‘SCARY MOVIE 4’ OOZES WITH

 

MIJAC CLAWS HIS WAY OUT

OF FINANCIAL HOLE: Singer

refinances more than $200
million in loans to avoid bankruptcy.

    *Michael Jackson announced

Thursday that he struck a deal with
creditors that will keep him out of

the welfare line.
     A statement issued his reps in

Bahrain said he has "restructured his
finances" with help from Sony Corp.,

which jointly owns the collection of
more than 200 Beatles tunes through

Sony/ATV Music Publishing. It added

that Citigroup bank "structured the

transaction for the parties."
    In 1985, Jackson purchased the

ATV catalog for $48 million. Ten
years later, Sony and Jackson formed

a joint venture combining Sony Music
Publishing and the ATV Music

Publishing catalog, which also includes
thousands more songs from such artists

as Little Richard, Bob Dylan and
Elvis Presley. The entire catalog is

reportedly valued at about $1 billion.       
       Jackson had used his stake in

the catalog as collateral for about
$270 million in loans that were sold

last year to a New York-based
investment company. 
    The loans, which formally came

due in December 2005, are held by the
Fortress Investment Group, a New

York private equity fund that was in
position to gain Jackson's 50 percent

interest in Beatles publishing rights,
valued at some $500 million, in the

event of a default.

 

BOUNCER PROBED IN PROOF

DEATH: Also, heated game of pool

may have led to gunfire.

      *Police investigating the shooting

death of rapper Proof have
questioned a 28-year-old bouncer

who was working the night of the incident
at Detroit’s C.C.C. nightclub.
     Mario Etheridge, 28, of Detroit,

spoke to investigators Wednesday
about the incident that took the life of

Proof, born Deshaun Holton, and
critically injured a second man, 32-

year-old Keith Bender, the Detroit Free
Press reported. Bender, a sergeant in

the U.S. Army, is also the cousin of
Etheridge, and remained in critical

condition and on life support early
Thursday at St. John Hospital.      
       Police said Wednesday that Proof,

32, fired the first bullet during
the shootout that erupted at approximately

4:30 a.m. Tuesday, more than two
hours after the club was supposed to

close for the night. Investigators now
believe Proof was shot after he pistol-

whipped and shot Bender at the venue
on Eight Mile Road, the street made

famous in the 2002 film starring Proof’s
close friend, rapper Eminem.       
       Bender’s attorney Randall Upshaw

told WXYZ-TV: "The understanding of
every witness we've spoken to is that

Proof pulled out a weapon. Proof shot
Keith in the face, and Keith was unarmed."       
       Proof, a member of the Detroit rap

group D12, was shot three times in
the head and chest, according to the

Wayne County medical examiner's office.
He was driven privately to a nearby

outpatient treatment center, where he
was pronounced dead.
       Meanwhile, Allhiphop.com is

reporting that the shooting may have
escalated from a fight over a pool game.      
       “A shot was fired in the air, Proof

allegedly pistol-whipped Bender,
knocked him to the ground and then shot

him,” writes Allhiphop.com's Nolan
Strong. “Etheridge then allegedly opened

fire on the rapper.”       
       Bender's mother, Leona Bender,

told reporters Thursday that she and
her family were just "trying to cope."  

 

DID PAULA ABDUL LIE ABOUT HER

CLUB BEATDOWN?: Witnesses claim

she made up story to cover up being asked

to leave.

    *Two witnesses claim to have seen

Paula Abdul “falling down drunk”
at L.A.’s club Xenii the night she claims

to have been roughed up, and
they’re telling Page Six that she made

the whole story up to divert
attention away from the fact that she

was told to leave the premesis.
     Two weeks ago, the “American

Idol” judge said a man, identified as
CAA agent Jim Lefkowitz, "grabbed her

by the arm and threw her against a
wall” while she was at the club with her

ex-boyfriend, Dante Spencer. Abdul
said the altercation left her with “a

concussion and spinal injuries."    
    According to the paper, police have

yet to contact Lefkowitz about
the incident, suggesting that the

investigation may have been called off.
Meanwhile, the two witnesses for Page

Six say Abdul looked "drunk" and "out
of it" and was the one kicked out of the

party with Spencer. 
       "The press accounts of the so-

called altercation between Jim
Lefkowitz and Paula Abdul at Xenii last

Sunday morning are completely
outrageous and utterly false,” Lefkowitz's

lawyer, Michael Nasatir, tells
Page Six: “Mr. Lefkowitz did not have

an argument with Ms. Abdul nor did he
have any physical contact with her

whatsoever . . . he was merely an
innocent bystander at an unfortunate

incident."

 

WYCLEF PLAYS CAB DRIVER IN

NEW FILM: Artist also freestyles his

way onto the soundtrack.

       *Wyclef Jean has been cast in

the unique role of a “spiritual taxicab
driver” in the film “One Last Thing…”

which follows the final days of a teen
who is terminally ill.
      The film’s director, Alex

Steyermark, sought out the Fugees

member when considering actors who

would fit the important role. He explained

to MTV.com: "It's [based on] the mythical

character of Charon, the ferryman who
takes you across the river Styx to the

other side. His role is really
important, and I wanted it to be

somebody who's really charismatic

and very spiritual.       
       “I happened to be looking at the

cast list we'd had up until that
point, and I was listening to [Wyclef’s

2003 album] ‘The Preacher's Son,’
and I said, 'Wait a minute. I know

Wyclef. I should just approach him

about this.'"       
       Once Clef was sent the script,

he connected immediately with the
character, as his late father was also

a cab driver. Once on the set, his
creative energy in the role soon

blossomed into impromptu freestyles

about the storyline.       
       "We were on the beach filming

something, and he was telling me about
some soundtrack he was doing, and I

was like, 'Wyclef, why don't you make

a song for this movie? I bet it could be

great,'" Angarano told MTV.com. "He
was going, 'Oh man, I could make

some ill sh*t for this.'       
       "He blurted out the first line

to the song, and for two hours he was
screaming this song at the top of his

lungs, fixing it in his head, not
writing it down, just freestyling and

just picking up the words, and
switching the verses and the choruses,"

the director said. "It was Tuesday,
and he was like, 'All right, I'll have it to

you by Friday.' He comes in on
Friday with the song, and not only is

it a beautiful, great song, but one of
his best. It's so perfect for the movie,

and it captures such an essence of
life itself. It's a perfect fit."       
       The song, called “Heaven’s in

New York,” was recorded by Wyclef and
given to Steyermark on the last day

of shooting.        
       “He showed up with a CD that had

four different mixes,” said
Steyermark. “He said, 'Here, I recorded

this for you,' and it just blew us away.

I think it's one of the best songs

ever written for a movie, and it's
a gift to the movie."        
       “One Last Thing…” is due in

theaters on May 5.

 

FIRED CBS NEWS PRODUCER ALLEGES

RACISM: Raylena Fields says ‘Evening News’
anchor Schieffer wanted her answering phones.

    *Would Katie Couric expect a veteran

CBS News producer to answer her
phones?
      According to Raylena Fields, a

former African American producer in
the network’s transitioning news division,

current CBS Evening News anchor
Bob Schieffer made the request of her,

and she claims it was “something a
similarly situated [white] staff producer

would have never been asked to do."       
       On those grounds, Fields filed

a complaint with the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission

charging that she was summarily fired in
retaliation for voicing her complaints

about racial bias within the news
department, and in particular about the

behavior of Schieffer towards her.
    Fields also charged that "not one

of CBS News' eight broadcasts is
in any way directed, influenced, or

shaped by an African American or any
minority holding a senior position on

that broadcast." 
       CBS is denying the allegations,

saying that Fields "was terminated
for completely lawful reasons connected

to a reshaping of the CBS Evening
News under new leadership."
    Schieffer, an interim anchor since

Dan Rather left the chair in
March 2005, will be replaced by

Couric of NBC’s “Today Show” in

the fall.

 

MAMA LEEZZY WAS A CIVIL

RIGHTS SOLDIER: Secretary of

State gives props to her late mother

in new issue of Good Housekeeping.

       *In an interview for a special

Mother’s Day issue of Good
Housekeeping, Secretary of Condoleezza

Rice says her mom, Angelina, was on
the front line of the civil rights movement

and stood up to racism and
segregation that permeated life outside

of their Birmingham, Alabama home.
      Rice, 51, remembers one particular

incident when she was about 6 or
7 years old and shopping for an Easter

dress with her mother.       
       "The store clerk said, 'She'll have

to try it on in there,'" and
pointed to a storeroom, Rice told

the magazine. "And my mother said, 'Allow
me to be very clear. If we are going to

buy this, she is going to try it on
in there,'" and pointed to the dressing

room, Rice said.       
       "And you could see this woman

thinking it over, and then she sort of
said, 'All right, go ahead,'" Rice added.

"So my mother was pretty defiant,
really."           
       Rice can’t recall whether her

parents were ever bitter about the
racism the encountered.       
       "I remember my parents making

it very clear that this was not about
me or my worth," Rice said. "It was

their problem, not mine."       
       Angelena Rice was diagnosed with

breast cancer when Condoleezza was
just 15. She was able to see her

daughter embark on a career in politics,
before the disease would eventually

take her 15 years later.       
       Rice told the magazine she is

grateful her mother lived to see "a
trajectory for my life. At 15, I was

still supposed to be a concert pianist.
At 30, it was clear that I was going

to do international politics. What I'm
most grateful for is that she knew

where I was going."

 

SUSAN L. TAYLOR PROTESTS

HAMPTON U’S HAIR POLICY:

Essence exec against school policy

about unacceptable ‘braids and dreadlocks.’

    *Susan L. Taylor, the editorial

director of Essence magazine, pulled
out of a speaking engagement at

Hampton University recently after learning
of its policy on acceptable hairstyles

for students in the five-year master's

of business administration program.
      According to AOL Black Voices

columnist Jawn Murray, "braids,
dreadlocks and other unusual hairstyles

are not acceptable." Taylor, who has
worn long braids for years, decided to

protest the rule by withdrawing her
participation at the school’s 28th Annual

Conference on the Black Family
held last month. 
       "I recently withdrew my participation

in the 28th Annual Conference
on the Black Family at Hampton

University," 
       "I began receiving emails from

numerous sources advising me of
disturbing regulations disallowing

locks and braided hairstyles for Hampton
students,” Taylor told Murray for his

Monday BV Buzz column. “One such email
included an Associated Press story

headlined: 'University Bans Certain
Hairstyles for Students.' As a businesswoman

and public figure who has
proudly worn my hair braided for more

than 25 years, I was incredulous and
felt insulted. My executive assistant,

Debra Parker, contacted the
university for clarification, and when

she was advised that this was the
school's policy, I easily made the

decision to cancel my visit.       
       "The freedom to wear our hair in

ways that celebrate our heritage is
one of our 'rites of passage.' Students

would benefit from learning how to
care for and groom locks and braids

and wear them in ways that are
appropriate in a business setting,"

Taylor wrote on March 28.        
       Taylor said she even recommended

that Dr. William R. Harvey, the
university president, "reconsider this

policy and invite informed image
consultants to address students in your

business program about how to make
individual style work in the corporate

environment. Perhaps the greatest
challenge . . . students will face in the

work world is remaining whole and
true to themselves in environments

that are often hostile to African-Americans.

Staying connected to our community

and culture is critical. Trying to transform

themselves to fit into hardly welcoming
environments has scarred countless

numbers of Black people."        
       Ultimately, Dean Sid Credle of

the Hampton School of Business is
standing by the code, “and said a more

clean-cut look can be an asset to
almost any student seeking advancement

in the corporate world," wrote Ieesha
Mckinzie in a March 27th story on Black

College Wire.

 

FESTIVAL TO SPOTLIGHT VIOLENCE

AGAINST WOMEN: Sarah Jones, Phylicia

Rashad to appear at ‘Until the Violence

Stops: NYC.’

    *Actresses Sarah Jones and

Phylicia Rashad will join other
entertainers at a two-week performance

festival in New York to spotlight
violence against women and girls.
    "Until the Violence Stops: NYC,"

to be held in June, is the
brainchild of V-Day, a nonprofit

organization founded by playwright Eve
Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues."
    Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Tina Fey,

Marlo Thomas, Isabella Rossellini
and Gloria Steinem are also scheduled

to appear at the event.
    Maya Angelou, Anna Deavere Smith

and Alice Walker are among the
authors contributing works to the festival,

which will open on June 12 with
a reading at Studio 54 of Ensler's

"Necessary Targets," a play about two
American women who travel to war-

torn Bosnia. It will feature Fonda, Marian
Seldes and Shohreh Aghdashloo.

FILM/TV BITS: 'Chris' lobby; another

Keys 'Diary'; Torry joins 'Flirt';
'Flav of Love 2'; Epps' HBO special.

       *If the bootleg man around the

way suddenly has DVDs of the entire
first season of “Everybody Hates Chris,”

including shows that haven't aired
yet, we’ll know exactly who they came

from.  According to Daily Variety,
producers of the UPN series are sending

DVD copies to all 12,000 members of
the Academy of Television Arts and

Sciences in an attempt to drum up Emmy
votes. Company spokesman John

Wentworth told the trade: "We know that

when the show launched, the critics

raved about it and the industry buzz was
palpable. We thought it would be

appropriate to not only get the first
season to [voters], but to get it to them

early so that they'd have a chance
to truly digest the shows." The 2006

Primetime Emmys will take place on
Sunday, Aug. 27.
      
       *Alicia Keys has been cast

opposite Scarlett Johansson in the big
screen adaptation of the bestseller,

“The Nanny Diaries.”  The film stars
Johansson as a working-class woman from

New Jersey who becomes a nanny to a
wealthy Manhattan family. Keys will play

her best friend. The movie, which
begins shooting this month in New York,

is  based on Nicola Kraus and Emma
McLaughlin's popular satirical book.

Meanwhile, Keys just completed work on
Universal’s “Smokin’ Aces,” opposite

Don Cheadle, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman
and Peter Berg.
      
       *Guy Torry, Marco Sanchez and

Marcelle Larice have joined the cast of
CW's comedy pilot "Flirt." The trio

joins new additions Tamala Jones and
Bree Turner on the Touchstone TV

project, which stars Wayne Brady as the
only man working at a women's magazine.

    *As tipped here last week, VHI is

currently casting for a new season
of “Flavor of Love,” which features a

gaggle of woman vying for the chance
to be the rapper’s main squeeze. "The

show was such a huge hit within the
hip-hop community," executive producer

Cris Abrego tells Variety. "There are
a lot of big names who called us up who

wanted and will be a part of the
show next season." Co-executive producer

Mark Cronin added: "Most of it will
stay the same in that this is Flav's take

on romance and class. His personal
life is a little more hectic because of

the show's success; he's a little
bit more of a celebrity now. But he's

still set on finding love." VH1,
itself, should be a contestant, as “Flavor

of Love 2” is its fourth reality
show to feature the Public Enemy

member. He previously starred in "The
Surreal Life" and spin-off "Strange Love,"

which centered on his exploits
with former “Surreal” housemate

Brigitte Nielsen.

    *Comedian Mike Epps premieres

his first HBO stand-up special, titled
“Mike Epps: Inappropriate Behavior,”

on May 6 at 10 p.m. The one-hour event
was recorded before a live audience at

the San Jose Improv and is for
“adults only,” a release states. The

Indiana native was last seen opposite
Sanaa Lathan in “Something New,”

and is currently working on a new series
for HBO titled, “The Unsuccessful

Thug,” a comedy about his inability to
hustle back in his old neighborhood.

 

MUSIC BITS: Peoples, Jurassic in benefit

jam; Elektra missing Prince; Dupri,
Austin inducted; 'Moan' has the blues.

       *Dilated Peoples, DJ Shadow,

Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, Money Mark

and Madlib are on the performance bill for

a three-day benefit concert and art
auction in Los Angeles for Keith

Tamashiro, a graphic designer who recently
suffered a brain aneurysm. The performers

are friends of Tamashiro, who has
designed album covers for those artists

as well as Damian Marley, Herbie
Hancock and Jay Dee, reports MTV.

The event will be held May 24-26.
      
       *Once you go purple…  Former

Baywatch star Carmen Elektra says

she’s having a difficult time trying to

find a producer as good as Prince to
revive her singing career. "Prince produced

my first album. The hardest part
is finding someone to work with once

you've worked with someone as good as
him,” she told Contact Music. "I've been

talking to different producers
recently and recorded a track with

Damon Dash and Sizzla. It was fun but

I don't know what's going to come of it."  

    *Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin

are among the artists selected to
join this year’s Georgia Music Hall. The

Atlanta talents will be inducted in
the songwriter and producer categories

respectively during the Hall’s 28th
annual awards banquet, to be held

September 16 in Atlanta. R.E.M. will be
inducted in the group category, while

Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers
will be recognized in the performer

category. Previously inducted artists
include TLC, Ray Charles, James

Brown and the B-52's.
      
       *“Hustle & Flow” director Craig

Brewer has recruited a number of
blues legends to perform on the

soundtrack of his new film “Black Snake
Moan," including Memphis blues legend

Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica; Jim
Dickinson on keyboards; Dickinson's

sons and North Mississippi Allstars
members Luther Dickinson and Cody

Dickinson on guitar and drums; and Scott
Bomar on bass. "I have to figure out a

way to show how raunchy blues music
can be a religious experience," Brewer

told AP of his film, which stars
Christina Ricci as a young nymphomaniac

whose demons are chased away by the
blues via a musician played by Samuel

L. Jackson. "Exorcisms aren't easy,"
Brewer said. "Part of getting to a place

of peace is exhausting yourself."

 

EVENT CALENDAR: Trick Daddy in

D.C.; B.B. King in Chicago; Aretha at
Berklee; NAACP's Wilkins Freedom

Fund Awards.

       *Miami rapper Trick Daddy, a search

for Miss HIN and the best cars
from the custom car world will fill Dulles

Expo Center in Washington D.C.
April 22, 5 p.m. to midnight for XM

Satellite Radio's Hot Import Nights
(HIN) 2006. HIN, presented by

Valvoline, is billed as the largest lifestyle
custom car show in the nation Joining

Trick will be DJ Xclusive the Music
Director, DJ, and On Air Talent in "The

City" on XM Satellite Radio and DJ
Lil' Mic, a Dancehall DJ on Washington's

WPGC. Local club DJs and b-boy
competitions will also perform on the

XM Satellite Radio Stage. On the Mazda
stage, HIN's Glo-Go dancers will

show off their go-go skills against D.C.'s
best dancers in the new Rockstar

Energy Drink National Glo-Go Dancer
Competition, a city-to-city dance

rivalry. Here is the 2006 Hot Import
Nights/Night Shift and VIP Schedule

HIN      Washington DC     Dulles Expo Center   April 22
HIN      Boston            Bayside Expo Center       April 29
HIN      Charlotte         Merchandise Mart           May 13
HIN      Atlantic City     AC Convention Center    May 20
HIN      Indianapolis      Indy Convention Center  June 17
HIN      Orlando           OC Convention Center    July 8
NS       New York          Shea Stadium                July 15
NS       Chicago           Soldier Field                    July 29
HIN      Los Angeles       Los Angeles Convention

                                      Center                          August 19
NS       Las Vegas         Sam Boyd Stadium        Sept 9
NS       San Francisco     SBC Park                     Sept 23
HIN      Seattle           Qwest Field                      Sept 30
HIN      Dallas            Dallas Convention Center    October 7
NS       Phoenix           Firebird Intl. Raceway        October 14
VIP      Los Angeles       LA Convention Center     Nov 18
HIN      Honolulu          Blaisdell Convention Center   Dec 2
HIN      Miami             Miami Beach Convention Center Dec 16

    *Legendary blues guitarist B.B.

King will be headlining the grand
finals of Guitar Center’s 2006 guitar

competition, Guitarmageddon: King of
the Blues, to take place Thursday,

June 8, at 7 p.m. at the House of Blues
Chicago. John Mayer is also scheduled

to appear as a special guest during
B.B.'s set. For the opening act, a group

of L.A.-based hip-hop musicians
will perform a set featuring classic

blues samples. In addition, the King of
the Blues grand finals will showcase

the top six undiscovered blues
guitarists in the country as they battle

for the crown and a prize package
worth more than $40,000. Tickets go

on sale April 15 at all Ticketmaster
outlets and can be purchased by phone

at (312) 559-1212 or via the web at
www.ticketmaster.com. 

       *Aretha Franklin will receive an

Honorary Doctor of Music degree at
Berklee College of Music’s Commencement

on Saturday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. at
Northeastern University’s Matthews

Arena.  Other artists receiving Honorary
Doctor of Music degrees are Andy

McGhee, Elliot Scheiner and Melissa
Etheridge, who will double as the

commencement speaker for the more

than 800 graduates and their invited guests.

This year’s recipients are being honored
for their achievements in music and for

their enduring contributions to
American culture.  Past recipients

include Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie,
Patti LaBelle, Nancy Wilson, Chaka

Khan and Quincy Jones. On commencement
eve, as is Berklee’s tradition, students

will pay tribute by performing
music associated with Etheridge, Franklin,

McGhee, and Scheiner, at Matthews
Arena.  The Commencement Concert

and Ceremony are not open to the public.
      
       *The NAACP Los Angeles Branch

will hold its 2006 Annual “Roy Wilkins
Freedom Fund Awards Gala,” on May

18, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506
South Grand Ave. in Los Angeles. 

Under the theme, “Remembering the Legacy
of Rosa Parks,” leaders from the

education, social, economic, legal and
political sectors will be presented awards

in dedication of their talents,
time and energy to making a difference.

Broadway, film and television, award
winning actress, Loretta Devine will

deliver a special tribute in honor of
the “Mother of the Civil-Rights

Movement,” Rosa Parks.  The evening’s
entertainment will be provided by

Seville. Festivities will begin with a
Reception at 5:45 p.m., followed by

the dinner gala at 7:00 p.m.
      
• Leon T. Garr, Chairman Emeritus

of Founders National Bank will be
presented the Lifetime Achievement

Award.  Other honorees include: Willis
Edwards, NAACP National Board

Member, Trailblazer Award; Councilwoman

Jan Perry, Ninth District, Emerging Leadership

Award; Marguerite LaMotte, LAUSD
Board member, Ida B. Wells Barnett Medal

of Courage Award; and Mary Louise
Batiste, ACT-SO Chairman, Volunteer

of the Year Award.   Judge Candace
Cooper will receive the Johnnie L.

Cochran, Jr. Journey To Justice Award.
This award was introduced during last

year’s ceremony in honor and memory of
the noted and legendary attorney.

 

TUSKEGEE AIRMEN GOLD MEDAL

BILL SIGNED INTO LAW: Bush

approves Rangel's legislation conferring

honor on black WWII heroes.

    *The legislation conferring the

Congressional Gold Medal on the
Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of

their heroism in World War II was signed
into law today, Congressman Charles

Rangel announced.
    "This is the culmination of a huge

effort by many people to grant
the recognition to the Tuskegee

Airmen that they have earned and so well
deserve," Congressman Rangel said. 

"I especially want to thank Senator Carl
Levin of Michigan who carried this

bill successfully in the Senate and
worked with me every step of the

way to get us to this day."
    The bill was signed by President

George Bush at 10:00 a.m. today in
a private bill-signing at the White House.

It was passed in its final
version by the House of Representatives

on February 28, 2006, and by the
Senate on March 27th.     
    The Gold Medal, Congress' most

distinguished civilian award, will be
presented to the Tuskegee Airmen,

collectively, in ceremonies in the U.S.
Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C.

later this year.  As authorized under
the law, the President will present

the specially designed Gold Medal on
behalf of Congress.   
    Designed by the U.S. Mint, the

award medal containing 15-ounces of
gold will be housed at the Smithsonian

Institution in Washington, and made
available for temporary display at

museums around the country.   Bronze
replicas will be stamped for sale to

the public. 
    The Tuskegee Airmen were a group

of 994 African American pilots who
gained fame during WWII for their

heroism escorting American bombers in
raids over Europe and North Africa. 

Their distinguished service is credited
with influencing President Truman to

desegregate the U.S. military. Among
the surviving Airmen living in New York

are: educator Roscoe Brown,
broadcast executive Percy Sutton, and

business executive Lee Archer.

EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
     Have you given your power away to

other people? Are you suffering with
emotional scars, shame, secrets and

silent screams? Do you hear the voice of
your inner critic putting you down?

When you have been told you are no good
or when you have felt invisible,

incompetent and insignificant, it is like
being hypnotized and put under a spell.

Once you wake up and snap out of the
trance, you begin to realize the truth

about your divine, significant,
whole, loving and capable self. You

can learn to break the trance of low
self esteem and fear.
     Personal growth happens as you begin

to listen to and honor your own voice
instead of those who place demands,

fear and guilt trips on you. Keeping
yourself fulfilled, balanced, emotionally

stable, spiritually strong and
peaceful is the gift you give yourself.
     The way you treat your self ---teaches

others how to treat you. This is the
way to a healthy self- esteem. When you

have it, you won't expect someone to
be the complete source of your joy

and happiness. Learn to know, love,
honor, listen to, understand, trust,

accept, respect, protect, believe in,
be honest with and take care yourself.

If you don't, you will spend your
life asking, demanding, manipulating,

controlling and hoping others will do
for you, save you, protect you, support

you, validate you, affirm you and
believe in you.
     Please do not confuse building self-

esteem with promoting egotism,
arrogance, conceit, narcissism or a

sense of superiority. Building healthy
self-esteem is not about self-absorption,

pride,vanity or denying the
presence and power of God in

your life.

Conference Keynote Speaker, Retreat

Facilitator, Author, Founder of Women on
the Grow - Jewel Diamond Taylor

email: jewelmotivates@aol.com
web: http://www.jeweldiamondtaylor.com

 

 

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
      April 14: Rapper Da Brat is 32.

      April 15: Track star Evelyn Ashford

is 49. Actor Flex Alexander (“One
on One”) is 36.

    April 16: Actor-comedian Martin

Lawrence is 41.

 

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
    Just 4 Jesus Music Ministries (J4J)

is dedicated to spreading
inspirational and positive music to the

public. Music formats featured are:
Contemporary Gospel, R&B, Jazz and

Hip-Hop. (http:// www.J4Jmusic.com)  
       Submit your favorite Web site to

us along with a 15-20 word (or less)
description to info@eurweb.com.      

BLACK HISTORY
       Apr. 14, 2002: Tiger Woods wins

his third Masters golf title and
becomes only the second person ever

to win two of the titles in a row.
      
       Apr. 15, 1960: Student Nonviolent

Coordinating Committee organized by
young activists at a meeting on the Shaw

University campus.
      
       Apr. 16, 1924: Don Redman

performed the first recorded scat vocals
while a member of Fletcher Henderson's

Orchestra. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)      

 

 

===========================

 

EUR FEEDBACK (MYfeedback@eurweb.com)

 

*Gloria Thomas (no city given)

      "Kudos to EURmail:  you bring us fabulously

diverse opinions on important cultural issues

such as politics and entertainment.

      Mr. Joseph C. Phillips wrote an insightful

article on Black leadership and immigration

with his 'Hello, NAACP' article (04-13-06 EUR). 

I agree with every point that he made

and add my own.

 

      The United States of American cannot

be the pressure relief valve for south of the

border countries.  We cannot.  I am not

impressed by the massive rallies of

foreigners who disregard our laws to

come to this country and then tell us

that they deserve the right to stay

because they are American.  Well,

they are Central and South Americans

but they are not USA citizens.  They

don't get to tell us how to run our

country. 

      Our south of the border immigrants

care about their countries and their culture.

They need to understand that they can make

a difference in changing negative conditions

in their countries but not from the USA. 

Recently, HBO talk show host, Bill Maher

asked a reporter from Univision why these

folk don't stay where they come from and

work for change. The reporter responded

that it would take too long! That was

a horrible response:  as ancestors

of American slaves, Black Americans

know about long, hard efforts to make

citizenship progress beyond mean-spirited

racial stereotypes.  It does not get handed

to anybody.  While Blacks continue to work

through our own full citizenship rights, we

don't want the added burden of fending off

degraded quality of life issues presented

by south of the border immigrants as

there are many more of them than

any other immigrant group.

 

      Quality of life issues for US citizens

occupy significant money, energy, and time. 

I am routinely puzzled by the lie of omission

when anybody says that the immigrants do

work that Americans will not do.  After Katrina

devastated the Gulf coast, immigrants were

brought in by the truck load to remove rubble

and begin building because they are dirt

cheap labor. They were not doing work

that Americans did not want to do.  The

quality of life for Gulf Coast U.S. citizens 

was destroyed and many of those citizens

who desperately needed work were not

hired because a cheaper labor pool

was available."