once it comes out on video. For some people they will probably get it at the barbershop on bootleg. I personally don’t suggest doing that due to the illegal aspects of it. But former President George Bush did tell us to buy buy buy in times of crisis. So not only would you be supporting a small business owner but a minority business owner as well.

Lady Sings the Black and Blues

Domestic abuse/here we go again. First my father and now my boyfriend so I keep asking when will it end. The cycle flows from generation to generation but you think where the hell does all this begin? In the womb, music, tv – or is it when you see the tears flowing like a stream………........……From An Unknown Female Poet.



I guess Chris Brown has decided the best way to get over an assault charge is to sing. I decided to stay out of this because I didn’t want to jump on the “Hate” Chris Brown bandwagon. I felt that the guy needed help and I was hoping he would get it. Unfortunately he didn’t man up and go get the help he needed. His enablers brushed it off like it was nothing. Even though it is “Alleged” we pretty much know what happened. I won’t go into detail about how Rihanna let little girls down (even though she did). And I won’t go into detail about how people have made Rihanna the scapegoat for getting her tail kicked (even though they did). This whole situation is a mess. I do know that singing isn’t going to solve this problem.

I apologize; actually it’s some Chinese dudes fault. I am all about accountability though.

Remember way back when I did a post called “How the economy ruined my marriage and almost got me killed”. It was about a Chinese business man that had 5 mistresses. Because of financial hardships he couldn’t keep all of them so he held a contest to pick one mistress. The first mistress booted out was so upset that she plotted revenge against them. Her plan was to drive them off a cliff but she only killed herself. Well it turns out the stories loser….err…stories reporter plagiarized the whole thing. Not since 7th grade have I heard of such foolishness. This guy published a fake story that was sent around the world. I received my info from CNN “the Most Trusted Name in News”. You know the same people that produce Campbell Brown: No Bias. No Bull. He faked the MSM and even had me reporting false information. Now I’m like 6 degrees of separation from Jayson Blair. That dumb reporter. If they would release his name and address I would put him on blast. I thought the story sounded strange but I’ve never been Rich, Chinese or a Mistress so I didn’t have any personal background to say “hmmm this sounds odd.” I just thought they were freaky in the city of Quingdao.

Early on Chinese bloggers caught wind of this and called foul on it. Now I’m just finding this out?? How come I don’t know any Chinese Bloggers??? Kudos to the Peninsula Metropolitan News located in east China’s Shandong Province for giving that bama the boot. They ought to lock him up in a Chinese jail like they did Jet Li in “Romeo Must Die”. So I apologize to all my readers for being duped by some low life scum of a reporter. One thing that I am about first and foremost is accountability.

Tycoon's Gone Wild

The jerk above, Sir Allen Stanford, has been accused of running a $8 billion Ponzi scheme. His company the Stanford Financial Group is also being investigated for fraud. He must not be as smart as Bernard "I Got Paid Suckers" Madoff because Madoff ran a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

A “tidbit” of info on Sir Stanford:

Stanford holds dual citizenship in Antigua & Barbuda and the United States. Stanford was also the first American to be knighted by the commonwealth territory of Antigua (or so he says!!).

This is when it gets better so keep reading.

In 2008, The Stanford Financial Group was building a business campus in The VIRGIN ISLANDS. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) certified campus is 105,000 square feet on 37 acres of land. Also to be included at the complex is a 45,000-square-foot aviation hangar.

Also in 2008, he made $3,300 in political contributions to Democratic Representative Charles B. Rangel, who is in charge of The House Ways and Means Committee. The same House Ways and Means Committee that presides over legislation that works on tax policies for the Virgin Islands (wink-wink).

For full disclosure Charlie Rangel is my Fraternity Brother (holding my head in shame while typing).

Sir Allen Stanford is what is wrong with America at this exact moment. He represents the greed that got us into our current financial crisis. After hiding out in Virginia, he was served with papers from the Government for fraud. But just like America’s favorite crook Madoff, he has not been arrested or put in jail. Classism is slowly killing America folks!! The proof is played out every day on television. The people that were supposed to be smart were the same ones ripping us off. People placed their trust and finances in these people. And in return they were screwed.

Chicken 'n' Po-Po

Get a load of this lady? She had some issues with McDonalds and decided to call the police. It wasn’t issues with the McDonald’s Family but McDonalds the fast food joint. Apparently they ran out of her favorite item.

The part that puzzles me is why they wouldn’t give her money back. When did food swaps become an option? If they don’t have a Cheeseburger, now you can get a McRib? The no refund/eat what we have and like it/is new to me. I’m use to the shake machine being down though. That shake machine must be really old. How can a shake machine always be down? Is it really even called a shake machine? I guess I call it that because it’s easier than saying Model 614SAS.

Finding Arsenio Hall

Citizen Wifey and I were watching the first episode of Jimmy Fallon’s new show Monday night err……………….Tuesday Morning. Citizen Wifey is not a late night person. She was actually complaining because I didn’t wake her up the next morning. I told her that’s what the alarm clock is for. Anyway, we were watching his show….not for Jimmy mind you. Because I don’t think he is funny. No disrespect to dude but on the scale of laughs he is at the bottom. He can do an impression or two but can he produce gut wrenching laughing…….me thinks not!!! Let me be totally honest with you. I really was watching to see the greatest Hip Hop Group in the world performing as a late night talk show House Band. The Roots……for anybody that doesn’t have a clue. We ended up watching Carson Daly after that but that’s another story. Did I tell you that Citizen Wifey is not a late night person?

Anyway, the show was so so. The skit “Licking for ten” was awkward. It wasn’t bad but it was awkward. I’ve seen women do a lot of things for free but I’ve never seen a woman lick a copier for 10 bucks. I’m just glad that when the guy licked the lawn mower it wasn’t on. I loved the skit “Slow jamming the news”. I could only imagine Tom Brokaw delivering the news with sexy music in the background. I bet his female viewership would have been through the roof.

Citizen Wifey said something while the show was on that had me thinking. She said “where is the next Arsenio Hall”? I mentioned about how we had black talk show hosts after Arsenio but they weren’t funny. Magic Johnson could shoot the rock but he doesn’t need to ever touch an opening monologue again. Citizen Wifey went on to say that Arsenio was the best talk show host ever. I had to correct her because Johnny Carson was the master. I don’t care what color or gender you are. Everyone in modern times is chasing Carson. I actually like David Letterman because his humor is self-depreciating. Conan O'Brien is not really funny but he is so stupid it makes me laugh. Arsenio did have one of the best shows going. He brought swagger to the mainstream and that was a good thing. I was able to watch Wu Tang Clan perform “CREAM,” President Clinton play the sax and Rudy Ray Moore perform "Signifying Monkey.”

Citizen Dad once told me that President Obama is the right person for now. I believe that Arsenio was the right person for his time. I don’t think the fact that we don’t have a black talk show host is a major disappointment. Sure the line to get in after Letterman and Leno is long and probably not filled with many minorities. But we have too many other issues besides complaining about a late night black out. So although watching Jimmy Fallon produced different feelings for the Citizens. Wifey might have missed Arsenio Hall but I kept thinking about why we don’t have any milk in the fridge. I really wanted cereal for breakfast.

The Don pimp slaps Michael “beyotch” Steele and tells him to shut up and raise money. Isn’t that what a pimp says to a ho?

I once had respect for Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele. I always thought the guy was bright. I even believed that, IN HIS MIND, he thinks he can change the dynamics of the Republican party. But…………after yesterday I know who Michael Steele really is. Boot Licking-esque is a word that I could use but I’m sure that the black blogosphere has used this one already. What does it mean when the Head of the Republican National Committee has to apologize to a talk radio host? One minute Steele is on the D.L. Hughley show talking tough. The next time you see him he is cow-towing. He has set everyone back from Dolemite to Frederick Douglass.

Bet you never thought that those two names would be in the same sentence? Don’t be surprised!!! These men have a lot in common:

1. They both fought for justice.

2. They both liked white women.

Anyway, Steele has proven that he is not a leader. He is a figure head. The question is a figure head of what? Rush Limbaugh has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has clout in the party. He might not be Gepetto but he has some type of influence. Limbaugh followers, other Republicans, and the Extreme Far Right have been whipped into a frenzy. Every time a fellow Republican bad mouths him, they end up apologizing. This usually comes after he scorches them on his radio show. So the apology always comes with some arm bending or the fear of arm bending. Steele looked at the carnage formerly known as Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey and realized he didn’t want any drama. Some people don’t know how to handle beef. It takes a certain kind of dude to keep a beef going. Steele is more Carlton Banks than 50 Cent. I can’t blame him for that because if it’s not in you what can you do? What I can blame him for is the groveling. If he is in charge, then he needs to act like it. Limbaugh basically reduced Steele to the role of a lacky. What can we expect from Steele since his power has been unsurped by a guy on the radio? Absolutely nothing!!! Did I tell you that I once had respect for Michael Steele?

Unattractive? How many bad photos can a person take?

If anyone runs into the Wonkette, let them know I borrowed a picture from them. I had mentioned before that Michelle Malkin has an unattractive photo on Keith Olbermann’s show Countdown. I think I mentioned that the photo makes her look like a rodent. I thought that maybe she should send him another photo but from the recent picture taken (above)…….gadzooks!!! Mr. Olbermann, you win Sir.

My Weekend

While you were watching the corporate sponsored State of the Black Union this weekend, I was enjoying the CIAA Basketball Tournament. My alma mater Johnson C. Smith University swept both Men’s and Women’s CIAA Championship Titles.

Inglourious Basterds