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Lebron James’ Mom Agrees Plea Deal In Valet-Slapping Incident

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:42:13 +0000

The mother of Lebron James has avoided serving jail time for allegedly slapping a valet last year at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, according to a recent TMZ report.

Gloria James, 44, managed to strike a plea deal with prosecutors after being arrested for battery and public intoxication last April due to an altercation involving parking attendant Rockfeller Sorel at the hotel’s valet stand.

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Gloria has agreed to stay away from Sorel and donate $1,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund as part of the deal. The court will dismiss a public intoxication charge against the Miami Heat superstar’s mother as long as she also completes 20 hours of community service.

In the footage caught by video cameras, Gloria gets up in Sorel’s face about the parking situation, falls down and gets back up, then swings her purse before bystanders eventually intervene. Lebron was not at the scene.

Sorel has also sued Gloria for thousands of dollars in damages, according to an Associated Press report.

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Brett Johnson is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer and the founder of the music and culture blog VeryArtistical.com.

Top 10 Most Politically Significant Bob Marley Songs

cganemccalla — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:31:26 +0000

Today is Bob Marley’s 67th Birthday. Even though Bob Marley died thirty years ago, his songs still have a great impact on society spiritually, emotionally and also politically. Marley’s songs not only dealt with the politics of his native Jamaica, but Africa and the whole world. Here are ten of his most politically significant songs.

10. War. Bob took a speech from the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haille Selassie at the United Nations and made it a song that showed how racism was the cause of the many wars in Africa at the time.

9. Concrete Jungle This song represented the struggle of the urban poor in the third world. Though the song refers to Arnett Gardens, a garrison in Jamaica, it could represent the poverty and tension found in any ghetto.

8. Redemption Song This epic ballad represents the fight for freedom in the face of great adversity.

7. Africa Unite During the 70s when Africa was ridding itself from colonialism, Bob made an anthem that would call for its countries to join forces in Pan-Africanism.

6. Revolution Another song that calls for both a mental and physical revolution, wiping out wicked ideas from society.

5. Rat Race While accusations of the CIA operating in Jamaica were common place, Bob addressed the issue in this song, “Rasta now work for no CIA.”

4. Belly Full. Bob goes into the poverty and drastic wealth inequality between the rich and poor in both Jamaica and this world, and the tension that they cause.

3. Get Up Stand Up. Though this song deals with the Rastafarian faith, ithas become an anthem for sufferers everywhere.

2. Zimbabwe This song represents the hope excitement of independent Africa and celebrates the fighters who fought against colonialism.

1. Ambush In The Nigh Bob was shot in 1976 and he addresses it in this song. He did not blame any political party despite accusations that the U.S. backed JLP was behind it, Bob did not blame any party but the climate of political nepotism and violence that lead to the attack.

Bob Marley’s Family Wins Case Over Use Of Musician’s Image

Virginia Anchor Makes Fun Of Co-Anchor’s Weave On Air

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:29:52 +0000

A Halloween segment on WTKR Channel 3 in Virginia turned into a hairy situation when one of the anchor’s mentioned what he thought to be a weave on his co-anchor’s head.

A white male anchor called out his Black co-anchor on her “beautiful weave,” to which the woman responded that her hair is real.

Both anchors then left the set laughing at the whole scenario.

The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:00:56 +0000

Many 9 11 conspiracy theories surfaced shortly after the September 11th attacks, some bringing compelling arguments, and some not holding up at all. Theorists believe that the World Trade Center buildings were demolished by bombs, phone calls from the planes were made up, and the former President George W. Bush secretly profited from the attacks.

I have compiled a list of the 11 most compelling 9 11 conspiracy theories that exist:
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1. Inside Traders Knew About Attacks Before They Happened

Right before the September 11th attacks some fishy business happened within the stock market and insurance firms. An “extraordinary” amount of put options were placed on United Airlines and American Airlines stocks, the same airlines that were hijacked during the attacks. Many speculate that traders were tipped off about the attacks, and profited from the tragedy. The Securities and Exchange Commission launched an insider trading investigation in which Osama Bin Laden was a suspect after receiving information from at least one Wall Street Firm.

2. Air Defense Was Told To “Stand Down”

In the event that a airplane were to be hijacked, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), is prepared to send out fighter jets which can debilitate or shoot down an airplane. On 9/11/01, NORAD generals said they learned of the hijackings in time to scramble fighter jets. Some skeptics believe NORAD commanded defense systems to “Stand-down”, because of their lack of presence during the attacks.

3. Planes Didn’t Make Twin Towers Collapse, Bombs Did

The World Trade Center collapse appeared similar to a controlled demolition. Many speculate that the towers were in fact blown down with explosives placed in selected locations. Some witnesses accounted hearing explosions inside the building as they attempted to escape. Many architects and scientists even maintain that a planes fuel cannot produce enough heat to melt the steel frame of the two buildings that collapsed.

4. The Pentagon Attack Scientifically Doesn’t Hold Up

The Pentagon crash may be the most puzzling event of the day. Theorists maintain that the impact holes in the pentagon were much smaller then a commercial American Airlines plane. They also question why the plane was not shot down prior to impact, as well as why the plane impacted into a section of the Pentagon that was vacant due to renovations.

5. Flight 93 Was Completely Staged

The fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is believed that the passengers fought back, and crashed the plane into a field. Skeptics believe that Flight 93 landed safely, while a substitute plane was shot out of the sky. Other theorists believe that the passengers were murdered or relocated, and will never be found.

6. Hijackers Are Alive. How Did Their Passports Survive Explosion?

After the September 11th attacks, the “Loose Change” documentary stated that all of the hijackers were in fact alive in other countries. Rather presumptuous since it is possible for two different people to have identical names. But they did raise a good point; how did the passports of the terrorists survive the explosion? In the aftermath of the attacks, passports and identification were found as evidence. Many skeptics question how identification made out of paper survived an explosion, which destroyed buildings.

7. Cell Phone Calls Made From Plane Were Faked

In flight calls were made from cell phones in hi-jacked airplanes. Scientists and skeptics maintain that cell phones could not receive reception from the altitude the planes typically fly. Other skeptics questioned a phone call from a son to his mother, in which he referred to himself by his own first and last name.

8. Jewish People Knew Attack Was Going To Happen, Took Off Work On September 11th

Theorists noticed that 4,000 Jewish employees took off from work on September 11th 2001. Some of the first people to record the attacks on camera were Jewish also. Many became suspicious of there actions, and put them on the radar as suspects in the wake of the attack.

9. Black Boxes Found By Search Crew Kept Secret

During the ensuing weeks after the attacks, the Black boxes were one of the most important items to find. They were the only evidence into what happened inside the cockpits of the plane. 3 of 4 black boxes were found, and only one was in good enough condition to listen to. The tape was not initially released, but was shared with the families in 2002. Skeptics believe the tapes were not disclosed in order to support the secret scheme.

10. The Bin Laden Tapes Are Fake

Initially, Osama Bid Laden denied any responsibility or involvement with the attacks. Soon afterwards, numerous tapes came out claiming that he took full responsibility on the attacks. Many skeptics believe that Bin Laden was targeted because of his stakes in the stocks as well as former President George W. Bush’s personal business ventures in the Middle East.

11. Aluminum Planes Can’t Penetrate Steel Structure Of World Trade Center

Commercial airplanes’ frames are constructed with a very light aluminum material, in order to make it easier to fly. Theorists maintain that there is no possible way an airplane can do as much damage as it did to the Twin Towers as it did. Theorists believe that missiles or explosives were used to ensure the buildings collapsed.

END

10 years after the attack we may never know the entire story, but will always remember the people who we lost on this tragic day.

“The complete lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working”

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Take a look at photos of the WTC site 9 years after the attacks:

9 Years After 9/11

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One Of Many! Black 9/11 Survivor Speaks On Bin Laden’s Death

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:00:56 +0000

CONNECTICUT — Many of the 9/11 victims we know and hear about are white. But there are plenty of African Americans ones and a Connecticut station was able tog et a hold of one.

Melvin Esdaile of North Haven thinks about that September 11th day every day of his life, but on this day he is reflecting on the journey.

The memory that sticks with Esdaile as he was going down 25 smoke filled flights of stairs in tower one is that firefighters were passing him going up.

Car Bomb Strikes United Nations Headquarters In Nigeria

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:42:50 +0000

ABUJA, Nigeria – A car laden with explosives detonated outside the United Nations’ main office in Nigeria’s capital Friday, blowing part of the concrete structure into shards and killing an undetermined number of people.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that a sedan broke through the exit at the U.N. compound, ramming through two separate gates as guards tried to stop the vehicle. The suicide bomber inside drove the car just up to the main reception of the building before detonating, inflicting the most damage possible, witnesses said.

“I saw scattered bodies,” said Michael Ofilaje, a UNICEF worker at the building. “Many people are dead.”

He said it felt like “the blast came from the basement and shook the building.”

The building houses about 400 employees of the U.N. in Nigeria, including the majority of its offices. A local U.N. spokesman declined to comment, but a local hospital administrator told the AP it had treated as many as 40 victims so far, with more people coming in.

Alessandra Vellucci, a spokeswoman for the U.N. office in Geneva, confirmed that the global body’s offices in Abuja had been bombed.

She told the AP that there was no word yet on casualties.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq in New York said, “There are some indications of fatalities, but we are trying to get confirmation.”

The building, located in the same neighborhood as the U.S. embassy and other diplomatic posts in Abuja, had a huge hole punched in it. Workers brought three large cranes to the building by midday Friday, trying to pull away the concrete and rubble to try and find survivors. Others at the site stood around, stunned, as medical workers began carrying out what appeared to be the dead.

“This is getting out of hand,” said a U.N. staffer who identified himself as Bodunrin. “If they can get into the U.N. House, they can reach anywhere.”

Ali Tikko, who was in a building 100 yards (meters) from the site of the blast when it occurred said, “I heard one big boom.” Outside his window, he said, he could see a part of the damage.

“I see a number of people lying on the floor, at least four or five. I cannot see if they are dead. There are a lot of security around,” said Tikko who was reached by telephone Friday morning.

Local police spokesman Jimoh Moshood confirmed the blast, but said police were still investigating the cause. Reuben Abati, a spokesman for President Goodluck Jonathan, said the presidency would later issue a statement on the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but oil-rich Nigeria faces terrorism threats on multiple fronts. Last year, a militant group from the country’s crude-producing Niger Delta blew up car bombs in the capital during Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary ceremony, killing at least 12.

Nigeria, a nation of 150 million, is split between a largely Christian south and Muslim north. In recent months, the country has faced an increasing threat from a radical Muslim sect called Boko Haram, which wants to implement a strict version of Shariah law in the nation. The sect has carried out assassinations and bombings, including the June car bombing of the national headquarters of Nigeria’s federal police that killed at least two people.

Earlier this month, the commander for U.S. military operations in Africa said Boko Haram may be trying to link with two al-Qaida-linked groups in other African countries to mount joint attacks in Nigeria.

Gen. Carter Ham told AP on Aug. 17 during a visit to Nigeria that “multiple sources” indicate Boko Haram made contacts with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in northwest Africa, and with al-Shabab in Somalia.

“I think it would be the most dangerous thing to happen not only to the Africans, but to us as well,” Carter said.

Tea Party Leaders Respond To Rep. Waters “Go To Hell” Comments

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:08:47 +0000

Tea Party leaders issued a response to controversial remarks made by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) over the weekend. According to party leaders, “it’s time for a new-NEW era of civility.”

“We’ve had Democrats calling American citizens ‘terrorists’ and ‘hostage takers,’ and now an elected Democratic representative says that we can ‘go straight to hell,’” Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin leaders of the Tea Party Patriots said in a statement.

The president and all leaders of the Democratic Party, who have called for civility in the past, are neglecting to censure their own. Is civility only required from their opponents?

Libyan Rebels Seize Key Cities; Gadhafi’s Ouster Imminent?

NewsOne Staff — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:35:36 +0000

Residences of Libya’s capital, say Moammar Gadhafi’s hold of the country seems to be slipping.

This week rebels bolstered their advance, taking control over the strategic western city of Zawiya and also Gharyan, an important outpost to the south.

According to reports, most of the main roads to the capital have been closed and many residents are trying to flee as rebels are advancing on Tripoli from the west, south and east.

“Clearly, the regime is feeling the pressure, and the opposition is gaining ground each day,” said one U.S. official familiar with the intelligence about Libya. But, he said, “How or when that translates into a tipping point or what the endgame might look like is hard to determine.”

Lawyer Of Strauss-Kahn Accusser Denies Extortion Claims

NewsOne Staff — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:31:53 +0000

NEW YORK–The lawyer of the hotel maid who accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault denied claims on Friday that he demanded money to secure her silence.

“The allegation against me is absolutely false,” Kenneth Thompson, lawyer for Nafissatou Diallo, told the New York Daily News.

The attacks against Diallo are designed to distract the public’s attention from the fact that Strauss-Kahn violently attacked and sexually assaulted an innocent woman, Thompson said.

The report claims Thompson approached Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers after prosecutors first raised questions in June about her credibility – including that the West African immigrant lied on her asylum application about being gang raped in her native Guinea.

Have Tensions Faded 20 Years After Black-Jewish Race Riots?

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:22:52 +0000

Twenty years ago today, rioting in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn shed light on state of black-Jewish relations in a city where both communities vie for influential shares of everything from political influence to real estate.

A once power alliance that helped institute dramatic change during the Civil Right Era took an abrupt turn on Aug. 19, 1991 after the motorcade of an influential Rabbi veered onto the sidewalk and killed a young black boy. The incident sparked a violent response from black residents, who attacked and killed a Hassidic Jewish student.

In the aftermath, leaders from both communities accused the other of racially motivated hate, further inflaming the tenuous ties.

It was a time when the legendary clashes between black community activists and Jewish defense groups received widespread attention, as charges of black anti-Semitism came from the Jewish community, as well as calls to repudiate black leaders. Figures such as Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and City College professor Leonard Jeffries had faced scrutiny for comments that had offended members of the Jewish community.

The Grio revisit the riots 20 years later with an insightful editorial.

Video Game Puts Mic In The Hands Of Rap Wanna-Be’s

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:02:11 +0000

Hip-hop is officially entering the karaoke gaming market, allowing rap wanna-be’s to emulate their favorite stars in a new video game.

Def Jam Rapstar, a hip-hop version of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero we be released on XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii in early October.

Rapstar features hits from artist like Nelly and Diddy, as well as letting players spit their own verses over beats made by popular producers.

Jet Magazine Adds Opinion To Compete With Web

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:06:30 +0000

Jet magazine is undergoing a makeover. Johnson Publishing Co., the publisher of Jet and Ebony magazine, recently announced that Jet magazine will begin adding opinion and perspective pieces to the magazine. In addition to opinion pieces, Johnson also plans a cover-to-cover redesign of the magazine in the future.

While Jet’s presence is less dominant in the Internet age, things are looking up for the publication. According to ohnson CEO Desiree Rogers circulation has increased 7.6 percent in 2011.

Tragic! Ex-NBA Ref Kills Self After Wife Found Dead

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:55:46 +0000

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities say a former NBA referee shot and killed himself in a suburban New Orleans hotel room on the same day his wife was found strangled at their Houston area home.

A law-enforcement official in Montgomery County, Texas, says Troy Raymond was a person of interest in the death of his wife, Leslie Anderson Raymond, whose body was discovered last Thursday at their home in Spring.

Troy Raymond’s body was discovered Thursday at a hotel in Jefferson Parish. The coroner’s office said he shot himself in the head.

Tim Holifield, a Montgomery County constable, said Wednesday that Raymond hasn’t been named a suspect in his wife’s killing and it’s premature to connect their deaths.

Raymond was a NBA referee during the 2003-04 season and has refereed college games.

Idris Elba: Black Men Not Considered “Sexy” By America

NFL Running Backs Cash Out Before Cutting Out

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:21:40 +0000

Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans is the latest premiere NFL holdout to demand more money. Johnson wants to be the highest paid running back in the NFL, requesting a contract extension worth a reported $39 million over the first three years.

And while his statistics speak for themselves, a more relevant dynamic is on the bargaining table. In a sport where youth and durability amount to dollars, Johnson, 25, is reaching the prime of his career.

So rather than be disposed of by age 30, Johnson and many elite NFL running backs have learned it’s best to get paid before you get old.

History has proven that running backs need to get that big payday from an organization much earlier than a star quarterback or wide receiver. Peyton Manning can get a $90 million contract at the age of 35 because the quarterback position isn’t nearly as taxing on the body as running back.

The Perfect Credit Card For You

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:24:10 +0000

Everybody is worried about the U.S. debt ceiling. But it’s even more important to worry about your own. Ryan Mack shows you how to obtain and use credit cards to establish a credit history:

Read all of Ryan Mack’s financial tips in Your Money In The Black.

More from Ryan Mack:

Building Your Credit Score

11 Tips For The Unemployed

Seven Tips For Families During The Financial Crisis

Rebuilding The Economy With Financial Expert And Advisor Ryan Mack

Decrepit Bronx Park Transformed Into Buffalo Soldier Memorial

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:09:31 +0000

Two members of the famous Buffalo Soldiers were honored yesterday in the South Bronx when a renovated park was named after them.

Officially renamed the Charlton Thompson Memorial Garden, the once neglected park’s renovations were a six-year effort by veterans who wanted to honor the two Bronx heroes for their sacrifice.

Army Sgt. Cornelius Charlton and Army Pfc. William Thompson both served in the 24th Infantry Regiment, the famous Buffalo Soldiers, the last segregated outfit during the Korean War.

Both posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

Black NY Firefighter Says N-Word Used Frequently By White Colleagues

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:08:37 +0000

NEW YORK — The former president of the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization for Black firefighters in New York City, recounted numerous incidents of racial discrimination, saying Black firefighters were”effectively ostracized” by their white colleagues, yesterday in a discrimination trial agaisnt New York City’s Fire Department.

Paul Washington, 49, described rampant use of the N-word and detailed the startling low number of Blacks who are chosen to be New York firefighters. New York’s population is 26% Black, but only 3% of firefighters are Black, Washington told the court.

The New York Fire Department is so racism-riddled that just weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, someone defaced a flyer honoring the Black Bravest who died, an FDNY captain testified Monday.

Building Your Credit Score

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:08:42 +0000

Every successful financial plan needs to have clean credit and a high FICO score. If we are to see more home and business ownership having good credit is the first step towards accomplishing this goal. Too many times I have personally seen many opportunities missed because we have not taken the time to “clean” our credit.

Knowing how to improve your FICO score is one of the most important factors in clearing up your credit. A FICO score is a three-digit number that determines the interest you will pay on your credit cards, home mortgage, and even determine whether you will get that new apartment. FICO, the Fair Isaac Corporation, single handedly created this three-digit number that will soon become the dictator of your livelihood in many ways. There are five elements of the FICO score. They are listed below along with their weight of importance.

Record of making timely bill payments………………………………………35%
Total balance on your credit cards and other loans compared to your total credit limit……………………………………………………………………..30%
Length of credit history………………………………..……………………15%
New accounts, recent loan applications, and credit inquiries..……………….10%
Mixture of credit cards and loans…………………………………….………10%

Pay Your Bills on Time: Always pay your bills on time. There are no excuses for late payments. As soon as I receive a bill, I pay it immediately. It was a very difficult habit to establish, because instinct says to throw it on the dresser under a pile of other envelopes and avoid it like the plague. Another bill paying strategy is to designate a day of the month where you do nothing but pay bills. No matter what you are doing, stop and pay your bills. The only downfall to this is that sometimes if you happen to miss that day, it leaves room for procrastination. If the fixed monthly cycle is your preferred strategy, designating two days a month might be more appropriate.

Better still, just pay as they come. One missed payment of a bill can lower your FICO score by 50 – 100 points. If you miss a month of payments a 700 FICO score can easily be 526. I understand that many times it seems as if the best solution towards bills that you cannot afford to pay is to act as if they do not exist, but it is these negative habits that we allow to persist that are severely hindering the economic growth of our community. I challenge you to be responsible to each bill that comes into your home. We all have had times when we have fell behind or have missed a payment…myself included. It is how we recover from these moments to diligently create positive habits that will transcend to other areas of our lives. Responsibility and accountability are principles that we all need to practice in paying bills and to ensure a solid infrastructure of the upcoming economic empowerment movement.

The Debt-to-Credit-Limit Ratio: Your debt-to-credit-limit (D/C) ratio is an important issue as well. Let’s just say you have a $3,000 balance on a credit card and a total credit limit of $6,000. Your D/C would be 50% ($3,000/$6,000). This is an important number that accounts for a high percentage of your FICO score (30%). Continuing with the above example, if you pay off a $1,000 balance on one of your cards (let’s call it Card A), with a credit limit of $2,500, I would advise you to NOT cancel Card A. Here is why. If you cancel Card A, your credit limit will decrease from $6,000 to $3,500 (remember you had a $2,500 limit on the card). Since you just paid $1,000 of your total balance owed, your new balance owed decreased from $3,000 to $2,000. Your new D/C ratio would now be 57% ($2,000/$3,500), which increased from 50%. The end result of your presumably responsible behavior of bill payment and debt reduction would be an increase in your debt-to-credit-limit ratio and a decrease in your FICO score. The best move when paying off the credit card balance would be to simply cut up your card, and leave the credit line open unless there is an annual fee. There is no sense in wasting $50 to$70 a year on a card you will never use.

The Length of Your Credit History: Your credit history is very important as well. If you must cancel a card, make sure you cancel the newest ones first. The Fair Isaac Corporation can use more points of data to determine your FICO score the longer your credit lines have been open. Protect those cards you have with the longest history. If you must cancel a card, cancel one card then wait a month. At the end of the month, wait and see if your score was negatively affected. If it wasn’t, do the same for each additional card you want to cancel.

New Accounts/ Card-to-Loan Mixture: For 4 and 5, you want to be careful not for apply for too many cards at once. This sends a red flag to lenders. Steer clear of too many retail cards as well. When you are at the sales counter at Sears, it can be very tempting to allow the checkout employee to coerce you into a savings card that will open the door to “extreme savings”. In the book The Millionaire Next Door, the authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko mention the most popular credit cards of millionaires. The top five credit cards of millionaire household members, and the percent of millionaires who own these cards, are:

Visa (59%)
MasterCard (56%)
Sears (43%)
J.C. Penny’s (30.4%)
American Express Gold (28.6%)

The truly wealthy realize the lack of need for these retail credit card traps. They use cards responsibly and with caution so as not to accumulate unnecessary, overpriced debt.

Lenders like to see a good mix of installment loans (i.e., monthly car notes, monthly mortgage notes) along with your credit cards. Installment loans show just how reliable one can be, especially if payments have been made for an extended period of time, as well as in a timely fashion.

So now that you know what goes into a good FICO score it is time to start the road to building up your score. When you buy your new Toyota you want to be sure you have the best rates on your car loan don’t you? Start today!

Ryan Mack, Author of Living in the Village and President of Optimum Capital Management, LLC

Read all of the Your Money In The Black posts here, including:

Seven Tips For Families During The Financial Crisis

NYU Pays Worker $210K After Boss Called Him “Monkey, Gorilla”

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:27:01 +0000

New York University paid an African worker $210,000 in a settlement suit after his supervisor called him a “monkey” and a “gorilla.”

“Do you want a banana?” NYU employee Osei Agyemang was asked by his boss at NYU’s Bobst Library. According to Agyemang, his boss taunted him with such racially inflammatory remarks for nearly two years.

The harassment stopped only after Agyemang requested to be transfered.

The boss mocked the immigrant’s accent as “gibberish,” while telling him “go back to your cage” and “go back to the jungle,” according to a September 2010 suit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Baptist Organization Rallies In Support Of President Obama

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:16:53 +0000

The Progressive National Baptist Convention, an organization that began to support and defend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s efforts during the Civil Rights Movement, has come to the defense of President Barack Obama.

During the organization’s annual meeting in Washington D.C. this past Friday, members rallied behind the president, calling for the ouster of elected officials who have slandered Obama with racial slurs.

Conventional wisdom suggests if comments like these were targeted to past holders of this nation’s highest office of another/preferred hue, serious repercussive actions would have immediately followed those making said comments,” reads a resolution passed during the PNBC’s annual meeting

Teen Arrested In Wisc. Flash Mob Attack; City Blames Black Families

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:05:31 +0000

MILWAUKEE, WIS. — As more and more violent flash-mob attacks occur across the country, the news media and public officials believe much of the crime is motivated by race.

Many African Americans are weary of the descriptions, saying the Black community is being described in a condescending manner and used as a scapegoat.

Just yesterday, a 16-year-old African-American teenager was arrested for participating in a flash mob that attacked whites at a Wisconsin State Fair earlier this month.

The violence has “much to do with a deteriorating African-American culture in our city,” officials in Milwaukee, Wis., said a week after the mob attack.

Milwaukee police, however, aren’t the only officials concerned with the state fair mobs’ behavior that mirrored that of teens in Mississippi who committed similar crimes. City officials are also speaking out, but in a very condescending tone against Black youth in general.

Anti-Gay Republican Accused Of Soliciting Black Male Prostitute

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:04:24 +0000

An 18-year-old man is claiming he was offered money for sex by Indiana State Rep. Phillip “Phil” Hinkle, after the teen posted an ad on Craisglist seeking a “sugar daddy.”

Hinkle, who recently voted for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, allegedly sought out Kameryn Gibson in the men-for-men section on the website.

Gibson claims that he met with the 64-year-old politician, but says he got cold feet and left after Hinkle exposed his body, according to Gawker.com:

Hinkle responded with an offer to fill this role and pay Gibson $80 or so dollars, and, “for a really good time, you could get another 50, 60 bucks. That sound good?” He picked Gibson up at his house, took him to a hotel room, and showed him his state lawmaker ID. Gibson got cold feet and went to the bathroom to call his sister, Megan, and ask her to pick him up.

Black Startups Get Huge Push From “New Me Accelerator” Program

NewsOne Staff — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:00:38 +0000

It was an historic last night in Mountain View, CA as the first annual New Me Accelerator program, designed to motivate African-American technological entrepreneurship, launched on the campuses of Google, Inc.

Created by Angela Benton (founder) and Wayne Sutton, NME has been the continuation of Ms. Benton’s commitment to empower and create opportunity for African-Americans in the digital space.

Hosted by Interactive One Chief Technology Officer, Navarrow Wright, the NME kick-off event asked 12 young black digital entrepreneurs to pitch their product and business ideas to an executive panel of venture capitalists including leaders from Syncom and David Krane from Google Ventures. Mr. Krane, the 85th employee of Google, Inc and former head of Global Communications for the search giant, offered constructive feedback and heartfelt counsel to the young entrepreneurs, many of whom had no former experience pitching their ideas.

“This is a wonderful program, and it is great to see how passionate so many of them are about their work. I can’t wait to see how their ideas evolve.”

Attended by a number of key “Googlers,” including Chris Genteel, the head of Global Diversity programs for Google, who came out to show their support for solutions that address the imbalance of African–Americans and other ethnic group’s representation in the digital space, the New Me Accelerator has significant goals: after 9 weeks of 1-1 mentorship, and a live-in “Big Brother”-like experience where the entrepreneurs will all live together under one roof as they work on their start-ups, participants will be eligible for substantial business investments.

“From being able to pioneer in the music industry, to now blaze a trail here in the valley at Google shows we are here and have a love and a passion for technology,” said MC Hammer, one of the celeb attendees at the kick-off. Hammer, a long-time technology investor, who lists Jack Dorsey’s Square and Bump among his investments, will be one of the team’s mentors.

For more information on the NME, go to www.newmeaccelerator.com.

NYC Program For Young Black Men Draws Praise, Questions

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:17:22 +0000

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement of a $127 million project to help young black and Latino men was met with praise, but also some criticism over its funding on Thursday.

The Young Men’s Initiative targets about 315,000 black and Latino men between the ages of 16 and 24, a demographic that has seen stubbornly high rates of unemployment, incarceration and poverty. Half of the three-year project will be financed by the foundations of Bloomberg and his fellow billionaire George Soros, while $67.5 million will come from the city budget. The mayor’s office called the program the country’s “boldest and most comprehensive effort” to tackle the problem.

“When we look at poverty rates, graduation rates, crime rates and employment rates, one thing stands out: Blacks and Latinos are not fully sharing in the promise of American freedom and far too many are trapped in circumstances that are difficult to escape,” Bloomberg said as he announced the program at a breakfast on Thursday.

The program will focus on job training, education, reform of parole procedures and fatherhood classes. More than a dozen city agencies will be involved. As part of the effort, Bloomberg issued an executive order barring city agencies from placing undue barriers before job applicants with criminal convictions unrelated to the job.

“A job is the best anti-poverty and anti-crime program ever devised anywhere in the world,” Bloomberg said.

The initiative was applauded by advocates for ex-prisoners who noted that, statewide, New York has moved toward reducing its prison population.

“This is a contribution to the health of the city in terms of what matters most, which is salvaging young lives,” said JoAnne Page, president of The Fortune Society, a nonprofit that helps recently released prisoners. Her group works with about 4,000 ex-prisoners a year, the vast majority of whom are black and Latino men, she said.

A criminal conviction can be like a scarlet letter for job applicants, Page said. The city will now ask applicants about a criminal history later in the application process to keep them in the running for jobs, she said.

Chris Watler, project director at the nonprofit Harlem Community Justice Center, said giving a young man a job has a ripple effect, helping families and ultimately stabilizing communities.

But others questioned the strategy of providing millions for job training without a guarantee that there’s a job waiting.

“Training people for jobs that don’t exist isn’t always the most effective strategy,” said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

Berg commended Bloomberg for funding the program, but said he wished it did more to encourage corporate leaders to create living-wage jobs.

Others said the announcement raised questions about Bloomberg’s overlapping roles as politician and philanthropist.

“You have private money which is pushing where the public money will be spent,” said Susan Lerner of the watchdog group Common Cause New York. “Where’s the evaluation process? Where’s the public input?”

City Council member Charles Barron, a frequent critic of the mayor, said the program looked like a way for Bloomberg to burnish his legacy as his time in office winds down. Bloomberg’s approval ratings have lagged in his third term, particularly after criticism of the city’s response to last winter’s blizzard.

“I think it’s hypocritical and a Band-Aid,” Barron said, criticizing the mayor for cutting funds for youth programs from the city budget.

“I think this was more for the mayor than for the youth.”

But others noted that the mayor is not expected to run for office again, so he wouldn’t stand to gain politically.

“This is what makes him a unique mayor and civic-minded philanthropist, that he does care deeply and uses his private money for public good,” said Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union.

Young African-Americans Twice As Likely To Die On Dialysis

Houston Gangs Recruiting Students As Young As 10 At Schools

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:25:38 +0000

Street gangs are quickly migrating from America’s inner city to its suburbs and small towns says a new National Gang Center study.

According to the report, 55 percent of all gang activity occurs in big cities, while 41 percent occurs in outlying suburbs in our smaller cities.

In Houston, Tex., officers say kids as young as 10 years old are joining gangs because they are looking for “leadership…guidance….connection…and a sense of belonging.”

A school official also pointed out that it’s not only tough kids that are recruited. Gangs often talk to those who are bullied in school, promising them protection and acceptance.

Cleaning Up? Hotel Maid Nafissatou Diallo Sues Kahn

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:48:21 +0000

NEW YORK — A hotel maid who accuses ex-International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault sued him Monday over what she calls a “violent and sadistic” attack in an upscale suite that left her life “in shambles.”

Lawyers for the maid, Guinean immigrant Nafissatou Diallo, wrote in the lawsuit that Strauss-Kahn “intentionally, brutally and violently sexually assaulted Ms. Diallo and in the process humiliated, degraded, violated and robbed Ms. Diallo of her dignity as a woman.”

The lawyers, Kenneth Thompson and Douglas Wigdor, promised to tell a jury about other instances when Strauss-Kahn sexually attacked women in hotel rooms and apartments, coerced employees into complying with sexual demands or accosted women with inappropriate sexual remarks and tried to get them to perform sexual acts.

They said the lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages, would “redress the violent and sadistic attack by defendant Strauss-Kahn on Nafissatou Diallo when he sexually assaulted” her on May 14 at the Sofitel hotel in midtown Manhattan.

The lawsuit says Strauss-Kahn injured Diallo’s shoulder, bruised her vagina, tore her pantyhose and violently grabbed the back of her head during the attack.

The lawsuit, filed in state court in the Bronx, accuses Strauss-Kahn of acting like a common criminal afterward, fleeing the hotel so quickly that he left behind traces of his semen, along with bloody tissues.

“In his haste to flee the scene of a crime, he rushed out of the hotel with toothpaste smeared on the outside of his mouth and was looking over his shoulders,” the lawsuit says.

The attack has left Diallo physically and psychologically harmed, with permanent damage done to her professional and personal reputations along with severe mental anguish from which she may never fully recover, the lawsuit says. She suffers great emotional distress, humiliation, depression and physical pain, and the experience has “left Ms. Diallo’s life and her young daughter’s life in shambles,” it says.

Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn said the maid’s lawsuit has no merit and their client will fight it vigorously.

“We have maintained from the beginning that the motivation of Mr. Thompson and his client was to make money,” attorneys William W. Taylor and Benjamin Brafman said. “The filing of this lawsuit ends any doubt on that question.”

The filing of a civil lawsuit so quickly after an arrest provides an avenue for lawyers to pursue evidence and interview witnesses for a potential civil trial while memories are fresh. Other high-profile defendants who’ve faced civil suits and criminal charges at the same time include Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant and late pop music icon Michael Jackson.

Veteran defense lawyer Gerald Shargel, who’s not involved in the Strauss-Kahn case, said some lawyers delay filing a civil lawsuit to deprive the defense in a criminal trial from asking witnesses questions about the civil suit. But he added that he has found that the majority of lawyers file civil suits in sexual-assault cases before criminal trials.

“It may have some effect on the jury’s verdict, but it rarely decides the outcome,” he said.

An Annapolis, Md., defense lawyer who specializes in sexual abuse cases, Tom A. Pavlinic, said Diallo put her credibility at risk by bringing the civil lawsuit.

“She has done him a favor,” Pavlinic said. “Prosecutors, in my experience, don’t like when complainants in criminal cases initiate litigation in a civil case.”

The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment on the filing of the lawsuit.

Strauss-Kahn, widely seen as a potentially successful French presidential candidate before his May 14 arrest, was pulled off a plane and detained hours after Diallo reported she was attacked. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted rape and other crimes. He and his lawyers have called a series of interviews Diallo conducted in recent weeks “an unseemly circus” designed to inflame public opinion.

Strauss-Kahn, who’s 65 and married, resigned his IMF post after his arrest. He was freed from house arrest last month after prosecutors said publicly that they had discovered facts that cast doubt on his 32-year-old accuser’s credibility.

Prosecutors have said Diallo lied about her background – including telling them an emotional story of being gang-raped in her homeland. She says now she was raped but not in the manner she described as part of an application for U.S. asylum.

Strauss-Kahn, who isn’t permitted to leave the United States, is due back in criminal court Aug. 23.

The Associated Press does not generally name accusers in sexual assault cases unless they agree to be named or identify themselves publicly, as Diallo has done.

The lawsuit recounts Diallo’s version of what happened on a Saturday in May in the Presidential Suite at the luxurious Sofitel hotel, saying she entered the suite to make sure the guest had checked out, only to see Strauss-Kahn suddenly appear and charge at her completely naked.

It says he began to sexually attack Diallo, grabbing her breasts against her will and closing the door to prevent her from leaving the suite, where guests pay up to $3,000 per night to enjoy a bedroom, a living room, an office, multiple bathrooms and a corridor stretching from one end of the suite to the other.

The lawsuit says Strauss-Kahn pushed Diallo into a bedroom, where he forcibly tried to make her perform oral sex, ignoring her pleas to stop.

“With violence and depravity in his heart, and having the confidence of sexually assaulting other women in the past who did not immediately come forward, defendant Strauss-Kahn forced Ms. Diallo all the way to the back of the suite and down on her knees outside of a bathroom at the end of the corridor,” the lawsuit says.

It adds that Strauss-Kahn “violently grabbed the back of Ms. Diallo’s head” and committed a sexual assault.

Afterward, Diallo spit his semen onto the carpet and fled the room, reporting the attack to housekeeping supervisors, hotel security staff and police detectives, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Strauss-Kahn appeared agitated and nervous after he jumped into a cab outside the hotel and met his daughter for a short lunch “that he hoped would provide him some sort of alibi.”

It says he called his wife in France on his way to the airport, saying in substance: “I have a serious problem in New York.”

The lawsuit says doctors and nurses who performed a sexual assault forensic examination on Diallo noted that she was “tearful” as she described the sexual assault and “paused while describing acts of fellatio.”

Defamation? Strauss-Kahn Rape Accuser Says She Was Misquoted‎

Georgia Pastor Arrested After Molestation Allegations

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:17:47 +0000

CLAYTON COUNTY, GA. — A Decatur, Ga., pastor is being held without bond on molestation charges.

Samuel Walsham Chapman, 58, a pastor at Riverdale Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Jonesboro, was arrested after a 15-year-old boy alleged that Chapman took him to a parking lot and performed a sexual act in front of him.

Hard Times! Second Recession In U.S. Could Be Worse Than First

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:03:42 +0000

Economists are warning that a recession now would be far worse than the recession that ended in 2007.

Today the economy has 5 percent fewer jobs, and the unemployment rate has almost doubled since the onset of the last recession.

The NewYorkTimes.com reports:

“It would be disastrous if we entered into a recession at this stage, given that we haven’t yet made up for the last recession,” said Conrad DeQuadros, senior economist at RDQ Economics.

Women: We Put Too Much Value On A Man’s Finances

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:57:09 +0000

New surveys conducted by Askmen.com and Cosmopolitan reveal some surprising differences in men and women’s attitudes about money.

According to the surveys, more women than men believe women put too much value on a man’s finances. A large majority of men have a plan for retirement as compared to their female counterparts. While most men and women are okay with partners who make more than them.

Another interesting finding is what men and women believe are the ultimate status symbols. Fourty-three percent of women believe a beautiful home is the ultimate status symbol. While men ranked family as their first choice.

“Watch The Throne,” A Smack In The Face To Black America’s Economic Plight

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:56:49 +0000

As of midnight, thousands have logged on to iTunes to purchase Jay-Z and Kanye West’s highly anticipated collaboration album, Watch The Throne. And while the number of people forking over $15 bucks is rather surprising in the age of “free” music, it more surprising in these humbling economic times, when dropping $15 is somewhat of a luxury.

Under these circumstances, Watch The Throne is becoming much more than your standard who-ripped-the-track hip-hop conversation. Instead it’s becoming a dialogue on the increasing line between have and have-nots, a particular dichotomy that is illustrated well in hip-hop, where anthems on hustling to survive, have been largely replaced by hobnobbing in the Hamptons as the new measure of “swag.”

All this while the communities in which the culture was born are suffering some of the most troubling economic times in recent history. Last week, Public Enemy frontman Chuck D sent a message to Jay-Z and Kanye with his own rendition of the album’s first single, Otis. Chuck D’s version, “Know This or Notice,” chides their lavishness, asking the two to take notice of the financial and social conditions of the communities that their music represents.