Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Does the Media Use the N-word to Loosely???
Originally published January 13, 2012
A writer for a popular Internet website was fired after using the N-word in an article about rapper Kanye West.
According to TheWrap.com, Seth Abramovitch of the gossip website Gawker.com was ousted from the publication after posting about Kanye West’s Twitter rant in early January.
West took to the social network to voice his plans about DONDA, a new design company he wants to open in the future. West said the planned corporation will “galvanize amazing thinkers” and borrows its name from his late mother, Dr. Donda West.
Abramovitch later poked fun at the rapper’s plans and created a DONDA acronym that used the n-word.
“DONDA will be your everything. Just you wait and see,” Abramovitch wrote. “And what is DONDA? It’s an acronym for Dis Original N---a Dresses Aight.”
After the post drew wide criticism, Abramovitch later added an apology to the original article.
“DONDA is actually the name of Kanye’s deceased mother, not the acronym above, which was meant to be the kind of thing Kanye would make up in a late-night creative writing fit, but has offended many people,” he wrote. “So sorry to everyone who was offended and for the confusion. Sorries all around!”
Following the incident, Gawker’s new editor, A.J. Daulerio, fired Abramovitch because he said he believed Abramovitch's apology didn’t sound sincere.
“I thought it was a half-*bleep*ed apology,” Daulerio told TheWrap. “I basically do not want people working for the site who do not care. I had a conversation with Seth and he told me he really didn’t care.”
Abramovitch objected to Daulerio’s claim. He said that in retrospect, he believed the article was a dumb joke that used an offensive term.
Following numerous news reports on the incident, Daulerio wrote on Gawker that Abramovitch’s firing was not just a result of his post but a “series of events” that had occurred in the past.
“To mitigate some of the damage done to his professional reputation as a result of my ill-timed public dismissal of him, I’d like to reiterate here that there were other factors before and after this DONDA mess which led to it,” he wrote. “I thought it was a *bleep* joke and some of the attempts to defuse the backlash were *bleep*ier, but that shouldn’t in any way tarnish his excellent body of work, which I’ve always admired.”
Gawker Blogger Fired after Kanye West N-Word Article
According to TheWrap.com, Seth Abramovitch of the gossip website Gawker.com was ousted from the publication after posting about Kanye West’s Twitter rant in early January.
West took to the social network to voice his plans about DONDA, a new design company he wants to open in the future. West said the planned corporation will “galvanize amazing thinkers” and borrows its name from his late mother, Dr. Donda West.
Abramovitch later poked fun at the rapper’s plans and created a DONDA acronym that used the n-word.
“DONDA will be your everything. Just you wait and see,” Abramovitch wrote. “And what is DONDA? It’s an acronym for Dis Original N---a Dresses Aight.”
After the post drew wide criticism, Abramovitch later added an apology to the original article.
“DONDA is actually the name of Kanye’s deceased mother, not the acronym above, which was meant to be the kind of thing Kanye would make up in a late-night creative writing fit, but has offended many people,” he wrote. “So sorry to everyone who was offended and for the confusion. Sorries all around!”
Following the incident, Gawker’s new editor, A.J. Daulerio, fired Abramovitch because he said he believed Abramovitch's apology didn’t sound sincere.
“I thought it was a half-*bleep*ed apology,” Daulerio told TheWrap. “I basically do not want people working for the site who do not care. I had a conversation with Seth and he told me he really didn’t care.”
Abramovitch objected to Daulerio’s claim. He said that in retrospect, he believed the article was a dumb joke that used an offensive term.
Following numerous news reports on the incident, Daulerio wrote on Gawker that Abramovitch’s firing was not just a result of his post but a “series of events” that had occurred in the past.
“To mitigate some of the damage done to his professional reputation as a result of my ill-timed public dismissal of him, I’d like to reiterate here that there were other factors before and after this DONDA mess which led to it,” he wrote. “I thought it was a *bleep* joke and some of the attempts to defuse the backlash were *bleep*ier, but that shouldn’t in any way tarnish his excellent body of work, which I’ve always admired.”
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
2012 Stellar Award Winners!
posted by elev8.com
The 2012 Stellar Awards blessed many and inspired others!
Marvin Sapp and Dorinda Clark Cole hosted the show, which celebrates gospel music and a “spirit-filled, hand-clapping, foot-stomping revival.” True to the description, the program was full of soaring performances from Kirk Franklin, Earnest Pugh, Fred Hammond, Ricky Dillard & New G, Richard Smallwood & Vision and other groups as well as choir performances that frequently had people up dancing or moved them to tears.
Gospel singer/composer VaShawn Mitchell swept six categories, more than any other artist, to become Saturday night’s big winner at the 27th annual Stellar Awards, which were held at the Grand Ole Opry House and will air on television in syndication Saturday through Feb. 26 on the GMC cable network.
Take a look at the list of winners at the Stellar Awards.
- Artist of the Year: Vashawn Mitchell- Triumphant
- Song of the Year: Kirk Frankllin, Smile – Hello Fear
- Male Vocalist of Year: Vashawn Mitchell – Triumphant
- Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year: Kim Burrell – The Love Album
- Group/Duo of the Year: Mary Mary – Something Big
- New Artist of the Year: Y’Anna Crawley, The Promise
- CD of the year: Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
- Choir of the Year: Ricky Dillard & New G - Keep Living
- Producers of the Year: Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
- Comtemporary Group/Duo of the Year: Mary Mary – Something Big
- Traditional Group/Duo of the Year: The Rance Allen Group – The Live Experience
- Contemportary Male of the Year: Vashawn Mitchell – Triumphant
- Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year: Smokie Norful – How I got Over Songs that Carried Us
- Contemporary Female Vocalists of the Year: Kim Burrell – The Love Album
- Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year: Beverly Crawford – Live from Los Angeles
- Contemporary CD of the Year: Kirk Frankly – Hello Fear
- Traditional CD of the Year: Smokie Norful – How I got Over Songs that Carried Us
- Urban/Inspirational single or performance of the Year: Vashawn Mitchell – Noboby Greater
- Music Video of the Year, Short Format: Vashawn Mitchell - Noboby Greater
- Music Video of the Year, Long Format: Deitrick Haddon – Church on the Moon: Part one
- Traditional Choir of the Year: Mississippi Mass Choir
- Contemporary Choir of the Year: Shekinah Glory Ministy
- Thomas A Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award Honoree: Vy Higginsen
- Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Awards Honoree: Dorothy Norwood
- James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree: John P. Kee
The Stellar Awards annually honor three of gospel music’s most celebrated veterans with specialty awards. This year a tearful John P. Kee was presented with the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award. Vy Higginsen accepted the Thomas Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award. Dorothy Norwood, often called the world’s greatest gospel storyteller, was given the Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award.
Our Daily Bread: A Time For Good Counsel
posted by Robert Kilgore on odb.org
Because of the busy lives many of us lead, it’s not hard to recognize ourselves in the over-extended situation of Moses in Exodus 18. As the sole judge for the masses, he was surrounded “from morning until evening” (v.13) by people who needed his help.
In fact, I’ve had people—particularly young parents—tell me that they identify with Moses. It seems that we need to learn two life skills for survival: an eagerness to listen (v.24) and the willingness to accept help (v.25). Sometimes we don’t accept help because of pride, but that’s not always the case.
With Moses, and often with us, it’s simply that life is moving so quickly and making so many demands on us (vv.13-15) that we barely have time to react—let alone to contemplate or go to someone else for advice. Perhaps this is one reason the Scriptures remind us to surround ourselves with counselors who will offer their experience and wisdom even when we’re too busy to ask for it. We see this in the story of what Jethro did for Moses when he told his son-in-law to delegate some of his responsibilities (vv.17-23).
Don’t be overwhelmed. Instead, seek godly counsel and then follow through on what you are told.
Lord, give us ears to hear advice
From loved ones wise and humble;
So when life’s challenges appear,
We will not have to stumble. —Sper
From loved ones wise and humble;
So when life’s challenges appear,
We will not have to stumble. —Sper
He who will not be counseled will not be helped.
Mom Forces Son To Wear “I Sell Drugs” Sign On Street
posted by newsone.com
FORT WAYNE, Ind-Dynesha Lax has decided to punish her son in a unique way after she felt the justice system didn’t go far enough.
Lax forced her son to wear a sign that says “I lie, I steal, I sell drugs, I don’t follow the law” for two hours a day after being tied with he 14-year-old son’s run ins with the police.
Lax would tell a reporter “What else can I do? They put him on probation … but nobody’s trying to help me fix my son, I’m hoping that having him out here is going to make it sink in,’It wasn’t for it to be a joke or anything funny.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/indiana-mom-dynesha-lax-14-year-old-son-stand-street-i-sell-drugs-sign-article-1.1005096#ixzz1jHNSkSl3
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Our Daily Bread: Each Life a Gift
A young woman was pregnant but unmarried. And even though she lived in a society that didn’t place a high value on unborn life, she wisely chose to allow her baby to live.The child, whom she generously made available for adoption, became part of a loving Christian family who nurtured their precious daughter, loved her, and showed her the way to Christ.
Before that girl reached adulthood, however, she died. Her death left a massive void in her family’s life, but it also left behind memories of childhood
joy and youthful enthusiasm. Sure, her death created a gaping hole in the hearts of all who loved her, but imagine what they would have missed had they never held her in their arms, shared Jesus with her, laughed with her, taught her, and cherished her.
Every life—every child—is a wonderfully made sample of God’s handiwork (Ps. 139). Every human is an image-bearing likeness of God (Gen. 1:27) and a descendant of our first God-breathed parent, Adam.
Death robs us of a certain completion we desire in a life, but it also reminds us of the value of each life God creates (Col. 1:16). Cherish the gift of life and savor the joy of God’s handiwork.
Every life has been created—God’s handiwork displayed;When we cherish His creation,We value what He’s made. —Sper
All life is created by God and bears His autograph.
All life is created by God and bears His autograph.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Momma's Boy Tim TeBow Meets Playboy Tom Brady
By Patton Dodd, Special to CNNDenver, Colorado (CNN) – A few weeks ago, a joke made its way around Denver about Tom Brady, the New England Patriots’ living legend, and Tim Tebow, the raw Broncos quarterback who is turning in a legendary season. It went something like this:
Tom Brady dies and goes to heaven and is greeted by God, who shows him to his new house – a cozy, modest home with a Patriots flag flying from the porch. “Gee, thanks God!” says Brady, feeling very special.
As Brady walks to his door, he notices another house down the street – a sprawling, gorgeous home with a 50-foot pole flying a Broncos flag, a swimming pool shaped like a horse, and a Tim Tebow jersey pinned to the front door.
“Um, God?” Brady begins. “I’m not ungrateful, but I don’t get it. I won three Super Bowls and went to the Hall of Fame. Why does Tim Tebow get a better house than me?”
God chuckles. “That’s not Tim’s house,” he replies. “That’s mine.”
God chuckles. “That’s not Tim’s house,” he replies. “That’s mine.”
It’s not a very good joke, but it neatly summarizes cultural attitudes toward Brady and Tebow, whose teams meet this weekend in the second round of the NFL playoffs.
Brady is a quarterback’s quarterback; his fellow players voted him the best player in football at the beginning of 2011, and he rewarded their admiration with another spectacular season. He’s been at this for a while – he was the winningest playoff quarterback of the last decade – and he’s settled into a life reserved only for guys like him: really good at sports, plus really, really, really good-looking.
Brady dated actress Tara Reid during his initial rise to fame, then settled into a relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan, with whom he had a child. By the time the child was born, Brady had moved on to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, to whom he’s now married and with whom he’s built a Brentwood, California mansion. (Forbes named them the world’s highest-paid celebrity couple.)
Brady’s post-game press conferences can be fashion shows. When my wife and I lived in Boston, we would watch Patriots game coverage until the conference began so we could spy Brady’s gingham shirts, thick-knotted ties, and pocket squares. No matter how tough a game he played, Brady looked ready for the red carpet. The man can wear a suit.
Tebow is something else altogether – an apparently God-blessed raw talent who wins games with a little bit of passing and a whole lot of prayer. Haters aside, he’s the most popular athlete in the nation.
He’s also made football itself more popular this year, drawing in admirers who wouldn’t be watching otherwise. Last weekend’s Broncos-Steelers matchup drew the highest television ratings in the history of the wild card round.
A Zillow.com poll named Tebow America’s Most Desirable Neighbor, and anyone who has sat through one of Tebow’s press conferences (or read his autobiography) can see why. Whatever you think of his faith commitments, he’s the genuine article. He builds orphanages and visits with sick kids and deflects praise and plays the game like a kid whose parents wouldn’t let him go outside until all the chores were done.
Brady is the guy every teenage boy wants to be. Tebow is the guy every teenage boy’s mom wants him to be.
Both quarterbacks overcame low expectations. Brady was drafted in the sixth round and seemed destined to life as a backup until Drew Bledsoe was severely hurt in Brady’s second year. Tebow was drafted in the first round, a move that every expert opinion deemed a mistake.
Both emerged in breakout fashion. Brady’s first season as starter turned him into a famous football player. Tebow’s is turning him into a cultural phenomenon.
Both emerged in breakout fashion. Brady’s first season as starter turned him into a famous football player. Tebow’s is turning him into a cultural phenomenon.
What’s the difference? Why is Tebow’s fame supercharged? Why does Brady get a Brentwood mansion with Gisele, but only a quaint house in heaven?
Recall that Brady’s rise happened in the fall after 9/11, which was also an era before media platforms were numbered like stars in the sky. The nation is in a different mood now, and for better or worse, we have new, more powerful ways of making people famous. Twitter, Facebook and a billion blogs helped Tebow saturate everything.
But the biggest difference is that, in Tebow’s case, religion is a factor. Brady, a cradle Catholic, became famous as an athlete. Tebow is becoming famous as an athlete, acolyte, and avatar all rolled into one.
Tebow the athlete is fun to watch with his passion and flashes of brilliance. Tebow the acolyte – the devoted follower of God – is easy to admire, and even those annoyed by public piety can be won over by his goodheartedness and the sheer joy with which he plays the game.
Perhaps most acutely, he’s a cultural avatar. The internet meme “Tebowing” took off because it’s a readymade symbolic gesture people can use to express themselves against our scoffing, serious times.
Perhaps most acutely, he’s a cultural avatar. The internet meme “Tebowing” took off because it’s a readymade symbolic gesture people can use to express themselves against our scoffing, serious times.
Brady is a great football player. Tebow is a great football story, and stories are immersive – they give us a chance to get involved, to see ourselves through them.
Tebow’s story tees up the questions that frame many people’s lives: Is God involved? Can he help us overcome? Can he help us win? What if he stops helping us – where is God when our critics are correct, when our flaws are exposed for everyone to see?
Saturday’s game will likely be the most-watched second round playoff game in NFL history. Millions will be watching because they want to see how the story will unfold, and the hero most of them will be rooting for is not the playboy, but the momma’s boy.
Our Daily Bread: Grieve Not The Spirit
If money were missing mysteriously from your wallet, you would be angry. But if you discovered that your child was the one who stole it, your anger would quickly turn into grief. One use of the word grief is to describe the sorrow we feel when those we love disappoint us.“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30) essentially means not to hurt the One who loves us and is here to help us. For we read Jesus’ words in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit is sent to us by the Father to be our Helper.
When the Holy Spirit in us is grieved by our actions or attitudes, the result can be tremendous tension. The Spirit pulls us in one direction, but the lusts of the flesh pulls us in another. Paul describes this in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” If this continues, we may begin to feel guilty and dissatisfied with life. Soon, joy and vigor may diminish within us, only to be replaced by listlessness and lethargy (Ps. 32:3-4).
So do not grieve the Holy Spirit who was given in love to help you. “Put away” the bad choices of the flesh (Eph. 4:31), and live faithfully for God.
Holy Spirit, all divine,Dwell within this heart of mine;Cast down every idol throne,Reign supreme and reign alone. —Reed
The Christian’s heart is the Spirit’s home.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Our Daily Bread: Unhook the Chain
Jesus made it clear to His disciples that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He is the only way to the Father, and our belief and commitment to Him results in love and obedience—and leads to an eternal home in heaven.Christina, a Bible student in Minsk, Belarus, wrote this testimony: “Jesus died for everyone, even the most desperate sinner. The worst criminal who comes to Him in faith, the Lord will accept.
“For a very long time, Jesus had been knocking at my door. Figuratively speaking, the door to my heart was open. I was a believer. But I kept the safety chain in place. I would not turn my life over to Him.”
Christina knew this was not right, and she felt that God was compelling her to make a change. “I knelt before Him and opened the door as wide as I could.” She took off the chain.
Committed followers of Jesus will do what He commands—without safety chains or back doors. No reserving little corners of our lives all for ourselves. No secret sins.
Committed followers of Jesus will do what He commands—without safety chains or back doors. No reserving little corners of our lives all for ourselves. No secret sins.
If, like Christina, you’ve been holding back from surrendering to God, it’s time to unhook that safety chain. Let go of those reservations. Throw open the doors of your life, and experience the joy of obedient discipleship.
Less of self and more of Jesus,More and more each day like Thee;Just to live in full surrenderFor my Lord who ransomed me. —Wonder
No life is more secure than a life surrendered to God.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Should Maryland Abolition Death Penalty???
Originally published January 11, 2012
Special to the AFRO
NAACP Makes Maryland Focus on Death Penalty Abolition
by Alexis TaylorSpecial to the AFRO
Joining key Maryland legislators with civil rights and community activists one day before the Maryland General Assembly reconvenes, national leaders of the NAACP met January 10 to position Maryland as the next state in the nation to do away with capital punishment.
“We know that when you seek the death penalty instead of life without the possibility of parole you literally spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more that could have been spent on getting more killers off the street,” said Benjamin Jealous, National President and CEO of the NAACP.
To date, 16 states have struck the death penalty from the books, with Illinois becoming the latest to adopt the legislation. Reinstated in 1978, the death penalty has continued to cause much controversy in that those who are most likely to die at the hands of this state are Black men. Studies from 2003 completed by the University of Maryland show that even though nearly 75 percent of all murder victims in the state are Black, “blacks who kill whites are 2.5 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who kill whites, and 3.5 times more likely than blacks who kill blacks.”
The Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment acknowledged a number of liabilities within the state’s system of capital punishment in 2008, which led to the Maryland death penalty reforms of 2009, “Racial bias continues to infect the Maryland death penalty system,” said Gerald Stansbury, president of the NAACP Maryland State Conference.
With public interest in the trial and execution of Troy Davis dying down, death penalty abolitionists are working endlessly to keep support for the effort alive. Certainly not the first man put to death under questionable circumstances, Davis was executed in Georgia last year even after seven witnesses recanted their testimonies that placed a gun in his hand moments before a young police officer was shot and killed.
Kirk Noble Bloodsworth knows all too well the fatal consequences of eye witness misidentification, which accounts for nearly 75 percent of all wrongful convictions according to The Innocence Project, a national organization working to exonerate innocent prisoners.
“It was the most horrible feeling you could ever imagine when that paper that they slip kind of floats under your door. It is the warrant for your execution. It means you will be killed by lethal gas,” said Bloodsworth, “I was lucky, after almost nine years in prison, I was released. Ten years after that, the real killer was caught,” said Bloodsworth.
An honorably discharged Marine and commercial fisherman, Bloodsworth was wrongly convicted in 1985 of the rape and murder of 9-year-old Dawn Hamilton. Bloodsworth was the first man not only in Maryland, but in America, to be exonerated from death row by DNA testing in 1993. Though paid $300,000-roughly $92 a day- by the State of Maryland for income he would have made while sitting in prison Bloodsworth can never get back the 3,247 days of life he spent trapped in a penitentiary nightmare.
“We spend an average of $700,000 to keep someone in jail for the rest of their lives but up to $2.5 million to execute them,” said Hilary Shelton, senior vice president of advocacy and director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau. “Legislators are seeing that being smart on crime means putting the resources on the front end to prevent the crime from happening in the first place rather than the back end,” said Shelton.
With state budgets across the nation being stretched paper thin, there are children who need better education, firehouses without enough funding to keep communities safe, and recreation facing new management or closure because the cities can’t afford to effectively run them. Surely there are better things to do with the millions of dollars it takes to end one life by lethal injection.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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