Boycott of Ebay!!!
Many people have found a way to increase their income on the popular site but according to Black Christian News a watchdog group is calling for a protest of ebay!!!
Just days after the inauguration of America’s first African American president, Barack Obama, and first Catholic vice-president, Joseph Biden, eBay is hosting items offensive to both groups, and most of the nation.
Items for sale include “coon” songs, a piece of piano music entitled “n—–” blues, anti-Catholic post cards and tracts from the Ku Klux Klan, and even the bones of Catholic saints.
“As America moves into a new era of race relations, we find eBay catering to those stuck in the worst part of our country’s past,” said Thomas J. Serafin, president of the International Crusade for Holy Relics (ICHR) and the Apostolate for Holy Relics (AHR). Serafin has been fighting eBay’s offensive sales for nearly a decade. Most recently the AHR sent a representative to address an international meeting of diplomats in Washington, D.C. There, members of the International Catholic Diplomatic Society of St. Gabriel from around the world were briefed on some of the abuses commonly found on eBay.
“African Americans and Catholics now have members in the two highest profile positions in the United States,” said Serafin, “and if eBay won’t respect us, perhaps they will respect us when we take our dollars elsewhere. It is beyond belief to think that a high tech company like this can’t run a software program to police its own site. That couldn’t eat into the profit margin that much, so we are left to wonder if it’s just a matter of a lack of respect.”
Among the most offensive items for sale today are: a KKK statue — with hood and robes; an anti-Catholic postcard published by the Klan; a second anti-Catholic postcard featuring the pope as a pig; a piece of music entitled “Here’s to the Klan, the 100% American Song;” a piece of music entitled “A Little Coon’s Prayer;” a piece of music entitled “Coon Town’s Vacation;” a piano roll entitled “(N-word) Blues;” a piece of the bones of St. John Bosco, a 19th century Italian saint.
Source: CNW,BCNN
Michael Steele the New Head of the RNC
Ap reports that The Republican National Committee has elected former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele the first black Republican National Committee chairman. Steele was the most moderate candidate in the field and was considered an outsider because he’s not an RNC member. He beat back four challengers, including incumbent Mike Duncan, who was forced to withdraw from the field midway through the balloting in the face of a lack of support.
Source:Ap
Get to Know K-Drama
They say “Hip Hop is Dead?” k-Drama’s 5th release, BoomBaptism, is a direct retort to this question successively circulating today.
Download Gentrified Now
gentrified-k-drama
BoomBaptism, according to k-Drama is, “the rebirth of creativity in Rap music.” He believes it’s not too late for rap music to be resuscitated and submitted to the Lord. This album inspires listeners to have confidence in the gift God has given them. “I’m encouraging listeners to seek God, not the world, for ideas to apply to their ministries,” explains k-Drama, “God is limitless!”
k-Drama, born Anthony Regis Jones, has been immersed in ministry since 1998, starting at 14 years old. He’s independently pushed 3 albums and his fourth, “Behind the Glory,” was released by Holy Hip Hop/EMI Gospel September 2006. The past two years have been a whirlwind of engagement and opportunity for this young man. He has added, to his list of accomplishments, production credits in the likes of Flame, Lecrae, and R-Swift’s album booklets; musical collaborations with ministerial moguls Canton Jones, DJ Morphiziz, and on compilations by Syntax Records and Holy Hip Hop. k-Drama has performed in events, Fla.vor Fest (Tampa, FL), Rapfest (New York), GMA week(Nashville, TN) and the Holy Hip Hop Awards (Atlanta, GA) where he was a 2008 honoree.
The highly anticipated, BoomBaptism, is expected to rent the stigma of gospel rap and bring a fresh perspective and quality to yearning ears. “Air Jordan,” the first single of BB, has created a tidle wave of publicity. The message is simple, every believer has the ability through Christ Jesus to “Air Jordon,” over the enemy(defense)! He has guest appearances from D-Maub, Dre Murray and R-Swift, to name a few; and production credits ranging from Tony Stone and Theory Hazit to Cephas and tracks done by k-Drama himself. This album invites your senses on a journey as we, “Act Out the King,” shows us how to flee our earthly desires in, “Flying Away,” and takes us through moments of reflection and worship in, “Hindsight.” It’s a must-have component to your musical collection, an accent for the ages.
Outside of music, k-Drama is heavily involved in his Cincinnati neighborhood, teaming up with churches to reach inner city youth. He’s married to Charde’, who is also featured on BoomBaptism. They have a 2 year old daughter Naima, a vivacious little girl with a lot to say! She holds a deep love for her daddy and his music, she’s his biggest little fan. k-Drama’s also involved in an initiative in his city, CeaseFire Cincinnati, to reduce gun violence.
Instrumentation
k-Drama-Performer, songwriter, producer
For More Info http://www.k-dramamusic.com
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Bye Bye Gov. Blago
Bye Bye Blago, he fought his case in the public eye but it was too little to late.
Fox News Reports Illinois senators stripped Gov. Rod Blagojevich of power Thursday in the final act of a political drama that handed the reins of state government to his estranged lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn, and likely will end Blagojevich’s career in politics.
Senators voted unanimously to convict Blagojevich and bar him from holding political office in the state again.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, one of Blagojevich’s critics, was promptly sworn in as governor and said he would work to “restore the faith of the people of Illinois in the integrity of their government.”
Blagojevich’s name and picture were promptly stripped from the state’s official Web site, and his photo was removed from a display at the Capitol entrance. Quinn also canceled Blagojevich’s security detail.
Blagojevich said he was saddened and disappointed by the Senate’s decision but not at all surprised.
“I predicted it,” he told a pack of reporters outside his home Thursday evening. “The fix was in from the very beginning.”
Blagojevich vowed to keep fighting for ordinary citizens in the private sector and to clear his name.
“The fight goes on,” he said. “Just because I’m not governor doesn’t mean I won’t keep fighting for the causes I’ve always fought for.”
The governor’s impeachment was triggered by his arrest last month on a variety of federal corruption charges. The criminal complaint against him included a long list of shocking quotes related to Blagojevich’s apparent attempt to auction off President Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat and pressure people for campaign donations.
Obama released a statement Thursday night, calling it “a painful episode for Illinois.”
“For months, the state had been crippled by a crisis of leadership,” Obama said. “Now that cloud has lifted. I wish Governor Quinn the best and pledge my full cooperation as he undertakes his new responsibilities.”
The former governor had refused to take part in the state Senate trial, but he surprised everyone by asking to make a closing statement Thursday, in which he insisted that he should not be tossed out of office on what he called incomplete evidence.
“You haven’t proved a crime, and you can’t because it didn’t happen,” Blagojevich pleaded to state senators. “How can you throw a governor out of office with insufficient and incomplete evidence?”
But state senators were unswayed. One by one, before casting their votes, they expressed their contempt for Blagojevich with a litany of epithets, calling him “dishonest,” “devious,” “corrupt,” and a “hypocrite.”
They also blasted him for taking a media tour this week to disparage the impeachment hearing before showing up at the trial at the 11th hour without presenting any evidence of his innocence. By making a speech instead of testifying, Blagojevich did not have to take an oath or answer any questions.
“We must find him unfit for this great office,” state Sen. William Haine said.
Other lawmakers gave Blagojevich credit for turning in an entertaining performance, with one senator wishing Blagojevich well in his next career in Hollywood.
The description of Blagojevich by lawmakers was in contrast to his portrayal of himself as a passionate advocate for the little guy who made political enemies with his aggressive style.
But in his rebuttal to the governor’s statement, impeachment prosecutor David Ellis painted Blagojevich as a selfish politician who had become a “stain on the state.”
“He doesn’t think one minute about the people, just himself,” he said, asserting that the impeachment was for the people, not to punish Blagojevich as he had suggested.
“He has a Constitutional right not to be thrown in jail without a fair trial,” he said. “But he does not have a Constitutional right to be governor. That is not a right; it’s a privilege and he forfeited that right. He has abused the power of his office.”
Blagojevich acknowledged that the truth about his conduct is “maybe not flattering in some cases,” referring to several secretly recorded conversations played earlier in the trial.
The FBI wiretaps appear to show Blagojevich linking his decision on legislation to receiving campaign contributions.
Blagojevich told the state Senate the tapes captured something that “all of us in politics do in order to run campaigns and win elections.”
Source: Fox News
Obama to Appoint Young Pastor to Faith Based Office
President Barack Obama will reportedly name a religious outreach director to head the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
According to The New York Times, Obama has tapped Joshua DuBois, 26, the Pentecostal pastor who spearheaded arguably the most aggressive faith outreach for a Democratic presidential campaign in U.S. history when he served as Obama’s religious affairs director.
During the Obama campaign, DuBois helped organize meetings with some of the most prominent Christian leaders in the nation, including those with markedly different views on culture war issues.
Exit polls after the November election showed that Obama had made significant gains among religious voters compared to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry in 2004.
Prior to working for Obama, DuBois had studied political science at Boston University where he graduated cum laude. He then went to Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and National Affairs where he earned a master’s degree in public affairs in 2005.
He was studying law at Georgetown University when he left to work for Obama.
Religious leaders, who have been informed of DuBois’ selection, say that he will not only be directing the office created by former President George W. Bush, but be in charge of expanding it to help groups more effectively address social problems, according to The New York Times.
The religious leaders requested anonymity because the appointment has not yet been formally announced.
Under Obama, the office will be renamed the Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and will continue to facilitate the distribution of grants to religious and community groups.
Among the most pressing issues that await DuBois when he assumes the position is the debate over whether faith-based organizations will be forced to hire people whose faith differs from theirs if they receive government money.
Bush had allowed religious groups that accepted funding to hire employees that share the same religion.
But Obama, during a campaign speech last year, said that if a group receives a federal grant then it “can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them – or against the people you hire – on the basis of their religion.”
It is unclear if Obama still plans to rescind Bush’s memorandum on the issue.
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) was created in 2001 by executive order to “level [the] playing field” for faith-based organizations seeking federal funding. It was also created to lead a “determined attack” on poverty, disease, and other social problems combining the strengths of the government and faith-based and other community organizations. Bush had called these organizations the “armies of compassion,” praising them for being able to work more effectively with the local communities and those in need than government programs alone.
As of 2008, the concept of FBCI has been replicated by 36 governors (19 Democrats, 17 Republicans). More than 100 mayors have also created an FBCI office or liaison.
Source: Christian Post
Super Bowl Faith!!!
Arizona running back Tim Hightower had just finished a thoughtful explanation of his religious beliefs when one of the media types who found their way into the Super Bowl stadium Tuesday decided he needed more proof.
“Can you pray right now?” he asked.
“I can pray that whatever is going on in your life right now that you find God,” Hightower said.
Hightower handled the question with the same ease he handled would-be tacklers to score the winning touchdown that got his team into the Super Bowl, which by itself was somewhat surprising since he is a rookie on the biggest stage of his young life.
Even more surprising at this Super Bowl, though, is how so many players on both teams aren’t hesitating to invoke the name of God as they prepare to play a violent game where there will be no mercy shown on either side.
Usually that has writers setting down their pens and cameramen hitting the pause button until talk returns to the game itself.
But the depth of convictions from evangelical Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner to the Steelers who will do their best to plant him face-first into the ground on Sunday has put religion squarely in play this week. All of a sudden the G-word is in vogue.
“You just have to embrace it, whatever God does in your life and wherever he puts you,” Warner said in one of his many religious references since landing in Tampa. “If it means being a role model in this game, I’m happy to do that. You are excited about that opportunity because you get the chance to speak to millions of people and, hopefully, we’ll get an opportunity to impact some lives this week.”
Warner is the most vocal — and visible — Christian on the Cardinals, proclaiming his faith at every opportunity and underscoring it by carrying a Bible with him almost everywhere he goes. He had it with him at the postgame press conference after Arizona upset Philadelphia to reach the Super Bowl, and took time to credit his faith in God for the win before answering any other questions.
The 37-year-old Warner’s public display of faith has left an impression on his younger teammates, about 20 of whom join him in Bible studies after practice every Wednesday during the season.
“Our quarterback is a definite leader and devout Christian,” cornerback Roderick Hood said. “I think that has spearheaded our growth. Also, guys see the peace we have on the field and want to find that themselves.”
Hood says he prays before every game, after every game and during the game itself. Lest Pittsburgh fans get the wrong idea, though, he says he prays for everyone to be safe and not for any particular team to win.
The Steelers aren’t as public about their religious beliefs, but many consider themselves devout Christians and can sometimes be seen in locker rooms or on airplanes reading their Bibles. Safety Troy Polamalu brings teammates to services at his Eastern Orthodox Christian church, while running back Willie Parker leaned on his faith to come back from injuries this season, praying that he would be 100 percent physically and able to produce.
Defensive lineman Aaron Smith found comfort in his beliefs when his young son was diagnosed with leukemia.
“It’s really through the Lord’s strength that I’ve been able to cope with this,” Smith said.
Compared to that, crediting God for helping on the field seems almost trite, though that doesn’t stop athletes from doing it all the time. Football players tend to do it more often than others, perhaps because they could be permanently injured on almost any play. But there are baseball players who point to the sky every time they touch home plate and golfers who believe that God gave them the peace within to win major championships.
A poll last summer by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed that 92 percent of Americans believe in some form of God, while 78 percent identify themselves as Christians. And while they express some concern about the mixing of politics and religion, there has never been much outcry about players from both teams gathering after a football game to kneel together in prayer.
Expect plenty of those prayers before and after Sunday’s game from plenty of different players. Expect to see Warner with a Bible in hand as soon as he’s done throwing a football with it.
And don’t expect to hear him shout right away that he’s going to Disneyland if the Cardinals win.
Because he’s going to thank God first.
Source: AP
Color of Change say there were 2 cops attacking Oscar Grant!!!
It wasn’t just one cop attacking Oscar Grant on New Year’s Eve. A new video shows that before Grant was killed, officer Tony Pirone punched him in the face without cause, hitting him so hard that he dropped to the ground. Experts have called it criminal. So why has the District Attorney said he’s not pursuing charges?
It took two weeks and thousands of people speaking out before the DA charged Oscar Grant’s killer with murder. Clearly, it will take continued public pressure to see that justice is served throughout this case. This is a moment to demand accountability, and your voice is critical.
Please take a moment to click the link below. By adding your voice, you’ll help us publicly confront District Attorney Tom Orloff, and put pressure on California’s Attorney General to keep an eye on how Orloff handles the case. It only takes a second. And please ask your friends and family to do the same.
http://www.colorofchange.org/grant/?id=2057-622884
Local news reported on the video showing Pirone assaulting Oscar Grant last week,1,2 but it has been on the Internet for weeks.3 As with the shooting, the video doesn’t leave a lot of room for explaining away Pirone’s actions. It makes it clear that with no physical provocation, he punched Oscar Grant so hard that Grant immediately went down. This is assault, and it is a crime.
Unfortunately, it appears that Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff is once again falling asleep at the wheel. First, he took two long weeks to make the decision to file charges against Oscar Grant’s murderer. Then he declared that he was “not actively pursuing”4 charges against other officers, even though he had access to all the video we’ve seen, BART’s internal investigative report, and the evidence collected under his own investigation.
Law professor Peter Keane from UC Hastings College of the Law, couldn’t have said it any clearer: “If the district attorney is saying he’s not going to charge any officer except Mehserle, in my opinion he’s not doing his job.”5
Orloff’s inaction further calls into question his commitment to justice for Oscar Grant. Given Alameda County’s terrible record of prosecuting police abuses, we cannot simply trust that Orloff’s office has the will to pursue justice wherever it leads.
That’s why we’re asking the California Attorney General to once again place an observer in the Alameda County District Attorney’s office for the duration of any prosecutions related to Oscar Grant’s murder. And we want to hear Orloff tell the public how not seeking charges against Pirone could possibly be in the interest of justice.
Please join our call for justice, and ask your friends and family to do the same. It only takes a minute:
http://www.colorofchange.org/grant/?id=2057-622884
Thanks and Peace,
– James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
January 28th, 2009
References
1. “BART SHOOTING: Rita Williams Reports On Footage Showing Grant Punched Before Being Shot,” KTVU, 1-23-09
http://tinyurl.com/c8dxov
2. “Video shows another BART cop hitting passenger,” San Francisco Chronicle, 1-25-09
http://tinyurl.com/ar53bc
3. “When Assault Becomes Murder,” Injustice in Seattle, 01-11-09
http://tinyurl.com/a5favy
4. “Highlights Of DA Tom Orloff’s Wednesday News Conference On Murder Charge,” KTVU, 1-14-09
http://tinyurl.com/b7mteh
5. See reference 1.
Owner’s Apology for “Drunken Negro Cookies” in Honor of Obama
Comments Please on the “Drunk Negro Cookies” in Honor of President Obama Cookies Apology?
After the controversy over the “Drunken Negro Face” cookies he claimed were in honor of President Obama, Lafayette French Pastry proprietor Ted Kefalinos has finally apologized.
He told the Daily News, “I’m sorry that people were offended by the cookie. We were just trying to make a large number of people happy, and instead we made a large number of people confused and angry.”
The cookie crumbled after customers at the Greenwich Village bakery told My Fox NY’s Arnold Diaz about the offensive treats–and how Kefalinos allegedly said, “They’re in honor of our new president. He’s following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln; he will get his.” Kefalinos denied the cookies were racist. When we spoke to him, he explained, “This whole thing was blown out of proportion,” and said of the word “negro,” “It’s a French word. It comes from the French.”
My Fox NY headed to the bakery for a follow-up, where Kefalinos played messages left on his answering machine–some were telling him the cookies were offensive while others were more serious threats (one mentioned burning his store down
Kefalinos told My Fox NY, “Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, it was an innocent design I created. It was nothing more than just a piece of art.” Also, the NYPD is aware of the threats made to Kefalinos, who is now recording all his phone calls.
Source: Gothamist
What Kind of Cup do you Have? -by Nathan
Some People say their cup is 1/2 empty
Some People say their cup is 1/2 full
Some People say their cup runneth over!!!
Psalms 23:5-6Psalms 23:5-6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. anointest: Heb. makest fat
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. for ever: Heb. to length of days
Tre Thomas “A Natural Contrast”
TRE Thomas soon to be a house hold name with his Debut Project “A Natural Contrast”
Charged with a vision for ministry that commingles the “churchy” with the unchurched, and R&B sensibilities with gospel, Tré himself is a study in contrasts. He’s a young man with an old soul, in whom a
love of the Lord coexists with a desire to tear down the walls of the church. All of those elements will be explored on “A Natural Contrast,” which promises to have something for everyone—head-banging tracks for the clubs, reflective ballads for the introspective, contemporary gospel and praise & worship for the church, all interwoven by gospel’s message.
At the helm of the writing team, Tré has engineered a seamless blend of musical collaborations with producers and songwriters throughout the U.S: New York offerings include “Temptation,” an up-tempo R&B-tinged crowd favorite written by Seanmichael Rodgers for Harlem Boy University, as well as the rock-tinged “All Things” by Joseph P. Murray. Dallas native Xavier Jackson contributes the contemporary track “Imagine.” Not to be outdone, the DC metropolitan area is well represented by Andrae “Bamm” Washington’s production on the love-lude ballad “My First Love,” and Chris Lewis’ production on “Guess What?” “A Natural Contrast” also features the vocals of Burl Binion of Richard Smallwood’s Vision, as well as the instrumentation of Maryland-based band Ndelible.
For more information on Tré Thomas and to hear music samples from his debut album, visit
www.myspace.com/trethomasmusic. For bookings, email: trethomasbooking@gmail.com .
My First Love performed by Tre’ Thomas