Sun, Nov 22, 2009
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Name:
MOTHERSHIP
Comment: Happy Monday! Quote of the Day: "ONE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC, WHEN IT HITS YOU, YOU FEEL NO PAIN."
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Time for some news. Election is now only a few weeks away. Everyone should be registered.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS
A teenage girl died Friday night, a day after jumping out of a moving stolen van as police attempted to approach it. A 13-year-old boy has been charged as the driver of the van, police said.
Shonquie Young, 14, of the 6100 block of South Paulina Street, was pronounced dead at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 10:26 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The incident happened in the 6100 block of South Marshfield Avenue at 4:50 p.m. on Thursday as police attempted to approach a stolen van, according to police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien.
The driver of the van, a 13-year-old boy, accelerated after seeing police while his passenger jumped out of the van, O'Brien said.
The van then crashed into a pole about a half way down the block, O'Brien said.
The boy was taken into police custody following the crash. Young was initially taken to Stroger Hospital but succumbed to her injuries Friday night, police said.
The boy was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, negligent driving and for driving without ever being issued a license, O'Brien said.
The boy's court information was not available Saturday morning.
An autopsy for Young is scheduled for Saturday.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: KOLKATA, India — For more than 50 years, Mohammad Siddiqi has run the narrow streets of this city, trudging through water higher than his waist during heavy rains, tripping over potholes, as he pulls his rickshaw and passengers as fast as he can.
At least 75, Siddiqi is a human rickshaw-puller, one of thousands in one of the few cities in the world where people transport people like human mules. His job is perhaps the most obvious example of the major contradictions facing India today, between the fabulously wealthy and the impossibly poor, between a skyscraper future and a colonial past. And like child labor, the continued existence of his job is an issue that the country seems unprepared to fully address.
Two years ago, with great publicity and fanfare, the state government announced that it was banning human rickshaw-pulling as inhumane, right when it was doing everything possible to attract foreign investment. With the ban, Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, a city of more than 15 million and more rickshaw pullers than anywhere else in the world, won worldwide praise.
But because of a court challenge, the rickshaw pullers, described by some as "human horses," have been allowed to continue working, even as none are given new licenses or legal protection.
It's not clear whether or when any ban will actually happen. Indian courts are notoriously slow. Cases can take decades. And West Bengal provincial officials have said they were banning the practice at one time or another for the past 32 years.
"When we are trying to reach the moon in India, it's really ridiculous and obnoxious to still have these rickshaws here," said Kolkata Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, who called them "medieval devices."
This is by no means the only degrading job in India. Although child labor is banned, finding a working 10-year-old is as easy as going to a roadside tea stand. Women earn money by cleaning up human feces. Men strip apart old toxic ships or electronic waste. In all cases, workers say they need the jobs because they need the money, often only a few dollars a day.
But the rickshaw pullers, profiled in Dominique Lapierre's novel "The City of Joy," made into a movie starring Patrick Swayze, are probably the most visible.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Siddiqi and thousands of others wait for passengers on downtown streets. They ask 44 cents for a 15-minute trip, even when carrying two or three people, and often make a couple of dollars a day. Their bodies look like they are carved of wood, hard and etched and ropy. Some run in their bare feet, while others wear sandals. Many appear to weigh 100 pounds soaking wet, which they often are beneath the city's frequent rains.
They negotiate the frenetic traffic by making their own lanes, sometimes blocking cars and buses, and at other times by weaving alongside bicycles or men carrying bags of cement on their heads. The pullers are busiest during the downpours of the monsoons, when streets are too flooded for cars.
"That's a painful ride," admitted Siddiqi, who said he has difficulty finding customers because his younger competitors run faster. "We fall down a lot. Passengers don't really bother about it. They just are concerned about getting where they are going."
Rickshaw customers say they need the rickshaws especially during the heavy rains, but they also use them when the weather is sunny. Joybrata Sarkar, 34, who wore a cell phone on his belt and ate a piece of coconut, said he often hired pull rickshaws because taxis refused to go short distances.
"I think it's against humanity, but for some people like myself, there's no other option," he said. When asked why he did not walk, he shrugged.
Most of the rickshaw pullers say that they would rather not do this job but that they have to feed their families and they know nothing else. If the government would give them bicycle rickshaws or another way to make a living, they say, they would be willing to change.
The All Bengal Rickshaw Union helped file the lawsuit that led to the court injunction on the city ban. It has 26,000 members, including 18,000 pullers and 8,000 owners, who rent out a rickshaw for 44 cents a day.
Mukhtar Ali, the union's general secretary who owns a rickshaw but has never pulled one, said the government needs to provide rehabilitation and different jobs if it is going to ban hand-pulled rickshaws.
"Personally, I know these are not good," Ali admitted. "It's really bad and painful to watch. But these pullers are not thieves. They're not beggars. They work hard and they earn their money."
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Clara Meadmore, who celebrates her 105th birthday Saturday, says she knows the secret to a long life: no sex.
The retired secretary, who lives in a nursing home in Cornwall, southwestern Britain, says she is a virgin and has no regrets about it, according to reports in British newspapers.
"I've always had lots of platonic friendships with men but never felt the need to go further than that or marry," The Telegraph quoted her as saying.
Meadmore said she had turned down several marriage proposals, but she made up her mind when she was 12 that she would never marry.
"People have asked whether I am a homosexual and the answer is no. I have just never been interested in or fancied having sex," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.
"I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things," she said. "When I was a girl you only had sex with your husband -- and I never married."
Meadmore was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1903 -– two years after the death of Queen Victoria. She remembers the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. When she was 7, her family moved first to Egypt, then to Canada and New Zealand. She returned to Britain when she was in her 20s and eventually settled in Cornwall, according to the newspaper reports.
"I grew up in an era where little girls were to be seen and not heard so I had to learn to stand up for myself and earn my own living," said Meadmore, who still has her own hair and teeth. "Some men don't like that in a woman and before long I was too old to marry anyway."
She plans to celebrate her 105th birthday with a party at the Perran Bay nursing home, where she lives in Perranporth, Cornwall. Queen Elizabeth II sent her a birthday card.
Meadmore said she would probably have a glass of wine to celebrate but not more. "I'm hardly likely to get drunk and do something silly at my age," she said.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: SAN FRANCISCO—A group of San Francisco first graders took an unusual field trip to City Hall on Friday to toss rose petals at their just-married lesbian teacher—putting the public school children at the center of a fierce election battle over the fate of same-sex marriage.
The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a public bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, a friend of a friend, officiated.
A parent came up with the idea for the field trip -- a surprise for the teacher on her wedding day.
"She's such a dedicated teacher," said the school's interim director Liz Jaroflow.
But there was a question of justifying the field trip academically. Jaroflow decided she could.
"It really is what we call a teachable moment," Jaroflow said, noting the historic significance of same-sex marriage and related civil rights issues. "I think I'm well within the parameters."
Nonetheless, the excursion offers Proposition 8 proponents fresh ammunition for their efforts to outlaw gay marriage in California, offering a real-life incident that echoes their recent television and radio ads.
"It's just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose."
The trip illustrates the message promoted by the campaign in recent days, namely that unless Prop. 8 passes on Nov. 4, children will learn about gay marriage in school.
"It shows that not only can it happen, but it has already happened," White said.
California Education Code permits school districts to offer comprehensive sex education, but if they do, they have to "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships."
Parents can excuse their child from all or part of the instruction.
On Friday, McCoy and Carder, both in white, held hands on Newsom's office balcony overlooking the rotunda and recited their vows.
"With this ring, I thee WED!" Carder said, shouting the last word for emphasis.
After traditional photos, the two walked out City Hall's main doors where the students were lined up down the steps with bags of pink rose petals and bottles of bubbles hanging from their necks. McCoy, a conferences services coordinator, was in on the surprise and beamed as the children swarmed around Carder.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: The two said they have participated in the campaign against Proposition 8 and planned to travel around San Francisco Friday afternoon in a motorized trolley car with a "Just Married" and "Vote No on 8" banners.
The two met on a dance floor two years ago.
"This is one girl I can honestly say deserves happiness and it came in the form of Kerri," said Carder's friend Dani Starelli.
Creative Arts administrators and parents acknowledged that the field trip might be controversial, but they didn't see the big deal. Same-sex marriage is legal, they noted.
"How many days in school are they going to remember?" asked parent Mark Lipsett. "This is a day they'll definitely remember."
Carder's students said they were happy to see their new teacher married.
"She's a really nice teacher. She's the best," said 6-year-old Chava Novogrodsky-Godt, wearing a "No on 8" button on her shirt. "I want her to have a good wedding."
Chava's mothers said they are getting married in two weeks.
The students' parents are planning to make a video with the children describing what marriage is to them.
Marriage, said 6-year-old Nolan Alexander on Friday, is "people falling in love."
It means, he added, "You stay with someone the rest of your life."
As is the case with all field trips, parents had to give their permission and could choose to opt out of the trip. Two families did. Those children spent the duration of the 90-minute field trip back at school with another first grade class, the interim director said.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's not controversial for me," Jaroflow said. "It's certainly an issue I would be willing to put my job on the line for."
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Palos Heights police have closed their investigation into the sexual %*$ault of a teenage girl after she provided them with new information, according to a statement released by the girl's lawyer.
The statement apologizes to the southwest suburban community for "the unnecessary concern and the time and effort from everyone involved." The letter was sent to the media by Martin A. Dolan, a lawyer for the 17-year-old alleged victim and her family.
The teenager reported being sexually %*$aulted as she left work at a sandwich shop on Sept. 16. Police released a sketch of the alleged suspect and alerted residents to the alleged attack.
Palos Heights police confirmed they closed the investigation today. They referred further questions to Dolan.
It is not clear what information the girl provided to police. Dolan's statement said: "At this time, we assure you our community is safe and always has been... we ask you to continue your prayers for the family and avoid criticism or anger as they move forward and cope."
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Everyone is thinking about economic hard times these days.
Especially the New Orleans Hornets, who happened to be in Indiana where they got fancy seats to a major presidential campaign rally.
(I could tell you which candidate they met, and shook hands with, but I really have been trying hard not to stick my neck into that third rail political conversation too much, and it doesn't matter to this story anyway. And you can easily click and read the whole story if you're interested. Here's a clue, though: The speaker asked the audience if they made less than $250,000 a year. Chandler writes: "And everybody there raised their hand, except for this one small section of guys. That was our section. And everybody around us was laughing.")
What struck me, however, was that the whole thing got Chandler thinking about paying taxes, and his conclusions are, I think, uncommon, noteworthy, and wholly distinct from the stereotype of the selfish rich jock. Chandler wrote about it on his NBA.com blog:
... the way I look at it is that I can afford to pay more in taxes. But my parents, my grandparents, my cousins ... with what they make, they can't afford to cut back in their household with what they're trying to survive with. I can afford to make cuts and still survive. They can't take that knock.
I think that's what's going on now and the reason why the middle class is struggling so much. The upper class, we can take that hit. Obviously, nobody wants to take it, but we still can. And we can afford to live nice lives.
I've lived in both situations. And not only that, I'm obviously the only one in my family that can say that I'm a millionaire. I've seen my entire family struggle. So, would I rather see my whole family struggle while I get a break, or have me not get a break while the rest of my family gets one? I'll take my entire family getting a break.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter ldonovan@suntimes.com
A 15-year-old has been charged in the death of a 13-year-old boy at a Southeast Side grocery store earlier this month, a bit of good news for a family grieving the death of a loved one.
"I feel wonderful, but you know I could only shout for joy for one moment because I still don't have my grandson. My daughter still doesn't have her son," said Elaine Mayo of the 13-year-old victim, Sameere Conn.
» Click to enlarge image
Sameere Conn was gunned down outside a grocery store at 2501 E. 106th St.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIES
Teen's mourners ask how many more Boy, 13, killed at corner store
Sameere was killed and a 27-year-old injured in the Oct. 1 shooting at Hook Finer Foods, in the 2500 block of East 106th Street.
Authorities say the suspect stood outside the store that Wednesday evening, pointed his gun at a glass door to the store and opened fire. Authorities say the victims were not together and there was no evidence that Sameere, a star athlete and eighth-grader at Bright Elementary, was the intended target. But detectives say they think the suspected shooter had gang ties.
The teen is to appear in Cook County Juvenile Court at 1100 S. Hamilton today.
Mayo said the only solace she can take is that justice may be served. In a way, she said she has some sympathy for the family of the boy charged, but ultimately "they still have their son."
She says family also has been buoyed by the outpouring of support from Sameere's friends and teachers.
"I didn't realize he had so many friends," Mayo said.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist
Chalk up a win for the little guys in the mortgage foreclosure crisis.
A small victory perhaps, maybe a temporary one.
» Click to enlarge image
Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown
But all in all, a step in the right direction Wednesday by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, due in large part to the aggressive advocacy of a plucky community organization.
It was the Albany Park Community Council and the neighbors it represents who brought to Dart's attention the insane way banks were being allowed to evict innocent tenants whose landlords had lost their properties through mortgage foreclosure proceedings -- even when the tenants had paid their rent and knew nothing of the problems.
Dart announced his office will quit carrying out evictions stemming from mortgage foreclosures until lenders start providing proof they have taken the necessary steps to identify who is living at an address and that those facing eviction have received proper legal notice.
Typical of the mindless lending practices that got the nation into this financial mess in the first place, lenders have been trying to conduct evictions without actually figuring out who lives at the property. That should come as no surprise, I suppose, since it's now apparent they often never even bothered to find out to whom they were lending.
In the case of houses and condos that the previous owner was renting out, this careless practice has resulted in stunned tenants -- rent paid in full -- coming home from work to find their possessions on the curb. No notice. No opportunity to look for a new place to live. The same thing is happening with entire apartment buildings.
Dart said once he saw the abuse, he didn't want his office to be a part of it, especially at a time when foreclosure evictions are running 400 to 500 a month -- nearly triple what they were two years ago. "We're no longer going to be a party to something that is so unjust," Dart said.
In the process, Dart opens himself up to a possible contempt citation for failing to carry out the evictions, but only if a Cook County judge is silly enough to go that route, not that I'd put it past the banks.
Having watched this one develop from the ground floor, I give credit to Dart for doing the right thing.
The real heroes here, though, were Diane Limas and Emily Burns from the Albany Park group and the residents of a tidy brick building at 4914-4916 N. Spaulding, in particular Esteban and Maria Cruz, Pedro Ramirez and Alma Aquino.
They were savvy and gutsy enough to stand firm earlier this summer when a real estate agent working for one lender started using illegal bullying tactics to scare off the tenants, putting fliers in their mailboxes that said they had a week to move.
The community group investigated and found that an amazing scam had taken place.
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Name:
OSUN
Comment: Good Morning. You all are up early. The secret to a long life is no sex. You mean the secret to a long azz boring life is no sex.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: As I first reported to you in June, Romanian businessman Mihail Stancu bought the building, filed paperwork as if he was converting it to condominiums, then took out loans on each unit without actually making any improvements to them. In the process, he cleared more than $1 million before fleeing the country. The tenants knew nothing.
After the story ran, the city stepped in and persuaded a judge to block all eviction proceedings while an effort was made to sort out the mess. Despite the order, sheriff's deputies unknowingly showed up later at one of the apartments with an order to evict Stancu and tried to throw out the tenants instead. Luckily, they backed off that day, and before they could return, the Albany Park group helped Dart see the light.
Even that hasn't kept the lenders from continuing their extra-legal harassment methods of the tenants in an attempt to get control of the property.
Some believe there are as many as 200 such fraudulent condo conversions now in foreclosure in Chicago. More common is your garden variety landlord getting in over his head. Either way, Dart said his deputies are showing up at more and more homes inhabited by someone other than the person they were supposed to evict.
Dart's action does nothing to impinge upon the rights of landlords to evict tenants who aren't paying their rent.
It does, however, create a situation in many foreclosure evictions where a lender may temporarily be unable to move forward with removing somebody who deserves the boot. That's a problem, but better that they get it right.
Illinois law gives a tenant 120 days to move after notification in the event of a foreclosure. Dart said lenders and their lawyers should be required to provide affidavits swearing the required notice was given.
"The people in Albany Park opened a lot of people's eyes in a hurry," Dart said.
Little guys who stand together are more likely to be seen.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: BY BILL ZWECKER Sun-Times Columnist
Ask entertainment legend Eartha Kitt the worst advice anyone ever gave her and she doesn't hesitate.
''To follow the herd. To go with the tide. You're out of style. Don't stick to what you're doing.''
» Click to enlarge image
Singer and actress Eartha Kitt, 81, pictured here in 2005, was in Chicago recently to share her life and achievements at a special evening for the HistoryMakers.
(AP file)
For Kitt, life is not about desiring to blend in with the crowd or ''run with the herd. I never felt that way, even way back in the beginning. I never felt doing that would make me a 'belonger.' I just wanted to belong to myself and be able to share me with you.''
The 81-years-young singer and actress was in Chicago recently to share her life and achievements at a special evening for the HistoryMakers, the Chicago-based national program that is an ongoing archival collection of the African-American experience.
For Kitt it was an important milestone. ''I think it is a wonderful thing to be recognized in this way. I never took things in my life very seriously, except my work, and I think it's important that future generations can learn how I made what success I did achieve.
''Simply put, I did it with wit, grit and a sense of humor and I never took up a stick to beat anyone to get to where I wanted to go.''
Having said that, Kitt did want to stress ''it has never been easy -- even for someone with a gift or some talent -- but I hope I can share the joy that it has brought me along the way as well.''
Given Kitt herself shares a mixed racial heritage with Barack Obama, it seemed natural to assume she was excited about the prospect of the Illinois senator becoming the first African-American elected to the presidency.
While favoring Obama's candidacy, Kitt emphasized a philosophy she said she hopes he shares -- for the good of the country as a whole.
''If he does go through that door into the White House, he's not carrying one race of people with him, but all races of people with him.
''Because I have always felt that due to the biracial blood I have inside my body, everybody belongs to me, and I belong to all people.
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: ''I have never identified myself as black, white, pink or green. I'm an entertainer and thank goodness that has allowed me to pass through the boundaries of many worlds and many cultures.
''If Obama becomes president he become president of all colors or all worlds. ... I've never felt I belonged to a race or a color. I belong to the race of people and that's the way I identify myself -- and hope Obama does too.''
Though Kitt has made many films and TV appearances -- and does say her iconic Catwoman is among her favorites -- it is performing before live audiences that give her the biggest kick.
Especially when she can ''immerse myself and my audience in the intimacy of my cabaret act.''
Kitt not only loves performing live, ''I love teasing my audiences, particularly the men. It's wonderful when I tease them and it's even more wonderful when the wife or girlfriend with the man comes along with it.''
Yet sometimes, some women don't get the joke -- don't understand the innocence of Kitt's flirtations on stage.
''Believe it or not, I've actually seen some woman hit their man over the head and storm out. ... usually with me calling after them, 'Don't you see? I'm only preparing him for you!' ''
Years ago, Eartha Kitt chose Thursday's Child as the title for her first memoir. Given that it comes from the old childhood verse that includes the line, ''Thursday's child has far to go,'' it seemed fair to ask Kitt what she wants to do next on her journey through life.
''As far as I have come in these 80-plus years, I still am finding new things to do,'' said Kitt with her signature purring chuckle.
''Can you believe it? I finally got around to making a DVD of my show! Believe it or not, I have never had a tape made of my cabaret act. I thought it was about time and it will be out around the end of the year.''
Yes, Eartha Kitt still has a way to go -- hopefully a long, long way.
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Name:
OSUN
Comment: A while ago, Aretha Franklin must have not reached her daily 10,000 calorie intake, because she made a grouchy statement about Tina Turner. While performing at the Grammys, Beyonce introduced Tina as "The Queen." Aretha released some statement saying she was offended by this, because she's always been known as the "Queen of Soul."
It took a little while for Tina to respond, but she finally did:
“Aretha has always been like that. We’ve always accepted that from her. She’s the queen of soul, and I’m the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. There were so many kings and queens there that night. Her ego must be so big to think she was the only one. That’s how queens are!”
Well, if her ego is in a third of the size of one of her chichis then it's pretty big.
Aretha put down the bowl of cake batter, moved her extra roly poly chin out of the way and responded to Tina's response to USA Today. Everybody move out of the way!
"I have always appreciated what Tina Turner has to offer and had quietly cheered her on after Ike and her subsequent success. However, with respect to her statement concerning my ego clearly she was talking about herself as she described herself as the 'Queen of Rock' and saying 'that's what Queens do' — particularly since she does not have a clue as to who I am in view of the fact that we have never met.
I never figured her to resort to tacky press just to sell a few tickets. I understand and I know that the concert market is down where ticket sales are concerned. I really had put her in a different class — higher than that.
Finally, no one has been more gracious or complimentary to their peers than I have and I am confident and secure enough to do so, unlike some others. I wish Ms. Turner all the best, as I always have. Perhaps one day we will meet."
I hope Tina can run fast, because Aretha is coming for her. It would only take one blow from Aretha's chichi mounds to lay Tina out. I'm sorry, but I'm Team Mega Chichis. You do not make Aretha angry. She could make you disappear faster than Houdini. I mean, all she has to do is sit and POOF! You're gone!
Posted by: Michael K
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Name:
oldschoolbrother
Comment: Too long to post. My sister knows this woman, a very sad story with a powerful message.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-violence- dayone-weboct12,0,1557203,print.story
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Name:
OSUN
Comment: Early voting starts this Wednesay in TN. I cant wait to cast my vote.
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Name:
beyourself
Comment: Good morning, peoples. I thought I would be the only one at work today. I don't understand why the daycares are closed, but the schools are open.*sigh*
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Name:
beyourself
Comment: LOL @ OSUN. Just imagine a long life without spooge. That must be a very unhappy person.
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Name:
beyourself
Comment: OSUN-Aretha Franklin need to SAT down somewhere, UM, maybe RUN(on a treadmill) LOL.
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Name:
HoneyMack
Comment: good morning FAM. "I GOT THAT GOOD, GOOD" happy bday Ashanti, youse a lucky gal!!
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: Good morning sweeties. happy monday to you all and i hope and pray yall had a wonderful weekend. i was in my movie world this weekend. i looked at some spooky hammer films, (Brides of Dracula and Curse of the Warewolf) and some classic women's mellodramas (Mildred Pierce and The Heiress) but you know what movie i want to see? OLIVER STONE'S "W". that movie looks like it's going to be good. and especially it's a movie about the worst president america has ever had.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: BEYOURSELF>what is going on with MamaRe?
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: OSUN>i heard that gurl. go on and get your vote on! it's a great feeling too! i was so happy when i voted early and it was a big turn out too. keep us posted on how yours went. time is winding down yall. who is gonna go to a election party in their town?
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Name:
HoneyMack
Comment: aww beyoursef, I'm sorry the schools here are closed as well as the post office & banks
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: Beverly Johnson looks good at 56. i hope to look that good when i get there.
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Hey everybody! I'm so sick today! I'm coughing, sneezing, eyes watering, nose beet red! Ick...its allergy season for me...Thankfully we have the day off, cuz I feel like crap. I know one of yall like to indulge with the Nyquil in the closet...Nyquil doesnt work for me for some reason, so my doctor prescribes this cough medicine with Hydrocodone in it. That stuff is the bomb. Anyway, my son and I are going to vote tomorrow morning...this will be his first presidential election, and he's really excited about it.
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Did Tony Robbins get his teeth cut down? He used to have really big teeth and gums, now they are more proportionate to his face...What's up with that?
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: PENELOPE>oh sweetie! i'm sorry you are sicky! got any whisky in the house? fix you some tea with some lemon and honey and pour you a jigger of whisky or dark rum in it and get under the bed.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: PENELOPE> i cant stand Nyquil.
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: I ain't got not whiskey Chass! LOL...Let me see, I got some Mikes Lemonade and some Cask and Cream...There is some Bacardi Gold and some Moet, but I wouldn't even know what to do with it. All that stuff came as a gift one way or the other, and it just sits. I do have a bottle of Little Black Dress wine, but I don't even know what is in it... I bought it cuz the label was cute. Am I the only one who does that? LOL.
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Name:
CRENEEJ
Comment: mornin all, i'm posting from home in my PJs w/ both my sons so it's no day off for me... *kickin rocks*... that's ok tho how wsa everybody's weekend?
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: DIDYAEVER....have a romantic time on the computer? chatting on yahoo IM? i was talking to this male friend of mine who lives in Cinninatti and we had this nice lovely chat through Messenger and i was playing some nice classic old school music on RealPlayer and my glass of sip sip. he's comming to the ATL in february and he is taking me out for my birthday. i had a nice time chating with him. NO CYBERSEX, just nice simple cybercourting. very enjoyable and fun.
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: I have this corner in front of my house that and I decided to put out some lighted pumpkins and disappearing ghosts. For authenticity, I picked up a couple of hay bales. I broke open one and covered the ground with it, and the other ones have pumpkins and lights in it. OK, so its cute, and the neighbors are complimentary, but working with the hay really messed me and my son up. We look like we have pink eye. We have fall allergies anyway, but the hay just took us to a whole new level. I won't be doing this again!
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: CREENJ>but you are posting home...in your PJ's. that's sounds like heaven to me. oh...but you have your boys with you. how old are they?
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Chass...I never have, but I have a friend of mine who is addicted to BlackPeopleMeet.com. She's met up with a couple of guys, and as a matter of fact will be meeting up with a friend she met on that site this weekend. I'm a bit scary, so its not for me, but she thinks its a really great way to meet like minded people.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: PENELOPE>it's okay. i used to be on there a lot and yeah, i also met some nice guys on there. one i have become good friends with. but it get tired later on. i used to delete a lot of them because they don't have no pic (some guys that are married to this) and if they are legaly separated, i delete them too.
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: I know my friend met up with a couple of guys, but based on what she said, I got the impression that the men seemed to be looking for 'the next best thing.' I mean they were really nice and stuff but after a couple of dates. they would play her shady on line. First let me say, she is attractive, professional, and has the qualities that most men would want in a woman. But to me, it seems like a lot of the guys are picking fruit. You know, picking it up examining it then tossing it back in the pile. Now, I don't believe she has had sex with any of them, but I get that sex is the plan for the upcoming weekend.
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Name:
asize12
Comment: Good Morning Love Muffins! How y'all durin'? Me? I'm good:-) I wanna send out a special thanks to all of you that assisted me with my issue. You know who you are:-) You all are appreciated! <<<cyberhugs>>> So, what's up for the day? Friday was WIGGITY-WIGGITY WACK! So, let's pick up the tempo today, shall we? *scrolling up* P.S. Pen, you have mail dear...
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Name:
CRENEEJ
Comment: Chass 7 and 2....i'm having the 7 year old write the definitions of rights and privileges and then we're going to make a list of things and what category they go into, so he'll know if he gets into any trouble what to expect. he's a good kid but has a smart mouth... kinda like me and my hubby....but we still have to instill acceptable behavior and speech concerning adults... oh and CHASS, i met my hubby online
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Name:
asize12
Comment: >mackey, "Good, Good" is my JAYUM! I'm not an Ashanti fan, but I have 2 songs by her that are my favs...1. Good, Good 2. Only You. I loved the 'rock feel' to 'Only You'. LOL @ osun for the 10,000 cal per day comment! LOL
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Name:
formerlyknownasarkansasgirl
Comment: Good morning! I don't want to live to 105 anyway.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: PENELOPE>humm...this is her first time meeting him? if it is, it's not a good idea. interesting thing i experienced dating some of the guys i met on there, i had no sexual attraction to them. and they were nice, very good looking guys but i had no sexual attraction to them. one guy asked me about that. we had a nice lovely chat on my terrace one night. it was a warm evening, soft music playing, had candles outside and nice drinks and the guy was georgous! (he used to go with Phyllis Hymann before she died) and we were discussing the sexual attraction between men and women. and the convo was great, he asked me was i attracted to him. i looked at him dead in the eye and told him as honestly as i could. "you know Steve, you are a very handsome and sexy guy and you communicate very well. you seem like a nice guy to talk with, but for some strange reason, i'm not attracted to you sexually. you would make a great friend though" and that was that and i never heard from him again. oh well! *shrugs shoulders* and i found that to be very puzzling to me.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: CREENJ>well you are a great mother because you take lots of time with your kids and you communicate with them effectively and with motherly love. that is a wonderful thing. gurl, i tell you i was at the hair shop saturday and this ghetto woman was in there with another woman and her kid. how about this woman was cursing out her child every five minutes as she was fussing at him. and you wonder why some kids turn out the way they do. the parents don't know how to talk to them. maybe it's because that is the way they were brought up too. sad. and you met your hubby on line? wow! how long have you two been together? (i guess a long time since you have children 7 and 2) that's nice Creenj.
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Name:
amethyst
Comment: Good morning to all the non-gubment workers who are on the job. Ain't this some shiggity? Bristol's baby-daddy has quit high school to work. The baby is due Dec. 18th, and the wedding is next summer. Are these the new values of the conservative right: get pregnant, drop out of school, have a baby, and get married almost a year later? Why isn't he finishing school? Why are they waiting so long to get married? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_on_el_pr/palin_ wasilla_heartthrob
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Name:
CrazzeeGyrl
Comment: Mornin - OLA, OLA, AY, OLA, OLA AY.....
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Size12 >you have mail...
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Name:
CRENEEJ
Comment: CHASS, almost 9 years....
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Chass...the guy she is meeting these weekend, is not their first meeting. I still am a bit leary about the whole thing, but she seems extremely comfortable with it. To each her own I guess. I guess its good I'm married, b/c if I wasn't, I'd likely be a sexless single woman if my dating was contingent on me meeting people on line. I'm too scary. Maybe I'd try something like e-harmoney or match.com, but a simple networking site seems to broad for me.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: CREEN>nine years? Aww that is wonderful! congratuations girlie!PENELOPE>yeah, i hear ya. so this will be the second time, i'd still wait.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: AMETHYST>what? he's in high school??? and he is quitting high school to work? now that is some trailer trash mess right there. and this is suppoused to be palefaces daughter's future husband? excuse me AMETHYST i'm gonna have to give this a WTF???
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Name:
Penelope
Comment: Ame...that Palin thing is ridiculous! I can't see how anyone wants to vote for these crazy a people. Like Tina Fey said in her imitation of Palin when asked about same sex marriage: I think marriage should be a forced arrangement between two unconsenting teanagers. I would like to know what HIS parents think about him quitting school and marrying this girl. If I was his mother, I'd be losing my mind and all over the media. But, apparently this is ok with them. They must be getting paid.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: i'm %*$!ed! i can't get 102.5 on my computer! i'm hooked on Warren Valentine and Rev Al and Micheal Baisden (eventhough he can get on my nerves at times)
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: PENELOPE>That is so stupid! but hey, that's the rethuglican party for ya. keep show the stupidity, makes the dems get even closer to the big house.
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: WEST HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- The date was October 13, 2007. In four hours, T.I. was scheduled to appear at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was nominated for nine trophies.
"I have a lot of people to make proud," T.I. says.
Instead, the hip-hop superstar found himself handcuffed in a downtown parking lot for attempting to buy machine guns and silencers in an undercover sting. He pleaded guilty to illegal weapons possession and was sentenced to seven months of house arrest, 1,500 hours of community service and one year in jail -- which he begins serving next March.
In the meantime, T.I.'s new CD, "Paper Trail," has become his third consecutive No. 1 album. And if that isn't enough, he sits at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "Live Your Life" and "Whatever You Like."
CNN Senior Producer Denise Quan spoke with the multiplatinum rapper, born Clifford Harris Jr., backstage before a recent show at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California.
CNN: When I first heard about the charges, I said, "You have got to be kidding. WHY?"
T.I.: Well, in order to fully understand the answer to that question, you will have to put yourself in my shoes. You know how many attempts have been made against my life? There are people out there that would rather kill you than to tell you "Good luck" or "I am happy for you." So until you understand that, you wouldn't understand my train of thought. iReport.com: What do you think? Share thoughts on video
Not to say it was right. It's just my best explanation.
CNN: What scares you?
T.I.: Federal court dates. (Laughs)
CNN: Are you scared about going to jail for a year?
T.I.: I wouldn't describe it as fear. I would describe it more as concerned. Concerned, and I am a little anxious. Sooner I get started, sooner I get finished. Watch T.I. talk about his hope for redemption »
CNN: What do you think is the biggest misconception is about you?
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Rapper T.I. arrested on weapons charges
T.I.: The biggest misconception is that I am a hotheaded thug. Ignorant, cold-hearted, just another ignorant rapper who had a chance at success and has done nothing but horrible things with it. Nothing can be further from the truth.
CNN: Do you think you have a lot to prove?
T.I.: A lot to prove? No. I have a lot of people to make proud. Even the government -- the people in the government who stood up for my conditions to be the way they are, rather than the way a lot of people wanted them to be. The last thing I want to do is let them down.
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: You know, they kind of stepped outside of the norm, as far as allowing me to be at home on a house arrest situation, whereas charges like mine would have normally been no bond, no consideration for bond. When I saw that they were trying to give me another chance, that kind of showed me something -- like, "You can't blow it." You gotta meet God halfway. You have to help him help you.
CNN: You've done the seven months of house arrest. And you're in the midst of completing the 1,500 hours of community service ordered by the court.
T.I.: Absolutely, yeah. Getting people to register to vote, encouraging young kids to respect one another, and stressing the value of an education, and trying to do away with teen-on-teen violence as much as possible -- using my experiences to keep them from going down a similar path.
CNN: The hip-hop community seems eager to get involved in registering young people to vote.
T.I.: I think that the hip-hop community should definitely become more involved in the political process, because we are the most influential genre of entertainment in the world.
CNN: But it seems as though some artists are holding back in terms of their involvement because they don't want to hurt their candidate.
T.I.: Absolutely. You know, when you look at the situation with Ludacris [who wrote a pro-Barack Obama song that was condemned by the Obama camp for its negative lyrics about other politicians], I would not want my support of someone to hinder their chances. I think you have to know what helps and what hurts.
CNN: You can't vote because you're a convicted felon.
T.I.: As far as I know, that is the case.
CNN: How much does that hurt? Is there a candidate you want to support?
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: T.I.: Well, man, it isn't necessarily about a candidate that I want to support. I feel like I owe that to my kids, my little cousins, everybody in the generation under me, to try to make this world a better place, this nation a better place. I am not going to focus on what I can't do. I am going to focus on what I CAN do.
CNN: How many kids do you have now?
T.I.: Six.
CNN: Six?! How many kids do you want?
T.I.: I'll have as many as the Lord blesses me with. So be it, as long as I have enough money to take care of them. I don't ever want to have kids who don't know their brothers and sisters. I want them all to grow up together, knowing each other, living together. I don't ever want to have some secret children.
CNN: That's very Bob Marley of you.
T.I.: (Laughs)
CNN: Do you think there's been a price to pay for your success?
T.I.: Absolutely. Absolutely. There has definitely been a price to pay. So far, it has cost me my best friend [T.I.'s 26-year-old personal assistant, Philant Johnson, was killed in a freeway shooting after a 2006 concert in Cincinnati], it has cost me time in jail, it has cost me time away from my family. I have missed four birthdays, two first days of school, four football games and a few more other things. Important outings that I would have liked to be home for.
But I mean -- I'm not going to complain about it, you know what I'm saying? I prayed for this for so long, and now I got it, you know? So I am going to maintain my position.
CNN: How have the experiences of the last couple of years changed you?
T.I.: In many ways. I think I have a calmer spirit. I think I have become a man of thought, rather than a man of action. I think I have evolved as a person. I think I have grown. I have stepped outside of the tough exterior shell I used to have. I am still myself. I still know how to get down with the best of them, but it ain't necessary to show that. There is no room in my life for that part of me.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: I'M CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING....how do they plan the inagural ceremony? oh never mind. they have enough time to plan it since it is in january.
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Name:
naturalsista
Comment: oldschoolbrother - the message was indeed powerful. rip kimberly garnett.
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Name:
Jacque
Comment: Leeneepoo, T.I. was just on The View and repeated some of those same statements. He also performed.
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: Jacque...For real I missed it. What song did he sing.
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Name:
MOTHERSHIP
Comment: Leeneepoo, he sang "You Could Have Whatever You Like."
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: JACQUE/LEENE>i bet that was an interesting episode. what did that ole bitty hasslebytch had to say?
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: in the beginning was the word.......and the word was good.....and the word was sacred......and the word became one.....it was....PSYCOALPHADISCOBETABIOAQUADOOLE!!!!
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Name:
JFromMO
Comment: hey y'all! happy monday. hope you all enjoyed your weekend.
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Name:
CaliRedbone
Comment: Hayyyy yall... i'm at the house!!! whats crackin' up in here?? oooh chass' that cyberdate sounds sweet!!! Ima be lookin' somewhere.. maybe... LOL..maybe not!!!
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: JFMO>hayy sweetie! *cybersisterwave* What exotic place you off to now. shoot, you should have your own travel show on the travel channel. callit "BLACK CHICK TRAVELS" CALIRED>it was okay, kind of boring.
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Name:
amethyst
Comment: chassie - 102.5 online sucks! I go to Howard Univ.'s station, WHUR to listen to Michael Baisden. Steve Harvey is also on this station. The address is: http://www.broadcasturban.net/urbanac/whur.htm BTW - It's Warren "Ballantine", not Valentine. (popping chassie in the head 'cause I told her this before) You can search Warren online and find some other radio stations that carry his show and listen to them online.
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Name:
amethyst
Comment: The Atlanta paper reported that our major counties are experiencing record-breaking volumes of absentee ballot requests, early voting and new registrations. They have hired temporary workers and one county is working 7 days/week. Whatever it takes. I really believe Obama is going to win the election with a decent margin. /Ain't that Levi Johnston-high school dropout some real ignant ish? So, if Palin were VP or President she would propose 1) that there be no sex education in schools, and 2) pregnant teens shouldn't continue their education???
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Name:
Shortey71
Comment: **scratching head** WTH happened here???
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