It seems as though the customer is NOT always right. At least that what it seems in a Sears store in Winnipeg, Canada. A racially charged verbal exchange between a store clerk and customer at a Sears in Canada has had the internet buzzing since being posted online. The fight began after a man was putting his three-year-old son on a lawn mower.

The person who posted the video said the employee asked the customer to remove his child from a riding lawnmower on display at the Sears location in the Polo Park Shopping Centre, saying it was not a toy. The employee can then be heard asking the man, “Let me guess, you just came off the boat?” See for yourself below.

The Sears employee was terminated shortly after the release of the video.

The accusations are plentiful in multiple alleged rape cases against former NFL player Darren Sharper. 

Although innocent until proven guilty, Sharper faces accusations from women in over 5 states claiming they were drugged and raped. None of the women know each other, but all have similar stories. With the jurisdictions where the alleged crimes took place piling up, prosecutors in different states fight over who can charge Sharper first.

Los Angeles was the first to officially charge Sharper, with New Orleans following suit. The shamed former professional football safety is currently in Los Angeles,  out on a $1M bail bond. According to TMZ, New Orleans prosecutors fought Sharper’s lawyers to keep him in custody in L.A., even after he agreed to fly to NOLA to face charges. Instead, prosecutors wanted marshals to apprehend Sharper, and transport him back to New Orleans in shackles as their prisoner.

Sharper, 38, was recently fired from the NFL Network, as an on-air analyst.

The body of a 39-year-old mother was discovered in her car at the bottom of a pond near the Royal Pacific Hotel near Universal Studios in Orlando, where she worked as a housekeeper. Investigators say Carline Brumaire Jean‘s red Toyota Camry was pulled from a pond on the evening of March 3, according to WESH-TV.

There had been a month-long search for the wife and mother of a 7-year-old who was originally from Haiti. The surrounding Haitian community rallies to the side of Jean’s husband and 7-year-old son since Jean went missing on Feruary 8. Among the search efforts were “missing” flyers posted around the city and public prayer vigils.

Autopsies have been conducted and there are no reports of foul play. According to Jean’s family, Jean had only been behind the wheel three or four times before she went missing. The woman’s car was exhumed after a hotel security guard noticed broken bushes near the pond.Upon further examination, he spotted a floating hubcap, WESH-TV also reports. Family and friends are planning a memorial for Jean next week.

Eating lots of meat and cheese in middle age is just as deadly as smoking, according to new reports based on evidence collected by scientists. In a study of thousands of men and women in the 50+ age group, research proved that those who ate the most animal protein were almost twice as likely to die early as opposed to those who ate low amounts. They were also over four times as likely to die of cancer, a figure comparable to smoking.

Researchers blame the protein found in meat and other animal products such as cheese and eggs, citing them as responsible for feeding tumors and fueling the aging of the body’s cells.

Scientists recommend that those between the ages of 50 and 60 minimize their consumption of these products and increase their intake of healthier proteins: fish, beans, and lentils. U.S. researchers recommend that someone who is between the ages of 50 and 65 and weighs around 126 pounds should limit themselves to just 45 grams of protein a day, which is roughly equal to two pork chops.

Courtesy of Vibe Vixen

The African American students of Harvard University recently created a project that delves into their unique experiences as part of the university’s student body. The group project, called ‘I, Too, Am Harvard,’ is an effort to speak up as the voices that often go unheard on campus and to promote a new play that will be taking place on campus grounds this weekend.

“The #itooamharvard photo campaign is inspired by ‘I, Too, Am Harvard,’ a play based on interviews with members of the black community exploring and affirming our diverse experiences as black students at Harvard College,” reads the campaign’s description.

I’m sure many of us can relate to some of these statements, and it’s inspiring to see these students step up and speak out.

Take a look at what some of the students had to say at Vibe Vixen.

[Image: ItooamHarvard]

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif., pictured right) is chair of the House Oversight committee. As such, he’s spent the last few years trying to find evidence of criminality in the White House seemingly on a mission to investigate–and eventually, impeach–President Obama. During a committee meeting on Wednesday, Issa tried to squeeze answers out of IRS bureaucrat Lois Lerner about the alleged targeting of Tea Party nonprofits for auditing (a scandal which has long been a futile pursuit since Lerner has invoked the 5th amendment). During his drilling, he turned the mic over to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md., pictured left) who said he had a question. That’s when things got interesting.

Before asking his question, Cummings attacked Issa for what he deemed to be a witch hunt. Issa decided that what he was saying wasn’t important and proceeded to cut his mic off and dismiss the hearing. Oh, no he didn’t! 

Here’s a brief rundown of what happened:

..Issa turned off his microphone, instructing staff to “shut it down.”

The silencing enraged Cummings, who started yelling that the minority should get its turn.

“And now you’re turning me off,” Cummings says, barely audible because his mic was off.

“You’re all free to leave; we’ve adjourned,” Issa said off-mic.

“I don’t care. … I am the ranking member of the committee and I want to ask a question!” Cummings shot back. “I have listened to you for 15 minutes … let me say what I have to say.”

When Cummings started speaking again, denouncing Issa for trying to tie the scandal to the White House when it broke even though there has been no evidence to support that claim, the microphone was turned off again.

When Issa refused to let Cummings talk, Democrats on the panel yelled “shame” at the dais.

“If you will sit down and allow me to ask a question,” Cummings continued to yell off-mic as members filed out. “I am a member of the Congress of the United States of America. I am tired of this!”

Wow. How extremely disrespectful. Congress seems to be like a fricking circus these days. Do we need to provide chaperones?!

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has now made it legal to take upskirt photos! So any ladies who live in or are planning to visit Massachusetts should probably just wear pants.

The decision stems from the case against Michael Roberston, who took photos under women’s dresses on the Green Line of the T, the Boston public transit system. The ruling states:

A female passenger on a MBTA trolley who is wearing a skirt, dress, or the like covering these parts of her body is not a person who is “partially nude,” no matter what is or is not underneath the skirt by way of underwear or other clothing. …

[B]ecause the MBTA is a public transit system operating in a public place and uses cameras, the two alleged victims here were not in a place and circumstance where they reasonably would or could have had an expectation of privacy.

Wait…so I can’t expect privacy under my clothes?? Silly me! I figured that anything that has been reasonably covered by, oh you know, clothing was considered private. I guess that’s not the case in Massachusetts. Moreover, being on a train should not give pervs license to take pictures of me in any fashion that they please. I understand that wording is tricky when it comes to laws, but where does common sense and decency come in?

The SAT is probably one of the hardest tests that most of us take in our lifetimes. Words you’ve never seen before, endless math equations, and overall anxiety. I was among the first crop of students that had to take the “new” SAT that they unveiled nine years ago with the mandatory essay and the high score of 2400. Oh, goody. In any case, it made me more than a little bitter when I heard the news yesterday that they were revamping the test.

The exam will return to a 1600-point grade scale and the essay will be optional. There will also be changes made to the content of the test. The College Board has decided to remove some of those impossible vocabulary words in exchange for words that students are likely to see in college and careers. How kind of them!

According to the Washington Post:

“It is time for an admissions assessment that makes it clear that the road to success is not last-minute tricks or cramming, but the learning students do over years,” David Coleman, the College Board’s president, said in a speech Wednesday in Austin. The SAT, he said, “will no longer stand apart from . . . daily studies and learning.”

That’s not all the College Board has up its sleeve. They will also be teaming up with the nonprofit Khan Academy to provide free test prep for students. That’s right, no more having to spend a gajillion dollars on the hope that your child will get the leg up on a great score.

“The College Board cannot stand by while some test-prep providers intimidate parents at all levels of income into the belief that the only way they can secure their child’s success is to pay for costly test preparation and coaching,” Coleman said. “If we believe that assessment must be a force for equity and excellence, it’s time to shake things up.”

I wholeheartedly support anything that equalizes the SATs. Test scores have long been correlated with income, so hopefully having the free test prep will make a difference. However, all these changes are not coming out of the goodness of the College Board’s heart.

In recent years the ACT, the alternative to the SATs, has gained in popularity. More colleges and universities have been accepting the ACT and many students have been flocking to the exam because it’s shorter and the essay is optional. Lest we forget, the College Board loses money when people aren’t taking the SATs. Hence, we have a brand spanking new exam to appeal to students.

The changes won’t take place until 2016, just in time for the current freshmen to take the new SATs. Lucky bastards.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Celebs can expect their “Save The Dates” in the mail quite soon from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, more affectionately known as “KimYe.”

The couple confirmed in the new issue of US Weekly that they will be married in Paris on May 24, 2014.

Contrary to Kim’s last wedding to Kris Humphries, this will be a small and intimate ceremony.  ”It won’t be a huge wedding,” says a source. “Around 150 people.”

Kim also revealed to Ryan Seacrest that rapper Kanye has been very involved in the planning process, but said there are some details he doesn’t want to deal with.Daughter North West, who turns 1 on June 15, will also reportedly have a role in the nuptials.

It also comes as no surprise that the couple has decided to wed in Paris. They have spent much time there in the past year. Let’s not forget Kanye’s ode to the city of love, “N*ggas in Paris.” The pair engaged last October on Kim’s 33^rd birthday, with an over-the-top proposal that aired on Keeping Up with the Kardashians last month.

The South Texas judge who was caught on camera beating his disabled teenage daughter with a belt over Internet music downloads finally lost his job this week after a Republican challenger defeated him in his reelection campaign. Unofficial returns show Aransas County voters rejected Williams Adams in the Republican primary.

The video caused much public outrage when it was uploaded to YouTube in 2011. It shows William Adams berating and violently beating his teenage daughter with a belt, whipping her in the legs and sides of her body. “Is it fun to disobey your mom and dad?” he can be heard screaming with each lash. He then becomes enraged when the girl refused to bend over.“You don’t deserve to be in this f—-n house!” the man screamed.

To make the matter worse, Hillary’s mother, Hallie, can also be seen yelling at the girl to “turn over like a 16-year-old and take it!”

William Adams was suspended for a year following the release of the video, and the Texas Supreme Court in November 2012 lifted the suspension. After losing this reelection campaign he will no longer be in office.

Courtesy of Ebony.com

State’s Attorney Angela Corey is having a very bad year.

Her office has flubbed two high-profile murder trials and now the state’s attorney announced they aim to increase Alexander’s sentence to 60 years if they win a conviction at her second trial. In her original trial, Alexander was convicted on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but in the judge decided she should serve the three counts concurrently, meaning she would be in prison for only 20 years instead of 60 years.

There are three high-profile cases in the state of Florida where a legal firearm was discharged by someone who later claimed self defense. Two of those cases, George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn, who both shot and killed unarmed Black teens, resulted in acquittals on murder charges. The third is the case of Marissa Alexander, who is awaiting a retrial now with the new threat of 60 years hanging over her head.

Read more at Ebony.com.

Courtesy of Sister2Sister

Keyshia Cole is adding fuel to the fiery rumors of her split from NBA hubby Daniel “Booby” Gibson.

Apparently, things have worsened between the couple since viewers got a glimpse into the lovebirds’ private life on BET’s reality show “Keyshia & Daniel: Family First.”

While marriage would suggest that she’s found her Mr. Right, the singer is seemingly pondering life and wondering if she’ll ever find “the one.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody out there made for me,” read a message she posted on Instagram.

There post follows rumors that Daniel has been unfaithful and has even impregnated another woman, but the baller has denied the infidelity gossip.

Read more about Keyshia and Daniel’s social media blabs at Sister2Sister.

Courtesy of Elev8

Celibacy is a topic that isn’t discussed often, but with the rising number of  people choosing celibacy who still have a desire to interact with the  opposite sex, this topic is becoming a highlight of conversations.

During celibacy, a person chooses to refrain from sexual  intercourse and any activity that may lead to sex for reasons usually associated with personal or spiritual development. Some people who decide to take this vow choose to refrain from interacting with the  opposite sex all together to avoid temptation, but for those who seek  companionship, cutting themselves off from the world isn’t an option.

Interacting with the opposite sex during celibacy can be a difficult thing,  especially when faced with an undeniable sexual energy. However, refraining  from sex while building a relationship with someone can create intimacy and a true understanding of who your love interest really is.

Read more at Elev8.

[Image: Shutterstock]

It looks as if Rep. Alvin Holmes has taken a word from Kanye’s rhyme book, “racism is still alive, they just be concealing it.”

The Alabama Democrat representative stated yesterday that white people would force their child to have an abortion if the father was black.

Rep. Holmes made the comments during a debate on a bill in the Alabama state house which would see the state implement the toughest abortion laws in the U.S. The comment was made shortly after Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin compared her bill to restrict abortions to the landmark Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education.

Targeting Republican lawmakers, Holmes claimed that 99 percent of white representatives who are against abortion would change their mind “if their daughter got pregnant by a Black man.” The state’s House ultimately passed the bill, written by McClurkin, to prohibit abortions in the state once a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

A light sprinkling of shade will surely keep the doctor away! This week in celebrity quotes, Oprah reads Lindsay Lohan during the troubled actress’ new OWN reality show trailer, Pharrell Williams really does love Black women, and Sanaa Lathan talks about Black people being crazy mofos! Plus, Anthony Mackie calls Spike Lee out about his gentrification rant! And Chelsea Handler said what?! AND I QUOTE …

“I HATE when people try and act GRAND now that they feel like they ‘made it’ ….when we met you had 1 client!!! Now you have ‘contracts’ and a ‘manager’….but you have 5 clients….4 clients cause I’m sleep.”

Tamar Braxton reading and firing a former employee, who supposedly did her wrong, via Instagram.

“Spike Lee don’t live in Brooklyn! I live in Brooklyn. My address is in Brooklyn. I have two restaurants in Brooklyn. I don’t have a problem with gentrification. The people who want to live in Brooklyn, move to Brooklyn.”

Anthony Mackie slamming Spike Lee’s gentrification rant and revealing that the director now lives in a $32 million Manhattan townhouse, in an interview with The Grio’s Chris Witherspoon.

Source

“You need to stop the bulls**t!”

Oprah giving Lindsay Lohan tough love during an intervention, on the upcoming OWN docu-series based on the troubled actress’ journey to sobriety, via OWN.

Source

“I don’t know why because there’s a lot of crazy black muthafu***as.”  

 Sanaa Lathan discussing her new film Repentance and announcing that Black people can be just as crazy as anyone else, via Madame Noire.

Source

“I’m standing by a Black woman. My business is run by a Black woman. My mom partially looks after my business and she’s a Black woman. I’m married to a Black woman. I’m confused.”

Pharrell Williams responding to the backlash he has received due to his supposed white-washed GIRL album cover, in an interview TheYBF.com.

Source

“I was baffled. I knew she was entitled to something, but $6.4 million? Hell no! She gotta stand in line.”

Da Brat reacting to the amount she has to pay her victim, due to physical and mental anguish stemming from a club brawl between the two, in an interview with the Hip-Hop Enquirer. 

Continue reading on UPTOWN.

“#AngelinaJolie just filed adoption papers #lupitanyongo #Oscars -@chelseahandler.”

Chelsea Handler firing racially, insensitive shots towards Lupita Nyong’o, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, during the 86th Annual Academy Awards ceremony,  via Twitter

Prince appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show this week and flexed his muscles as a relationship counselor. His first subject was an audience member with a long distance relationship that wasn’t working out.

Instead of providing counsel, Prince asks, “You got her number?” The purple one then calls this man’s girlfriend and breaks up with her on his behalf. The girl didn’t seem too fazed though and asked (as any rational woman who’s speaking to Prince after being dumped would), “Are you seeing anybody?”

Watch the funny clip below.

Remember when that phrase “There’s an app for that” was really popular? If you don’t really know how to go down on your lady…well…

“Lick This” is a new smartphone app that teaches your tongue how to work it in the bedroom by having you perform varying movements with your tongue by licking your phone screen. Exercises include “Up & Down”, “Circles”, and “Freestyle”–I don’t even want to know what that last one entails.

For those of you who, like me, were immediately grossed out by the prospect of licking your phone screen, the creators suggest you ‘wrap it up’ with saran wrap. Like a dental dam….for your phone. Dear God, help us all.

According to Fast Company:

“Do we think you’ll be a better lover because of it? No,” says co-creator Chris Allick. “Do we think it’s an interesting approach to human computer interaction and making people think about their sexuality and maybe start a conversation? Totes.”

The fact that this man used the word “totes” in an interview clues me in as to how something like this got created.

Listen, if there’s anyone out there who wants to learn how to properly go down on a woman I have a tip: Go down on your woman. Ask her what she likes. Many women will direct you as to what they need. Do not download this app and give electronic oral sex. That’s going way past the line of where technology should meet.

Before its March 12th premiere at SXSW, two exclusive clips of the All Is By My Side, the Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix biopic, hit the net.

All Is By My Side was written and directed by John Ridley, who won an Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for 12 Years A Slave. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

In the first released clip, Hendrix is seen flirting with Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), the one time girlfriend of Keith Richards who inspired songs by both men, in a swanky New York restaurant.

The film does not have a current U.S. release date.

Nia Long is looking absolutely fabulous on the cover of Essence‘s April issue. The 43-year-old mother of two has seemingly evaded aging.

She’s starring in Tyler Perry‘s new film The Single Moms Club, which opens in theaters March 14. Long is also set to star in WeTV’s first scripted series, titled “The Divide,” which will air in the fall.

In the interview, she discusses juggling her career and family life. She’s currently raising two sons with her boyfriend Ime Udoka, who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. Their son Kez is 2 years old and her son from a previous relationship Massai is 13. ”I’m not a movie star mom who’s got a private chef, a nanny, and a driver,” Long revealed. ”My mantra is, ‘You created this, you can handle it.’”

Part of that balance is trying to spend as much time with her children as possible when she’s not away on a project. ”I think that if you’re committed to being a great mother, single or not, you’re going to enjoy every moment you have with your children.”

The burden wasn’t as heavy for her latest film project because her son Massai co-stars in the film. However, he wasn’t just handed the role. He had to try out for the part.

“I was so nervous Massai wouldn’t get the job. I didn’t want to have to break disappointing news, so I explained to him that as long as he gave it his best that’s all that mattered.  I also told him that life has highs and lows, wins and losses. Just as I was saying all this, the phone rang. It was my agent with the good news. We did the happy dance and started packing our bags.”

Making the experience all the more sweet, her son wrote her a letter after the film wrapped:

“Filming The Single Moms Club was a lot of fun. It was awesome working with you, and I can’t imagine how hard it would have been if you weren’t there.  Now I really understand how hard you work.”

“You are loving, and are always there for me and my little brother…You have taught me to have a voice and fear nothing but the Lord.”

That is so precious! It seems clear that Ms. Long made the right decision in not employing any nannies because her son is turning out just fine.