Dog the Bounty Hunter could see his relative fame go down the hole in a New York minute. Some recordings have surfaced in which he is heard pulling a “Kramer”. In other words, he’s caught on tape spewing the word “ni**er” several times in regards to his son’s dating situation — apparently, Dog doesn’t take to kindly to the notion of his son dating a black woman. These recordings made it into the hands of someone at the National Enquirer and TMZ.com has released one of the recordings (audio here).

In no time flat, the crap hit the fan. A&E, the network which carries his reality show, has suspended production immediately, pending the outcome of an investigation of this incident.

But, not to worry, I’m sure someone will find a way to blame hip-hop over this.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

A Klan group is planning to protest another Klan group for…being…too…intolerant?

This is actually going in Alabama.

When I read this, needless to say, I was floored. I just have to let you read this for yourself:

Members of one Ku Klux Klan organization say they will assemble at the courthouse Nov. 10 to show their opposition to another Klan group that plans an anti-immigration rally there that day.

Ken Mier, who described himself as an investigator for the Alabama Ku Klux Klan and the national office of the Ku Klux Klan LLC, said in an e-mail to The Cullman Times that his group is against the tactics of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which held an anti-immigration protest last month in Athens.

“We are opposed to the ignorance and stupidity as displayed by the individuals that thumbed their nose at the area churches by continuing to use racial slurs, threats and avoided Christian deportment,” he said.

This ranks pretty high on the weirdness factor. I guess someone is trying to show the “kinder, gentler” face of the Klan.

Popularity: 36% [?]

…will Nas actually release an album titled “Ni**er” ?

If his record company does, it might cost them $84 million.

New York assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D–Fort Greene) has threatened to have the $84 million that the state has invested in Nas’ record label Universal and its parent company, Vivendi, withdrawn should the album be released with this title.

Jeffries, a former assistant general counsel at CBS and a lawyer at Viacom, says “(i)t is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop flooding the airwaves with the N-word.”

After this, we should expect Jeffries to take similar actions against Dick Gregory for his book “Ni**er”, the estate of the late Richard Pryor for his comedy album “That Ni**er’s Crazy”, the blaxploitation flick “Boss Ni**er” and John Lennon’s estate for his LP “Woman Is The Ni**er Of The World”?

Sorry for the sarcasm but, the assemblyman seems not to care how many times a rapper actually says the word “ni**er” in one of his/her recordings, he just doesn’t want to see it on the cover.

Ni**a please!

Popularity: 51% [?]

Sometimes, it’s hard to wrap one’s brain around the amount of money being spent in on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, a while back, Xinjo.com published some illustrations to give some idea about what this looks like. I’d suggest visiting the site for the full listing but, here’s a quick and dirty excerpt of what they offer in this piece.

The first photo shows what $9 million might look like with the following caption:

Nine Million dollars … The pile is 5 feet tall, 10 feet long, and 6¼ feet wide. A single stack of dollar bills in this amount would be 3,000 feet high.

This horde is comparable in size to a single compact car. You could buy 489 of them for the amount, though, with enough cash left over to fill up the gas tanks of 162 of them.

But this amount of money is more than four times what you can expect to earn in your entire life, if you are an American with a college degree.

But, wait, there’s more… Read More… »

Popularity: 31% [?]

In a 4-3 decision, the Georgia’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of Genarlow Wilson from the jail at which he was serving a 10-year-sentence for aggravated child molestation.

In what I, and others, called a gross miscarriage of justice, Genarlow Wilson was convicted for have consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old schoolmate when he, at the time, was 17 years old. Ironically, had Wilson had vaginal sex with the girl instead, he would have been facing misdemeanor charges.

Critics, myself included, have long pondered if his sentence was related to the fact that he was a young black boy who had wild, drunken sex with a young white girl. I believe that had they both been of the same ethnicity, the original conviction would have never happened.

Regardless of how they arrived at their ruling, a majority of Georgia’s Supreme Court concluded that his sentence constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The year after Genarlow Wilson was convicted, the law was changed so that young people in similar situations would face, at most, a misdemeanor charge and not have to be registered as sex offenders.

At any rate, Genarlow Wilson is out of jail. I just hope that he will be allowed to get on with his life.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Living in Ohio, I am far from familiar with the dynamics of gang relations in California. However, in communicating with people from that part of the country, I have heard rumblings about the various beefs between Black and Latino gangs and how, innocent civilians are being targeting in the process. However, what I was being told never seemed to rise above the level of rumors.

Newsweek has picked up the stories and are now asking about whether or not certain Latino gangs are targeting Black civilians, in addition to gang rivals.

In particular, they target the activities of one highly-organized Latino gang, Florencia 13, also known as F13. According to the federal indictments of various gang members, black civilians have been robbed, assaulted and murdered on the basis of skin color:

“…But the assaults went beyond rival gangs; they “target[ed] African-American individuals for assault,” according to the indictment. Gang leaders even allegedly instructed foot soldiers in how to hunt blacks in the most efficient manner, the feds maintain. A wiretap cited in the RICO indictment reveals that one gang leader allegedly told an underling that “when he went looking for African-Americans to shoot, only a driver and a shooter were needed.

…

The F13 indictment marks the third high-profile Latino gang charged with attacking blacks in the past two years. Last year federal prosecutors won life sentences against four members of the Latino Avenues gang for civil rights violations of blacks they had murdered simply for moving into the gang’s Highland Park turf. State prosecutors say the Latino 204th Street gang targeted African-Americans not affiliated with gangs, writing graffiti such as “187 N———” (187 is shorthand for “kill”; it’s the California penal code section number for homicide). Two 204th Street members face an upcoming trial on state murder charges for the slaying of 14-year-old Cheryl Green, a black teen killed on the street last December.”

However, let’s be clear: most gang violence targets people of the same race. Therefore, we should construe this as some wild “let’s blame Latinos for violence against black folks” rant. Instead, I am calling attention to a changing dynamic. These communities, many of which are changing as they transition from being majority-Black to majority-Latino. As these still remain poor communities, crime, unfortunately, follows in some areas.

Nonetheless, since innocent black civilians are also being targeted, I feel that I would be remiss in not speaking up.

Popularity: 45% [?]

Last week, I shared the comments of Dr. James Watson. Dr. Watson, in a interview with the Sunday Times, made comments labeling black people intellectually inferior.

At the time, Britain’s Science Museum canceled a talk he was scheduled to have there. Now, he is dealing with further backlash over his statements. Watson has been suspended from his research position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, New York. According to the institution’s trustee board, this step is being taken “pending further deliberation by the board.”

For his part, Dr. Watson must have felt the heat because he offered the following:

“I can certainly understand why people, reading those words, have reacted in the ways they have,” he said.

“To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologise unreservedly.

“That is not what I meant. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief.”

Shamefully, this man knew, with all his credentials, that his opinions on intellectual capacity as they relate to genetics would carry weight. Now, because he is facing heat for his words, he’s sorry.

I, for one, am not buying it.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Living in Cincinnati, OH, I have a lot of co-workers who are right-wingers. One thing that is common is that most of them readily mock any notion of needed to be better at conservation and looking at other options to oil.

For example, I am trying to better myself where I can in this regard and started by flourescent bulbs as bulbs burn out in my home. In addition to not having to change bulbs as often, they use less energy so, I save money on both ends. But, some mocked me for doing so. Now, you would think saving money would be appealing but, so many of us a brainwashed by talking points that we go against our own best interests.

But, there is news out today that will, hopefully, grab our attention.

I’ll share with you the words from the article in London’s Guardian newspaper:

The German-based Energy Watch Group will release its study in London today saying that global oil production peaked in 2006 - much earlier than most experts had expected. The report, which predicts that production will now fall by 7% a year, comes after oil prices set new records almost every day last week, on Friday hitting more than $90 (£44) a barrel.

“The world soon will not be able to produce all the oil it needs as demand is rising while supply is falling. This is a huge problem for the world economy,” said Hans-Josef Fell, EWG’s founder and the German MP behind the country’s successful support system for renewable energy.

The report’s author, Joerg Schindler, said its most alarming finding was the steep decline in oil production after its peak, which he says is now behind us.

The results are in contrast to projections from the International Energy Agency, which says there is little reason to worry about oil supplies at the moment.

However, the EWG study relies more on actual oil production data which, it says, are more reliable than estimates of reserves still in the ground. The group says official industry estimates put global reserves at about 1.255 gigabarrels - equivalent to 42 years’ supply at current consumption rates. But it thinks the figure is only about two thirds of that.

So, what could this mean? Well, if we’re willing to wage war over oil now, what will 10 years from now look like, if we do make some changes. Also, do you think that China and Russia, with all their energy needs, won’t be actively fighting against us for their share?

In other words, if we don’t look to other options, what we see in Iraq could be the normal course of business.

So, don’t you think we need a change?

Popularity: 53% [?]

“Kiladelphia”…no doubt, some ignorant person(s) will take a strange pride in such a name. To some, being associated with such a name denotes a toughness on their part. But, when your city starts getting such a name, something is really wrong.

This is the name that, in some circles, is being given to Philadelphia, PA after the murder rate jumped to 406 killings last year. 85% of those killed were black men.

However, just as you have some folks who embrace such a moniker, there are others who so wholeheartedly reject it that they are moved to action.

Thus, this is why some 10,000 Philadelphia residents are answering a call to help lower crime in that city. While these people will have no police powers, they will help through conflict resolution and mentoring.

More importantly, it is not headed up by law enforcement or the city government — this is actually being spearheaded by citizens.

So, much respect to those who stepped up. I hope your enthusiasm infects us all.

Popularity: 40% [?]

KRS-One has long been one of my favorite artists. Since I first heard him as a member of Boogie Down Productions back in 1987, I was a fan. Over the years, he has been an advocate for positive social change and using music as a platform for bettering society.

In addition, he is a noted lecturer and, to many, a philosopher. So, when he speaks, his words carry a lot of weight.

At the beginning of this month, KRS-One was in Chicago on a tour stop and heard about an FCC public hearing happening there so, he came and made his voice heard. Thanks to Breakdown FM w/ Davey D, I am able to share his words with you.

In essence, he speaks of the criminalization of hip hop through stations not being willing to play music that doesn’t present an image of criminality or hypersexualization.

However, KRS takes it one step further to call it a public safety issue because police are hearing this music, as well, and are patrolling the streets with impressions of black people based on the music’s contents.

I have included the audio of statements below.

 

 KRS-One Speaks at FCC Hearings: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 33% [?]