Egypt: Russian Passenger Plane With 224 Aboard Crashes in the Sinai

Story by NBC News
Written by Charlene Gubash, Alexey Eremenko, Cassandra Vinograd, Nick Bailey and Milena Veselinovic

CAIRO — A Russian passenger plane carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai peninsula on Saturday, killing all on board, officials said.

Egypt's government said the plane disappeared about 25 minutes after takeoff from the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh — a popular tourist destination — en route for St. Petersburg. The Airbus A321 operated by Metrojet had 217 passengers and seven crew on board. Seventeen children were among the dead, Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Egyptian Air Force planes later spotted wreckage from the missing airliner close to al Hassana, in a mountainous area of the Sinai peninsula, according to a statement from the government which said 45 ambulances had been dispatched to the crash site.

As tearful relatives gathered at St. Petersburg airport awaiting news of their loved ones, Russia's embassy in Egypt said on Twitter that no passengers had survived the crash.

The Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs said one of its citizens was on board the plane. With the majority of the passengers believed to be Russian, Saturday's crash could be the biggest aviation disaster in the country's post-Soviet history.

President Vladimir Putin declared a nationwide day of mourning and and ordered government ministries to offer immediate assistance to relatives of those who died, according to Reuters.

Secretary of State John Kerry offered his condolences and sympathies to those affected, while Israel's military offered assistance to Russia and Egypt if needed.

There was no immediate indication of what caused the crash. Egyptian state-run television reported that rescue teams had identified the location of the plane's black box.

Egypt's Cabinet said in a statement that the Ministry of Civil Aviation sent an investigation team to the crash site, adding that it was "premature" to speculate on why the crash happened.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers aboard, including 138 women, 62 men and 17 children.

The plane crashed in an area of northern Sinai where Egyptian security forces have been fighting an militant insurgency led by the local affiliate of ISIS, according to The Associated Press. The AP reported that the militants in northern Sinai have not to date shot down commercial airliners or fighter-jets. There have been reports the fighters acquired shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles but those would only be effective against low-flying aircraft, AP reported.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on its website that it has opened an investigation into the crash to examine whether any safety or operational rules were violated. It did not specify any suspects or charges but said an investigative team was headed to Egypt on Saturday.

Airbus said the A321 involved in the crash was produced in 1997 and had logged around 55,772 flight hours. The plane had been operated by Metrojet since 2012, Airbus said in a statement.

The company said it stands ready to provide "full technical assistance" to investigators and expressed sympathy to all affected by the crash.

According to the Metrojet website, the Moscow-based airline was founded in 1993 and has nine planes which operate regular and charter flights.

Northrop Grumman Wins Air Force's Long Range Strike Bomber Contract

Story by DefenseNews
Written by Lara Seligman, Andrew Clevenger and Aaron Mehta

WASHINGTON – Northrop Grumman has won the contract to build the US Air Force’s next-generation Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), an industry-shaping award that breathes new life into the world's sixth-largest defense company.

After US financial markets closed Tuesday evening, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Air Force leadership announced that Northrop beat out the team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the contract, which is expected to top $55 billion over the life of the program. It's the largest military aircraft contract since Lockheed Martin won the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) more than a decade ago.

Northrop now has the Pentagon's blessing to build a new fleet of aircraft to replace the Air Force’s aging B-52s and B-1s. As builder of the B-2 stealth bomber, Northrop beat out a joint Lockheed Martin-Boeing team in a closely watched competition that has lasted months longer than anticipated.

Speaking at the announcement, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the bomber would "allow the Air Force to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment" and praised the work that went into the selection, in a move that sounded like a preemptive shot to any attempt by Boeing and Lockheed to challenge the award decision.

James said service acquisition officials “carefully considered” the offers from both teams, with the entire process carried out “with a high level of transparency with our industrial partners… we believe our decision represents the best value for our nation.”

The contract is broken up into two parts — the cost-plus incentive fee development contract awarded today, and a separate agreement on the first five low-rate initial production lots that will be fixed-price incentive fee. Those first five lots will cover the production of 21 bombers.

The service requested that two independent government cost estimators look at the program. The two groups projected that each bomber will cost $511 million in 2010 dollars on average if 100 planes are built, Air Force officials told reporters on Tuesday — substantially less than the original $550 million target cost set by then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. This translates to $564 million per plane in fiscal year 2016 dollars.

LRS-B’s projected unit cost is higher compared to the B-1, but significantly lower relative to the $1.5 billion price tag of Northrop’s B-2, according to an Air Force handout. The expected development cost overall for LRS-B is also lower than for the B-2, at $23.5 billion.

The Air Force did not say the value of the contract announced on Tuesday.

At the announcement, service officials revealed:

*According to Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the military acquisition deputy, the two bomber teams offered up proposals with all industrial partners included — meaning providers for subcomponents such as engines have already been decided. However, Bunch said that information would remain secret for security reasons.
*Risk-reduction efforts cost $1.9 billion from FY11 to FY15.
*A tentative date for initial operating capability is 2025, although Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Global Strike Command, indicated that could change.
*While many have referred to the bomber as the “B-3” as shorthand, Rand’s office will have final say on the designation, which has not been reached.
*Air Force officials will make themselves open to Boeing and Lockheed as early as Friday for an explanation of why Northrop was selected, Bunch said.

Read more: http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/10/27/northrop-grumman-wins-usaf-bomber-contract/74661394/

RNC Statement On Paul Ryan

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus issued the following statement today after the House Republican Conference nominated Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) to become the 62nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives:

“Paul Ryan is the right person, at the right time to lead the House of Representatives during this critical period in our country’s history. Paul is a family man and a personal friend who Sally and I have been blessed to know for many years," said Chairman Reince Priebus. "Paul is also a conservative leader who has selflessly dedicated himself to making this country a better place for all Americans and I know that will be his driving focus as our next Speaker.”

Apple Reports Record Fourth Quarter Results

Apple Press Release
October 27, 2015

iPhone, Apple Watch & App Store Drive Revenue Growth of 22%

CUPERTINO, California — October 27, 2015 — Apple® announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 fourth quarter ended September 26, 2015.

The Company posted quarterly revenue of $51.5 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.1 billion, or $1.96 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $42.1 billion and net profit of $8.5 billion, or $1.42 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

Gross margin was 39.9 percent compared to 38 percent in the year-ago quarter.

International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The growth was fueled by record fourth quarter sales of iPhone®, the expanded availability of Apple Watch®, and all-time records for Mac® sales and revenue from services.

“Fiscal 2015 was Apple’s most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28% to nearly $234 billion. This continued success is the result of our commitment to making the best, most innovative products on earth, and it’s a testament to the tremendous execution by our teams,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are heading into the holidays with our strongest product lineup yet, including iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch with an expanded lineup of cases and bands, the new iPad Pro, and the all-new Apple TV which begins shipping this week.”

“Apple’s record September quarter results drove earnings per share growth of 38% and operating cash flow of $13.5 billion,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “We returned $17 billion to our investors during the quarter through share repurchases and dividends, and we have now completed over $143 billion of our $200 billion capital return program.”

Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2016 first quarter:

*Revenue between $75.5 billion and $77.5 billion
*Gross margin between 39 percent and 40 percent
*Operating expenses between $6.3 billion and $6.4 billion
*Other income/(expense) of $400 million
*Tax rate of 26.2 percent

Apple’s Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $.52 per share of the Company’s common stock. The Dividend is payable on November 12, 2015, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 9, 2015.

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q4 2015 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 27, 2015 at

www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq415

This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

Sheriff: School officer fired after tossing student in class

Story by AP
Written by Meg Kinnard

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A deputy who flipped a disruptive student out of her desk and tossed her across her math class floor was fired on Wednesday. The sheriff called his actions "unacceptable," and said videos recorded by her classmates show the girl posed no danger to anyone.

"What he should not have done is throw the student," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "Police officers make mistakes too. They're human and they need to be held accountable, and that's what we've done with Deputy Ben Fields."

Civil rights groups immediately praised the firing of Fields, a veteran school resource officer and football coach at Spring Valley High School. Calls for swift action rose almost immediately after the videos of Monday's arrest appeared on the Internet, and the sheriff suspended the deputy without pay before firing him altogether.

Lott praised the FBI for agreeing to investigate whether civil rights were violated, and school district officials for promising to review how police are used for discipline.

"They need to understand that when they call us, we're going to take a law enforcement action," Lott said. "Maybe that ought to have been something handled by the school without ever calling the deputy."

The sheriff also had stern words for the student who started the confrontation by refusing to hand over her cellphone after her math teacher saw her texting in class — a violation of school policy. Both she and another student who verbally challenged the officer's actions during the arrest still face charges of disturbing schools.

"The student was not allowing the teacher to teach and not allowing the students to learn. She was very disrespectful and she started this whole incident," Lott said. "It doesn't justify his actions. But she also needs to be held responsible for what she did."

Lott also praised the students whose videos put such an intense spotlight on his deputy's actions.

"I can't fix problems if I don't know about it," Lott said. "I would say that every citizen with a camera, if they see something that's going on that disturbs them, they should film it. Our citizens should police us."

Lott said he wouldn't describe Fields as remorseful, but rather sorry it all happened.

The agency's training unit looked at the videos and determined Fields did not follow proper training and procedure, the sheriff said.

"When you make an arrest of someone who does not have a weapon, you never let go of the subject. When he threw her across the room, he let go of her. That's what violates our policy," Lott said.

"She wasn't a danger at that point; she was just being non-compliant and disrespectful. You try to deescalate a situation. And when you do have to put your hands on someone, there are other techniques we use."

Lott said he would not release the deputy's personnel file. He said none of the complaints filed against him came from the school district.

An expelled student has claimed Fields targeted blacks and falsely accused him of being a gang member in 2013, court records show. That case goes to trial in January.

The girl remains unidentified, but she has obtained a prominent attorney — Todd Rutherford, who also serves as House minority leader in South Carolina's legislature.

Rutherford contradicted the sheriff's claim Tuesday that the girl "may have had a rug burn" but was otherwise uninjured.

"She now has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries. She has a Band-Aid on her forehead where she suffered rug burn on her forehead," Rutherford told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.

Asked about the discrepancy, Lott said officers at the scene and school administrators hadn't told him about any injuries, and "what she had once she obtained an attorney is a different matter."

Email, phone and text messages for Fields have not been returned.

More than a dozen parents and community members vented their anger at Tuesday night's school board meeting. Some, black and white alike, said that the issue wasn't racial — and that it shows that schools and parents need better ways of handling defiant teens.

Rebekah Woodford, a white mother of three, said removing the deputy from the schools sends the wrong message, suggesting that students can get away with being defiant.

Others strongly disagreed.

"We are sick and tired of black women being abused. You can say it's not racist all you want to," Craig Conwell said. "If that was my daughter ... that officer being fired would be the least of his worries."

Muhammad Ali is more than a Boxer

Ali was more than boxing.

Posted by Ishe Smith on Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Jim Winston: NABOB Applauds FCC AM Radio Revitalization Order

The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) is pleased to see the Federal Communications Commission’s decision in its AM Radio Revitalization proceeding. The decision will give Class C and D AM radio station licensees meaningful opportunities to acquire FM translators.

Jim Winston, President of NABOB said, “We have been working diligently to help our Class C and D AM stations obtain the first opportunity to obtain FM translators. We are very pleased that all five Commissioners came together in a spirit of compromise to unanimously approve this order. We recognize that Chairman Wheeler had some concerns about the FM filing window for new translators, and we greatly appreciate his willingness to compromise on this issue. Also, we greatly appreciate the leadership of Commissioner Clyburn in initiating the compromise process and of Commissioner Pai for adding additional compromise proposals.”

Winston added, “This order will allow Class C and D AM stations the first opportunity to buy existing FM translators now and will allow them the first opportunity to apply for new translators in 2017 when the window opens. This is a great victory for small AM radio station owners.”

Radio One's President/CEO Alfred Liggins earns "B and C" Hall Award

Story by Inside Radio

Radio One President & CEO Alfred Liggins was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Tuesday night and he used the occasion to salute his mother, Radio One Founder Cathy Hughes. “She would say ‘praise to God for whom all blessings flow,’” Liggins said. “I am thankful I flowed from her, that I won the ovarian lottery....I have been her copilot in her entrepreneurial journey.”

Hughes herself was inducted into the Hall 10 years earlier, and last night’s induction means Liggins and Hughes are the Hall’s first-ever mother-son honorees.

Liggins also had kind words for former Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons: “Thank you for telling Time Warner Cable Management why TV One is important and why they had to carry it,” he said in his acceptance of the Hall honor.

Liggins, of course, couldn’t leave the awards show stage without getting in a plug. “I will end with a sales pitch,” he said. “When 50% of the population will be black or brown, a brand’s survival depends on it connecting with these audiences.”

The B&C Hall of Fame was launched in 1991 and honors pioneers in broadcasting and cable.

Will Howard University’s TV Station Be Auctioned Off to the FCC?

Letter written by Howard University President Wayne Frederick to the Howard community

The nation’s top HBCU has to decide by December whether to auction off its most visible, and impactful, public utility.

Story by The Root
Written by Todd Steven Burroughs

Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick is considering auctioning WHUT—the university’s public television station, and for 35 years the only black-owned public television station in the United States—to the Federal Communications Commission for anywhere between an estimated $100 million and $500 million, according to a universitywide memorandum released Friday.

The channel’s broadcast spectrum, containing both Channel 32 and its currently unused digital channel, Channel 32-2, would be submitted to an “incentive auction” that the FCC would have in March. The federal agency wants to sell the spectrum gained at the FCC auction to wireless companies that, according to the memo obtained by The Root on Sunday, “need more spectrum to accommodate the increased use of wireless services.”

If Howard applies by the filing deadline, Dec. 18, and the FCC accepts, the move could net Howard, which has seen significant cutbacks in staff in recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars in needed funds. But it would also deprive Washington, D.C.—a large and historic black community that has become increasingly gentrified in the last decade—of an important black-owned platform for documentary and local public-affairs programming targeted to blacks, as well as a significant opportunity for the university’s students in its School of Communications to learn television production.

Under the rules of the FCC national auction, the bid for WHUT’s spectrum could start anywhere between $184 million and $461 million, according to Frederick’s memo. But Frederick also explained that the FCC action is a “reverse auction,” meaning that the ultimate price will depend on how many channels across the nation compete to sell their spectrums to the FCC. He postulated that the university would probably get “a fraction” of the opening amount.

WHUT’s fate will be decided in early December by the university’s board of trustees, said Gracia Hillman, the university’s vice president of external affairs, in a telephone interview with The Root Sunday night. She confirmed the memo’s existence. Hillman also emphasized that Howard was just looking at its options within a process controlled by the FCC, not the university. “We are reviewing all the information available. ... We have not made a decision yet.”

In his two-page memo to the university community, dated Oct. 16, Frederick called WHUT’s spectrum “valuable.”

“Through the auction, there is the potential for the University to realize significant income as a result of the sale of its spectrum,” he said. He also cautioned: “The upcoming Incentive Auction of television station spectrum will be a unique marketplace. It is unlikely to occur again.”

Howard’s President explained that the university has four options: sell, refuse to sell, change WHUT from the higher UHF spectrum to the lower VHF spectrum, or “partner or share broadcasting with another broadcaster.” Hillman confirmed that the two more complicated options outlined by the memo—moving the channel to a lower spectrum, something that the FCC would have to decide for WHUT if it gets all the spectrum it wants, and sharing airtime with another channel—are indeed on the table if Howard moves forward.

In the memo, Frederick explained that he understood what was at stake on both sides of the issue: “Howard University must consider the significant financial opportunity presented with the Spectrum Auction. At the same time, we will consider the value that WHUT adds to the experiential learning opportunities for students and faculty of our School of Communications and College of Engineering, and the program and public service opportunities we provide to WHUT through our loyal viewers.”

Along with Howard’s commercial R&B-format radio station WHUR-FM, WHUT (founded in 1980 as WHMM) has been the jewel in Howard University’s crowded crown, and one of the more significant institutions in D.C.’s black community. Documentaries produced by the station have been nominated for or have won Emmy Awards, and its public-affairs programming, such as Vocal Point and The Rock Newman Show, discusses current issues relevant to black people.

WHUT airs Howard’s annual spring graduation live and regularly displays the achievements of students and faculty. It screens independent documentaries (pdf) by black filmmakers and, during Black History Month, finds and airs several documentaries on black history. It airs Democracy Now!, the award-winning leftist human rights newsmagazine, every weekday evening in lieu of a newscast. It also aired D.C. Breakdown, a newsmagazine produced by black-owned regional television network Soul of the South, until layoffs forced the program to cease production.

Frederick’s announcement comes in the wake of increased broadcast consolidation nationwide and a slow decline in Washington, D.C.’s black media.

With circulation and advertising at black newspapers steadily dropping, on Oct. 5 veteran print journalist George Curry resigned from the NNPA News Service, a black newspaper wire service based in D.C., after his pay was cut in half. The National Newspaper Publisher Association had the only black print wire service for several decades, but in recent years it has been rivaled by print outlets Trice Edney News Wire and, in recent months, upstart the Urban News Service, led by black conservative television commentator Niger Innis. And the city’s black population still mourns the loss of WDCU. In 1997 the University of the District of Columbia, an institution dedicated to the city’s working-class students, sold the jazz station, which had weekday black public-affairs programming, to C-SPAN for $13 million when UDC faced a budget crisis. C-SPAN created C-SPAN Radio with the purchased frequency.

Meanwhile, black-oriented commercial television has struggled to provide nonentertainment content. In 2000 Black Entertainment Television—founded by former telecommunications employee Robert L. Johnson, and a cable channel that for much of its 35 years had attempted black news and public-affairs programming but couldn’t sustain it financially—was sold to Viacom for an estimated $3 billion. BET was recently criticized for not covering the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. Its rival black-owned TV One has a weekday morning talk show, NewsOne Now With Roland Martin, while Bounce TV, a black-owned digital subchannel like Soul of the South, has yet to produce news and public-affairs programming.

Biden opts out of White House bid

Story by The Hill
Written by Jordan Fabian

Vice President Biden said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2016, signaling an end to a political career that has lasted four decades.

Biden made the announcement with his wife, Jill, and President Obama at his side, telling a national audience he did not see a path forward for his candidacy.

He said that as he and his family and worked through the grieving process following the death of his son, Beau Biden, he'd always said he might conclude that the window for mounting “a realistic campaign for president” would close.

“I've concluded, it has closed,” Biden said
________________________________

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/257595-biden-to-make-announcement-from-white-house

Best Business Schools 2015

Story by Bloomberg
Written by Jonathan Rodkin and Francesca Levy

A. Full-Time MBA: U.S.

1. Harvard
2. Chicago (Booth)
3. Northwestern (Kellogg)
4. MIT (Sloan)
5. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
6. Columbia
7. Stanford
8. Duke (Fuqua)
9. UC Berkeley (Haas)
10. Michigan (Ross)
11. Yale
12. Virginia (Darden)
13. UCLA (Anderson)
14. Dartmouth (Tuck)
15. Emory (Goizueta)
16. Cornell (Johnson)
17. North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
18. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
19. Rice (Jones)
20. Washington (Foster)

B. Full-Time MBA: International

1. Western (Ivey)
2. London Business School
3. INSEAD
4. IE
5. IMD
6. Oxford (Saïd)
7. IESE
8. Cambridge (Judge)
9. Queen's
10. HEC Paris
11. ESADE
12. SDA Bocconi
13. Cranfield
14. St. Gallen
15. ESMT
16. McGill (Desautels)
17. Mannheim
18. Toronto (Rotman)
19. Manchester
20. Imperial College London

C. Part-Time MBA

1. Northwestern (Kellogg)
2. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
3. Rice (Jones)
4. Georgetown (McDonough)
5. UCLA (Anderson)
6. Chicago (Booth)
7. Southern Methodist (Cox)
8. Emory (Goizueta)
9. UC Berkeley (Haas)
10. USC (Marshall)
11. Michigan - Ann Arbor (Ross)
12. Villanova
13. San Diego
14. Washington in St. Louis (Olin)
15. Texas at Austin (McCombs)
16. Rollins (Crummer)
17. Elon (Love)
18. Washington (Foster)
19. Ohio State (Fisher)
20. UNC Charlotte (Belk)

Radio One Now Truly One Under New CEO

Story by Inside Radio

Radio One is bringing its local and syndicated radio businesses together under common management.

Radio One, the African-American media specialist, has promoted Reach Media President/CEO David Kantor to CEO of its local radio segment, giving the veteran network radio Exec direct oversight of 54 local stations in 16 markets, while continuing to run its syndication business.

Chris Wegmann, who rose to Radio One President two years ago, retains that position and now reports to Kantor.

Kantor’s network experience stretches back to the 1990s, when he was President of an ABC Radio Networks that at the time boasted over 100 million listeners. During his ABC tenure, the network launched ESPN Radio in 1992 and Radio Disney in 1996. It also syndicated “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,” which has since become a Radio One staple.

As Senior VP of Network Operations at AMFM, Kantor launched its radio network in 1996, which was sold to Clear Channel in 2000.

In 2003, Kantor and Joyner co-founded Reach Media, which syndicates programming like Yolanda Adams, Al Sharpton, D.L. Hughley, Russ Parr, Rickey Smiley, TD Jakes, and other African-American-targeted content.

“David’s skill set, his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit are second to none,” Radio One President & CEO Alfred Liggins said in a statement. “I’m excited about his leadership of our network and local radio business. I have every confidence that he will do an outstanding job.”

Kantor is known for fostering a “total package” partnership strategy for clients, which plays well with Radio One’s more tightly aligned operational structure.

“I started my career in local radio and in every network position I’ve had, I’ve touched local radio,” Kantor said. “I’m excited about the new opportunities before us as we leverage our leading network and local radio business in the market.”
_____________________________________

In other company news, Radio One has promoted Eddie Harrell, Jr. from VP/GM of its Cleveland cluster to regional VP of Ohio, overseeing Cincinnati and Columbus in addition to Cleveland. Harrell joined Radio One in 2011 as VP/GM of its Columbus stations.

House Postpones Hearing On Media Ownership

Story by Inside Radio

The House Subcommittee on Communications has postponed its hearing on media ownership rules that was supposed to reconvene on Wednesday Oct. 21. The hearing, titled “Broadcasting Ownership in the 21st Century,” first convened Sept. 25 but was cut short by the surprise resignation of House Speaker John Boehner that day.

The six witnesses, including the National Association of Broadcasters, barely had time to testify at the original hearing before subcommittee chair Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) called a recess during what became a very hectic day on the Hill. Ranking member Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) requested that the hearing remain open so that legislators could question the witnesses. That was scheduled to take place Oct 21 but has now been postponed by chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) “to a date and time to be determined.”

Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan - Identical Plays, and a Kobe interview

Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur Eugene Jacques Bullard

Story by Jon S. Randal
Photo of Eugene Bullard

He was a "nobody," just another black man trying to get by in a white man's world.

He probably would have remained a nobody in the U.S. had it not been for a visit by an old friend.

In 1960, the President of France and international war hero, Charles DeGaulle, visited the United States. The French President made one request to the White House: He wanted to see an old friend, a French knight whose bravery and heroics helped defend the free world.

Not knowing this man, the White House had to search for this mysterious hero - what they found was a simple, elevator operator in New York. His name was Eugene Bullard.

It was then that the U.S. began to learn about Eugene Jacques Bullard, the first African-American fighter pilot in history.

Bullard was born on October 9, 1894 in Georgia. After witnessing his father almost unjustly lynched, he remembered that his father told him that in France, a man is accepted as a man regardless of the color of his skin. So, the young Bullard stowed away on a ship, and eventually made his way to France. When World War I broke out, he joined the French Foreign Legion, then the Aéronautique Militaire and the Lafayette Flying Corps, where he distinguished himself, becoming the first African-American fighter pilot in history. When the U.S. finally joined the war, Bullard tried to rejoin his countrymen, but despite all his military honors, he was ignored because he was black.

Bullard would be seriously wounded several times, but he never gave up his fight for freedom and justice. At the beginning of World War II, he even worked as a spy, fighting against Nazi sympathizers. In 1954, France invited him to be one of three people to relight the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. In 1959, he was made a chevalier (knight) of the Légion d'honneur, which is France's most coveted award.

When he finally returned to the U.S., no one knew him, and he lived in poverty and relative obscurity. The only reminders of his hero status in his humble apartment were a few photos and a framed case containing his 15 French war medals for valor.

When the French president finally got to meet the courageous French knight, he publicly and internationally embraced Eugene Bullard as a true hero.

When he died a year later, On October, 12, 1961, he was laid to rest with full honors by the Federation of French War Officers.

It would take his own country 33 years, but on August 23, 1994, Eugene Bullard was posthumously commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

Bullard "was a man who hesitated to speak of himself but one who stood on the principles of honesty and integrity. He treated everyone as he wished to be treated . . . He lived by the belief that all men were created equal and should be treated accordingly," according to William I. Chivalette, Curator at the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute.

He is remembered for painting a red bleeding heart pierced by a knife on the fuselage of his plane. Below the heart was the inscription "Tout le Sang qui coule est rouge!" which translates to "All Blood Runs Red."

~ Eugene Bullard, October 9, 1894 - October, 12 1961.

Trip Advisor delivers America's Top Cities for Pizza

* Chicago Goes Deep to Win Traveler Recognition as Top City for a Slice
* Juliana’s in New York City is Travelers’ Favorite Pizza Restaurant

NEEDHAM, Mass., – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today revealed the top 10 U.S. cities and restaurants for pizza, based on the quality and quantity of reviews and opinions from millions of TripAdvisor travelers.

“Travelers come from all corners of the country to sink their teeth into Chicago’s deep dish, the big cheese of pizza destinations according to reviewers on TripAdvisor,” said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “New York City pizzerias also toss out an excellent slice, with Juliana’s in Brooklyn ranking as the top pizza restaurant in the country and two other NYC restaurants within the top ten.”
__________________________________________
Top 10 U.S. Pizza Cities
__________________________________________

1. Chicago, Illinois
Must-try pizzerias: Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - River North, Giordano's

2. New York City, New York
Must-try pizzerias: Juliana's Pizza, Keste, John's Pizzeria – Bleeker St.

3. New Haven, Connecticut
Must-try pizzerias: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Modern Apizza, Bru Rm At BAR

4. Orlando, Florida
Must-try pizzerias: Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, Via Napoli, Red Oven Pizza Bakery

5. San Francisco, California
Must-try pizzerias: Tony's Pizza Napoletana, Il Casaro Pizzeria and Mozzarella Bar, Za Pizza

6. Washington, D.C.
Must-try pizzerias: We the Pizza, Matchbox Pizza, Pizzeria Paradiso

7. Las Vegas, Nevada
Must-try pizzerias: Project Pie, Pizza Rock, Secret Pizza

8. San Diego, California
Must-try pizzerias: Basic, Buona Forchetta, Pizza Port Ocean Beach

9. Phoenix, Arizona
Must-try pizzerias: Pizzeria Bianco, Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana – Phoenix, The Parlor Pizzeria

10. Miami Beach, Florida
Must-try pizzerias: Visa-O1 Extraordinary Pizza, Giotto Maestro della Pizza, Blocks Pizza Deli

NEW CEO Mary Berner Sets New Tone For Cumulus

Story by Inside Radio

Cumulus Media will rely less on "top-down management" and more on "letting managers do the jobs they were hired for". That was a central message from Mary Berner addressing employees in a companywide webcast from Atlanta on her first day as CEO.

Like many execs beginning a speech in a stressful situation, Berner started her webcast, delivered from the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, GA, by keeping things light. Contrary to rumor, Cumulus wasn’t planning to blow up the Nash country brand or file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection—and no, she said with a smile, the company’s new CEO wasn’t, in fact, a man. Berner was, however, ready and eager to share results of an employee survey conducted last week that identified two top priorities—changing the Cumulus corporate culture and improving how it operates.

Berner said the company’s top-down management style has slowed it down and hurt its performance. She emphasized instilling pride in the company. “Programming is the oxygen of Cumulus,” the former magazine publishing exec said during the 20-minute talk, a phrase that Cumulus later tweeted. Berner added that Cumulus had too much employee turnover and she candidly shared such verbatim employee survey comments as, “I love my job, not my company.”

Without mentioning them by name, Berner was complimentary about the platform amassed by her predecessors, former CEO Lew Dickey and ex-executive VP of content and programming John Dickey. The company’s rapid evolution into the second-largest owner of radio stations brought growing pains which got in the way of its success, she said. Berner’s closing message: “The turnaround at Cumulus starts today. Do your job and do it well.”

Berkshire Hathaway's Billionaire Warren Buffett Says Skip Paying Wall Street for Advice on Activists

Story by Bloomberg
Written by Noah Buhayar and Sonali Basak

Warren Buffett, the billionaire chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said corporate executives who are seeking to fend off activist investors should return to the basics and consider skipping strategies pitched by Wall Street.

“The best way to keep activists away is to perform reasonably well in your business and also to communicate well with your shareholders,” Buffett said Tuesday at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington. “You’ve got a bunch of owners out there and, on balance, they’re going to be on your side. After all, they’ve got their money with you.”

The rising influence of money managers who amass stakes in companies and push for changes has spurred an industry of bankers and lawyers peddling expensive advice to companies, Buffett said. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, the No. 1 and 2 takeover advisers this year, are among firms that have been hiring in their activism-defense groups.

“It’s in Wall Street’s interest to scare managements about activists,” Buffett said. “They’re not dying to have an activist knock on your door, but it doesn’t cause them to break out in tears either, because you take them on and they get all involved in your strategy. And it’s their job, to some extent, to make you worry even more than you probably should.”

‘Like Sharks’

Buffett, 85, has long been a critic of Wall Street excesses, panning bankers and their outsize pay in his annual letters to shareholders. He and Berkshire Vice Chairman Charles Munger have become increasingly outspoken in recent years about the popularity of activist investing, too, saying the money managers who pursue the strategy are often looking for short-term gains.

The trend has gotten so much momentum that now even decently run companies are being targeted, Buffett said Tuesday, without citing examples.

“They’re like sharks: they’ve got to keep swimming,” Buffett said of activists, adding that some are paid fees tied to how much money they manage. “They stretch for targets, and you’re seeing that. But there is a place for them in America. All American businesses are not being run in the interest of their shareholders with really capable management. When that happens, change is needed.”

Two of the biggest practitioners of activism -- Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn -- have disputed Buffett and Munger’s characterization of the approach, saying that they’re invested for the long-haul. They’ve argued that their efforts have led to improvements at companies including General Growth Properties Inc. and Apple Inc.

‘Fun to Joust’

Just last week, Icahn got his way at Freeport-McMoRan Inc., the world’s largest copper producer, which announced it was naming two of his associates to its board. The billionaire has also staged campaigns at companies including Hertz Global Holdings Inc., Gannett Co., Family Dollar Stores Inc. and EBay Inc. since the beginning of 2014.

DuPont Co. has been battling a separate campaign. CEO Ellen Kullman abruptly resigned this month after narrowly winning a proxy fight in May against Nelson Peltz. The investor has pushed to break up the company.

Buffett joked that if executives get desperate in such situations, they should send the agitators to Berkshire, which is well positioned to resist pressure from activists. The billionaire is the largest shareholder there and his friends also hold major stakes.

“It’s just fun to joust with them,” he said. “They’re not going to get anyplace, so maybe we can be sort of a rest home for activists.”

‘Life of Misery’

Buffett built Berkshire into a sprawling conglomerate over the past five decades, largely by buying businesses and leaving management in place. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company now has more than 80 subsidiaries, ranging from auto insurer Geico to railroad BNSF.

He said he has no intention of joining the activists’ ranks.

Munger “told me 20 years ago, if you want to guarantee yourself a life of misery, marry someone with the idea of changing them,” Buffett said, adding that his preferred approach in investing is to back companies where he can “join in the spirit of the whole organization.”

For people who go into relationships seeking change, “You’ll be miserable the rest of your life,” Buffett said. “I’m just not looking for that kind of trouble.”

2015 Miss Africa USA Contestants

WARNING:This vid vividly shows the variety & splendor of African Wombmen.#MustWatch #Bruhhh

Posted by Jason R-a on Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Link: http://missafricausa.org/

Minister Louis Farrakhan speech at 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March on Saturday October 10, 2015

Minister Louis Farrakhan speaks on October 10th at the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March

Link to full program: http://www.c-span.org/video/?328654-1/millions-justice-march


TV One News-Talk program "News One Now" highlights other speakers at the 20th Anniversary.


"News One Now" with highlighted moments of Minister Farrakhan speech.

Dr. J

President Obama speaks on Putin, Syria, Iran, US Protectionism, Trump, Hillary, and Biden on CBS's 60 minutes

View More: 60 Minutes News|Live News|More News Videos

President Obama talks about ISIS, Putin, Leadership, Protectionism, Iran, and reason for being in War (CBS 60 Minutes).


President Obama and Steve Kroft - CBS News


The President speaks on Trump, Clinton emails, and Biden's possible run for President (CBS 60 Minutes).

"News One Now" Loses 36% of Viewers in Shift to 7 a.m.

N1N_Moving_30 from TV One, LLC

Story by Journal-isms
Written by Richard Prince

TV One's "News One Now" with Roland S. Martin, the only live daily news show targeting African Americans, lost 36 percent of its audience when it moved from 9 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET three weeks ago, according to Nielsen research figures provided to Journal-isms.

The program drew an average of 141,000 viewers in from Sept. 7-11, its last week at 9 a.m., but only 90,000 in its first week in the new time slot. Because there is no West Coast feed, viewers in the Pacific time zone see the show at 4 a.m. unless they record it. Martin has repeatedly advised them to do so.

The time shift was implemented to compete with "Good Morning America," "Today," "CBS This Morning" and other such shows for African American viewers.

"After almost two years on the air as the only live daily news program targeting the African American viewer, we are confident News One Now is ready to take on the traditional morning news crowd," Martin said in a news release announcing the switch.

"In this uber-competitive news landscape, it is imperative we make available to the broadest audience possible the in-depth relevance our unique perspective provides. We know viewers have a multitude of options at 7 a.m. for their first news of the day, and we believe the diversity of our focus and continual coverage of issues of import to the African America community will resonate significantly."

A TV One spokeswoman noted that the percentage of those in the key 35-49 demographic group remained stable. "News One Now's ratings for its sweet spot demo of P35-49 continue to consistently deliver for TV One since the daily news program's time change two weeks ago," she said. Nielsen puts that number at about 28 percent of the show's viewers.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, TV One is presenting a two-hour block of programming on Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. The march, called "Justice or Else," takes place the next day. Martin interviewed Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Sept. 10, when "News One Now" dedicated the entire show to an in-studio interview. Farrakhan conceived the original march.

Nielsen Reveals Voltair Test Results.

Story by Inside Radio

Nielsen says its new PPM encoders produced “ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT” results when compared with the Voltair audio processor that brought the encoding issue to the industry’s attention in such a dramatic way this year. Nielsen revealed results of comparisons of the two technologies today during a webinar about the new encoders, which begin to roll out on Monday.

The comparison involved seven stations in the Baltimore-Washington, DC market that agreed to unplug their Voltair during a portion of the test week and replace it with Nielsen’s enhanced CBET encoder. Results were compared to the previous three weeks, when the stations had the Voltair plugged into their transmission chain, to arrive at indices that could be compared. Nielsen says both units produced indices that were “ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT".

Get on Up! James Brown "Live" in 1971

James Brown - Sex Machine [Live]

James Brown - Sex Machine [Live]James Brown: vocals, organBobby Byrd: MC, vocals, organDarryl “Hasaan” Jamison: trumpetClayton “Chicken” Gunnells: trumpetFred Wesley: tromboneSt. Clair Pinckney: tenor saxophonePhelps “Catfish” Collins: lead guitarHearlon “Cheese” Martin: rhythm guitarWilliam “Bootsy” Collins: bass guitarJohn “Jabo” Starks: drumsDon Juan “Tiger” Martin: drumsThis features Bootsy and Phelps Collins. Live in Rome on April 24, 1971 on the Italian music program "Teatro 10."..N'Joy!!

Posted by Lord Blak Music on Sunday, October 4, 2015

James Brown with the original Hype-Man Bobby Byrd, on Horns Fred Wesley, and even Funk-man Bootsey Collins on Bass.

NAB Marconi Award for Religious Radio Station of the Year goes to: WPRS "Praise 104.1" Washington DC

NAB Marconi Award to WPRS-FM "Praise 104.1" 2015 Religious Station of the Year

WPRS's Program Director Ron Thompson (far right on photo) receiving the NAB's Marconi award for Best Religious Station of the Year with Senior Regional Vice President/General Manager of Radio One DC Jeff Wilson (far left on photo).
____________________________
Story by Radio One
____________________________
Yesterday in Atlanta, Radio One was a rock star brand to be noticed! First, WPRS-PRAISE DC was honored by the Ad Council with their highest award, the “Crystal Bell”for outstanding community service.

Then, last night, Ron Thompson, Program Director, WPRS and his team won the highest honor in the radio industry by earning the coveted "Marconi Award" for Religious Station of the Year at an awards dinner hosted by our very own, Rickey Smiley.

“This was truly one of the greatest moments in the history of our cluster and our company,” said Jeff Wilson, Senior Regional Vice President and General Manager of Radio One DC.


(L to R)Radio One President Chris Wegmann, Jerry Smith, WPRS PD Ron Thompson and Radio One's Senior Regional Vice President and General Manager of Radio One DC Jeff Wilson showcase the NAB Marconi Award for DC's WPRS as Religious Station of the Year.

The “Crystal Bell” Award was presented to WPRS for its commitment to a variety of social issues including Community Engagement, Childhood Asthma, Discovering Nature and Enrollment in Health Insurance. Radio One was the 4th largest radio group supporter, contributing 90,000+ detections across the Ad Council’s monitored stations with WPRS leading the pack.

The “Marconi Award” is the Rolls Royce in radio recognition. The award celebrates excellence in radio broadcasting. Reach Media’s Rickey Smiley and several of our radio stations were nominated in three categories. Acknowledgement by the industry in such a significant way is a tremendous honor. Moreover, the President of NAB, Gordon Smith, praised Rickey’s outstanding performance as the host of the program by stating, “He took the awards to a new level.”


Jeff Wilson, Ron Thompson, Rickey Smiley and Gordon Smith, President, NAB

Kudos to Ron Thompson, the WPRS team and the staff of the Yolanda Adams Morning Show and the Willie Moore, Jr Show for a day filled with recognition. Congratulations to Rickey for a phenomenal performance and we salute all of our staff from WNNL-FM Raleigh, WPZS-FM Charlotte, WKYS-FM DC, WFXC-FM Raleigh, WQOK-FM Raleigh and the Rickey Smiley Morning Show for your well-deserved nominations.

Praise 104.1 link: http://praisedc.hellobeautiful.com/

President Obama's Statement on the Shooting in Oregon:

The President delivered a statement yesterday on the shooting in Oregon.


"We are the only advanced country in the world that sees these shootings every few months."
President Obama, October 1, 2015

Nine Killed in Shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College: Official

Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Law Enforcement

At about 10:38 AM, the 911 center received a report of a shooting at Umpqua Community College. Police units from multiple juristictions have responded.

Students and faculty members are being bused to the Douglas County Fairgrounds and can be picked up there.

We have no further information at this time.

Story by NBC News
Written by Erik Ortiz, M. Alex Johnson and Tom Winter

Nine people were dead and more than 20 others were injured after a gunman opened fire Thursday morning on the campus of Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon, authorities told NBC News.

Update: The shooter killed himself.

At 10:38 a.m. (1:38 p.m. ET), officials said. State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told NBC News simply that he had been "neutralized."

State police said they believed there was only one shooter, who they said "is no longer a threat."

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was scheduled to brief reporters shortly.

Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg said it was treating nine patients, with three more expected. Sacred Heart General Hospital in Eugene, a major trauma center, told NBC News it was expecting three patients by helicopter.

Students and faculty members were being bused to the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

"I was walking into class, and I heard what sounded like a car backfiring," Courtney Rennie, 23, second-year human services student, told NBC News.

"You don't even think that's somebody shooting a gun," Rennie said, but "I kept envisioning someone is going to come around the corner and and shoot the windows out."

Another Umpqua student, Larry Howell, was on his way to class when he saw students running around him, he told NBC News.

"I turned around. I heard 'active shooter,' and I didn't need to be told twice," he said.

Howell said he checked in with his friends to make sure they were safe.

"Everybody is reaching out to one another and checking on everyone. We don't know which one of our colleagues are down," he said.

Umpqua is a two-year school with about 3,300 full-time students and 16,000 part-time students. It started offering classes in 1961.