2011-06-30

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is August 28th, 2011 at 11am

Letter from Harry E. Johnson, Sr. (photo left)
President of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.

The Dedication of the Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2011, and this site http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ is your official information resource.

The Dedication promises to be a historic event for the U.S. and nations around the world, as Dr. King’s vision and timeless beliefs continue to resonate with people of all lands. World leaders, civil rights pioneers, citizens who remember the hard days of segregation and those leading the next generation closer to Dr. King’s dream, will assemble together for the long-awaited celebration and remembrance.

This ceremony will be the culmination of a week of events, inspired by the establishment of a permanent honor to one of our nation’s greatest citizen leaders. Dr. King was a profound teacher, whose lessons were anchored in the primacy of human dignity. He enacted irreversible social change and led our country forward, relying exclusively on non-violent means. The Memorial will be a lasting tribute to Dr. King’s legacy and will forever serve as a monument to the freedom, opportunity and justice for which he stood.

Whether you live in the Washington, DC area, or are planning to visit for this momentous occasion, this website http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ will offer the latest available information to help you plan. Please visit often, for it will be updated frequently as Dedication planning progresses.

We look forward to sharing with you a joyous and historic day for our nation.

Sincerely,



Harry E. Johnson, Sr.
President / CEO
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.

CLYBURN STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT’S PRESS CONFERENCE



WASHINGTON, DC—Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today issued the following statement on President Obama’s press conference today:

“Today the President did just what the Republicans asked him to do. He told the American people where he stands on reducing our deficit.

“President Obama and Congressional Democrats are willing to participate in bipartisan negotiations to produce a fair debt relief and deficit reduction plan that doesn’t protect loopholes for big oil, corporate jets and the wealthy while jeopardizing college aid, Medicare or food safety.

“We have come to a point where tough choices have to be made about our nation’s future. The question is are the Republicans willing to come back to the table to make those hard choices or will they continue to grandstand while time ticks away and the debt ceiling looms?”

2011-06-29

Taliban claim responsibility for Inter-Continental Hotel attack in Kabul, Afghanistan



Story and Video by Al Jazeera
Written by Bernard Smith

One of Afghanistan's biggest hotels has been attacked by the Taliban.

At least ten civilians were killed in the fighting at the Inter-Continental Hotel, in Kabul, on Wednesday

The five-hour siege was finally put to an end by Afghan and international forces.

The attack on the Inter-Continental hotel has once again raised doubts about the ability of Afghan forces to secure the country, once foreign troops start leaving.

2011-06-28

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monument Dedication in Washington DC on the National Mall -- Sunday, August 28th, 2011

MLK Memorial Foundation's Plans for August 28 MLK Monument Dedication

The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. plans the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Monument in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The official dedication will occur on Sunday, August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s historic I Have A Dream speech, beginning with a pre-dedication concert at 10 a.m. The dedication ceremony will commence at 11 a.m. and a post-dedication concert will follow beginning at 2 p.m.

“We are thrilled that we will be dedicating the Memorial to Dr. King in the coming months, and the Foundation looks forward, with great pride, to presenting this Memorial – this dream – that we’ve worked to build, to the people. Dr. King, his life, his dream, and his legacy, will be a source of history and inspiration for all people, for all time,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the MLK Memorial Foundation. “I’m very much looking forward to celebrating this momentous event with my fellow Americans and people around the world who understand what this memorial stands for, and the relevance of Dr. King’s message.”


The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is the first on the National Mall to honor a man of hope, a man of peace, and a man of color. Located on the Tidal Basin, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial creates a visual line of leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The memorial will be an engaging landscape experience conveying four fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King’s life – democracy, justice, hope, and love – and features the use of natural elements including water, stone, and trees. A 450-foot inscription wall will feature more than a dozen Dr. King quotes engraved into granite to serve as a lasting testament and reminder of Dr. King’s humanitarian vision. The memorial will include the “Mountain of Despair” and the “Stone of Hope,” which will feature a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King.

To learn more about dedication plans, including events that will take place earlier in Dedication Week, please visit www.dedicatethedream.org. The site will be updated frequently as Dedication planning progresses and offer the latest available information. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation is currently collecting personal stories about how Dr. King affected the lives of Americans and people around the world. All are invited to submit memories of working alongside Dr. King, participating in the March on Washington, and more by visiting www.dedicatethedream.org/mystory.

General Motors Company will serve as the Dedication Chair, and Dedication Co-Chair is the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation.

For a complete list of supporters or to make a donation, visit http://www.buildthedream.org/.
_____________________________________________________

About the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is being built on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company / Tompkins Builders, Inc. / Gilford Corporation Joint Venture serves as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.

2011-06-27

GUILTY: Rod Blagojevich guilty on 17 counts


Story by Chicago Sun-Times
Written by Natasha Korecki and Lark Turner
Photo by AP

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was found guilty Monday of 17 out of 20 federal corruption charges — including all charges tied to allegations that the Chicago Democrat tried to trade an appointment to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

Blagojevich had his hands clasped as he listened to the guilty verdicts read aloud in court, then leaned back into his chair as he heard all the guilty determinations.

His wife, Patti Blagojevich, began crying before the verdicts were even read. As each “guilty” was read, she sank into her brother’s shoulder. Aftward, she buried her head in her husband’s shoulder, and he put a hand on her back to comfort her.

The jury of 11 women and one man deliberated for nine days before finding Blagojevich guilty on all but three of the charges he faced at his second trial, adding another chapter to the state’s long history of wrongdoing by public officials.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel did not immediately set a date for sentencing. But he said Blagojevich can’t travel outside the northern district of Illinois without his permission

The ex-governor joins former Illinois governors George Ryan and Otto Kerner in being convicted of corruption tied to their public offices. Former Gov. Dan Walker was convicted of crimes for acts after he left office.

Blagojevich’s conviction — announced before a full courtroom in downtown Chicago that included U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Chicago Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant —means Illinois’ last two governors have been convicted of federal crimes.

Blagojevich was convicted last summer of lying to the FBI, but that jury deadlocked on the 23 other charges he then faced. That charge alone could land him in prison for five years.

This time, with prosecutors offering a streamlined case that included dropping three counts against Blagojevich, jurors were convinced of his guilt on additional charges.

The former governor was the sole defendant in the retrial after prosecutors dropped all charges against the ex-governor’s brother, Robert Blagojevich, who originally faced trial with him.

Of the counts, 11 of them involved the alleged sale of Obama’s vacated Senate seat — nine wire fraud counts, as well as conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion and conspiracy to solicit a bribe. Prosecutors broke down the case into five alleged shakedown schemes, including regarding the Senate seat and charged that he held up official acts on the Illinois Tollway, horse-racing legislation, a school grant and on Children’s Memorial Hospital while demanding campaign contributions.

The jury’s decision in this trial came after Blagojevich made his biggest legal gambit, deciding to take the witness stand in his own defense. Blagojevich did not testify during his first trial.

This time, Blagojevich was on the stand for parts of seven days. He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called himself an “effin’ jerk” for the foul language he used that was caught on secret FBI recordings. He also said he consulted with advisers and his lawyer when talking about who to appoint to the Senate seat and wasn’t making a deal to benefit himself. Blagojevich repeatedly testified he had made no final decision on who he would appoint to the Senate seat, but claimed he was close to crafting a deal involving the appointment of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the Senate seat. He said he was arrested before the deal could happen.

In cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar quickly worked to attack Blagojevich’s credibility, asking: “You are a convicted liar, correct?”

It was during cross that Blagojevich admitted that a promised $1.5 million donation offered by supporters of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to name the Illinois democrat to the Senate would have been “absolutely illegal.” But he wouldn’t agree that the offer was an attempted “bribe,’’ as Schar characterized it.

Blagojevich never received the proposed contribution.

But in her closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton said it didn’t matter that the former governor was unsuccessful in getting something in exchange for the Senate seat appointment. The fact that he asked his brother to hold a meeting with the same Jackson supporter who had offered something was enough to find him guilty, she said. She also said Blagojevich broke the law when he asked a union leader and friend of then President-elect

Barack Obama about a Cabinet position while considering top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett for the Senate seat.

“The law protects people from being squeezed,” Hamilton said. “The harm is done when the ask is made because that’s the violation of the people’s trust.”

Blagojevich’s jury is made up of 11 women and just one man — something experts initially said would be a bonus for Blagojevich, since many of the women in the last jury were hung on at least some of the counts. The sole male juror in the group is someone the defense had tried kicking off for cause.

“I figured he was possibly guilty, but that was just a guess,” the former Boston native, who works for a drug distribution company, said during jury questioning, though he said he could put that opinion aside.

One juror is a teacher, another once worked as a choral director at a parish with about 3,700 families. Another woman, who laughed at some of Blagojevich’s jokes while he testified, is a bartender and a self-proclaimed “weekend warrior” who loves photography. Another works as a nutritionist and said she moved to Chicago from California to follow her love.

Dr. Boyce Watkins: "BET Has Become The New KKK"

Commentary by Dr. Boyce Watkins.
Dr. Watkins Email: info@yourblackworld.com

I just spent the week in New Orleans, the powerbase for one of the most talented, powerful and destructive forces in the history of music: Lil Wayne. I’ve admittedly bopped my head to the tunes of Lil Wayne in the past, feeling the same guilt that any man might feel if he were to enjoy a crack pipe or shot of heroine, knowing how these drugs destroy families, individuals and communities. In other words, I consider myself to be a Hip-Hop insider, and I simply hate the idea of being labeled as a hater. But as a father and Black man who has seen too much death and devastation in my family and so many others, I had to say that “enough is enough,” leading me to candidly discuss my decision to walk away from certain styles of Hip-Hop music.

BET, the media company that targets Black consumers, but is ultimately controlled by a predominantly white organization called Viacom, is not exactly on the same page when it comes to their assessment of Lil Wayne or any other artist (i.e. R. Kelly) who can be directly linked to the holocaust occurring within Black America today. Given that models of profit maximization rarely call for any assessment of the negative externalities that result from unethical corporate behavior, the executive committee for the BET Awards made the interesting decision to give the greatest number of award nominations to Lil Wayne, the man who said that he would (among other things) love to turn a woman out, murder her and send her dead body back to her boyfriend. Oh yea, he also said that he would kill little babies, have sex with every girl in the world, carry a gun on his hip and “leave a ni**a’s brains on the street.”

It might be almost feasible to overlook the “kill little babies comment” were it not for the innocent three-year old boy who was shot in the head by a 21-year old Black male in my hometown just a couple of weeks ago – these atrocities are all too common in quite a few neighborhoods across America. Also, the music might be considered simple entertainment were it not for the fact that millions of Black youth who had their history stolen during slavery actually look to Hip-Hop music to tell them how to dress, talk, think, act and live. There is no high school speaker more popular than a Hip-Hop star.

The Ku Klux Klan has been regularly criticized for encouraging violence against African Americans and terrorizing our community. But the truth is that the Klan doesn’t have much power anymore, and their thirst for African American blood seems to have waned a bit. At the same time, Lil Wayne and artists like him have made a habit of encouraging Black men to shoot one another, to abuse or murder women, to consume suicidal amounts of drugs and alcohol and to engage in irresponsible, deadly sexual behavior.

As a result, Black men are the most likely to die of gun violence, mass incarceration continues to decimate Black families, drug addiction and possession ruins Black lives in droves, and HIV is the leading killer of Black women. So, the truth is that Lil Wayne-like artists and the corporate armies producing this weaponized genocide have killed more Black people than the KKK ever could. So, by accelerating, financing and supporting the “Lil Wayne gospel” to a community that is already dying, BET has effectively positioned itself as a new and improved version of the KKK.

It’s one thing if BET reports on the activities of Lil Wayne or even has him as a guest on their network; we all know that celebrities increase ratings, and as a Business School Professor, I understand the need to pay the bills. But by publicly rewarding his behavior, they are encouraging every record company executive and Lil Wayne wannabe to go to the lab and manufacture more musical poison. As a result, there is some 10-year old boy putting down his textbook to watch the BET Awards, and effectively attending the Lil Wayne School of Black Male behavior. Years later, when this boy shoots another Black man in the face, infects one of his many “hoes” with HIV, ends up in a prison cell, dies from a drug overdose or beats his girlfriend to death, we will be able to link his behavior directly to his formative years, when we cashed in this child’s future for higher shareholder returns at Viacom.

Perhaps a day will come when those of us who know destructive music when we hear it – will actually have the discipline to draw lines and seek accountability – rather than look the other way. It’s not as if you can argue that Lil Wayne is actually GOOD for Black America, and it’s small-minded to justify a man’s reckless behavior just because he’s wealthy.

Charles Manson is considered one of the most vicious killers in history, yet he never actually murdered a soul. He has been in prison for 40 years because he convinced others to commit murder, controlling their minds through comfortable words and charisma. If Manson had been given the platform supplied by BET and the rest of corporate America and a license to share his rhetoric without restraint, he could have caused the deaths of millions more. So, by publicly rewarding and applauding the words of Lil Wayne, BET is giving his beloved message a level of power and penetration that is fit for a king – most interesting is that Wayne’s endorsement of killing women and children is far more vicious than anything Manson ever said.

So, the next time we turn to the KKK, Tea Partiers or the Republicans as the greatest enemies of Black people, we might want to take a look in the mirror. By cheering for those who recite lyrics that encourage us to kill our babies, we are effectively sleeping with and protecting the enemy.
___________________________________________________

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.

2011-06-26

Shark jumps over surfer


From OrlandoSentinel.com
Videographer: Jacob Langston
Florida map of Shark attacks: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/gattack/mapfl.htm 

President Obamas' weekly address: Strengthening America by Investing at Home - June 25, 2011

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

WASHINGTON – Speaking to the American people from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, President Obama discussed the vital role advanced manufacturing will have in strengthening our economy and creating good, middle-class jobs. The President believes that realizing our nation’s potential requires more than simply cutting spending; we have to foster development at home, so that the United States will continue to grow and attract the world’s best talent, ideas and job-creating technologies.

This week, the President announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, which will link the federal government with our nation’s finest minds to insure that our best ideas quickly become our best technologies. By providing American innovators with the resources they need to make their ideas a reality, our nation’s strong legacy of manufacturing, development and middle-class opportunity will continue to grow.

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

June 25, 2011

Pittsburgh, PA

Hello, everybody. Earlier this week, I spoke about our way forward in Afghanistan, and I said that because of the extraordinary work of our men and women in uniform, civilians, and our coalition partners, we will soon begin bringing our troops home, just as we’ve begun doing in Iraq. After a decade of conflict, we’re finally bringing these wars to a responsible end.

That’s in the best interests of America’s security. And it’s also in the best interests of America’s economy. Even though we’ve turned our economy in the right direction over the past couple of years, many Americans are still hurting, and now is the time to focus on nation building here at home.

Of course, there’s been a real debate about where to invest and where to cut, and I’m committed to working with members of both parties to cut our deficits and debt. But we can’t simply cut our way to prosperity. We need to do what’s necessary to grow our economy; create good, middle-class jobs; and make it possible for all Americans to pursue their dreams.

That means giving our kids the best education in the world so they have the knowledge and skills to succeed in this economy. It means rebuilding our crumbling roads, railways, and runways. And it means investing in the cutting-edge research and technologies that will spur growth in the years ahead – from clean energy to advanced manufacturing.

That’s why I’m here today at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, one of America’s leading research universities. Behind me is a display from a company called RedZone Robotics. The robots they make are used to explore water and sewage pipes, and find leaks and breaks before they become expensive problems. But the folks at RedZone aren’t just solving problems; they’re working with unions to create new jobs operating the robots, and they’re saving cities millions of dollars in infrastructure costs.

This company is just one example of how advanced manufacturing can help spur job-creation and economic growth across this country. That’s why this week, we launched what we’re calling an Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. It’s a partnership that brings our federal government together with some of America’s most brilliant minds and some of America’s most innovative companies and manufacturers.

Their mission is to come up with a way to get ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturing floor to the marketplace as swiftly as possible, which will help create quality jobs, and make our businesses more competitive. But they also have a broader mission. It’s to renew the promise of American manufacturing. To help make sure America remains in this century what we were in the last – a country that makes things. A country that out-builds and out-innovates the rest of the world.
I know these have been tough years for American manufacturing, and all the workers and families who’ve built their lives around it. But being here in Pittsburgh, I’m hopeful about the future. I’m hopeful when I think about how companies like RedZone are reinvigorating manufacturing or about how what started as a small trade school is now a global research university. We are a people who’ve always adapted to meet the challenges of a new time; who’ve always shaped our own destiny, and I’m absolutely confident that that’s what we’re going to do one more time. Have a great weekend.

2011-06-25

Michael Jackson's two-year anniversary of his death - June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson articles/blogs from June of 2009, when the King of Entertainment died at age 50 in Los Angeles, California. Click link or title: http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html









Radio One Selects Marketron Mobile to Power Its Mobile Community and Advertising to Drive Audience Engagement and Sales

Partnership Also Creates Nation's Largest and First Urban Mobile Ad Network

HAILEY, Idaho, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Radio One, Inc., the nation's largest radio broadcasting company that primarily serves African-American and urban listeners, today announced that it has chosen Marketron Mobile, a Mediascape Service, as its primary technology solution to power audience engagement and sales efforts across mobile for its more than 50 stations in 15 major markets. Marketron is the leading provider of business software solutions and services for the media industry. In addition to Radio One's partnership with Marketron to power its mobile efforts, Radio One also launched the Radio One Mobile Network today.

Released in September 2010 as part of Marketron's acquisition of mSnap, Marketron Mobile offers media organizations a highly scalable mobile marketing and advertising solution that makes broadcast programming more interactive and engaging for advertisers and listeners. RadioOne will use Marketron Mobile to create programming that encourages audience loyalty and engagement through messaging-based formats such as text-to-win contests, dedications, requests and loyalty programs. With African-Americans more likely than whites to use various mobile features, such as web surfing and playing music or sending and receiving text messages (Pew, 2010), the opportunity for media companies to reach this highly engaged demographic through the mobile channel cannot be denied and is now a reality due to Radio One's partnership with and use of Marketron's mobile technology.

"Radio One is committed to helping advertisers better connect with our African-American and urban listener audience on the devices where they are consuming and engaging radio content," said Dan Shelley, General Manager of Digital for Radio One. "Through the integration of Marketron Mobile, we will be able to increase ratings and offer a channel through which advertisers can penetrate this demographic in an effective way. Since the launch of our mobile strategy with Marketron in January of this year, we have implemented the Marketron Monetizing Mobile Workshops across seven markets, which have resulted in significant new mobile and spot revenues for our business."

Empowered by Marketron's mobile technology, Radio One also launched today the Radio One Mobile Network. This is the industry's first urban mobile ad network that provides an effective solution for advertisers seeking to connect with African-American and urban segments of the U.S. population via mobile. The vertical mobile ad network provided by Radio One will enable advertisers to reach this powerful demographic across all of Radio One's mobile destinations.

"Marketron remains fully committed to aligning ourselves to drive revenue for our radio group and media company customers in light of the industry's shift towards digital media content consumption and advertiser/consumer engagement," said Martin Kristiseter, Vice President of Mobile Solutions at Marketron. "Marketron has transferred the risk of getting into mobile away from publishers, eliminating a huge hurdle for radio groups and media companies interested in new growth and revenue opportunities found within the mobile advertising channel."

2011-06-24

Republicans walk out on the deficit reduction talks


Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. James Clyburn will be guests on "This Week with Christiane Amanpour.

Story by ABC's "This Week" and Rep. Clyburn Press Release
Photo by Getty Images

Congressman Clyburn will appear on ABC This Week with Christiane Amanpour on Sunday morning to discuss the Republicans walk out on the deficit reduction talks.

With the economy continuing to struggle and the deadline to raise the debt ceiling approaching quickly, high-level negotiations on the deficit break down as two key Republicans walk away from the table. Will President Obama have to step into the negotiations?

"This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour questions leading members of Congress: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn, D-S.C. Can the two parties reach an agreement in time, or could the U.S. default on its debts?

NBA Draft Picks - Washington Wizards selection surprising talent -

First Round #8 Pick Washington Wizards select:
Jan Vesely from Czech Republic

Below NBA Draft briefly analyzed by ESPN's Chad Ford:
01. CLE Kyrie Irving -- He has very few flaws to his game.
02. MIN Derrick Williams -- He's an aggressive scorer.
03. UTAH Enes Kanter -- He was the best talent on the board.
04. CLE Tristan Thompson -- He is a good athlete and has a great motor.
05. TOR Jonas Valanciunas -- The Raptors know international players.
06. WSH Jan Vesely -- He should be really fun to watch.
07. SAC Bismack Biyombo Biyombo (traded to Charlotte) -- came out of nowhere to be a top-seven pick.
08. DET Brandon Knight -- He works hard and plays defense.
09. CHA Kemba Walker -- Kemba, A warrior and a winner.
10. MIL Jimmer Fredette (traded to Sacremento) -- Jimmer! Do we really have to say anything else?

2011-06-23

Arbitron’s Black Radio Today 2011 Report

Black Radio Today Report 2011 - To download click link: http://image.exct.net/lib/feff1d73766504/m/1/black_radio_today_2011.pdf

Arbitron is proud to announce the availability of Black Radio Today 2011, the nationwide snapshot of radio listening and key consumer behaviors among Black radio listeners.

For over two decades, Black Radio Today 2011 has documented the listening levels and format preferences of Black consumers in the U.S. Among this year’s findings:

Nearly 94% of Black persons listen to the radio in an average week—greater reach than the general market

Urban Adult Contemporary is by far the No. 1 format among Black listeners, especially females, and has grown by 50% since our 2004 report

All-Sports is the No. 1 format choice among Black adults 35-44 and 45-54. News-Talk Information is number two amongst all Black Men. Add the All-News format to the mix, then the combined All News and News-Talk-Information would make the format(s) number one with Black Men.

Black listeners of all format choices represent a powerful economic block in a variety of consumer categories. This information is supported on 22 pages of Scarborough data that appear in Black Radio Today 2011 for the first time.

You can download your copy of Black Radio Today 2011 right now: http://image.exct.net/lib/feff1d73766504/m/1/black_radio_today_2011.pdf .
The new PPM digital ratings system http://www.arbitron.com/portable_people_meters/ppm_service.htm with the real time radio listening pagers for all, is changing entire landscape of how radio is listened to. The previous writing-in system ratings had totally different results for the formats. The new PPM ratings system http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/ppm_encoding_handbook.pdf has many radio stations/formats that were up in the previous paper ratings system, are now down (10-20 spots in some cases), and the many radio stations/formats that were down are now up.

Radio stations' managers have to now re-think how they present their product. I frankly know how to program successfully in the new PPM world, but I work for a radio company and cannot reveal these thoughts. What I can say is that "it ain't easy" to be successful in the PPM world mostly due to the reluctance to change by those in control of radio station decision-making.

Success in the PPM world requires openness to drastically change your approach from one mindset to another. Over time your lower ratings will require change or maybe the owner will continue to settle for a less money allowing managers to continue to utilize the same approach from the previous totally different ratings platform. http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/ppm_client_briefing_may11.pdf

And while the Arbitron PPM folks will sooner or later even the playing field by having an equal amount of pagers amongst age groups, genders, and races through many lobbying groups lawsuits, the methodlogy of immediate-time ratings will still require a different mindset to get ratings than the soon-to-be-extinct quarterly ratings book.

NBA prospects: The best of everything

Story by Fox Sports
Written by Tyler Ingle

When it comes to evaluating prospects before the NBA draft, teams look at everything.

Should Kyrie Irving be the top pick? How well do they shoot, pass and rebound? How fast do they run and how high do they jump? How smart are they? How hard do they compete? What's their upside?

We ask the same questions and make our own judgments, and here are our top five in a variety of important categories.

Athleticism

1. Travis Leslie, SG/SF, Georgia

2. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech

3. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic

4. Chris Wright, SF/PF, Dayton

5. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado

Leslie has super-human leaping ability that allows him to make a lot of plays around the rim. That, combined with his explosiveness, could make him an exciting and dynamic role player in the NBA. Think Shannon Brown.

Strength

1. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

2. Jeremy Tyler, PF/C, Tokyo Apache

3. Greg Smith, PF/C, Fresno State

4. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

5. Charles Jenkins, PG/SG, Hofstra

Kanter has always been a load for opposing big men. During the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit he used his strength and skill to score a record-setting 34 points, as he just ate the USA roster alive -- including 6-9, 280-pound Jared Sullinger. Oh, and he did it with an injured back.

Speed

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn

2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

3. Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky

4. Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State

5. Isaiah Thomas, PG, Washington

Walker has proven himself to be one of the deadliest scorers in college basketball with his combination of aggressiveness, ball-handling ability and absolutely unreal speed. It seems that no matter how fast he is moving, he always has a higher gear that leaves his defender in the dust. Kemba's quickness will be elite, even in the NBA.

Explosiveness (Guards)

1. Travis Leslie, SG/SF, Georgia

2. Randy Culpepper, PG, UTEP

3. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech

4. Josh Selby, PG/SG, Kansas

5. Isaiah Thomas, PG, Washington

Explosiveness (Forwards/Centers)

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona

2. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic

3. Chris Wright, SF/PF, Dayton

4. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

5. JuJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue

Williams is exceptionally quick off his feet for a player who holds as much muscle as he does. His combination of strength and explosiveness draws some comparisons to Blake Griffin, though he's not quite the freak that Griffin is.

(Un)Athletic

1. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC

2. Ben Hansbrough, PG/SG, Notre Dame

3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland

4. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke

5. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State

The big man from USC has the size and skills to be a nice player in the NBA, but the man can't jump over a phone book and that limits his potential. Still averaged a double-double for the Trojans, though.

Length

1. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

2. Reggie Jackson, PG/SG, Boston College

3. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC

4. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

5. Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence

Biyombo became a draftnik darling the minute his measurements at the Nike Hoop Summit were released. With a ridiculous 7-7 wingspan and great athleticism to boot, Biyombo could become an intimidating defensive player in time.

Shooters

1. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU

2. Davis Bertans, SF, Latvia

3. Andrew Goudelock, PG/SG, College of Charleston

4. Nikola Mirotic, SF/PF, Spain

5. Ben Hansbrough, PG/SG, Notre Dame

You could make an argument for any of four or five players here, but Jimmer will likely be the best shooter coming out of the draft class. He is absolutely automatic when left open and he has unlimited range. He is both a volume shooter and an efficient shooter (made 124 triples last season at a 40% clip), and he is dangerous off the dribble or when spotting up.

Ballhandlers

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn

2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

3. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado

4. Darius Morris, PG, Michigan

5. Corey Fisher, PG, Villanova

Passers

1. Darius Morris, PG, Michigan

2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

3. Julyan Stone, PG, UTEP

4. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida

5. Demetri McCamey, PG, Illinois

Despite only being a sophomore, Morris has proven himself to be one of the best playmakers in college basketball. His passing ability is off the charts and he has a great court awareness. He measured 6-5 in shoes, and this size helps him see over the defense and find open teammates.

Defenders

1. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State

2. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

3. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech

4. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State

5. Malcolm Lee, PG/SG, UCLA

Singleton has the length and lateral quickness to guard four different positions at the next level. He's also a stat-sheet stuffer as he collects a bounty of steals, blocks and rebounds every game.

Rebounders

1. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State

2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland

4. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

5. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

Any college player who gets 200 offensive rebounds in a single season can rebound, and rebounding is a skill that transfers to the NBA. Faried may be undersized and offensively challenged, but he'll be a big-time threat on the glass any time he is in the game.

Post skills

1. Trey Thompkins, PF, Georgia

2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland

4. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC

5. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania

Thompkins is really a load down low. He looks great on either side of the rim, using numerous fakes and shifty footwork to maneuver his way to an easy shot around the rim. He also employs a nice turnaround jumper, which makes him dangerous with his back to the basket out to about 18 feet.

Competitors

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn

2. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona

3. Shelvin Mack, PG/SG, Butler

4. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU

5. Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence

Walker is fearless on the basketball court. He does everything it takes to win, and UConn's championship this season is really indicative of that. He's a true leader and an extremely strong competitor.

Warriors/Toughness

1. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State

2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

3. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic

4. Markieff Morris, PF, Kansas

5. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn

Versatility

1. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State

2. Julyan Stone, PG, UTEP

3. Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas

4. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech

5. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida

Basketball IQ

1. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke

2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

3. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida

4. Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky

5. Nolan Smith, PG/SG, Duke

Singler didn't have the best senior season, but he has a Final Four MVP under his belt and the national championship from his junior season. He won't be a superstar at the next level, rather a scrappy role player that does all the little things to help his team win.

Best Potential

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona

2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

3. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

4. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania

5. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic

High Risk/High Reward

1. Jeremy Tyler, PF/C, Tokyo Apache

2. Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas

3. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

4. Tyler Honeycutt, SF, UCLA

5. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

Tyler is a big body with great length and a soft touch. At one point, he was even the top-ranked player in his high school class. Things took a turn after he decided to drop out of school to play overseas. He didn't respond well to coaching, didn't get along with his teammates and ultimately couldn’t get much playing time. His potential is through the roof and he could be a great player in time, but he's just as likely to be a waste of a pick and a cancer to his team.

Low Risk

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona

2. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State

3. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky

4. Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas

5. Nolan Smith, PG/SG, Duke

Williams is the safest pick in this year's draft. He has an NBA-ready body, outstanding shooting ability and the athleticism to compete with just about anybody at the next level. He'll be a great and efficient scorer who will likely see a few All-Star games in his prime.

Overrated

1. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

2. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech

3. Josh Selby, PG/SG, Kansas

4. Charles Jenkins, PG/SG, Hofstra

5. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State

There are a lot of things to like about Biyombo. He has great length, athleticism, strength, a good attitude and a high motor. Not a bad prospect at all. He's only overrated because of the obscene amount of hype he's received since the Nike Hoop Summit. Getting compared to everybody from Serge Ibaka to Ben Wallace isn't fair for a player as raw as Biyombo is. Going in the top 10-12 picks is doing HIM a disservice.

First-round sleepers

1. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania

2. Tyler Honeycutt, SF, UCLA

3. Tobias Harris, SF/PF, Tennessee

4. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU

5. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado

Motie has a silky-smooth offensive game. He can handle the ball exceptionally well for a player his size, he has a remarkably diverse offense game and he's an underrated passer with a ton of potential in this area. He's not a good rebounder/defender and he needs to work on his consistency, but he has legit All-Star potential.

Second-round sleepers

1. Trey Thompkins, PF, Georgia

2. Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State

3. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke

4. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida

5. Matthew Bryan-Amaning, PF, Washington

Thompkins' stock is supposedly slipping, but he's still a great talent offensively. He has great footwork in the post and range out to the college three-point line. If he lands with the right team, he could be a very effective player.

President Obama's Speech on Partial Troop Pull-Out from Afghanistan War



The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan

East Room

8:01 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Nearly 10 years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores since Pearl Harbor. This mass murder was planned by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network in Afghanistan, and signaled a new threat to our security –- one in which the targets were no longer soldiers on a battlefield, but innocent men, women and children going about their daily lives.

In the days that followed, our nation was united as we struck at al Qaeda and routed the Taliban in Afghanistan. Then, our focus shifted. A second war was launched in Iraq, and we spent enormous blood and treasure to support a new government there. By the time I took office, the war in Afghanistan had entered its seventh year. But al Qaeda’s leaders had escaped into Pakistan and were plotting new attacks, while the Taliban had regrouped and gone on the offensive. Without a new strategy and decisive action, our military commanders warned that we could face a resurgent al Qaeda and a Taliban taking over large parts of Afghanistan.

For this reason, in one of the most difficult decisions that I’ve made as President, I ordered an additional 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan. When I announced this surge at West Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al Qaeda, to reverse the Taliban’s momentum, and train Afghan security forces to defend their own country. I also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended, and that we would begin to draw down our forces this July.

Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our extraordinary men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.

We’re starting this drawdown from a position of strength. Al Qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al Qaeda’s leadership. And thanks to our intelligence professionals and Special Forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the only leader that al Qaeda had ever known. This was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. One soldier summed it up well. “The message,” he said, “is we don’t forget. You will be held accountable, no matter how long it takes.”

The information that we recovered from bin Laden’s compound shows al Qaeda under enormous strain. Bin Laden expressed concern that al Qaeda had been unable to effectively replace senior terrorists that had been killed, and that al Qaeda has failed in its effort to portray America as a nation at war with Islam -– thereby draining more widespread support. Al Qaeda remains dangerous, and we must be vigilant against attacks. But we have put al Qaeda on a path to defeat, and we will not relent until the job is done.

In Afghanistan, we’ve inflicted serious losses on the Taliban and taken a number of its strongholds. Along with our surge, our allies also increased their commitments, which helped stabilize more of the country. Afghan security forces have grown by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and municipalities we’ve already begun to transition responsibility for security to the Afghan people. In the face of violence and intimidation, Afghans are fighting and dying for their country, establishing local police forces, opening markets and schools, creating new opportunities for women and girls, and trying to turn the page on decades of war.

Of course, huge challenges remain. This is the beginning -- but not the end –- of our effort to wind down this war. We’ll have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that we’ve made, while we draw down our forces and transition responsibility for security to the Afghan government. And next May, in Chicago, we will host a summit with our NATO allies and partners to shape the next phase of this transition.

We do know that peace cannot come to a land that has known so much war without a political settlement. So as we strengthen the Afghan government and security forces, America will join initiatives that reconcile the Afghan people, including the Taliban. Our position on these talks is clear: They must be led by the Afghan government, and those who want to be a part of a peaceful Afghanistan must break from al Qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the Afghan constitution. But, in part because of our military effort, we have reason to believe that progress can be made.

The goal that we seek is achievable, and can be expressed simply: No safe haven from which al Qaeda or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland or our allies. We won't try to make Afghanistan a perfect place. We will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. That is the responsibility of the Afghan government, which must step up its ability to protect its people, and move from an economy shaped by war to one that can sustain a lasting peace. What we can do, and will do, is build a partnership with the Afghan people that endures –- one that ensures that we will be able to continue targeting terrorists and supporting a sovereign Afghan government.

Of course, our efforts must also address terrorist safe havens in Pakistan. No country is more endangered by the presence of violent extremists, which is why we will continue to press Pakistan to expand its participation in securing a more peaceful future for this war-torn region. We'll work with the Pakistani government to root out the cancer of violent extremism, and we will insist that it keeps its commitments. For there should be no doubt that so long as I am President, the United States will never tolerate a safe haven for those who aim to kill us. They cannot elude us, nor escape the justice they deserve.

President Barack Obama approaches the podium to address the nation from the East Room of the White House to lay out his plan for implementing the draw down of American troops from Afghanistan, June 22, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)


My fellow Americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. We've learned anew the profound cost of war -- a cost that's been paid by the nearly 4,500 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have done so in Afghanistan -– men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that they defended. Thousands more have been wounded. Some have lost limbs on the battlefield, and others still battle the demons that have followed them home.

Yet tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. Fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm’s way. We’ve ended our combat mission in Iraq, with 100,000 American troops already out of that country. And even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end.

As they do, we must learn their lessons. Already this decade of war has caused many to question the nature of America’s engagement around the world. Some would have America retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security, and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. Others would have America over-extended, confronting every evil that can be found abroad.

We must chart a more centered course. Like generations before, we must embrace America’s singular role in the course of human events. But we must be as pragmatic as we are passionate; as strategic as we are resolute. When threatened, we must respond with force –- but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large armies overseas. When innocents are being slaughtered and global security endangered, we don’t have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our own. Instead, we must rally international action, which we’re doing in Libya, where we do not have a single soldier on the ground, but are supporting allies in protecting the Libyan people and giving them the chance to determine their own destiny.

In all that we do, we must remember that what sets America apart is not solely our power -– it is the principles upon which our union was founded. We’re a nation that brings our enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law, and respecting the rights of all our citizens. We protect our own freedom and prosperity by extending it to others. We stand not for empire, but for self-determination. That is why we have a stake in the democratic aspirations that are now washing across the Arab world. We will support those revolutions with fidelity to our ideals, with the power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings deserve to live with freedom and dignity.

Above all, we are a nation whose strength abroad has been anchored in opportunity for our citizens here at home. Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. Now, we must invest in America’s greatest resource –- our people. We must unleash innovation that creates new jobs and industries, while living within our means. We must rebuild our infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy. And most of all, after a decade of passionate debate, we must recapture the common purpose that we shared at the beginning of this time of war. For our nation draws strength from our differences, and when our union is strong no hill is too steep, no horizon is beyond our reach.

America, it is time to focus on nation building here at home.

In this effort, we draw inspiration from our fellow Americans who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. To our troops, our veterans and their families, I speak for all Americans when I say that we will keep our sacred trust with you, and provide you with the care and benefits and opportunity that you deserve.

I met some of these patriotic Americans at Fort Campbell. A while back, I spoke to the 101st Airborne that has fought to turn the tide in Afghanistan, and to the team that took out Osama bin Laden. Standing in front of a model of bin Laden’s compound, the Navy SEAL who led that effort paid tribute to those who had been lost –- brothers and sisters in arms whose names are now written on bases where our troops stand guard overseas, and on headstones in quiet corners of our country where their memory will never be forgotten. This officer -- like so many others I’ve met on bases, in Baghdad and Bagram, and at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital -– spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one, depending on each other, and trusting one another, as a family might do in a time of peril.

That’s a lesson worth remembering -– that we are all a part of one American family. Though we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents, and a conviction that the United States of America is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. Now, let us finish the work at hand. Let us responsibly end these wars, and reclaim the American Dream that is at the center of our story. With confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of America -– for this generation, and the next.

May God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America.

END 8:16 P.M. EDT

2011-06-21

Spoken Word Radio Formats (News, News-Talk, Sports, etc...) are more profitable, especially FM News-Talk radio stations

In a recent Miller/Kaplan/Arase tally of Power Ratio study during 2010 (based on Arbitrons' PPM audience data), the spoken word radio formats proved more profitable with less ratings than music-formatted radio stations. Is this because the Program Directors understand the PPM ratings system better? Are the Sales teams more knowledgable?

The number one most profitable format is the All-News format, despite it being ranked #11 in national PPM ratings. The All-News Format and three other spoken word formats (News-Talk, Spanish News/Talk, and All Sports), ranked amongst the top five revenued radio formats nationally.

In the Miller/Kaplan/Arase study, they found that the commercials are less intrusive on the spoken word formats than their music counterparts, meaning that the listeners stay tuned to the talk format during the commercial breaks moreso than the music formats.

The talk formats also have more inventory (minutes of commercials) per hour than do the music stations. Music will have 8-9 minutes of commercials per hour, while the spoken word formats have 15-18 minutes per hour.

National Political Election campaigns (especially the year-long Presidential Primary season) and Big News weeks, News/Talk Radio formats get a ratings bump and eventual rate card bump.

The 24-hour news cycle, cable TV invented decades ago, has helped news and talk stations grow audience by creating greater consumer interest and awareness in stories and newsmakers.

Searching the internet for news stories and audio actualities from websites dedicated to news or information can be accomplished anytime day or night.

You can go from home watching a 24-hour news channel; to the car and listen to news-talk radio; to Starbucks to get news on the computer via laptop/ipad to latch onto the news-talk radio stations' websites; and to the office to search news on the internet with news-talk playing on the radio. News listeners have spoken word formats at their disposal.

The M.K.A study also showed that ethnic music formats -- such as Hip Hop and R/B, Urban, UAC, Spanish, Asian, and the like --  have been hit the hardest losing audience and revenue during Arbitrons' 2010 PPM ratings.

Should struggling ethnic music formats in the dominant PPM ratings world, think about adding 50 to 100 percent commercial inventory? Then maybe a switch to one of the Spoken Word formats daily (day-parted or full) will increase the bottom line. 

Link to study: http://www.millerkaplan.com/2010-mrr

First Lady Michelle Obama meets Nelson Mandela in South Africa

 First lady Michelle Obama and former President Nelson Mandela read his newest book, "Nelson Mandela by Himself" at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday.

Story by Reuters
Photo by Debbie Yazbek / Nelson Mandela Foundation
 
JOHANNESBURG — First lady Michelle Obama and her family paid their respects Tuesday to Nelson Mandela during a private visit at the home of the former South African president and revered statesman.

It was the first meeting, and likely a moving one, between America's first black first lady and the political prisoner who later became his country's first elected black president.

Mrs. Obama, daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, and her mother, Marian Robinson, were being shown some of Mandela's personal papers during a stop at his foundation when, according to White House officials, he sent word from his nearby home that he wanted to meet the Obamas.

The family was then driven to Mandela's home in a well-manicured Johannesburg neighborhood, where they spent about 20 minutes with him and his wife, Graca Machel, who is a former first lady of Mozambique.

Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, Leslie Robinson, 15, and Avery Robinson, 19, who are traveling with her, were also invited to meet Mandela.

White House officials had no immediate comment on the meeting. No aides, except for photographers for the foundation and the White House, witnessed the meeting.

Mandela, who stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as president, is rarely seen in public anymore. At age 92, he is in fragile health and was briefly hospitalized in January with an acute respiratory infection. But he apparently felt well enough Tuesday to invite the Obama family to visit.

Mrs. Obama is traveling without President Barack Obama, who met Mandela on a previous visit to Africa when he was a U.S. senator. Obama and Mandela have spoken by telephone several times since Obama took office, most recently last June, the White House said. Obama also wrote a foreword for Mandela's book, "Conversations with Myself."

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his role in the movement against apartheid, South Africa's now-abolished system of racial separation.

Mrs. Obama began a weeklong goodwill visit to South Africa and Botswana on Monday.

Earlier Tuesday, the first lady met with Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, a wife of South African President Jacob Zuma, who has three of them. She and her family were ending the day with a tour of the Apartheid Museum.

2011-06-20

NBA Draft broken down

Video by ESPN

2011-06-19

We Remember Reginald F. Lewis

Reginald F. Lewis

Biography compliments of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture
_______________________________________________________________

Reginald F. Lewis was born on December 7, 1942, in a Baltimore, Maryland, neighborhood he later described as “semi-tough.” Strongly influenced by his family, he began his career at the age of ten by delivering the local Afro-American newspaper. Fortune Magazine reported that “as a child, Lewis kept his earnings in a tin can known as ‘Reggie’s Hidden Treasure.’” The tin can had been given to him by his grandmother, who taught him the importance of saving some of everything he earned. Reginald later sold his newspaper business at a profit.

During his high school years at Dunbar, Reginald excelled in both his studies and sports. As quarterback of the football team, shortstop on the baseball team, and a forward on the basketball team, he served as captain for all three teams. Reginald was also elected vice-president of the student body; his friend and classmate, Robert M. Bell (current Chief Judge of Maryland), was elected president. In addition, Reginald worked nights and weekends at jobs with his grandfather, a head waiter and maitre d’.

In 1961, Reginald entered Virginia State University on a football scholarship, majoring in economics. He graduated on the Dean’s List despite having a rough first year academically as well as losing his scholarship due to an injury. After losing his scholarship, he worked in a bowling alley and as a photographer’s assistant to help pay his expenses. In his senior year, the Rockefeller Foundation funded a program at Harvard Law School to select a few black students to attend summer school at Harvard to introduce them to legal studies in general.

At the end of the program, Reginald was invited to attend Harvard Law School—the only person in the 148-year history of Harvard Law to be admitted before applying to the school. He arrived at Harvard with $50 in his pocket. During his third year at Harvard, he discovered the direction for his future career in a course on securities law. He wrote his third-year paper on takeovers. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1968 and went to work for a prestigious New York law firm (Paul, Weiss.)

Within two years of graduation, Reginald established his own law firm, the first African American law firm on Wall Street. He focused on corporate law, and he also helped many minority-owned businesses secure badly needed capital using Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Companies (venture capital firms formed by corporations or foundations, operating under the aegis of the Small Business Administration).

A desire to “do the deals myself” led him to establish the TLC Group L.P. in 1983. His first major deal involved the $22.5-million leveraged buyout of the McCall Pattern Company. Reginald nursed the struggling company back to health and, despite a declining market, led the company to enjoy the two most profitable years in its 113-year history. In the summer of 1987, he sold it for $90 million, making $50 million in profit.

In October 1987, Reginald purchased the international division of Beatrice Foods, with holdings in 31 countries, which became known as TLC Beatrice International. At $985 million, the deal was the largest leveraged buyout at the time of overseas assets by an American company. As Chairman and CEO, he moved quickly to reposition the company, pay down the debt, and vastly increase the company’s worth.

When TLC Beatrice reported revenue of $1.8 billion in 1987, it became the first black-owned company to have more than $1 billion in annual sales. By 1992, the company had sales of over $1.6 billion annually, and Reginald was sharing his time between his company’s offices in New York and an office in Paris (most of the company’s businesses were in Europe). At its peak in 1996, TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. had sales of $2.2 billion and was number 512 on Fortune magazine's list of 1,000 largest companies.

With all of his success, Reginald did not forget others; giving back was part of his life. In 1987 he established The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, which funded grants of approximately $10 million to various non-profit programs and organizations while Reginald was alive. His first major grant was an unsolicited $1 million to Howard University—a school he never attended—in 1988; the federal government matched the grant, making the gift to Howard University $2 million, which was used to fund an endowment. Interest from this endowment is used for scholarships, fellowships, and faculty sabbaticals. In 1992, Reginald donated $3 million to Harvard Law School—the largest grant in the history of the school at the time. In gratitude, the school renamed its International Law Center the Reginald F. Lewis International Law Center. Among other programs, the grant supports a fellowship to teach minority lawyers how to be law professors.

In January 1993, Reginald’s remarkable career was cut short by his untimely death from brain cancer at the age of 50. At his funeral, a letter from his longtime friend, David N. Dinkins, former mayor of New York, was read. In the letter, Dinkins wrote “Reginald Lewis accomplished more in half a century than most of us could ever deem imaginable. And his brilliant career was matched always by a warm and generous heart.” Dinkins added, “It is said that service to others is the rent we pay on earth. Reg Lewis departed us paid in full.”

Even after his death, Reginald's philanthropic endeavors continue. During his illness, he made known his desire to support a museum of African American culture. In 2002, the Vice President of the foundation read an article in the Baltimore Sun describing a museum of Maryland African American History and Culture slated to be built near Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

After further research and discussion, especially relative to the partnership between the museum and the Maryland State Department of Education to develop an African American curriculum to be taught in all public schools in the state of Maryland, the foundation made its largest grant to date to the proposed museum; $5 million dollars. The money is an endowment with the interest to be used for educational purposes.

Lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Chairman, CEO, husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend—Reginald F. Lewis lived his life according to the words he often quoted to audiences around the country: “Keep going, no matter what.”

President Obama's Weekly Address -- Celebrating Father's Day -- June 19th, 2011

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Obama reflected on Father’s Day and his experience as a parent and discussed the challenges and necessity of being a good father. The President knows that many Americans who want to be better fathers lack the resources to spend quality time with their children, so the White House has fostered new partnerships with businesses in an effort to support bonding opportunities for fathers and their families. While the President recognizes that fatherhood is demanding and often trying, especially during a time of economic struggle and when many Americans are serving our country overseas, he reminds parents that above all, children need unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough. So as President Obama continuously strives to be the best father he can be, he calls on fathers across the country to do the same.

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address
June 18, 2011

Hi, everybody. This Father’s Day weekend, I’d like to spend a couple minutes talking about what’s sometimes my hardest, but always my most rewarding job – being a dad.

I grew up without my father around. He left when I was two years old, and even though my sister and I were lucky enough to have a wonderful mother and caring grandparents to raise us, I felt his absence. And I wonder what my life would have been like had he been a greater presence.

That’s why I’ve tried so hard to be a good dad for my own children. I haven’t always succeeded, of course – in the past, my job has kept me away from home more often than I liked, and the burden of raising two young girls would sometimes fall too heavily on Michelle.

But between my own experiences growing up, and my ongoing efforts to be the best father I can be, I’ve learned a few things about what our children need most from their parents.

First, they need our time. And more important than the quantity of hours we spend with them is the quality of those hours. Maybe it’s just asking about their day, or talking a walk together, but the smallest moments can have the biggest impact.

They also need structure, including learning the values of self-discipline and responsibility. Malia and Sasha may live in the White House these days, but Michelle and I still make sure they finish their schoolwork, do their chores, and walk the dog.

And above all, children need our unconditional love – whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.

And life is tough for a lot of Americans today. More and more kids grow up without a father figure. Others miss a father who’s away serving his country in uniform. And even for those dads who are present in their children’s lives, the recession has taken a harsh toll. If you’re out of a job or struggling to pay the bills, doing whatever it takes to keep the kids healthy, happy and safe can understandably take precedence over all else.

That’s why my administration has offered men who want to be good fathers a little extra support. We’ve boosted community and faith-based groups focused on fatherhood, partnered with businesses to offer opportunities for fathers to spend time with their kids at the bowling alley or ballpark, and worked with military chaplains to help deployed dads connect with their children.

We’re doing this because we all have a stake in forging stronger bonds between fathers and their children. And you can find out more about some of what we’re doing at Fatherhood.gov.

But we also know that every father has a personal responsibility to do right by our kids as well. All of us can encourage our children to turn off the video games and pick up a book. All of us can pack a healthy lunch for our son, or go outside and play ball with our daughter. And all of us can teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and show them through our own example the value in treating one another as we wish to be treated.

Our kids are pretty smart. They understand that life won’t always be perfect, that sometimes, the road gets rough, that even great parents don’t get everything right.

But more than anything, they just want us to be a part of their lives.

So recently, I took on a second job: assistant coach for Sasha’s basketball team. On Sundays, we’d get the team together to practice, and a couple of times, I’d help coach the games. It was a lot of fun – even if Sasha rolled her eyes when her dad voiced his displeasure with the refs.

But I was so proud watching her run up and down the court, seeing her learn and improve and gain confidence. And I was hopeful that in the years to come, she’d look back on experiences like these as the ones that helped define her as a person – and as a parent herself.

In the end, that’s what being a parent is all about – those precious moments with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future; the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice; the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them.

That’s something worth remembering this Father’s Day, and every day.

Thanks, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Have a great weekend.

Bruce Springsteen's Saxman Clarence Clemon dead at 69

Clarence Clemons during a performance in February of 2009

Story by VOA news
Background from Wikipedia
Photo by Reuters
Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr., star saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died Saturday, six days after suffering a stroke following surgery. Clemons was 69.
His bandleader, Springsteen, announced on his website Clemons' loss was "immeasurable." Springsteen said "we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years."

Clemons died at his home in the southern U.S. state of Florida. His health had been fragile in recent years after the musician underwent hip and knee surgeries.

Clemons' powerful raw style was featured on many hits by Springsteen, including "Jungleland" and "Born to Run."

Clemons last appeared with Springsteen and his longtime band in December.

Clemons is the second E Street Band member to die. Longtime keyboard player Danny Federici died of cancer nearly three years ago at the age of 58.

Background information

Born: January 11, 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia

Died: June 18, 2011 at age 69 in Palm Beach, Florida

Genres: Rock and R&B

Instruments: Saxophone, percussion, and vocalist

Associated Acts: Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Aretha Franklin, Jackson Browne, Narada Michael Walden, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Aja Kim, and Lady Gaga.

Website: http://www.clarenceclemons.com/  

2011-06-16

CLYBURN STATEMENT ON CONGRESSMAN WEINER'S RESIGNATION

WASHINGTON, DC—Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today issued the following statement on the resignation of Congressman Anthony Weiner:

“Anthony Weiner has made a decision only he could make with the input of his family, friends and constituents. I wish him and his family well as they enter this new phase as private citizens, and look forward to Congress focusing on the very important work we have to do on behalf of the American people.”

2011-06-15

Teenage daughter of former Laker star Robert Horry dies after lifelong illness

Story by Yahoo Sports
Written by Chris Chase
Photo of Robert Horry and Ashlyn Horry by ashlynhoryfoundation.org

The teenage daughter of Robert Horry died on Tuesday after a lifelong battle with a rare genetic disorder.

Ashlyn Horry, 17, suffered from 1p36 deletion syndrome, an affliction that develops when part of the first chromosome is missing. Little was known about the condition before Ashlyn was diagnosed. Up until a few years ago, it didn't have an official name.

"My little girl was the light of my life and my family's," Horry told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. "It's been tough, but we were blessed to have her for the time we did."

Horry won seven NBA championships during his career with the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. He earned the nickname "Big Shot Rob" due to his clutch shooting late in playoff games.

His daughter lived 17 years with her disorder, enduring multiple surgeries and several other close calls. A 2003 L.A. Times article detailed how she spent the first six months of her life in the hospital, had a tracheotomy for three years, took in most food through a tube and slept with an IV near her bed.

In that piece, Horry said that he sometimes couldn't help but feel bad for his daughter, like when her cousins would come over and chase butterflies while she sat and watched, unable to join in play. His wife expressed less regret.

"She's happy all the time," she said. "She doesn't know any different. That's great, and it's a peace for me. This is all she knows. She's happy, and I want to keep it that way."