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Woman Stabs Boyfriend To Death Over Text Messages

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UPTOWN_courtney_priceA South Carolina woman stabbed her boyfriend to death after finding incriminating text messages in his phone.

Investigators say 23-year-old Courtney Price of Orangeburg, S.C. stabbed boyfriend and father of her infant son, Samuel Denzel Simmons, 24. According to the police report, Price went through Simmons’ phone and found messages from another woman that stated he had fathered another child. The report also stated she “had enough of his abuse” and she “cut him.”

“Once [police] made contact with her she informed them that there was a gentleman upstairs that had been stabbed,” said Lt. Alfred Alexander of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. “Our officers went upstairs, found Mr. Simmons laying on the floor between the bed and the dresser drawer.”

Emergency Medical Services pronounced Simmons dead once they arrived.

Alexander said that he found no criminal history for Price or Simmons, nor was there any prior history of police being called to their residence. A check of two other address listings for Simmons yielded no history of police calls either.

Price is in custody awaiting a bond hearing. The couple’s son is with Price’s mother.


Secret Service: Big Blunders and Budget Cuts

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As Congress grilled Secret Service director Julia Pierson on Tuesday in the wake of spectacular fails of security both around and in the White House, the same question keeps coming up in different versions: WTF is up with the Secret Service?

What won’t help the “elite” agency’s cause is that public reflex, especially from African Americans, is wondering out loud: why the lax security now? Why are (reportedly) mentally deranged Iraqi war veterans able to slip within yards of the First Family’s residence?  Why did it take the agency four days to find out several bullets from an amateur sniper had hit the White House in 2011? And, how the hell did an armed security contractor with assault and battery charges on his record get an elevator ride with President Obama during his September 16th Atlanta visit?

And, for being so secretive, why are we finding out about so much shit?

Naturally, for Capitol Hill, the first answer will center on the budget.  Pierson is quick to remind the committee that budget cuts from last year known as “sequestration” have hampered the agency’s ability to protect. Del. Eleanor Norton helped her underscore that point during the hearing by asserting Congress “has to take some responsibility.” Overall staff is down by 550. That’s not good considering threats against President Obama are 400 percent more than what they were against George Bush (so much for that “post-racial” thing). Notice during the hearing noisy Republicans holding up ADT Security yard signs and somewhat less theatrical Democrats who – while outraged and now calling for Pierson’s ouster – are probably searching for a way to let the budget point to sink in.

WashPo’s Josh Hicks gives us two helpful graphs showing rates in Secret Service funding and personnel since 2010 while mulling the sequestration point. But, that’s falling on many deaf ears at the moment. Race (unfortunately) factors heavily into the inquiry since, of course, it’s the first First Black Family. Predictably, black folks are getting really, really defensive and suspicious about the whole affair because it didn’t seem like we had any serious issues with White House breaches until we got a black president. And it all drops at a time of increased tension between African Americans and law enforcement: clearly, there’s an upward trend of unarmed or harmless black men being killed without hesitation by local law enforcement these days. Yet, a trained military sniper gets to waltz through what was – until recently - the most protected house ever built. True: one can argue this is an apples and oranges assumption considering the Secret Service is a federal agency.

Still, we’ve all been under the assumption since, well, birth, that not only is it the standard bearer of best practice law enforcement but that it is the most lethal and unrestrained when there is clear and present danger to the Commander-in-Chief and his family. Or, at least, that’s what we’re bred to believe. Perhaps Hollywood has done a better job waxing Secret Service credentials than the Secret Service has.

“Tremendous restraint is not what we’re looking for,” was a clearly perturbed Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz from Utah as he blasted Pierson for her earlier praise of officers for their “restraint” during the recent Omar Gonzalez breach.

“Don’t praise them for tremendous restraint. That’s not the goal. That’s not what we’re looking for,” growled Chaffetz. “I want it to be crystal clear, you make a run or a dash at the White House, we’re going to take you down.”

House Republicans, however, will probably cry foul the loudest since fiscal and management pressures on the agency have been GOP-inspired since its 2003 move from Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security.  Wasn’t it just fine under Treasury anyway? Marc Ambinder in Politico argues that “After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Secret Service found itself overburdened, under-resourced and undermanned. [M]ost of the money to fund [proposed] enhancements and to staff the White House security apparatus at an appropriate level did not survive the automatic budget cuts [a.k.a. “sequestration”] of 2013. The Uniformed Division is now short at least 100 sworn officers. Officers work overtime. Perhaps that much overtime stretches them thin and dulls response time.”

The Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig, who broke the explosive series of stories on White House security lapses, also notes that budget cuts have “burned out officers. It has required them to come in [during] their off-days routinely, and [according to people inside the agency] it has created a really low morale and probably has led to a couple posts not being monitored.”

Still that didn’t stop House Republicans from instigating a government shutdown in October 2013 (which we we’re told wouldn’t impact critical services like the Secret Service) nor did it stop the Obama administration from proposing nearly 3 percent less in the DHS’ FY 2014 budget. And, let’s not forget how much of a management debacle DHS is at the moment with its high turnover and lack of direction. But even Leonnig points out that security experts “wonder if perhaps the [Secret Service] has become a little complacent, a little too reactive, rather than creative, in thinking about the new world of security.” It’s a compelling point. Simple things like front doors were left unlocked in the case of Gonzalez; and it seemed as if the “five layers of security” we’ve been told about either vanished or weren’t there in the first place. The Cato Institute’s Chris Edwards can’t help but ask why the Secret Service is complaining about staffing shortages when “its budget has doubled in real (inflation-adjusted) terms since 1998—from $0.9 billion to more than $1.8 billion”

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CHARLES D. ELLISON is a veteran political strategist and Chief Political Correspondent for UPTOWN Magazine.  He’s also Washington Correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune and a frequent contributor to TheRoot.com.  He can be reached via Twitter @charlesdellison

Divos? Jermaine Dupri and Jagged Edge Kicked Out of Club

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Super producer and So So Def label owner Jermaine Dupri celebrated his birthday last night at Atlanta’s very posh Gold Room. The party was full of stars, like Usher, Dondria, Bryan Michael Cox, and Jagged Edge, who all came out to live it up and bring in a new year with J.D.

The fête seemed to be going well for a brief 35 minutes, according to TMZ. Then, Gold Room owner Alex Gidewon confronted Jagged Edge members about their getup. Gidewon tried to compromise with their baggy jeans, Timberlands, and hoodies since it was Dupri’s birthday, but did ask that they lose their hats. When members of the R&B group (which by photos appears to only be twins Brandon and Brian Casey) refused, they were told to leave. This made the birthday boy very upset, and he and his R&B group allegedly began cussing out security. This, of course, lead to all of them getting the boot.

Sources told TMZ that Gold Room will welcome Dupri back in the future but banned the R&B divos for good.

Songwriter and producer Cox made light of the situation when TMZ broke the story and misidentified him as a member of Jagged Edge with a big red arrow. He posted the following pic and caption to his Instagram.

FL Officer Tases 62-Year-Old Woman in Back with Stun Gun

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Clockwise from top left: Viola Young, 62, Laguna Young, 41, Quaneshia Rivers, 20, and Quontarrious Jones, 23.

Tallahassee police are under fire … AGAIN! A police officer was placed on administrative leave after video footage of him shooting a 62-year-old woman in the back with a stun gun was released.

In a news conference surrounding the incident, Police Chief Michael DeLeo said, “Based on the video, I have enough concerns to call for an internal investigation. We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. We want to be transparent with the community by sharing what we can at this point, including the video.”

According to ABC News, police claim they were responding to complaints about drug dealings in a neighborhood near the governor’s mansion. The victim, Viola Young, walked toward a police car to ask about the recent arrests, which included Quontarrious Jones, 23; Laguna Young, 41; and Quaneshia Rivers, 20. The officer under investigation, Terry Mahan, advised the older woman to stop approaching the car. Other police say he then approached Young to take her into custody.

[Image: Leon County Sheriff's Office]

Mahan claims that after ordering Young to stay back, she refused and yelled, “I just want to know what is going on.” When he told her she was under arrest, she pulled away from him when he tried to grab her.

In the video footage, Young seems to be walking away when Mahan shoots her in the back with his stun gun. Young was taken to the hospital and cleared. She was then taken to Leon County Jail and charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for resisting and obstructing an officer without violence.

A witness in the neighborhood managed get it all on video. At approximately minute 2:27, Young approaches the police and is then stunned by Mahan.

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California Mayor Shot Dead by Wife in Domestic Dispute

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A domestic dispute quickly escalated in a California home, leaving the Mayor of Bell Gardens dead.

Daniel Crespo, 45,  and his wife Levette Crespo were having an argument on Tuesday in the their bedroom. Their son, 19-year-old Daniel Crespo, Jr., intervened and caused the tension to rise. His father punched him, which prompted Levette Crespo to grab a gun and shoot her husband.

Levette Crespo shot Mayor Crespo in the torso multiple times during the incident. He was rushed to the hospital, but died on the way. His wife and son were taken into custody for questioning, but were later released.

The couple, originally from Brooklyn, married in 1986. They were high school sweethearts. The family moved to Los Angeles a year later, and Mayor Crespo became a deputy probation officer. He was elected to the Bell Gardens City Council in 2001.

One neighbor, Ana Maria, told the Los Angeles Times that Crespo was “such a nice man and was so important to the city.” It seems the fatal shooting comes as a shock to the neighborhood, where Mayor Crespo worked and lived.

At this time, no arrests have been made and the investigation remains open as authorities try to determine if criminal charges will be filed.

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First Look: RHOA Season 7 Teaser

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Start brewing a big cauldron of tea because Season 7 of Real Housewives of Atlanta is back. Radio host and ex-model Claudia Jordan and actress Demetria McKinney join the show, which premieres November 9 at 8pm ET/PT.

From Bravo:

“Fresh off performing in Las Vegas as Cirque du Soleil’s mistress of ceremonies in “Zumanity,” NeNe has recently launched her own clothing line and will be heading to the Broadway stage to star in “Cinderella.” Recently married, Kandi attempts to build her expanded family with Todd, but faces unexpected road blocks along the way. Meanwhile, Kenya focuses on her producing career and can’t shake the thoughts that a baby is what is missing most from her life. Always on the go, Cynthia is now stronger than ever both on the health front as well as with her marriage; the only thing missing is not having former BFF NeNe by her side. With Apollo facing years of incarceration, Phaedra shows incredible resilience while raising two young boys on her own and maintaining her successful career. Claudia Jordan is a TV and radio host who recently moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles. Working as co-host on the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show,” Claudia loves the social scene Atlanta has to offer and having her good friend Kenya Moore around. Recently single, Porsha is enjoying a fresh chapter in her life and joins “Dish Nation” as its Entertainment gossip contributor. Award winning actress and singer Demetria McKinney is also new to the mix and getting up to speed with these sassy Southern ladies.”

Watch the trailer below – will you be tuning in?

Image: Instagram/ClaudiaJordan

Red Carpet Attacker Gets Up Close and Personal With Ciara

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Vitalii Sediuk, the notorious celebrity red carpet attacker is continuing to make headlines. Last week, a video surfaced of the man attacking Kim Kardashian. He jumped on her as she was exiting her limousine to enter a show at Paris Fashion Week.

His latest victim is singer Ciara. The Ukranian prankster stood outside of the Valentino fashionshow in a long trench coat. When Ciara stopped to pose for photographers, Sediuk dropped his trench coat and proceeded to give Ciara a long and weird embrace. To make matters worse, he was wearing a gold sequin top and a thong.

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[Images: Getty]

Sediuk has been banned from making appearances on U.S. red carpets, after his attack on Brad Pitt back in May. Since then, he has taken his “talents” overseas. The Paris police do not see a problem with the incidents and have no plans to stop future attacks.

White Mom Births Black Baby, Sues Sperm Bank

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Jennifer Cramblett, a white woman in Uniontown, Ohio, is suing a sperm bank after they gave her vials of sperm from an African-American donor, leading to the birth of her mixed daughter. Cramblett and her girlfriend, Amanda Zinkon, requested sperm from a Caucasian donor, but noticed the mix-up when Cramblett was pregnant and the couple wanted more sperm to have another child from the same donor. The lawsuit reports that after reviewing paperwork, the couple realized that their original request for Caucasian sperm donor number 380 was mistaken for donor number 330, who is African American.

Cramblett is suing Midwest Sperm Bank for “wrongful birth and breach of warranty, citing the emotional and economic losses suffered.” The lawsuit states, “On August 21, 2012, Jennifer gave birth to Payton, a beautiful, obviously mixed-race baby girl. Jennifer bonded with Payton easily and she and Amanda love her very much. Even so, Jennifer lives each day with fears, anxieties and uncertainty about her future and Payton’s future.”

The couple expressed concerns of raising Payton in their all-white community where residents still hold to negative stereotypes of people of color. Cramblett says she didn’t even know any black people until going to college at University of Akron and that her hometown is too “racially intolerant.” She expressed that she must travel to a black neighborhood where she is not overtly welcomed just to get her daughter’s hair cut, and that she is stressed at the thought of her daughter going to an all-white school. For the sake of her family’s wellbeing, Cramblett’s therapists have advised that she move to a more racially diverse community. The sperm bank has sent Cramblett an apology and a refund for the vials of incorrect sperm.

This is indeed very complex, and every parent has the right to prefer children of his or her own race. But it seems that if one truly wanted children, and such a mistake did occur, the parent wouldn’t be distraught to this degree. Parenting comes with the responsibility of protecting your children’s physical, mental and emotional beings at all costs. In the case of Cramblett, if raising her biracial daughter in an all-white community is a potential threat to the child’s social and psychological health, the obvious solution seems to move to a more tolerant community. It’s also particularly interesting that the suing couple is lesbian and has probably experienced their own counts of intolerance. One would think their experiences would make them that much more accepting of their bi-racial daughter, but I guess not. It’s a tough situation to judge, though. What would you do?


Dallas Ebola Patient Came in Contact With Up to 80, Including Kids

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The Dallas man admitted into Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for Ebola may have come in contact with between 18 and 80 adults and children between the time he left Liberia and was finally diagnosed with the virus. The man told health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that he flew part of his trip on United Airlines from Washington Dulles to Dallas-Fort Worth on September 20. Family friend Gee Melish identified the Dallas man as Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, who was visiting family and friends in the States when he began suffering from symptoms of the virus.

Health officials stated that Duncan first came into contact with the deadly Ebola virus when he carried an afflicted pregnant woman to a hospital in Liberia. She woman was turned away from the hospital for lack of space and later died at her home. Four days later Duncan traveled to Brussels and then the United States on an United Airlines flight. A United Airlines spokesperson said that the man showed no signs of the infection at the time.

“There is ‘zero risk of transmission’ on any flight on which the patient flew because he was not symptomatic until several days after his trip and could not have been contagious on the dates he traveled, the director of the CDC informed the United Airlines spokesperson. As a precaution the school children were instructed to stay home.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital hospital official Mark Lester said that Duncan was previously admitted to the hospital and sent home with antibiotics two days before the Ebola diagnosis even after telling officials he had visited West Africa. Lester admitted that the nurse was told about Duncan’s travel but that information “was not factored into the full decision making process.” Two days later witnesses stated Duncan was seen outside of the apartment complex vomiting before being transported to the same hospital in an ambulance.

This morning, Dallas Health Director Zack Thompson revealed that medical professionals are interviewing a total of 80 people who may have come in contact with Duncan, including five children. Duncan is not being treated with experimental drug Zmapp because no more is available according to the manufacturer. Zmapp is credited with saving the lives of the three American aid workers who contracted the disease and were brought back to the US for treatment.

Officials said health workers who took care of the patient so far have tested negative for the virus and that the case is an isolated incident in the state. Texas Governor Rick Perry said he is confident that the virus would be contained.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson Resigns After Security Breaches

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Julia Pierson, the first female director of the Secret Service, resigned Wednesday under pressure from government officials after a series of security breaches were brought to light. Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson announced the news in a statement on Wednesday, which named Joseph Clancy as the interim replacement for Pierson until the post can be filled. Homeland Security will control the ongoing investigation into the White House security breach and the President’s security detail.

Rumblings grew louder for Pierson to vacate the position after she was questioned by members of the House Oversight Committee for her role in two recent security breaches that threatened the life of President Obama. Pierson testified that she disobeyed protocol by not informing the President of all threats to his safety and that of his family. During Obama’s recent trip to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on September 16, a private contractor rode on the elevator carrying a gun in the presence of the President and Secret Service members. Three days later, military veteran Omar Gonzalez, 42, jumped the fence of the White House and made it inside the executive mansion armed with a knife. Luckily, neither the President nor the First Family were at home during the break-in.

Pierson said the decision was “painful,” but will step down “in the best interest of the Secret Service and the American public.”

“Congress has lost confidence in my ability to run the agency. The media has made it clear that this is what they expected … It’s painful to leave as the agency is reeling from a significant security breach,” Pierson said. Pierson took the post in March 2013, while the agency was reeling from a Colombian prostitution scandal that cost nine agents their jobs.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Obama had called Pierson to “express his appreciation for her service to the agency and the country,” the Huffington Post reports. Johnson praised Pierson for her 30 years of distinguished service to the Secret Service and the Nation.

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Amazon: Tom and Jerry are Racist, Sexist

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You may want to think twice before you allow you kids to watch Tom and Jerry, the classic cat and mouse cartoon. Amazon Prime Instant, the Amazon video streaming service similar to Netflix, has included a disclaimer about the cartoon’s racial and gender-based stereotypes.

The disclaimer states, “Tom and Jerry shorts may depict some ethnic and racial prejudices that were once commonplace in American society. Such depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.” Tom and Jerry first aired in the 1940s, a time when offensive stereotypes were widely accepted on television. This type of entertainment would not be welcomed today, but that does not stop Tom and Jerry from airing on children’s channels and now on online streaming services.

In a Tom and Jerry DVD, released by Warner Home Video, Whoopi Goldberg gives another disclaimer. She speaks about the changing times and how race was caricatured. Mammy Two Shoes was a  popular caricature of a black maid in the show. This character is arguably the most offensive. Regarding Mammy Two Shoes, Goldberg says, “Removing Mammy Two Shoes would be the same as pretending she never existed. The same is true for the other images and jokes that we wouldn’t normally include in a mainstream cartoon today.”

The offensive stereotypes may just appear as fun to a young child unfamiliar with the context. Regardless, kudos to Amazon Prime for warning parents and viewers before allowing them to watch something that may or may not leave them uncomfortable.

Image: Amazon/ The Wrap

 

Jahi McMath’s Family Wants the Brain Dead Teen Declared Alive

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The family of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, whose routine tonsil surgery left her brain damaged last year, has petitioned a judge to have her declared “alive again.”

The family’s attorney, Chris Dolan, says he has “medical experts, including world-class experts on brain death who will testify she is not brain dead.”

McMath’s family won a high-profile battle to keep her on life support, despite medical reports stating she was brain dead. The coroner even issued a death certificate. McMath was released from a California hospital into the care of family members who agreed to be fully and exclusively responsible for her care and treatment. McMath has been cared for at a New Jersey Roman Catholic hospital at a private expense.

If the judge rules in the family’s favor, McMath could be cared for at state taxpayer’s expense.

McMath suffered from cardiac arrest following the tonsil surgery on December 9, 2013. She was left so severely brain damaged the hospital described the teen effectively dead, with no chance of survival without a respirator. Her mother Nailah Winkfield and uncle, Omari Sealey, have always refused to accept the prognosis, believing she could recover. They said the teenager even responded to her mother’s voice.

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RHONJ Couple Joe and Teresa Giudice Sentenced to Prison

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UPDATE: Teresa Giudice has been sentenced in federal court to 15 months in prison. There’s no word on who will care for the four Giudice daughters, whose ages range from 13 to 4, but Teresa’s brother Joe Gorga has said that he and his wife Melissa would step in to do what family does — care for each other in times of need. Teresa was facing 21 to 27 months in prison …

The verdict is in for half of the Giudices. Today in a Newark courtroom, Teresa and Joe Giudice  from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” faced an “unscripted reality” with their sentence on conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges.

The couple admitted to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and turning in fake loan applications to get over $5 million in mortgages and construction loans. They pleaded guilty back in March.

Teresa could face up to 27 months in prison, but her lawyers are hoping she could be spared with probation so she can take care of her four daughters while Joe is in prison. Joe Giudice could face deportation upon the completion of his three year sentence. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $414,588 for tax fraud and conspiracy.

Story developing …

Snoop Dogg Named Co-Owner of Reddit

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Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg has been named the new co-owner of Reddit, an entertainment, social networking service and news website. Aside from participating in the popular “Ask Me Anything” Q+A sessions and moderating for the site’s forum, Snoop, real name Calvin Broadus, Jr., has joined other Hollywood A-listers in funding the site.

Other investors include Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen and Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel. The San Francisco based site announced it secured $50 million dollars in funding, and the 42 year old rapper was named amongst the investors. Reddit, despite its growing popularity, has been operating on a shoestring budget. But with the new funding, the site can now add staff and expand the community management team.

Reddit, founded by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, allows registered community members can submit content, such as text posts or direct links. Conde Nast Publications acquired the site in October 2006.

Porsha Williams Reacts to ‘RHOA’ Demotion

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Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams has released an official statement about being blindsided by her demotion just a month before  Season 7 premieres.

The new entertainment correspondent for DISH NATION addressed her new role on the show:

“This is not an easy time for me right now, but I want let everyone to know that I loved being a ‘Housewife’ on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and I am thankful for Bravo for the opportunity but it’s not goodbye, you will see me on the show throughout the season sharing and bonding with the other women and I promise to stay connected with my fans as I start an exciting new time in my life.

After a long season of filming, and giving my all, I was blindsided by the announcement from the network that I was demoted from ‘Housewife Status,’ but would remain on the show in a ‘Friend’ capacity.

Unfortunately, I can only be PORSHA, and portraying anything else, would not be genuine nor honest. This moment is bittersweet, but God has been so amazing to me, and I think this is a perfect time for me to spread my wings, and finally focus on all of my upcoming projects.

In addition to having my recurring role on RHOA, I will be able to focus my attention on my career as an Entertainment Correspondent on DISH NATION on the Fox Network, recording my album, building my businesses, and taking baby steps towards nurturing my relationship with my new love!!!

This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I will be giving my fans & supporters another chance to watch my growth as I take on the world in my own special way very soon!! I am so Thankful for all that #TEAMPORSHA does to keep me INSPIRED every day! Stay Tuned…”


The 33 year old’s new occurring role will detail her new gig and life as a single woman. Williams has been rumored dating Philadelphia Eagles star LeSean McCoy, after she posted a picture of him with the hashtag, #babysteps. The post has since been deleted.

The seventh season of the show premieres on Sunday, November 9 at 8:00pm EST on Bravo. The highest rated Housewives series has added two new peach holders, former model and radio personality Claudia Jordan and actress Demetria McKinney. Cast veterans, NeNe Leakes, Cynthia Bailey, Phaedra Parks, Kenya Moore and Kandi Burruss are all reported to return.


Darren Wilson Grand Jury Investigated for Misconduct

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The grand jury chosen to consider whether Officer Darren Wilson committed a crime when he shot unarmed teen Mike Brown is being investigated for jury misconduct. A tweet surfaced on Wednesday,  now unavailable because the tweeter’s account has been deactivated, implying a juror had discussed evidence of the case with a friend.

The tweet was captured via screenshot and re-tweeted thousands of times, headed by police brutality activist Shaun King. 

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The jury has been hearing evidence on the Ferguson shooting since August 20, within days of the August 9 shooting. County prosecutor Robert McCulloch told The Washington Post last week that both the FBI and county police’s investigations into the shooting are “pretty much done.” He also revealed jurors should be done hearing all the evidence by later this month, but could meet through mid-November.

Grand jury proceedings are confidential and if there has been a breach, the prosecutor’s office may have to start over with a new jury.

Meanwhile, Ferguson is grappling with continuing protests over the extended wait for Wilson’s arrest. After the shooting, Wilson was allowed to flee the city. He remains on paid leave.

 

Zoe Saldana Confirms She’s Having Twins

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Looks like the results are in! Zoe Saldana is in fact having twins as confirmed by E! Online. During a red carpet event for the opening of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Hollywood Costume exhibit, she announced it when asked about her Halloween plans.

E! reporter Marc Malkin asked her if she would take any part of dressing up for Halloween and Saldana rubbed her belly and said, “I might. I might need three costumes. I might have to make some adjustments, but it would be nice.”

[IMAGES: GETTY]

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Reports swirled this summer when rumors spread regarding Zoe Saldana’s pregnancy. Saldana even criticized media for making the “announcement” before she and her husband could. Luckily, she’s letting it all out and now embraces the fact that we all found out so soon.

Back in 2012, Saldana admitted to wanting a large family. “I love the anxiety, the pressure of the loud room full of yapping kids. But I’m a kid myself. I get along very well with animals and children. I dig them. I get them. They make perfect sense to me. A child speaks more sense than an adult half of the time,” she told Amanda de Cadenet on the Lifetime series The Conversation.

Congrats, Zoe and hubby, Marco Perego!

 

 

 

All Big Girls Aren’t Created Equal

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I watched a video about a dating experiment last week that left me completely confused. Initial frustration progressed into full blown anger after reading the comments. The YouTube video is called “Fat Girl Tinder Date” and it is essentially a social experiment by the dudes behind the Simple Pickup channel, designed to see if men would be nice to an overweight woman on a blind date, or not.

The reason the comments piss me off is because so many people fell for the bullshit manipulation and used the disgust shown by some of the men as proof that guys in general are insensitively shallow. Highlights from the comment section include:

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I’ve heard a lot of stupidness in my days, but these comments above absolutely take the cake as far as dating goes. So you mean to tell me that Tinder, a dating app where you decide who you’re interested in by swiping one picture of the person either to the left or to the right, is actually NOT designed to cultivate deep, meaningful spiritual connections? Are you really saying that Tinder, which has been compared by many to the dating app Grindr, which members of the LGBT community use to find sex partners within their proximity, breeds superficiality over seeking substance? You don’t say! How stupid can you be to actually expect anything more from an app that is dedicated to streamlining that whole “getting to know you” thing?
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The reason I really hated this experiment is its aim: to prove that “fat” is nothing more than a synonym for “disgusting.” And then they put fake plaster all over a woman’s face and said, “yeah, this will be good enough to tell if a man is attracted to big women or not” as if a woman’s size is a physical deal breaker.

It reminds me of those arguments I used to have with people who SWORE that I didn’t like dark skin women because I didn’t find Whoopi Goldberg attractive even though I think Bria, Lupita and Naomi are all sexy as hell. Because THEY viewed dark skin as a handicap, they tried to limit my belief that all dark skinned women are not cosmetically equal – just like any other human beings on Earth. A woman’s attraction (or lack thereof) to Flavor Flav does not determine her love for dark skin men, just as her level of affinity for Bonecrusher does not determine her interest in big men.

Throughout my dating life, I’ve been able to maintain my somewhat-superficial-sapiosexual nature with every woman I go out with. It’s an absolute must for me to date a woman with charisma, personality and wit, but I’d be lying if I said that her physical appearance was unimportant. Throughout my superficial dating days, I’ve dated women of all shades, all heights and all sizes. Why? Because if I want to date a beautiful woman, that does not disqualify plus size women. Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Toccara, Katya Zharkova, and Denise Bidot are examples of this. In fact, Mia Amber Davis (R.I.P.) was one of the most beautiful women I’ve EVER seen in my life.

Personally, I would have reacted the same as those men who got the hell up and left because, as a former online-dater, I think people who use old pictures that aren’t representative of their current features are deluded sociopaths. Also, I think confidence is sexy, and if you aren’t confident enough in your own body to post pictures of what you look like today, then you aren’t comfortable in your own skin and that’s a huge turn-off.  I can’t rock with a woman who wantonly wastes my time by presenting herself as something she’s not. In that moment, it’s not her waistline that’s unattractive, it’s her personality.

 

tinder exp 3

The problem with using a fat suit wearing, goitre chin having, Tinder decepticon as an example of how men discriminate against big girls is that it presents being overweight as an all encompassing dating disability, instead of what it really is – an individual body feature. And that’s a feature that some men like in some women, and one that some men don’t like in others. So I suggest we STOP using “big” and “fat” as equal terms when the truth is that beauty knows no size – and there are many “big” women I know who look far better than the model in the video in her natural, skinny form.

LAB

Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

Why Society Won’t Let Boys and Men Be Victims of Rape

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UPTOWN_young_man_lifting_weightsIf there’s one thing that boys in our society learn from a young age, it’s that men are supposed to be strong — physically, emotionally, and mentally. Real men can hold their own, defend themselves, turn jigsaw pieces into an Ikea bookshelf, and kick butt when needed. Real men don’t cry, don’t complain to women, and definitely don’t over-share their fears and deep thoughts. Real men have strong will, strong minds, and an innate ability to comfort themselves if they ever need it. To live anyway else is to essentially succumb to the worst thing a man could be in our society — a bitch.

Bitches need backup when confronted or they run away from whomever is threatening them. Bitches bawl their eyes out when life gets tough. Bitches need to talk things out instead of just going out and doing it. Bitches are victims of rape. Real men are not.

Our collective society pounds this message into the heads of boys from a young age. It becomes such a constant ringing message in their ears throughout their adulthood that they end up parroting the same ideology to their sons, and the cycle continues. That’s why the unidentified 16-year-old boy who had a threesome with his Destrehan High School English teacher’s can’t be a victim. Our society says he’s supposed to be a real man, and real men aren’t allowed to be vulnerable, scared, confused, weak, or taken advantage of. Ever.

[Image: Shutterstock]

UPTOWN_dufresne_respess

As soon as I read the story about the junior at the Louisiana high school having a threesome with his teachers Shelley Dufresne, 32, and Rachel Respess, 24, I already knew what I would hear out of people’s mouths. It was going to be a lot of “Damn! That boy is lucky as hell!” and “Man, I wish I could’ve done that shit in high school!” Many folks believe that young men are supposed to be horny and virile, and this boy was ahead of the rest in his progression into manhood. The fact that a 16 year old was “handling” two grown women at the same time proves that he is the epitome of an alpha male. Yet, throughout all these teachings about what “real men” do versus what “bitches” do, our society has lost sight of one important truism about this entire situation: We are teaching our boys a messed up version of what manhood truly is. We are also limiting their ability to think, react, and behave like CHILDREN and be recognized as VICTIMS in certain instances.

The undeniable fact of the situation is that there are double standards in how we treat boys and girls. If a girl were double-teamed by two male teachers, the outrage would be palpable, the scrutiny of the entire school board would trend on Twitter for a week, and activist groups would be advocating for major changes in the education system, which are all reasonable reactions. But there’s a noticeable silence in how we collectively react to boys being sexually assaulted or the victims of statutory rape. Chances are, these female teachers will get stiff but fair punishments, and we will sweep this story under the rug until the next time it happens, which has become all too frequent. Seeing as how we live in a society in which sexual orientation and prowess are indicative of manliness, I’m not surprised that there isn’t more outrage for this 16-year-old boy. We’ve already come to the conclusion that men aren’t victims, and it plays out in how we view many different situations.

http://youtu.be/qQn_ryUVwYs

The social experiment above shows that when a woman abuses a man, we laugh at his inability to actualize his alpha male hood. When a man is raped by a woman (even at gunpoint), we balk at the idea that a man can even be raped in the first place, because we ask ourselves ‘what virile male would turn down sex?’ Hell, we even manage to make men who are raped by other men as objects of hilarious disdain. Dropping the soap is not only the most acceptable rape-joke in the world, but it’s also how we differentiate between strength and weakness, because only a weak man would allow another man to overpower and violate him. In a society where we deem men to be too strong to be “seriously” assaulted by women or raped, why does it surprise anyone that we won’t allow this young man to be recognized as a victim?

 The accumulation of bedpost notches is one of the earliest tests of manhood that boys are subjected to. Many boys lose their virginity at incredibly early ages, in ridiculously disgusting situations, but that is seen as normal by so many people in our society, that the boy sees no other recourse than to count that as a win, even when he’s suffering with a deep inner-conflict. I have a friend who lost his virginity at age 9 – to a prostitute – that his father purchased for him. To talk with him about that incident and the fact that he has slept with over 200 women since then, is to wade through the complexity of hyper masculinity. He isn’t proud about how he lost his virginity nor is he really ashamed of it either. In his mind, it was a compulsory part of his male development which he charges to the game, and has moved on from – without realizing that sleeping with 200 women and not being able to foster a solid relationship with any of them, is most likely a result of a deep emotional trauma that he’s carrying around inside. And that’s the main problem with this issue. The men cheering on this boy are mostly dudes who are equally as negatively impacted by our society as this young boy now is. It’s the sick leading the sick. Until we start to redefine what it means to be a man, and discontinue paralleling it against our contrived notions of “acting like a bitch”, these situations will continue to play out again, and again, and again.

LAB

Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

AIQ: Diddy, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Steve Harvey & More Celeb Quotes

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UPTOWN_aiq_100314

This week in celeb quotes, Diddy gawks over Jennifer Lopez‘s booty, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries isn’t feeling the Secret Service, and Steve Harvey has a message for anyone questioning his mentoring program with Paula Deen. Plus, Donald Trump is not feeling ABC’s newest show “Black-ish.” And Chris Brown said what?! AND I QUOTE …

diddy-300x400“Oh my God. Oh my God! I am so lucky to have that great woman in my history. She is one of the greatest I’ve ever seen. Go girl. Go girl … We’re great as friends. I’m great as a fan right now.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs reacting to Jennifer Lopez’s video for “Booty” and declaring himself a fan of her natural donk, via Access Hollywood.

Source

donald_trump“How is ABC Television allowed to have a show entitled ‘Blackish’? Can you imagine the furor of a show, ‘Whiteish’! Racism at highest level?”

Donald Trump expressing his outrage at ABC for allowing a show titled “Black-ish” to exist on television, via Twitter.

porsha-williams-regrets-underground-railroad-comment“No more peach for me, but I still love checking in with my girls #Blessed #SomethingMajor #JustHereToSlay #TeamPorsha”

Porsha Williams addressing her fans concerning demotion from Atlanta Housewife to “recurring friend,” via Instagram.

Read more on UPTOWN

harvey_a“Now, when you blog about me, can you please type, right after you get through typing, that I don’t give a damn. Just for me.”

Steve Harvey addressing the bloggers, who will bash him for partnering with Paula Deen to mentor young Black men interested in culinary arts,  via his Emmy Award-winning talk show.

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TamarMarch2014“A ‘mitch’ is a male who acts like a mean, whiny brat, OK?”

Tamar Braxton explaining the definition of a “mitch” and why she feels rapper Big Sean fits that description, via “The Real.”

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Artistas_Page_ChrisBrown1“What the devil looks like in person. Lol. You sad little man. You’ve been trying for years to destroy me. It won’t work. Your efforts are flattering. When you look back on your life when it’s that time for you to depart, what can u actually say you’ve accomplished in life?”

Chris Brown calling TMZ founder Harvey Levin the “devil” for his negativity towards celebrities, via Instagram.

402006jeffries“We cannot have a situation where Jay Z appears to have a more competent security apparatus than the President of the United States.”

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries blasting the Secret Service over its clumsy handling of the President’s safety, in an interview with the New York Daily News.

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