Taser Death: Rodney Green (Waco TX)

Waco police officers used multiple taser shots on a man who was already dazed and confused from a non-injury car accident. 36-year old Rodney Green was unarmed and simply heading home to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. He wasn't attacking or posing any threat to police officers who approached him.  From all accounts, he was simply dazed and confused after his car hit a nearby pole. The accident occurred at 6:30pm ... this wasn't some late-night escapade.

Instead of helping Green, the unidentified Waco police officers decided to electrocute him three times with 50,000 volts of electricity from their taser guns in less than six minutes. Thanksgiving Day (when this taser-killing occurred) wasn't such a good holiday for Green or his family.

Watch the video report from the local news station:

The police spin indicates that the first unidentified officer arrived and encountered Green and began trying to identify him as well as asking questions of him.

"He was not responding to her in a normal way and was not answering her questions. Whenever she noticed him she immediately called for an assisting officer to come out with her," said Sargent Melvin Roseborough with the Waco Police Department.

When the second unidentified officer arrived they tried talking to Green again but he was acting strangely and still continued to try to walk out into oncoming traffic. That's when officers say they had to fire a taser at him.  All in all, it appears that three taser shots were taken in a span of six minutes.  I guess the idea of simply diverting the flow of traffic didn't occur to them. Their first reaction was to electrocute the young Black man.   Shyt, if there had been a wandering deer on that Waco road ... the police would have stopped or diverted the traffic.   Why doesn't an African American citizen get the same consideration?

"Since he was trying to walk out into traffic the officers were afraid for his safety, as well as their own," said Roseborough.

A third unidenfied officer arrived on scene to help get Green under control. The officer was able to place leg restraints on him, but he broke them into separate pieces. Police were finally able to bring him under control, and one officer noticed that the subject was no longer responding to them verbally or physically.

In other words, they figured out that they had screwed this one up completely. A citizen who needed their assistance was dead ... and for no justifiable reason. Why did the first two unidentified cops feel a need to brandish their weapon in the first place. Green was unarmed and dazed. How was he a threat to the officers?

The officers immediately requested paramedics and tried to revive him until the paramedics arrived. Green was transported to a Hillcrest Hospital and arrived in critical and unstable condition. Emergency room staff continued perform life saving measures until he was pronounced dead at 10:24 p.m.

Of course, it didn't take any time at all for the police to begin to blame the victim. They found no drugs, no drug paraphernalia, no criminal record or any other on-the-scene justification for killing Green. However, that didn't stop them for denigrating his reputation to the news media.

The police official in the above video poses a couple of rhetorical questions, "Was there an underlying medical condition, was there something in his system? What actually caused this individual to pass on us?"

From my perspective it looks like the answer to the second question is self-evident. He died because trigger-happy police officers went 'Rambo' on him with their taser guns instead of adhering to their motto of 'Protect and Serve'. Rodney Green had no protection from the Waco Police Department.

The family of Rodney Green is being more patient as they await answers on why their son is dead.





All of the unidentified officers involved have been put on administrative leave with pay while the investigation is pending.

Please let this blog know if you have any updated information on this taser-related killing.

Succes 2010: Dave Williams, astronaut canadian

In his impressive career as a member of the Canadian Astronaut Corps, Dr. Williams flew two Space Shuttle Missions.
Selected as an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency in 1992, Dr. Williams participated in Neurolab, a 16-day mission in 1998, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. He and seven crewmembers served as both experiment subjects and operators for 26 life science experiments focused on the effects of microgravity on the brain and the nervous system.
Dr. Williams was appointed Director of NASA's Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and then Deputy Associate Administrator for Crew Health and Safety of the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters, while he continued active astronaut training.
Dr. Williams has also participated in two underwater missions, one as Commander. The NEEMO missions assessed the potential of space-delivered tele-medicine as a way to deliver medical care to remote locations, important, as well, for the future of extended spaceflight.
In August 2007, Dr. Williams completed his second spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-118, where he established a Canadian record of 17 hours and 47 minutes in three spacewalks accomplished in one mission, supporting construction of the International Space Station.
In all Dr. Dave Williams has flown more than 18 million kilometres and spent 28 days, 15 hours, 45 minutes and 33 seconds in space.

Dr. Dafydd "Dave" Williams retired from active astronaut status in March 1, 2008.

Gallatin Police Department Finally Identify the Names of the Officers Involved in Taser-Death of Jeffry Woodward

Soulclap to the Gallatin News Examiner for getting their hands on the 199-page internal police investigation report into the taser-death of Jeffry Woodward. [SOURCE]

Villagers may recall that Woodward was killed in October 2009 by three unidentified Gallatin police officers.   It always amazes me that the police officers involved in these weekly taser-killings around the nation are so rarely identified in the initial press conferences and news articles.   In this case, the names remained unknown to the public for over a year.

According to the internal report, the Gallatin Police Department officers involved in the incident were Sgt. Chris Shockley, Officer Mark Hill, Officer Kris Ford and Officer James Perry.

The report backs up the department’s claim that Woodward was combative with officers, who used shackles, a K-9 dog and Tasers to bring him under control, even after he was handcuffed. Officers said Woodward exhibited “superhuman” strength while struggling, which was attributed to methamphetamine use.  The police figure that his death was tragic ... but, it didn't violate any police department policies or procedures.

The Woodward family disagrees.  Woodward’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Sumner County Circuit Court on October 26 — nearly one year to the date of the 33-year-old’s death — and the suit was moved to the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee on November 9.

The victim’s mother, Sandra Rutter and the victim’s widow, Andrea Woodward, seek a total of $21 million in compensatory and punitive damages from both the city and Taser International.

Succes 2010: Frank Farian, muzicianul ghostwriter

Frank Farian este un producător muzical și un compozitor german. Compoziţiile sale au câştigat mai mult de 800 de discuri de aur şi platină.

Muzicianul german s-a aflat în spatele succesului unor formaţii precum No Mercy, Boney M sau Milli Vanilli. Iniţial, Farian a fost vocea masculină din Boney M. În 1986, Farian a produs şi mixat albumul trupei Meat Loaf Blind Before I Stop.

În 1990, Farian a recunoscut că a orchestrat evenimentele care au condus la scandalul referitor la trupa Milli Vanilli, fiind considerat, de atunci, ca un echivalent în domeniul muzical al ghostwriterilor.

Succes 2010: Mario Vargas Llosa by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Mario Vargas Llosa a fost realizata in 1974, la Calafell. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

GOP No Longer Needs a Black Man as Chair, Therefore Michael Steele is Dead Man Walking Within Republican Party

The vote for the next chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) takes place in two months. The current GOP chairman, Michael Steele, indicates that he will be running for re-election. However, a significant bloc of Republican National Committee members wants embattled chairman Michael Steele to step aside, but the rank and file have failed to settle on a clear alternative. [SOURCE]

More than four dozen interviews with members of the 168-member central committee found fear that a badly damaged Steele could emerge from the wreckage of a knockdown, drag-out fight to head the party as it challenges President Barack Obama in 2012. While most agree that Steele’s time has been rough — and costly — the members also recognize that a leadership fight could overshadow gains that Republicans made in the midterm elections. [SOURCE]

“You can’t keep spending the kind of money they’re spending every month just to operate the RNC,” said committee member Ada Fisher of North Carolina. “I would hope he would step aside.”

“The question is who should be hired for the next two years, It’s not a matter of firing anybody,” said James Bopp, a committee member from Indiana who holds great sway among social conservatives on the panel. “I just don’t think Steele has performed at the level we need for the presidential cycle.”

Steele appears to have delivered for the Republican Party.  Didn't they just win a historic landslide victory in the mid-term elections earlier this month?    Shouldn't Steele get some credit for the fact that Republicans won at least 63 new seats in the House. Republicans picked up 10 governorships and added six Senate seats. The party also gained control of 19 state legislative chambers and now hold their highest level of state legislative seats since 1928.

I think that the Michael Steele served his ONLY PURPOSE for the Republican Party.   He was an African American face for the GOP elected in January 2009 to serve as a counterbalance for the remarkable election of Barack Obama ... the first African American president in our nation's history.

Be honest.  That is the ONLY reason that Michael Steele was elected GOP chairman in the first place.  The Republicans couldn't afford to have another old white man as their 'talking head'.   Michael Steele became the puppet.

Steele didn't mind.  In fact, he enjoyed it.   Steele did his 'Bojangles' best to entertain the media and the public when he first got elected. 

But, it's not January 2009 any longer and the Republican Party is now powered by the Tea Party ... and the GOP doesn't see any need to pretend like they are a diverse political party.   They are very comfortable being the party for white folks in America as evidenced by the prominent role that Senator McConnell (R-KY) and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) have as party spokesperson.

Michael Steele served his role.   The Republicans are now laying the groundwork to remove him in January 2011.

“He’s a wonderful man. He’s done a good job,” said Cindy Costa, a committee member from South Carolina. “But it would be better for him — and I want the best for him — to step down knowing he gave an honest shot and did a good job this election cycle.”

Dead Man Walking.

That's my view.  What say u?

The BDPA Insider - November 28, 2010

 

The BDPA Insider – November 28, 2010

What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!

In this issue:

1. Bemley Scholar Caroline Tremain Heads to University of Minnesota 
2. BETF Executive Director Wayne Hicks Voted One of the Top 50 Amazing Tech Tastemaker
3. Happy Birthday: George Williams, Past National BDPA President
4. HSCC Testimonial: Matthew Clark (Detroit, 2008-2010) 
5. The Power of 'Thank You' 
6. Winter 2011 enrollment period is open for the BDPA IT Institute
7. Zymic Webmaster Resources, 11/11/2010 (Nicholas Reid) 

Much love to National BDPA past president Milt Haynes for pulling this information together every week.  

Kudos to the following websites for providing the articles used in this week's BDPA Insider: BDPA Detroit Technology Automation Committee blog, BDPA Foundation blog, BDPA-In-The-News blog, BDPA Your Membership and Blacks Gone Geek.

Mississippi Powers-That-Be Ponder Criminal Charges Against the Police Officers Who Electrocuted Jermaine Williams

Jermaine Williams, 30, was electrocuted on multiple occasions by two taser-happy Cleveland Police Department officers, Stanley Perry and Bryan Gozan, who were attempting to arrest him on July 23.    The local coroner concluded that the taser-related death was a homicide.

The family has filed a $25 million civil lawsuit against the officers and the police department for wrongful death. They do not feel that the homicide was justified in any sense of the word.

The only open issue is whether or not the police officers will face criminal charges for their role in the killing of Williams.   The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) completed its report concerning this taser-related death. [SOURCE]

“The investigation is complete,” said MBI Spokesperson Jon Kalahar. “It was completed sometime this month. It was turned over to the Bolivar County District Attorney office to Ms. Brenda Mitchell a couple of weeks ago.  Ms. Mitchell decided that because she works so closely with the Cleveland Police Department, she did not want to handle the report.  She believed it would be best that it be handled by an outside agency such as the attorney general’s office."

Everyone is now waiting for the district attorney to determine if the officers were justified in killing Williams or if the case will be handed over to a grand jury for consideration of criminal charges.

The police continue to maintain that the extra-judicial electrocutions were proper.  Police chief Buster Bingham and his boys spin the story as follows:

Cleveland Police officers responded to a complaint around 3:18 a.m. of people loitering in the 700 block of Cross Street. During conversations, a bag of suspected cocaine was found on top of one of the vehicles where the individuals were standing.


As is normal procedure, the officers asked for identification of everyone. One particular individual gave the officers several false names. Another person, later identified as Williams, came up and said he was “gonna call someone.” He then grabbed the bag of suspected cocaine and ran.

An officer pursued him and finally caught up with Williams at Lucy Seaberry Boulevard and Cross Street. Williams would not comply and continued to resist the officer. The officer then deployed his taser gun on Williams.


Even then, according to the read statement, he was still combative and actually tried to take the taser from the officer. A second officer then arrived and Williams received a second taser jolt.

Other officers made it to the scene at which time they had to physically pull Williams’ arms out from under him. He was cuffed and officers noticed that he was having medical difficulties. Emergency services was called and prior to their arrival, the officers themselves gave Williams’ medical attention.

He was taken to Bolivar Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.   We figure that the MBI report may answer some of the open questions in this case:

1. Did Williams die at the scene, on the way to the hospital or at the hospital?
2. What happened to the bag of suspected cocaine? (did Williams ingest it;  was it recovered or not at the scene?) 

Please let this blog know if you have additional information to share about this taser-related death.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

"Um... don't read this if you want a decisive judgment about this movie, because we have no idea what we think of it..."

THE LAST EXORCISM (aka COTTON)
Sub-Genre- Supernatural

Cast Members of Note- Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, and Caleb Landry JonesLouis Hertham.

What's it About?- Cotton Marcus is a preacher whom doesn't believe in god, gives sermons about banana bread, and has one of the worst first names ever. He also lies and swindles people out of their money, in the name of the Holy Father, which is kinda underhanded. He is very charismatic though, so I guess I trust him.

Come on, he looks trustworthy!
After receiving a plea for help, Cotton and his film crew head to Asscrack, Arkansas or some place like that, to "exorcise" a "possessed" teen girl. This is why you don't mess around with the simple folk of the south; they're God fearin', gun totin', and they don't like you. They're all very well mannered and polite, but if you weren't born in the holler, you taint welcome. Cotton is definitely the kind of guy that overstays his welcome too...

"Go home, Yankee!
After he performs an exorcism, which he fakes like most women fake the "big o", things get odd and creepy. He begins to wonder if Nell is really possessed or if her dad is just crazy and wants to hurt her, or maybe even make sweet love to her. He also wonders if her brother is going to kill him or not. Also, he also wonders if human bodies were meant to contort in such as fashion as Nell wills hers to do also. I like the word also... it adds emphasis.

"The orgy hasn't even started yet, how can you be done already!"
Is Nell really possessed, or just bat-shit crazy? Will Cotton use the power of Jeebus to save her sweet little soul? Does she have daddy's bun in the oven? Does Cotton know how to take a hint and git while the gittin's good? I won't spoil what happens here, but suffice it to say that this picture says it all:

Yeah, so every one is pretty much fucked.
The Good- As the hand held/found footage genre goes, this one was alright. It's hard to say if we liked it or not, because we think we did, but we're pretty sure we didn't. Confused? Us too.

Cotton being a charlatan was a great plot move, and Patrick Fabian played his swindling role well; we liked him for the fact that he had his own set of beliefs, and mostly did what he did for the betterment of the people in his flock. Still, you can't help but totally like him, snake oil salesman that he is, which might be why he was so interesting.

The movie got better as it went along, though it never really kicked into gear as far as scares go. Some of it was creepy, and there were moments of trepidation and hel breath on our part, but it came late and didn't really mess with out minds as we thought it might have. Had Nell spouted some demonic voice or something, it would have been better. We do understand why she didn't though.

That's a brave kid being gay in the South. Kudos to him.
The Bad- The barn scene from Emily Rose, the ending camera work from Blair Witch, the main characters name stolen from the Scream series... this movie is one big thief! Maybe not, but the borrowed elements were pretty glaring.

The Downright Horrendous- The last 8 minutes or so of this movie have caused quite the backlash amongst moviegoers. I won't spoil it, because people who spoil twists are a-holes, but I do have to say that it was a decent idea, but came and went like a flash. The whole movie took it's sweet time doing much of anything, builds a little, pretty much resolves itself, and then BAM! CRAZY TWIST ENDING! It did make me look back and appreciate some of the story elements differently, but they really needed to let it breathe a bit more. It felt forced.

The Gory- There's some blood here and there throughout the movie, but most of it comes in the form of Sanskrit ramblings on walls and cave drawings, also on walls. Cotton does get a pretty nasty cut though, and one person gets beheaded. You don't really get to see that though.

The Naked- Nope. This movie was shot in a dry (as in sex dry) county... although creepy little Nell did try to seduce the camera chick. She wanted it!

What did we learn?- Preachers lie! Also, don't ever butt into people's family business, especially in the deep south. those people don't cotton to outsiders. Heh.

The Master Says- C+ (6.5/10) This is a tough one for us, me in particular to grade. On one hand, it was enjoyable and added a little twist to the found footage genre. On the other, it felt a bit tame and never really went to the places that I feel it could have gone to had they pushed it... The ending seemed to piss people off too, though I didn't hate it other than the fact that it felt rushed. I don't know. It's a decent little movie with a bunch of flaws. Maybe I need to watch it again and see how it settles with me. You, however, may just like it.

Final Thoughts- You know, she cleans up pretty well.

Am I Not Human? World AIDS Day

I realize that many of you are still full from the Thanksgiving feasts that you shared with friends and family. Disease and suffering are not likely to be on your mind.

But, this blog wants to remind you that between Thanksgiving and the holiday festivities to come, there's another important event often overlooked: World AIDS Day on December 1st.

AIDS is one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history, and especially devastating for the most vulnerable: children. Over 2 million children worldwide are HIV-positive, and 50% of infants infected with HIV from their mothers die before their second birthday.

The good news is that a proven solution for curbing mother-to-child transmission of HIV now exists: testing and counseling for mothers, combined with anti-retroviral drugs. But to make this successful on a global scale, the world must demonstrate the will to fund this solution.

World AIDS Day exists to mobilize support for taking the steps necessary to end the global AIDS epidemic. Soulclap to Change.org and the US Fund for UNICEF for issuing a call to all Americans to make a pledge to support solutions to end the AIDS epidemic now.

Make the pledge to help put an end to the global AIDS epidemic now.

Worldwide, the funds to stem the tide of HIV/AIDS infections can't keep up with demand. There are 7,000 new infections every day, which means two people are still infected with the virus for every one starting treatment.

We are in an era of tight foreign-aid budgets, and developed nations are showing resistance to additional funding for preventing and treating AIDS. But as we go around shopping for friends and family this holiday, let's not forget to include the world's most vulnerable in our list of those we want to support.

Take action to help end the AIDS epidemic once and for all, and pledge to support life-saving programs around the world that protect children from HIV/AIDS and get treatment to those who are infected.






These Malawi victims are surely asking the universal question, "Am I Not Human?"

Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Succes 2010: Giuseppe Ungaretti by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Giuseppe Ungaretti a fost realizata in 1965, la Roma. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

Succes 2010: Andre Malraux by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Andre Malraux a fost realizata in 1968, la Paris. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

Succes 2010: Heidi & Alvin Toffler, inventatorii futurologiei

Alvin Toffler este un cunoscut scriitor și futurolog american.
De mai mult de patru decenii, Alvin Toffler este una dintre cele mai influente și autorizate voci din domeniul afacerilor și din cel intelectual. Odată cu publicarea primei sale lucrări, "Șocul viitorului", Toffler a creat o noua disciplină, futurologia, prin studiul schimbării și impactul acesteia asupra afacerilor și culturii. Acesta are un rol de definire a forțelor și tendințelor ce ne modelează viitorul în economia actuală bazată pe informații. În afară de Șocul viitorului și Al treilea val, Alvin și Heidi Toffler (soția și partenera intelectuală a acestuia de 51 de ani) au scris și alte cărți, printre care se numără Război și antirăzboi, Puterea în mișcare și, recent, Crearea unei noi civilizații.
Toffler este un important consultant pentru comunitățile militare și de spionaj din lume, laureat al Fundatiei McKinsey pentru contribuția în literatură și de asemenea co-președinte onorific al Comitetului American privind Dezvoltarea Fondului Națiunilor Unite pentru Femei. Alvin Toffler deține diplome onorifice în literatură, drept, ștințe, și management de la Universitatea Keio din Japonia.

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: 'Black Friday'

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawnby cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

Before the review, a bit of win for us all...

Our review of The Last Exorcism is coming forthwith, but until then, please enjoy the hell out of this little piece of marketing genius, as we did.

This is great.


'The Last Exorcism' Chat Roulette Gives Fellas Blue Balls - Watch more horror

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

"Better than the first one, PA 2 will make you mess your pants!"

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2
Sub-Genre- Um... Paranormal?

Cast Members of Note- Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden, Molly Ephraim, Brian Boland, Michah Sloat, and Abby the Dog.

What's it About?- Did you see the first one? Same thing. Well, it's a bit different, but for the most part it's about a mean ghost being mean to people, and creeping the shit out of me in the process. And I have news for you, it's way creepier than the first one. And better too. Still, it's mostly the same, except that it's roughly 60 days before the events of the first Paranormal Activity, and this time we get to see Katie's step sister and her family walk around their house filming every aspect of their lives too. They must be exhibitionists by nature, because seriously, who films shit that much around the house?

Then again, I'd tape every last second of these two jamming things in their mouths too if I could.
Anywho... after coming home to find their house trashed, they assume it was a break in of some sort, and have the house rigged with a bunch of security cameras. Their Mexican nanny-maid knows better though, and warns the family that "something isn't right" with their new abode, which of course, the gringo's ignore. Consuela tries to bless the house and chase away the evil spirits, which only serves to get her fired and departed. I hate white people.

This is an actual scene from the movie.
Creepy things start to happen to everyone in the house, including the dog! The baby knows something is up, but much like the maid and the constantly barking dog, no one listens to him either. So as things get worse, it becomes apparent that the thousands of dollars spent on the security gear and cameras was a waste of money, as mom and dad refuse to acknowledge what they see on the tapes.

WTF is going on with that kid and the mirror!?!
Will the family survive the spooky antics of the mean ghost? Will Consuela return and save the day? Will Katie show us her wonder puppies, or go in the completely opposite direction and just act creepy? No, kinda, and unfortunately, yes.

Mmm hmm. She sure likes kids...
The Good- Better than the first one, PA 2 nearly made me poop my pants. I don't get truly skeeved out very often, but this movie rattled me a few times, and literally made my pucker ring clench. I'm being serious. It clenched. Not fun.

The dynamic of an entire family being menaced opened things up in the sequel, and in my opinion gave the story more places to go, and allowed for more twists and turns to keep us on edge as an audience. Especially compelling are the scenes involving the baby; it doesn't get more helpless than a baby being moved around by an evil spirit, or wandering a house in the middle of the night by itself.

This movie has a serious creep factor going for it too, which I though was much more effective than it was in the first movie. If you thought seeing Katie Featherston being dragged down the hallway in the first movie was terrifying, you haven't seen anything yet. Oh, and there's a particular scare that happens in the kitchen, which I won't ruin, but it literally mad me jump, yell "Fuck" and pee myself a little bit.

The Bad- Poor Sprague Grayden. Not only was she one of the stars of a doomed TV show which I loved , Jericho, that died an untimely death, but she died a painful and untimely death on another great show which I love, Sons of Anarchy, and it still hurts me to watch that show without her. Add to that the fact that she's haunted and abused at every turn by an evil spirit, which you know won't end good... the poor girl just cant catch a break! Maybe throw her a romantic comedy or something, Hollywood. She's been through enough already, and deserves a nice break.


The Downright Horrendous- For the second time in as many movies, we the audience are robbed of the one simple thing that we want from these movies, but thus far have yet to receive: gratuitous topless-ness from Katie Featherston. Pervy or not, you need to be honest and admit that her breasteses are things on wonder, even if they are mostly hidden wonders. She's a fine actress, and she might even have a golden personality that would captivate me like cocaine captivates Lindsay Lohan, but make with the tits already, Katie. Stop being a prude!

The Gory- Not so much on the gore, which was fine really.

The Naked- Nope. We do get to see plenty of wonderful Katie cleavage, and Sprague Grayden in a bath tub though.

Football? In the Tub? Spot me the ball on your dirty goal line and I'm in!
What did we learn?- Don't screw over your step sister, as it will come back to bite you in the ass. Also, never dismiss the Mexican nanny-maid and her evil fighting abilities!

The Master Says- A (9.5/10) This was one hell of a sequel, and if you liked the first PA, you will most likely dig this one even more. Sure, the found footage genre seems a little passe' by now, but it can still be done effectively, and is done so here. Catch it if you haven't already in theaters, or wait for DVD which is really the best way to see a quiet, creepy flick like this one.

Final Thoughts- She really needs to do a nude scene. Something with her taking a long, slow motion shower, or involving sapphic love of some kind. Maybe she could be "The Breast Whisperer", where ever time danger is near, her nipples tingle and she has to take her shirt off and caress herself for answers. If not that, then porn.

Old School Friday * Band Aid, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'

Band Aid was a British and Irish charity supergroup, founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year.





The record was released on November 29, 1984, and went straight to No. 1 in the United Kingdom singles chart, outselling all the other records in the chart put together.  It became the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone. It stayed at No. 1 for five weeks, selling over three million copies and becoming easily the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK.

Greenville County Officials Debate Criminal Charges Against Police in Taser Death of Andrew Torres

Andrew Torres was killed by two Greenville (SC) police officers who electrocuted him with their taser guns on August 9. The coroner ruled that the death was a homicide. The only remaining question is whether or not the police officers will be charged with a crime or not.

We learned that the Greenville County Solicitor Bob Ariail isn't willing to make the decision. He is punting the decision about whether to charge the police officers with a crime for their role in the death of Torres. [SOURCE]

Ariail said he has forwarded the State Law Enforcement Division's report on Torres death to 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett. He said he is sure that Brackett will handle the matter in an expeditious and professional manner.

Brackett will decide if criminal charges will be filed against the three officers involved in the August killing -- who have been identified as officers Dale Dirton, Kevin Hill and Eric Koepke.

Succes 2010: Jean-Paul Sartre by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Jean-Paul Sartre a fost realizata in 1965, la Roma. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

Succes 2010: Umberto Eco by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Umberto Eco a fost realizata in 2003, la Frankfurt. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

OURstory: Charity Adams Earley (1918-2002)

The folks at the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) recently issued a provocative slideshow called 'The Facts'. It talks about the challenges faced by women in the IT industry.

If it is tough for women in 2010 ... how much tougher must it have been for a Black woman back in the 1940s?

That is the thought that came to me as I learned that Charity Adams Earley will be honored in the America I AM exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center on June 19, 2010 thru January 2, 2011.

It turns out that Earley held a degree in math and physics while attending Wilberforce University and the Ohio State University. She taught and attended graduate school before joining the Army. She did not let racism hinder her superior work. In fact, our BDPA Dayton chapter often celebrates their annual banquet at the auditorium in Sinclair Community College named after her.

At a time when a segregated military provided few opportunities for Blacks, Charity Adams was one of only two to hold a wartime rank in the WACs as high as major. A subsequent promotion made her a lieutenant colonel briefly before she left military service in 1946.

The Army first permitted Black members of the WACs to serve overseas in the winter of 1945, when it created the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black unit, and assigned some 850 African American women to it. The unit, based in Birmingham, England, and later in Rouen, France, and Paris, routed mail to millions of members of the armed forces in Europe.

The assignment of Major Adams as the battalion commander seemed a natural choice. Having grown up in Columbia, S.C. -- her father a minister in the A.M.E. Church, her mother a teacher -- she joined the WACs in 1942. She was among 39 Black women in the corps's first training class, at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and became one of its first Black officers. She then held administrative and command positions at Fort Des Moines for two and a half years.

The members of the 6888th postal unit were the first Black women many Britons in Birmingham had ever seen, and they shattered stereotypes.

"These WACs are very different from the colored women portrayed on the films, where they are usually either domestics or the outspoken old-retainer type or sloe-eyed sirens given to gaudiness of costume and eccentricity in dress," The Birmingham Sunday Mercury said. "The WACs have dignity and proper reserve."

After her military service, she received a master's degree in vocational psychology from Ohio State, then became a dean at Tennessee A&I College and Georgia State College. The Smithsonian Institution has included her in its listing of the historically most important Black women.

In 1996, Mrs. Earley was honored at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum for her wartime service. Before leaving Dayton for the ceremony in Washington, she said: "When I talk to students, they say, 'How did it feel to know you were making history?' But you don't know you're making history when it's happening. I just wanted to do my job."

We need to know OURstory for inspiration and direction. I hope that this blog post has been an eye-opener for you ... and for our daughters!

Taser Death: Denevious Thomas (Albany, GA)

It's happened again. This time unidentified Doughtery County Police officers decided to perform an extra-judicial electrocution of 36-year old Denevious Thomas when he was pulled over for a traffic stop in Albany, GA earlier this morning. [SOURCE]

Thomas' car was stopped near his home. In fact his aunts and other family members were nearby when the unidentified police officers drove away with his body still in handcuffs. The family members were understandably outraged and hysterical.

"He's dead. He's dead in handcuffs. It's not right," said Thomas' aunt Mary Ward.

His grandmother, who had kept her composure all morning, couldn't hold it in any longer.

"A dog deserves better than what he got, it's just so sad," grandmother Mary Ward cried.

The police spin the story this way: An unidentified Dougherty County police officer tried to pull over Thomas because he "appeared impaired". Police say that Thomas didn't stop ... and police chased him at a speed of about 30 miles per hour for a few miles until he crashed.

"The driver attempted to run from the vehicle. And in the attempt to take him into custody a taser was deployed," said Dougherty County Police Chief Don Cheek.

Cheek says Thomas struggled with the officer. After tasing Thomas, an unidentified officer put him in handcuffs and placed him inside the police car. When EMS crews arrived to check on Thomas' condition, Thomas was found to be dead, leaving behind his girlfriend Margaret Johnson and three children including a one-year-old.

"I'm still in shock, very much so. Because I was just standing in the doorway waiting for him to walk in," said Johnson.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is getting statements from everyone involved in this taser-related death. It seems very funky to me based on the little information that has currently been released.

Please let this blog know if you hear of any additional information.

Succes 2010: Gabriel García Marquez by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Gabriel García Marquez a fost realizata in 1972, la Calafell. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

Tune In Tuesday: The Drifters (White Christmas)

I'm officially in a Christmas mood. There are so many great Christmas songs that I think we will be popping up with them on and off over the next month or so.  

We begin today with an animated Christmas cartoon (by Joshua Held) featuring the vocal stylings of The Drifters, featuring Bill Pinkney on lead bass and Clyde McPhatter on tenor.





I'm curious ... what is your favorite Christmas song?

Succes 2010: Julio Cortazar by Mario Muchnik

Fotografia lui Julio Cortazar a fost realizata in 1974, la Saignon. Semnata de autor, Mario Muchnik

White House: The Rebirth of the American Auto Industry (VIDEO)

One of my summer jobs as a teenager in Detroit was working on the auto assembly line. I understand how important the auto industry is to America. It always amazes me when folks like Sarah Palin and other Tea Party activists continue to chant about how poor a decision it was to 'bail-out' the auto industry.

Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, discusses the President’s tough decisions on the American auto industry in light of the General Motors IPO:






What say u? Was the 'bailout' of the auto industry a good or bad policy decision by the federal government?