Due to the rising costs of cotton, oil and transportation, Nike will reportedly increase prices on each and every one of their sneaker models, as well as cutting down on their sneaker boxes.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Black Population in DC Down To 50 Percent. 
Updated: Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 8:41 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 4:51 PM EDT
By BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The nation's capital is on the brink of losing its black majority for the first time in 60 years, according to Census data released Thursday.
Slightly more than 50 percent of Washington's 601,000 residents are black, while 34.8 percent are white, the 2010 Census shows.
Ten years ago, the city was 59.4 percent black and 27.8 percent white. The district gained 50,000 white residents and lost 39,000 black residents over the past decade.
The last Census that showed the city without a black majority was in 1950, when the district was 64.6 percent white. Between 1950 and 1970, Washington lost more than 300,000 white residents and gained more than 250,000 blacks.
The district was 71 percent black in 1970 and remained 70 percent black in 1980 -- earning the affectionate nickname "Chocolate City" among black residents.
But since then, as in many big cities, the percentage of blacks has declined as other minorities have increased their numbers significantly.
Analysts had predicted that Washington would lose its majority-black status sometime this decade -- but it's happening more quickly than expected. In fact, it may have already happened, given that the black population has likely declined further since last year's Census count.
"The identity of the district is changing. It used to be called 'Chocolate City.' Well, that's no longer necessarily the case," said Benjamin Orr, a research analyst at the Brookings Institution who focuses on D.C. issues. "I think residents and leaders in district government are struggling with how the district defines itself."
The new D.C. is more diverse and wealthier -- but with a widening gap between rich and poor. The declining black population is driven largely by lower-income and middle-class black families migrating to the suburbs, analysts say. Neighboring Prince George's County, Md. became the wealthiest majority African-American county in the country. Meanwhile, young white professionals and others able to afford pricey new condos are moving in as downtown neighborhoods are revitalized.
"The district is becoming more attractive to higher-income households, which is increasing the cost of living and pushing lower-income households out," Orr said.
There are now 209,000 non-Hispanic whites living in the district -- the most since 1970. There are 301,000 non-Hispanic blacks -- the least since 1950. The district has lost nearly 100,000 blacks since 1990.
The Census reported in December that the district's population had grown by nearly 30,000 since 2000, reversing decades of declines. The new data show that increase was driven mostly by whites but also by Hispanics -- who can be of any race and now comprise 9.1 percent of the city's population -- as well as by Asians (3.5 percent) and multiracial people (2.1 percent of non-Hispanics).
The demographic shift could have serious political implications. Since Congress allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor and City Council in 1973, Washington has never had a white mayor. D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who served as mayor for 16 years, said Thursday he doesn't envision that changing.
"Politically, we're not going to be threatened by any change in demographics anytime soon," Barry told The Associated Press. "The black community is not and black politics is not."
Ward 2 -- which is 72 percent white and includes downtown and the city's affluent Northwest neighborhoods -- had the largest population increase, gaining more than 11,000 residents. The only ward to lose residents was Barry's Ward 8, which is 94 percent black and encompasses Southeast neighborhoods such as Anacostia.
Mark Rom, a political scientist at Georgetown University, said that while white voters won't necessarily favor white candidates, they will have more clout.
"On average, politicians are going to do better if they can appeal to the white voters," Rom said.
Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who is biracial, lost his re-election bid last year but had significant white support. Rom said the demographic changes might favor a "Fenty-like candidate" in the future. He also noted that Hispanics and Asians will likely become a key swing vote in future elections.
A poll released this week showed Mayor Vincent Gray, who has been dogged by allegations of pay-for-play politics and nepotism, with just a 17 percent approval rating among whites. His overall approval rating was 31 percent.
Barry said he was disturbed by the black migration to the suburbs and said D.C. government should do more to promote homeownership and provide job opportunities for longtime residents.
The demographic shift "does not close the poverty gap at all. What this has done is shift poverty from Northwest to Southeast," Barry said. "You have to improve the quality of life in some of these low-income neighborhoods."
Copyright Associated Press, Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Get the latest news from myfoxdc on your mobile on our iPhone, Droid or Blackberry apps. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Send us news pictures & video on our apps or FOX 5 News Force.
Updated: Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 8:41 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 4:51 PM EDT
By BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The nation's capital is on the brink of losing its black majority for the first time in 60 years, according to Census data released Thursday.
Slightly more than 50 percent of Washington's 601,000 residents are black, while 34.8 percent are white, the 2010 Census shows.
Ten years ago, the city was 59.4 percent black and 27.8 percent white. The district gained 50,000 white residents and lost 39,000 black residents over the past decade.
The last Census that showed the city without a black majority was in 1950, when the district was 64.6 percent white. Between 1950 and 1970, Washington lost more than 300,000 white residents and gained more than 250,000 blacks.
The district was 71 percent black in 1970 and remained 70 percent black in 1980 -- earning the affectionate nickname "Chocolate City" among black residents.
But since then, as in many big cities, the percentage of blacks has declined as other minorities have increased their numbers significantly.
Analysts had predicted that Washington would lose its majority-black status sometime this decade -- but it's happening more quickly than expected. In fact, it may have already happened, given that the black population has likely declined further since last year's Census count.
"The identity of the district is changing. It used to be called 'Chocolate City.' Well, that's no longer necessarily the case," said Benjamin Orr, a research analyst at the Brookings Institution who focuses on D.C. issues. "I think residents and leaders in district government are struggling with how the district defines itself."
The new D.C. is more diverse and wealthier -- but with a widening gap between rich and poor. The declining black population is driven largely by lower-income and middle-class black families migrating to the suburbs, analysts say. Neighboring Prince George's County, Md. became the wealthiest majority African-American county in the country. Meanwhile, young white professionals and others able to afford pricey new condos are moving in as downtown neighborhoods are revitalized.
"The district is becoming more attractive to higher-income households, which is increasing the cost of living and pushing lower-income households out," Orr said.
There are now 209,000 non-Hispanic whites living in the district -- the most since 1970. There are 301,000 non-Hispanic blacks -- the least since 1950. The district has lost nearly 100,000 blacks since 1990.
The Census reported in December that the district's population had grown by nearly 30,000 since 2000, reversing decades of declines. The new data show that increase was driven mostly by whites but also by Hispanics -- who can be of any race and now comprise 9.1 percent of the city's population -- as well as by Asians (3.5 percent) and multiracial people (2.1 percent of non-Hispanics).
The demographic shift could have serious political implications. Since Congress allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor and City Council in 1973, Washington has never had a white mayor. D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who served as mayor for 16 years, said Thursday he doesn't envision that changing.
"Politically, we're not going to be threatened by any change in demographics anytime soon," Barry told The Associated Press. "The black community is not and black politics is not."
Ward 2 -- which is 72 percent white and includes downtown and the city's affluent Northwest neighborhoods -- had the largest population increase, gaining more than 11,000 residents. The only ward to lose residents was Barry's Ward 8, which is 94 percent black and encompasses Southeast neighborhoods such as Anacostia.
Mark Rom, a political scientist at Georgetown University, said that while white voters won't necessarily favor white candidates, they will have more clout.
"On average, politicians are going to do better if they can appeal to the white voters," Rom said.
Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who is biracial, lost his re-election bid last year but had significant white support. Rom said the demographic changes might favor a "Fenty-like candidate" in the future. He also noted that Hispanics and Asians will likely become a key swing vote in future elections.
A poll released this week showed Mayor Vincent Gray, who has been dogged by allegations of pay-for-play politics and nepotism, with just a 17 percent approval rating among whites. His overall approval rating was 31 percent.
Barry said he was disturbed by the black migration to the suburbs and said D.C. government should do more to promote homeownership and provide job opportunities for longtime residents.
The demographic shift "does not close the poverty gap at all. What this has done is shift poverty from Northwest to Southeast," Barry said. "You have to improve the quality of life in some of these low-income neighborhoods."
Copyright Associated Press, Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Get the latest news from myfoxdc on your mobile on our iPhone, Droid or Blackberry apps. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Send us news pictures & video on our apps or FOX 5 News Force.
Man Finds Misplaced Lottery Ticket Worth $9M Just in the Nick of Time March 24, 2011
Chicago-
If Irving Przyborski hadn’t prepared his tax returns a little early this year, a $9 million winning Lotto ticket would have gone unclaimed.
A year ago, Przyborski was putting his tax papers into a file. Somehow the Lotto ticket he bought at his neighborhood 7-Eleven slipped into the folder, said Lottery spokesman Tracy Owens. Przyborski didn’t even miss it.
It wasn’t until he reopened the file this month to do his taxes that he found the ticket: 5-20-31-34-50-51. Przyborski contacted an attorney, who in turn called the Lottery on March 15 to claim the prize, Owens said.
Just in time. The ticket was due to expire one year from the date of the drawing. That would have been at 5 p.m. today.
“We never get this close to a ticket this large going unclaimed,” Owens said. “This would have been the largest unclaimed ticket we’ve ever had by far.”
Unclaimed prize money goes back to the state’s education fund.
Przyborski couldn’t be reached for comment.
Even if he hadn’t claimed the ticket, the store where he bought it — a 7-Eleven at 107th Street and Ewing Avenue on the Southeast Side — still would have received its 1 percent bonus, Owens said. That’s $90,000.
Race Issues Rise for Miami Police
Getting a little heated down there I see. Now it doesn't mention the circumstances the other people who were shot were in. In terms of if they were armed or not but it does seem like a pattern of bad Police culture being cultivated. We know that in our communities well. Same cop involved in a shooting that close together. HUGE red flag....
Fair Warning:
Race Issues Rise for Miami Police
By DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Published: March 22, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us...tq4thtindsKpCA
MIAMI — The video, shot with a hand-held camera, shows brawny Miami police officers breaking down doors and hauling handcuffed African-American suspects off some of the city’s toughest streets. “We hunt,” one officer says in the five-and-a-half-minute clip. “I like to hunt.”
But it was not a source of embarrassment for Miami’s police chief, Miguel A. Exposito. The video was part of a reality television pilot, “Miami’s Finest SOS,” a project with the enthusiastic backing of Chief Exposito. “Our guys were proactively going out there, like predators,” he says during his cameo in the video, which surfaced online in January.
A few weeks later, a Miami police officer shot and killed a black man during a traffic stop at North Miami Avenue and 75th Street in the Little Haiti neighborhood. The man, Travis McNeil, 28, was unarmed and never left the driver’s seat of his rental car when he was shot once in the chest, members of his family said.
Mr. McNeil was the seventh African-American man to be shot and killed by Miami police officers in eight months. The shootings in this racially polarized city have led to marches on the Police Department’s headquarters and calls for a Justice Department investigation, and the city manager has initiated an investigation into the chief’s record.
After pushing for action for weeks, the families of the seven shooting victims will speak at a City Commission meeting on Thursday. Some families are demanding that Chief Exposito be dismissed.
“I don’t understand how the powers that be can allow these things to keep happening,” Sheila McNeil, the mother of Mr. McNeil, said of the Feb. 10 shooting death of her son. “Something is drastically wrong.”
Chief Exposito, a burly 37-year veteran who became chief in November 2009, defended his leadership. “We don’t have a violent police department,” he said in an interview last week. “You’ll find our officers are very compassionate with the people they deal with. They will try to de-escalate situations rather than resorting to deadly force.”
The officer who shot Mr. McNeil is Reinaldo Goyo, a member of the city’s elite gang unit who appeared in the “Miami’s Finest SOS” video. (The TV show has since been shelved.)
Saying on the video: “I’ve got some style. I’ve got some flavor” while wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the words “The Punisher,” Detective Goyo says he and his partner inherited the nicknames Crockett and Tubbs after the lead characters in the 1980s TV show “Miami Vice.” “It’s got a nice little ring to it,” he says.
Detective Goyo would not comment, a police spokesman said. A lawyer for Detective Goyo did not respond to phone messages.
Chief Exposito said he thought the video was “excellent,” although in an e-mail to the production company in December, he acknowledged that he regretted using the word “predator” and asked that his quotation be changed. In another e-mail to one of his assistants, he wrote: “This statement would add fuel to the fire. They need to soften it!”
In an interview last week, Chief Exposito said the video was not supposed to be for public consumption. “I had a problem with the production company — it was not supposed to be on YouTube or anywhere else.”
The chief also defended the officer who said, “I like to hunt.”
“Hunting doesn’t mean you go kill people,” the chief said. “Hunting means you go out there and capture people.”
Miami has a long history of racially charged police shootings, some of which combusted into deadly riots and Justice Department inquiries that ended with police officers in prison. The pattern this time is familiar: All seven men who were fatally shot by the police were African-American; the police officers who shot them are all Hispanic.
“There is a wide range of growing concern in the community regarding the apparent lack of communication and response to these incidents by the City of Miami Police Department,” Representative Frederica S. Wilson, a Democrat from Miami, wrote in a recent letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., asking the Justice Department to investigate.
Questions about Chief Exposito’s leadership have galvanized some leaders of the African-American community, who say that two of the men shot by the police were unarmed. Police officials would not describe details, but they have said that during both shootings, the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger.
Community leaders also expressed outrage that a 12-year veteran of the city’s gang unit, Ricardo Martinez, shot and killed two men within nine days last August. Officer Martinez returned to his job six days after fatally shooting one man, then shot and killed another three days later. Before the shootings, he was under investigation for allegedly selling seized phones.
One officer being responsible for two fatal shootings in such a short period of time is highly unusual, national experts on police forces say. Typically, officers are assigned to desk duty after a shooting pending an inquiry.
“What does that tell you about the chief’s judgment?” said the Rev. Anthony Tate, president of the civil rights organization Pulse and pastor of New Resurrection Community Church in the Liberty City neighborhood.
Chief Exposito said that the inquiry had been initiated by his department, and that it would have been inappropriate to keep Officer Martinez off the street because of an allegation of wrongdoing. In December, Officer Martinez was charged with selling stolen Bluetooth phone headsets. He has been dismissed.
Mr. Tate, two Miami city commissioners and other community leaders have repeatedly called for the chief’s dismissal. Chief Exposito was a major in the property room and in charge of a compliance task force before being elevated two years ago to police chief by Mayor Tomas P. Regalado. Since then, the chief and the mayor have feuded bitterly over a variety of issues.
City Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II was the first on the commission to call for the chief’s dismissal. “It’s not personal. He’s just not competent to be a chief, that’s all,” said Mr. Dunn, whose district includes the neighborhoods where all seven fatal shootings occurred.
“These shootings have us sitting on a time bomb,” he said. “Everyone wonders: When is the next one going to happen? And the fact the chief is still here just makes Miami look like a banana republic.”
Chief Exposito said that after the first of the fatal shootings, last July, he invited the F.B.I. to attend the department’s internal inquiry, a gesture his predecessors had not offered, he said. “This is not something I was forced to do,” he said.
The chief’s critics say his leadership is markedly different from that of his predecessor, John F. Timoney, a deputy police commissioner in New York in the Giuliani administration.
During Mr. Timoney’s seven-year tenure, the department once went 22 months without having a police officer fire a weapon. When Mr. Exposito succeeded Mr. Timoney in November 2009, he assigned more than 100 officers to “tactical units” to try to curb violent crime.
The tactical units, including the gang unit whose officers have been responsible for the majority of the most recent shootings, have arrested hundreds of suspects and removed 400 more guns from the street in 2010 than in 2009, the chief said.
During those sweeps, “seven people decided they were not going to obey the law and not adhere to the police orders,” said Armando Aguilar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, the police union, “and they ended up getting shot.”
The chief’s fate is in the hands of the city manager, Tony E. Crapp Jr. In late February, Mr. Crapp hired a former senior F.B.I. agent, Paul R. Philip, to assess the department’s record.
Mr. Philip, who headed the F.B.I.’s Miami field office, said in an interview that he compared the number of police shootings in 2009, the last year of Mr. Timoney’s leadership, with the first 15 months of Chief Exposito’s tenure. During Mr. Timoney’s final year as chief, seven officers shot at suspects, killing four and missing three others. Under Chief Exposito, there have been 10 shootings, with seven fatalities.
“It seemed to be a concern that the department was engaged in an accelerated rate of shootings, but there doesn’t appear to be,” Mr. Philip said. “The data seems to support the chief.”
Mr. Philip said his review did not include interviewing police officers who fired their weapons, witnesses or the family members of victims. Determining whether each of the shootings was justified is the state attorney’s job.
The chief said he was gratified that “someone with the stature of Paul Philip is agreeing with me.” He added: “I’ve been saying all along, we’re trying to get violent crime under control in that community. Unfortunately when you do that, you will be confronted by people who are armed and dangerous.”
Community leaders said they were upset about the pace of the Police Department’s own inquiries. They complained that police investigators had not taken a statement from Kareem Williams, 31, who is Mr. McNeil’s cousin and was shot three times as he sat with Mr. McNeil in the rental car last month. Mr. Williams, who left the hospital two days later, told his family that the officer began shooting without saying a single word, Mrs. McNeil said.
Not long ago, Mrs. McNeil met with Chief Exposito, who spoke about police procedures on the use of deadly force, she said. She added that the “impersonal” nature of the discussion had left her frustrated and sad.
“When your son has been shot,” she said, “you don’t want to hear about policies.”
Fair Warning:
Race Issues Rise for Miami Police
By DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Published: March 22, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us...tq4thtindsKpCA
MIAMI — The video, shot with a hand-held camera, shows brawny Miami police officers breaking down doors and hauling handcuffed African-American suspects off some of the city’s toughest streets. “We hunt,” one officer says in the five-and-a-half-minute clip. “I like to hunt.”
But it was not a source of embarrassment for Miami’s police chief, Miguel A. Exposito. The video was part of a reality television pilot, “Miami’s Finest SOS,” a project with the enthusiastic backing of Chief Exposito. “Our guys were proactively going out there, like predators,” he says during his cameo in the video, which surfaced online in January.
A few weeks later, a Miami police officer shot and killed a black man during a traffic stop at North Miami Avenue and 75th Street in the Little Haiti neighborhood. The man, Travis McNeil, 28, was unarmed and never left the driver’s seat of his rental car when he was shot once in the chest, members of his family said.
Mr. McNeil was the seventh African-American man to be shot and killed by Miami police officers in eight months. The shootings in this racially polarized city have led to marches on the Police Department’s headquarters and calls for a Justice Department investigation, and the city manager has initiated an investigation into the chief’s record.
After pushing for action for weeks, the families of the seven shooting victims will speak at a City Commission meeting on Thursday. Some families are demanding that Chief Exposito be dismissed.
“I don’t understand how the powers that be can allow these things to keep happening,” Sheila McNeil, the mother of Mr. McNeil, said of the Feb. 10 shooting death of her son. “Something is drastically wrong.”
Chief Exposito, a burly 37-year veteran who became chief in November 2009, defended his leadership. “We don’t have a violent police department,” he said in an interview last week. “You’ll find our officers are very compassionate with the people they deal with. They will try to de-escalate situations rather than resorting to deadly force.”
The officer who shot Mr. McNeil is Reinaldo Goyo, a member of the city’s elite gang unit who appeared in the “Miami’s Finest SOS” video. (The TV show has since been shelved.)
Saying on the video: “I’ve got some style. I’ve got some flavor” while wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the words “The Punisher,” Detective Goyo says he and his partner inherited the nicknames Crockett and Tubbs after the lead characters in the 1980s TV show “Miami Vice.” “It’s got a nice little ring to it,” he says.
Detective Goyo would not comment, a police spokesman said. A lawyer for Detective Goyo did not respond to phone messages.
Chief Exposito said he thought the video was “excellent,” although in an e-mail to the production company in December, he acknowledged that he regretted using the word “predator” and asked that his quotation be changed. In another e-mail to one of his assistants, he wrote: “This statement would add fuel to the fire. They need to soften it!”
In an interview last week, Chief Exposito said the video was not supposed to be for public consumption. “I had a problem with the production company — it was not supposed to be on YouTube or anywhere else.”
The chief also defended the officer who said, “I like to hunt.”
“Hunting doesn’t mean you go kill people,” the chief said. “Hunting means you go out there and capture people.”
Miami has a long history of racially charged police shootings, some of which combusted into deadly riots and Justice Department inquiries that ended with police officers in prison. The pattern this time is familiar: All seven men who were fatally shot by the police were African-American; the police officers who shot them are all Hispanic.
“There is a wide range of growing concern in the community regarding the apparent lack of communication and response to these incidents by the City of Miami Police Department,” Representative Frederica S. Wilson, a Democrat from Miami, wrote in a recent letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., asking the Justice Department to investigate.
Questions about Chief Exposito’s leadership have galvanized some leaders of the African-American community, who say that two of the men shot by the police were unarmed. Police officials would not describe details, but they have said that during both shootings, the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger.
Community leaders also expressed outrage that a 12-year veteran of the city’s gang unit, Ricardo Martinez, shot and killed two men within nine days last August. Officer Martinez returned to his job six days after fatally shooting one man, then shot and killed another three days later. Before the shootings, he was under investigation for allegedly selling seized phones.
One officer being responsible for two fatal shootings in such a short period of time is highly unusual, national experts on police forces say. Typically, officers are assigned to desk duty after a shooting pending an inquiry.
“What does that tell you about the chief’s judgment?” said the Rev. Anthony Tate, president of the civil rights organization Pulse and pastor of New Resurrection Community Church in the Liberty City neighborhood.
Chief Exposito said that the inquiry had been initiated by his department, and that it would have been inappropriate to keep Officer Martinez off the street because of an allegation of wrongdoing. In December, Officer Martinez was charged with selling stolen Bluetooth phone headsets. He has been dismissed.
Mr. Tate, two Miami city commissioners and other community leaders have repeatedly called for the chief’s dismissal. Chief Exposito was a major in the property room and in charge of a compliance task force before being elevated two years ago to police chief by Mayor Tomas P. Regalado. Since then, the chief and the mayor have feuded bitterly over a variety of issues.
City Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II was the first on the commission to call for the chief’s dismissal. “It’s not personal. He’s just not competent to be a chief, that’s all,” said Mr. Dunn, whose district includes the neighborhoods where all seven fatal shootings occurred.
“These shootings have us sitting on a time bomb,” he said. “Everyone wonders: When is the next one going to happen? And the fact the chief is still here just makes Miami look like a banana republic.”
Chief Exposito said that after the first of the fatal shootings, last July, he invited the F.B.I. to attend the department’s internal inquiry, a gesture his predecessors had not offered, he said. “This is not something I was forced to do,” he said.
The chief’s critics say his leadership is markedly different from that of his predecessor, John F. Timoney, a deputy police commissioner in New York in the Giuliani administration.
During Mr. Timoney’s seven-year tenure, the department once went 22 months without having a police officer fire a weapon. When Mr. Exposito succeeded Mr. Timoney in November 2009, he assigned more than 100 officers to “tactical units” to try to curb violent crime.
The tactical units, including the gang unit whose officers have been responsible for the majority of the most recent shootings, have arrested hundreds of suspects and removed 400 more guns from the street in 2010 than in 2009, the chief said.
During those sweeps, “seven people decided they were not going to obey the law and not adhere to the police orders,” said Armando Aguilar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, the police union, “and they ended up getting shot.”
The chief’s fate is in the hands of the city manager, Tony E. Crapp Jr. In late February, Mr. Crapp hired a former senior F.B.I. agent, Paul R. Philip, to assess the department’s record.
Mr. Philip, who headed the F.B.I.’s Miami field office, said in an interview that he compared the number of police shootings in 2009, the last year of Mr. Timoney’s leadership, with the first 15 months of Chief Exposito’s tenure. During Mr. Timoney’s final year as chief, seven officers shot at suspects, killing four and missing three others. Under Chief Exposito, there have been 10 shootings, with seven fatalities.
“It seemed to be a concern that the department was engaged in an accelerated rate of shootings, but there doesn’t appear to be,” Mr. Philip said. “The data seems to support the chief.”
Mr. Philip said his review did not include interviewing police officers who fired their weapons, witnesses or the family members of victims. Determining whether each of the shootings was justified is the state attorney’s job.
The chief said he was gratified that “someone with the stature of Paul Philip is agreeing with me.” He added: “I’ve been saying all along, we’re trying to get violent crime under control in that community. Unfortunately when you do that, you will be confronted by people who are armed and dangerous.”
Community leaders said they were upset about the pace of the Police Department’s own inquiries. They complained that police investigators had not taken a statement from Kareem Williams, 31, who is Mr. McNeil’s cousin and was shot three times as he sat with Mr. McNeil in the rental car last month. Mr. Williams, who left the hospital two days later, told his family that the officer began shooting without saying a single word, Mrs. McNeil said.
Not long ago, Mrs. McNeil met with Chief Exposito, who spoke about police procedures on the use of deadly force, she said. She added that the “impersonal” nature of the discussion had left her frustrated and sad.
“When your son has been shot,” she said, “you don’t want to hear about policies.”
George Lopez Makes 'Pig Joke' At Kirstie Alley's
VIDEO: George Lopez Makes 'Pig Joke' At Kirstie Alley's Expense
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusive...alleys-expense
Sorry that shit was funny!!!!!!
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusive...alleys-expense
Sorry that shit was funny!!!!!!
Parents Give Birth to Ebony and Ivory Twins
At 17 months, Triniti and Ghabriael are chubby-cheeked twins, born 11 weeks early at three pounds each and now healthy and a joy to their parents.
But when their mother, Khristi Cunningham of Akron, Ohio, takes them in public, the babies get a lot of second looks and questions.
Triniti has ebony-colored skin and all the classic dark features of an African American, but "Gabe," as his parents call him, is ivory-white with steely blue eyes and blond hair. He's now 10 pounds heavier than his sister, but it's their racial identity that gets people scratching their heads.
"People ask, 'How did it happen?' Are you sure they are twins?" said Cunningham, 29. "We get a lot of stares, and I am sure people make comments behind my back."
Their mother is white and their father, Charles Cunningham, is black.
"I don't know how it happened," said Cunningham. "They are fraternal twins, so they aren't any closer than if they had been born years apart. Ours just happen to have the same birthday."
Geneticists say racial differences involve many genes and are more complex in determining looks than those for eye color, but the startling difference between the twins raises an interesting question about how mixed-race families are viewed in a country that is increasing biracial.
Even the Cunningham's pediatrician was baffled by the black and white babies.
"She asked if they were identical twins," said Cunningham. "That was the last time we went to see her."
As for the Cunningham's pediatrician, Bachman says only a careful study of the placenta by the obstetrician or a DNA test can definitively determine if twins are monozygotic (identical) or dizygotic (fraternal).
Identical twins develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos. Fraternal twins are two eggs that have been fertilized by separate sperm.
In fact, identical twins are not exactly alike, genetically, according to Bachman. "There are scant variations between the two, who grow up in different places in the uterus and as they grow in time have various somatic mutations [that are not passed on]. There are gene changes within them."
Because the United States is such a diverse country racially, couples can carry an assortment of genes from multiple racial backgrounds. Skin color, according to Bachman, is determined by "multiple genes, not a single gene."
"An assortment of genes go into the egg and sperm to get skin color," he said. "This family is no different. The twins are just like siblings in biracial families."
The Cunninghams met in 2006, while working in a juvenile prison in Columbus three hours away from their families. They later moved, got new jobs in an auto plant and married.
They knew carrying the twins would be challenging. She lost a son the year prior to conceiving the twins because of an incompetent cervix.
The goal was to get to 24 weeks when the babies would be viable outside the womb, but they held on for an additional month and were delivered in September 2009.
At first their developmental milestones were a bit delayed, but now they are "well adjusted and caught up," according to their mother.
Although the Cunninghams pay little attention to the skin color of their babies, the world is not color blind.
At 17 months, Triniti and Ghabriael are chubby-cheeked twins, born 11 weeks early at three pounds each and now healthy and a joy to their parents.
But when their mother, Khristi Cunningham of Akron, Ohio, takes them in public, the babies get a lot of second looks and questions.
Triniti has ebony-colored skin and all the classic dark features of an African American, but "Gabe," as his parents call him, is ivory-white with steely blue eyes and blond hair. He's now 10 pounds heavier than his sister, but it's their racial identity that gets people scratching their heads.
"People ask, 'How did it happen?' Are you sure they are twins?" said Cunningham, 29. "We get a lot of stares, and I am sure people make comments behind my back."
Their mother is white and their father, Charles Cunningham, is black.
"I don't know how it happened," said Cunningham. "They are fraternal twins, so they aren't any closer than if they had been born years apart. Ours just happen to have the same birthday."
Geneticists say racial differences involve many genes and are more complex in determining looks than those for eye color, but the startling difference between the twins raises an interesting question about how mixed-race families are viewed in a country that is increasing biracial.
Even the Cunningham's pediatrician was baffled by the black and white babies.
"She asked if they were identical twins," said Cunningham. "That was the last time we went to see her."
As for the Cunningham's pediatrician, Bachman says only a careful study of the placenta by the obstetrician or a DNA test can definitively determine if twins are monozygotic (identical) or dizygotic (fraternal).
Identical twins develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos. Fraternal twins are two eggs that have been fertilized by separate sperm.
In fact, identical twins are not exactly alike, genetically, according to Bachman. "There are scant variations between the two, who grow up in different places in the uterus and as they grow in time have various somatic mutations [that are not passed on]. There are gene changes within them."
Because the United States is such a diverse country racially, couples can carry an assortment of genes from multiple racial backgrounds. Skin color, according to Bachman, is determined by "multiple genes, not a single gene."
"An assortment of genes go into the egg and sperm to get skin color," he said. "This family is no different. The twins are just like siblings in biracial families."
The Cunninghams met in 2006, while working in a juvenile prison in Columbus three hours away from their families. They later moved, got new jobs in an auto plant and married.
They knew carrying the twins would be challenging. She lost a son the year prior to conceiving the twins because of an incompetent cervix.
The goal was to get to 24 weeks when the babies would be viable outside the womb, but they held on for an additional month and were delivered in September 2009.
At first their developmental milestones were a bit delayed, but now they are "well adjusted and caught up," according to their mother.
Although the Cunninghams pay little attention to the skin color of their babies, the world is not color blind.
Wall St Billionaire Charged With Child Molestation
Billionaire Curtis Johnson Charged with Sexual Assault in Racine County
SC Johnson heir, who lives in Caledonia, admitted to having inappropriate contact with a child, according to a criminal complaint.
Samuel Curtis Johnson III was formally charged today, March 24, with repeated sexual assault of a child. A judge released him on a $500,000 cash bond and Johnson was ordered to have no contact with the child or any other minor female child.
Johnson, who lives in Caledonia, is the billionaire son of the late Sam Johnson and is the former head of Sturtevant-based Diversey, Inc. Earlier this year, he took a leave of absence for "personal reasons." Since then, his sister, Helen Johnson-Leopold, has taken the reins of the company. His brother, Fisk Johnson, is head of SC Johnson.
In the criminal complaint, it is alleged that Johnson touched the victim on multiple occasions, exposed himself and asked the girl to have sex with him. The victim refused and also stated that she could not remember the age she was when the abuse began.
http://caledonia.patch.com/articles/...=breaking_news
SC Johnson heir, who lives in Caledonia, admitted to having inappropriate contact with a child, according to a criminal complaint.
Samuel Curtis Johnson III was formally charged today, March 24, with repeated sexual assault of a child. A judge released him on a $500,000 cash bond and Johnson was ordered to have no contact with the child or any other minor female child.
Johnson, who lives in Caledonia, is the billionaire son of the late Sam Johnson and is the former head of Sturtevant-based Diversey, Inc. Earlier this year, he took a leave of absence for "personal reasons." Since then, his sister, Helen Johnson-Leopold, has taken the reins of the company. His brother, Fisk Johnson, is head of SC Johnson.
In the criminal complaint, it is alleged that Johnson touched the victim on multiple occasions, exposed himself and asked the girl to have sex with him. The victim refused and also stated that she could not remember the age she was when the abuse began.
http://caledonia.patch.com/articles/...=breaking_news
100 Years Ago Today The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Happened in NYC...
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City
In one of the darkest moments of America's industrial history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burns down, killing 145 workers, on this day in 1911. The tragedy led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of factory workers.
The Triangle factory, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, was located in the top three floors of the 10-story Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. It was a sweatshop in every sense of the word: a cramped space lined with work stations and packed with poor immigrant workers, mostly teenaged women who did not speak English. At the time of the fire, there were four elevators with access to the factory floors, but only one was fully operational and it could hold only 12 people at a time. There were two stairways down to the street, but one was locked from the outside to prevent theft by the workers and the other opened inward only. The fire escape, as all would come to see, was shoddily constructed, and could not support the weight of more than a few women at a time.
Blanck and Harris already had a suspicious history of factory fires. The Triangle factory was twice scorched in 1902, while their Diamond Waist Company factory burned twice, in 1907 and in 1910. It seems that Blanck and Harris deliberately torched their workplaces before business hours in order to collect on the large fire-insurance policies they purchased, a not uncommon practice in the early 20th century. While this was not the cause of the 1911 fire, it contributed to the tragedy, as Blanck and Harris refused to install sprinkler systems and take other safety measures in case they needed to burn down their shops again.
Added to this delinquency were Blanck and Harris' notorious anti-worker policies. Their employees were paid a mere $15 a week, despite working 12 hours a day, every day. When the International Ladies Garment Workers Union led a strike in 1909 demanding higher pay and shorter and more predictable hours, Blanck and Harris' company was one of the few manufacturers who resisted, hiring police as thugs to imprison the striking women, and paying off politicians to look the other way.
On March 25, a Saturday afternoon, there were 600 workers at the factory when a fire broke out in a rag bin on the eighth floor. The manager turned the fire hose on it, but the hose was rotted and its valve was rusted shut. Panic ensued as the workers fled to every exit. The elevator broke down after only four trips, and women began jumping down the shaft to their deaths. Those who fled down the wrong set of stairs were trapped inside and burned alive. Other women trapped on the eighth floor began jumping out the windows, which created a problem for the firefighters whose hoses were crushed by falling bodies. Also, the firefighters' ladders stretched only as high as the seventh floor, and their safety nets were not strong enough to catch the women, who were jumping three at a time.
Blanck and Harris were on the building's top floor with some workers when the fire broke out. They were able to escape by climbing onto the roof and hopping to an adjoining building.
The fire was out within half an hour, but not before 49 workers had been killed by the fire, and another 100 or so were piled up dead in the elevator shaft or on the sidewalk. The workers' union organized a march on April 5 to protest the conditions that led to the fire; it was attended by 80,000 people.
Though Blanck and Harris were put on trial for manslaughter, they managed to get off scot-free. Still, the massacre for which they were responsible did finally compel the city to enact reform. In addition to the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law passed that October, the New York Democratic set took up the cause of the worker and became known as a reform party.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...-new-york-city
__________________
In one of the darkest moments of America's industrial history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burns down, killing 145 workers, on this day in 1911. The tragedy led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of factory workers.
The Triangle factory, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, was located in the top three floors of the 10-story Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. It was a sweatshop in every sense of the word: a cramped space lined with work stations and packed with poor immigrant workers, mostly teenaged women who did not speak English. At the time of the fire, there were four elevators with access to the factory floors, but only one was fully operational and it could hold only 12 people at a time. There were two stairways down to the street, but one was locked from the outside to prevent theft by the workers and the other opened inward only. The fire escape, as all would come to see, was shoddily constructed, and could not support the weight of more than a few women at a time.
Blanck and Harris already had a suspicious history of factory fires. The Triangle factory was twice scorched in 1902, while their Diamond Waist Company factory burned twice, in 1907 and in 1910. It seems that Blanck and Harris deliberately torched their workplaces before business hours in order to collect on the large fire-insurance policies they purchased, a not uncommon practice in the early 20th century. While this was not the cause of the 1911 fire, it contributed to the tragedy, as Blanck and Harris refused to install sprinkler systems and take other safety measures in case they needed to burn down their shops again.
Added to this delinquency were Blanck and Harris' notorious anti-worker policies. Their employees were paid a mere $15 a week, despite working 12 hours a day, every day. When the International Ladies Garment Workers Union led a strike in 1909 demanding higher pay and shorter and more predictable hours, Blanck and Harris' company was one of the few manufacturers who resisted, hiring police as thugs to imprison the striking women, and paying off politicians to look the other way.
On March 25, a Saturday afternoon, there were 600 workers at the factory when a fire broke out in a rag bin on the eighth floor. The manager turned the fire hose on it, but the hose was rotted and its valve was rusted shut. Panic ensued as the workers fled to every exit. The elevator broke down after only four trips, and women began jumping down the shaft to their deaths. Those who fled down the wrong set of stairs were trapped inside and burned alive. Other women trapped on the eighth floor began jumping out the windows, which created a problem for the firefighters whose hoses were crushed by falling bodies. Also, the firefighters' ladders stretched only as high as the seventh floor, and their safety nets were not strong enough to catch the women, who were jumping three at a time.
Blanck and Harris were on the building's top floor with some workers when the fire broke out. They were able to escape by climbing onto the roof and hopping to an adjoining building.
The fire was out within half an hour, but not before 49 workers had been killed by the fire, and another 100 or so were piled up dead in the elevator shaft or on the sidewalk. The workers' union organized a march on April 5 to protest the conditions that led to the fire; it was attended by 80,000 people.
Though Blanck and Harris were put on trial for manslaughter, they managed to get off scot-free. Still, the massacre for which they were responsible did finally compel the city to enact reform. In addition to the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law passed that October, the New York Democratic set took up the cause of the worker and became known as a reform party.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...-new-york-city
Vizio's first 2011 Theater 3D TVs revealed, could ship for less than $500
Vizio's first 2011 Theater 3D TVs revealed, could ship for less than $500
The one detail we couldn't wrangle out of Vizio about its upcoming 3DTV line at CES was the price, but now a few midrange models have popped up on the company's website early with full information. The 47-, 42- and 32-inch E3D models sport $899, $729 and $549 pricetags and a date of "coming soon," following the precedent of the 65-inch model released last fall. If that's not cheap enough, one of our readers has provided information that Walmart expects to have the E3D320VX and E3D420VX available for $498 and $698, respectively, starting in April. All of these TVs are 1080p (at least in 2D), have WiFi and Vizio Internet Apps built in (with a new IR remote - Update: pictured after the break -- instead of the old Bluetooth QWERTY one) and come with two pairs of passive 3D glasses. We've seen 3DTVs debut at under $1,000 before and more than a few of last year's models have dipped to $800~ by now, but with a starting price this low and cheap accessories, we wouldn't be surprised if Vizio is celebrating sales wins again next year.
http://www.vizio.com/lcd-hdtvs.html
The one detail we couldn't wrangle out of Vizio about its upcoming 3DTV line at CES was the price, but now a few midrange models have popped up on the company's website early with full information. The 47-, 42- and 32-inch E3D models sport $899, $729 and $549 pricetags and a date of "coming soon," following the precedent of the 65-inch model released last fall. If that's not cheap enough, one of our readers has provided information that Walmart expects to have the E3D320VX and E3D420VX available for $498 and $698, respectively, starting in April. All of these TVs are 1080p (at least in 2D), have WiFi and Vizio Internet Apps built in (with a new IR remote - Update: pictured after the break -- instead of the old Bluetooth QWERTY one) and come with two pairs of passive 3D glasses. We've seen 3DTVs debut at under $1,000 before and more than a few of last year's models have dipped to $800~ by now, but with a starting price this low and cheap accessories, we wouldn't be surprised if Vizio is celebrating sales wins again next year.
http://www.vizio.com/lcd-hdtvs.html
Deion gives up on Bryant, says he 'needs help'
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl...ory?id=6257358
Deion Sanders, who stopped mentoring Dez Bryant months ago, strongly criticized the Dallas Cowboys receiver in reaction to the criminal trespass warning given to Bryant over the weekend at a Dallas mall.
"I'm upset but not surprised whatsoever," Sanders said on ESPN 103.3's Ben & Skin Show. Sanders described Bryant's behavior at NorthPark Center on Saturday as "ignorant."
The 2010 first-round pick was issued the warning after an off-duty police officer requested that Bryant and his friends pull up their pants because their underwear was showing and Bryant responded with repeated profanity, according to the police report.
“
He needs help. He needs help. I told the Cowboys from Day One that he needs help. Matter of fact, they have a team in place to help him. But you cannot tell a grown man what to do.
"I feel like the cop was in the wrong here more than anything," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com on Friday. "Don't just make it seem like I went off and had a hot head for no reason. That's the only thing I did wrong -- I used profanity."
Still Sanders said Bryant has issues stemming from his difficult childhood.
"He needs help. He needs help," Sanders said. "I told the Cowboys from Day One that he needs help. Matter of fact, they have a team in place to help him. But you cannot tell a grown man what to do."
Sanders, who was recently selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and serves as a mentor to many NFL players, said he ended his relationship with Bryant over the summer due to the receiver's dishonesty.
"I wish Deion would come to me as a man and talk to me," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com. "I've been reaching out to Deion. I've never done anything wrong to Deion or disrespected him. I've never lied to Deion."
The NCAA suspended Bryant in September 2009 for the rest of that season for lying about having lunch with Sanders. No other rules violations were found, but Sanders said it bothered him that he took a lot of the blame for Bryant's lie.
However, Sanders said the relationship continued until he became concerned that Bryant could negatively influence children in Sanders' youth program. Sanders added that he felt like he could not help Bryant.
"I don't have a problem with you lying to me. That's one thing," Sanders said. "But when you lie to yourself as a man, you have a serious problem and that's where this kid is. And I can't condone it. I really can't. It tarnishes everything else I'm trying to develop in these kids [in his youth program]. I can't allow you to poison other kids that I'm trying to mentor and take to another level."
Bryant is still banned from the mall, NorthPark Center, for an undetermined length of time, according to officials.
However, NorthPark Center officials said they would like to meet with Bryant's attorney, Texas Senator Royce West, to solve the issue. West has been at the state capital, Austin, conducting state business and hasn't been able to speak with NorthPark Center officials. David Wells, an adviser for Bryant, met with NorthPark Center officials on Wednesday.
David Margulies, a spokesman for NorthPark Center, said Bryant didn't have his pants sagging but his friend did, confirming what Bryant told ESPNDallas.com.
"We would like to have everything resolved," Margulies said. "The attorneys have been playing phone tag if you will."
The trespass warning can't be rescinded, but NorthPark Center can allow Bryant to return to the shopping center if he doesn't cause any trouble. It would be up to NorthPark Center security to determine if they want to call police.
“
I wish Deion would come to me as a man and talk to me. I've been reaching out to Deion. I've never done anything wrong to Deion or disrespected him. I've never lied to Deion.
”
-- Cowboys WR Dez Bryant
Bryant has not returned to the shopping center since Saturday's incident.
Meanwhile, Bryant said Sanders has refused to talk to him since he backed out of his marketing deal with Under Armour, a popular shoe and apparel company that also outfits Sanders' youth athletic programs. The deal fell apart, according to Bryant, because he determined during last year's minicamps that the company's cleats weren't the right fit for his feet.
Bryant, who wears Nike cleats but does not have a shoe deal, said Sanders has ignored repeated text messages from him since then.
"I never knew the reason for Deion not saying anything to me," Bryant said. "The only thing I can believe is that when I stopped talking to Under Armour, Deion stopped talking to me. I never knew what Prime's problem was.
"That's my decision. That has nothing to do with Prime. That made me feel he must be getting something from Under Armour."
Sanders praised the effort of Wells, whom Sanders has had a relationship with since playing for the Cowboys in the 1990s. But Sanders made it clear that he has no intention of being involved in Bryant's life again.
More on the Cowboys
Calvin Watkins, Tim MacMahon and Todd Archer have the Dallas Cowboys blanketed for ESPNDallas.com. Blog
More: ESPN Dallas
"I haven't spoken to the kid," Sanders said. "I have no desire to speak to the kid. In regards to me, I can forgive, but I can't forget. You can't tarnish the other things that I have going on and the other kids. It's sort of like I can't allow something to poison the fruit of many other kids. I can't do it, so I cut off those ties a long time ago."
Bryant said he no longer wants a relationship with Sanders, one of his idols as a child growing up in Lufkin, Texas. Bryant just wants a man-to-man conversation with his former mentor to discuss their differences, especially after learning of Sanders' pointed comments Friday.
"It bothers me more than anything," Bryant said. "I've looked up to Deion my whole life. I've never done anything wrong to him.
"The only thing I can think of is the Under Armour situation. That's the only thing. He didn't want me to leave Under Armour, but I had to do what's best for me. That's the whole truth."
Deion Sanders, who stopped mentoring Dez Bryant months ago, strongly criticized the Dallas Cowboys receiver in reaction to the criminal trespass warning given to Bryant over the weekend at a Dallas mall.
"I'm upset but not surprised whatsoever," Sanders said on ESPN 103.3's Ben & Skin Show. Sanders described Bryant's behavior at NorthPark Center on Saturday as "ignorant."
The 2010 first-round pick was issued the warning after an off-duty police officer requested that Bryant and his friends pull up their pants because their underwear was showing and Bryant responded with repeated profanity, according to the police report.
“
He needs help. He needs help. I told the Cowboys from Day One that he needs help. Matter of fact, they have a team in place to help him. But you cannot tell a grown man what to do.
"I feel like the cop was in the wrong here more than anything," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com on Friday. "Don't just make it seem like I went off and had a hot head for no reason. That's the only thing I did wrong -- I used profanity."
Still Sanders said Bryant has issues stemming from his difficult childhood.
"He needs help. He needs help," Sanders said. "I told the Cowboys from Day One that he needs help. Matter of fact, they have a team in place to help him. But you cannot tell a grown man what to do."
Sanders, who was recently selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and serves as a mentor to many NFL players, said he ended his relationship with Bryant over the summer due to the receiver's dishonesty.
"I wish Deion would come to me as a man and talk to me," Bryant told ESPNDallas.com. "I've been reaching out to Deion. I've never done anything wrong to Deion or disrespected him. I've never lied to Deion."
The NCAA suspended Bryant in September 2009 for the rest of that season for lying about having lunch with Sanders. No other rules violations were found, but Sanders said it bothered him that he took a lot of the blame for Bryant's lie.
However, Sanders said the relationship continued until he became concerned that Bryant could negatively influence children in Sanders' youth program. Sanders added that he felt like he could not help Bryant.
"I don't have a problem with you lying to me. That's one thing," Sanders said. "But when you lie to yourself as a man, you have a serious problem and that's where this kid is. And I can't condone it. I really can't. It tarnishes everything else I'm trying to develop in these kids [in his youth program]. I can't allow you to poison other kids that I'm trying to mentor and take to another level."
Bryant is still banned from the mall, NorthPark Center, for an undetermined length of time, according to officials.
However, NorthPark Center officials said they would like to meet with Bryant's attorney, Texas Senator Royce West, to solve the issue. West has been at the state capital, Austin, conducting state business and hasn't been able to speak with NorthPark Center officials. David Wells, an adviser for Bryant, met with NorthPark Center officials on Wednesday.
David Margulies, a spokesman for NorthPark Center, said Bryant didn't have his pants sagging but his friend did, confirming what Bryant told ESPNDallas.com.
"We would like to have everything resolved," Margulies said. "The attorneys have been playing phone tag if you will."
The trespass warning can't be rescinded, but NorthPark Center can allow Bryant to return to the shopping center if he doesn't cause any trouble. It would be up to NorthPark Center security to determine if they want to call police.
“
I wish Deion would come to me as a man and talk to me. I've been reaching out to Deion. I've never done anything wrong to Deion or disrespected him. I've never lied to Deion.
”
-- Cowboys WR Dez Bryant
Bryant has not returned to the shopping center since Saturday's incident.
Meanwhile, Bryant said Sanders has refused to talk to him since he backed out of his marketing deal with Under Armour, a popular shoe and apparel company that also outfits Sanders' youth athletic programs. The deal fell apart, according to Bryant, because he determined during last year's minicamps that the company's cleats weren't the right fit for his feet.
Bryant, who wears Nike cleats but does not have a shoe deal, said Sanders has ignored repeated text messages from him since then.
"I never knew the reason for Deion not saying anything to me," Bryant said. "The only thing I can believe is that when I stopped talking to Under Armour, Deion stopped talking to me. I never knew what Prime's problem was.
"That's my decision. That has nothing to do with Prime. That made me feel he must be getting something from Under Armour."
Sanders praised the effort of Wells, whom Sanders has had a relationship with since playing for the Cowboys in the 1990s. But Sanders made it clear that he has no intention of being involved in Bryant's life again.
More on the Cowboys
Calvin Watkins, Tim MacMahon and Todd Archer have the Dallas Cowboys blanketed for ESPNDallas.com. Blog
More: ESPN Dallas
"I haven't spoken to the kid," Sanders said. "I have no desire to speak to the kid. In regards to me, I can forgive, but I can't forget. You can't tarnish the other things that I have going on and the other kids. It's sort of like I can't allow something to poison the fruit of many other kids. I can't do it, so I cut off those ties a long time ago."
Bryant said he no longer wants a relationship with Sanders, one of his idols as a child growing up in Lufkin, Texas. Bryant just wants a man-to-man conversation with his former mentor to discuss their differences, especially after learning of Sanders' pointed comments Friday.
"It bothers me more than anything," Bryant said. "I've looked up to Deion my whole life. I've never done anything wrong to him.
"The only thing I can think of is the Under Armour situation. That's the only thing. He didn't want me to leave Under Armour, but I had to do what's best for me. That's the whole truth."
Great Job Obama: Corporate profit at all all time high..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_840538.html
Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumbles
NEW YORK -- Despite high unemployment and a largely languishing real estate market, U.S. businesses are more profitable than ever, according to federal figures released on Friday.
U.S. corporate profits hit an all-time high at the end of 2010, with financial firms showing some of the biggest gains, data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis show. Corporations reported an annualized $1.68 trillion in profit in the fourth quarter. The previous record, without being adjusted for inflation, was $1.65 trillion in the third quarter of 2006.
Many of the nation's preeminent companies have posted massive increases in profits this year. General Electric posted worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, while profits at JPMorgan Chase were up 47 percent to $4.8 billion.
Corporate profits steadily increased last year as companies continued holding onto record amounts of cash and other liquid assets while cutting costs, laying off workers and wringing more productivity -- defined as the amount of output that comes from an hour of work -- from remaining staff, even as the recession eased.
To put that in perspective, said Lynn Reaser, the chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, it's important to note that companies were able to bring production back up to pre-recession levels without hiring any more workers.
"We have now recovered all of the output lost in the recession, but we are still down by 7.5 million workers," she said.
In addition to layoffs, some companies continued to cut wages and benefits last year. Sub-Zero, the freezer and refrigerator manufacturer, told workers last year that factories in Wisconsin would have to be shut down, with 500 employees losing their jobs, unless staff took a 20 percent pay cut, The New York Times reported.
Chris Brown Will Bow at #1 with 250-275k
Chris Brown Will Bow at #1 with 250-275k; Jennifer Hudson, The Strokes Up Next
March 23, 2011
Barry Weiss certainly didn’t leave the cupboard bare at Jive/RCA when he split for UMG.
The label group will have the top four debuts on next week’s chart, with Jive/JLG’s Chris Brown album, F.A.M.E., leading the way, boasting a total of in the 250-275k range. That would make it the second-largest of the year after Adele’s 351k. If you didn’t know, the acronym stands for “Forgive All My Enemies.” Nice.
Arista/RMG’s Jennifer Hudson sophomore album, I Remember Me, bows this week with 150-175k in sales, which is about what she dropped in weight.
RCA/RMG’s The Strokes album, Angles, their first in four years, will do in the 85-100k range, good for a #3 debut.
Gospocentric/JLG’s Kirk Franklin rounds out Jive/RCA’s impressive week with a #4 debut for Hello Fear, his first new studio effort in four years, which will debut with between 80-95k.
Adele’s album, down only about 10-15%, will give Sony Music a clean sweep of the Top 5.
Decaydance/FBR/Atlantic’s Panic at the Disco is next up with a target of 55-65k for Vices & Virtues, their third album.
Capitol/EMI R&B singer Bobby V’s fourth album, Fly on the Wall, should do between 30-45k.
Yellowcard’s indie debut on Hopeless, When You’re Through Thiking, Say Yes, their first since 2007’s Paper Walls, is looking at between 25-30k, the same amount as Reprise’s Green Day live CD/DVD, the gloriously titled Awesome as Fuck.
Warner Bros. rapper Gucci Mane’s The Return of Mr. Zone 6, should bow with between 20-25k in first-week sales.
For the fifth week in a row, album sales beat the corresponding week from last year. The market was down 8% vs. last week, up 1% vs. same week last year and now down 6% year to date. Next week, the chart will go up against Justin Bieber's My World 2.0, which opened one year ago with 283k. http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/...i?news08466m01
________________
March 23, 2011
Barry Weiss certainly didn’t leave the cupboard bare at Jive/RCA when he split for UMG.
The label group will have the top four debuts on next week’s chart, with Jive/JLG’s Chris Brown album, F.A.M.E., leading the way, boasting a total of in the 250-275k range. That would make it the second-largest of the year after Adele’s 351k. If you didn’t know, the acronym stands for “Forgive All My Enemies.” Nice.
Arista/RMG’s Jennifer Hudson sophomore album, I Remember Me, bows this week with 150-175k in sales, which is about what she dropped in weight.
RCA/RMG’s The Strokes album, Angles, their first in four years, will do in the 85-100k range, good for a #3 debut.
Gospocentric/JLG’s Kirk Franklin rounds out Jive/RCA’s impressive week with a #4 debut for Hello Fear, his first new studio effort in four years, which will debut with between 80-95k.
Adele’s album, down only about 10-15%, will give Sony Music a clean sweep of the Top 5.
Decaydance/FBR/Atlantic’s Panic at the Disco is next up with a target of 55-65k for Vices & Virtues, their third album.
Capitol/EMI R&B singer Bobby V’s fourth album, Fly on the Wall, should do between 30-45k.
Yellowcard’s indie debut on Hopeless, When You’re Through Thiking, Say Yes, their first since 2007’s Paper Walls, is looking at between 25-30k, the same amount as Reprise’s Green Day live CD/DVD, the gloriously titled Awesome as Fuck.
Warner Bros. rapper Gucci Mane’s The Return of Mr. Zone 6, should bow with between 20-25k in first-week sales.
For the fifth week in a row, album sales beat the corresponding week from last year. The market was down 8% vs. last week, up 1% vs. same week last year and now down 6% year to date. Next week, the chart will go up against Justin Bieber's My World 2.0, which opened one year ago with 283k. http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/...i?news08466m01
Mayweather in Talks to Fight Convicted Attempter Murderer in Next Fight?
Former Sparring partner of Floyd from back in 1999
Full Story: http://bit.ly/gOsels
Quote:
| “I was approached about the fight. I spoke with Don [King] and a few other people [connected to Mayweather]. Paul is interested in the fight. He’s wanted this fight for a very long time. Paul is ready to finish what he started ten years ago. We’ll see what happens,” [promoter Michael] Acri told BoxingScene.com. Spadafora is 45-0-1 (19 KO), but is also 35 years old and hasn’t had a notable fight in years, or more precisely, since he got out of prison. Spadafora made most of his headlines after being accused in 2003 of shooting his pregnant girlfriend, then arrested again in 2004 for driving under the influence. A drug test later that year showed cocaine in his system, and in 2005 he was convicted of attempted murder for the 2003 shooting." |
Why do black women ordinarily have musty smellin pussies?
Disclaimer - This was a thread on another Great Board I frequent. Just Sharing to see if any of you feel the same or Differ.. LMFAO - this was a Fire Starter right here..
Author - "GuStoppa"
I mean lets be honest here fellas.... the average black woman's pussy is a lot more TART than the average white or latinas. It's nasty, and it's actually the real reason that a lot of black women complain about black men, and not eating pussy I reckon. It's not that we don't like to, it's that some of us have been traumautized by the odor that emanates from their pussies. It can range from just slightly musty (which some dirty ass niggas actually LIKE) to straight up funk .... perecentage wise this is FAR more common in black women than in whites and latinas in my vast experience.
Why is this?? Too much hormones?? They don't clean well?? They fuck more than the average white girl or latina?
It's getting to the point now that I just assume a black chic is gonna have a pussy smell I don't like, and I HAVE to do the finger test before I even get close. My mouth goes no where near a funky or musty pussy.
Whats up???
Author - "GuStoppa"
I mean lets be honest here fellas.... the average black woman's pussy is a lot more TART than the average white or latinas. It's nasty, and it's actually the real reason that a lot of black women complain about black men, and not eating pussy I reckon. It's not that we don't like to, it's that some of us have been traumautized by the odor that emanates from their pussies. It can range from just slightly musty (which some dirty ass niggas actually LIKE) to straight up funk .... perecentage wise this is FAR more common in black women than in whites and latinas in my vast experience.
Why is this?? Too much hormones?? They don't clean well?? They fuck more than the average white girl or latina?
It's getting to the point now that I just assume a black chic is gonna have a pussy smell I don't like, and I HAVE to do the finger test before I even get close. My mouth goes no where near a funky or musty pussy.
Whats up???
Xtian hoes Mary, Mary speak on crossing over to secular music
I remember watching these hoes perform live at the Christian Cultural Center in BK and I thought I was still in the club.
Made me realize you can't take these church hoes seriously.
http://praisedc.com/national/praised...ive-interview/
__________________
Made me realize you can't take these church hoes seriously.
http://praisedc.com/national/praised...ive-interview/
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Good deal on Dual Layer discs...
http://enews.buy.com/cgi-bin5/DM/t/n2730LmHvl0F3M0QZr20G4
I guess with the advent of blu ray, even Dual Layer dvd prices are affected.
I guess with the advent of blu ray, even Dual Layer dvd prices are affected.
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