North Carolina is distributing the first compensation payments to victims of the state’s Eugenics Board program. North Carolina is the first state to compensate victims, who were sterilized under orders of state officials over several decades against their will by force or coercion, by setting aside $10 million.

Critics of the program claim poor individuals and black women were targeted. Between 1929 and 1974, approximately 8,000 men, women, and children — mostly poor, black, disabled and uneducated — were forcibly sterilized in North Carolina.

The state is scheduled to send out 220 checks totaling $20,000 apiece this week, according to Graham Wilson, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Commerce.

But many of those who were sterilized could get nothing. About 30 percent of the 731 compensation claims submitted had been approved by September. Approximately 7,600 people deemed ‘feeble-minded’ or otherwise undesirable were sterilized by counties and the state over 45 years.

In the 1940s, the state Department of Public Welfare started to promote more sterilizations to help address “solutions to poverty and illegitimacy,” the sterilization victims foundation’s site reports. The Eugenics Program considered sterilization as a tool to combat poverty and welfare costs. Its original purpose was to oversee the practice of sterilization as it pertained to inmates or patients of public-funded institutions that were deemed ‘mentally defective or feeble-minded’ by authorities.

There was a point in American history where 31 states had government-run eugenics programs. It’s estimated that 60,000 Americans were sterilized without consent over the period the programs were in place.

Only a week after its launch, the iPhone 6 Apple Pay Service continues to face roadblocks as it continues to be rejected at major retailers, including giant chain Walmart, Rite Aid and most recently, CVS. Apple Pay allows customers to pay for merchandise by waving their iPhone 6 near retail checkout devices without the use of a card.

CVS, which stopped selling tobacco last month, abruptly stopped accepting Apple’s new mobile-payments service using the iPhone 6. CVS and Rite Aid are among 220,000 U.S. merchants that already have technology in place to read the short-range wireless signals that enable customers of Apple Pay or similar services to make a purchase by waving the smartphones.

Both drug stores are apart of a group called the Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX, whose other members include Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Dunkin’ Donuts. Best Buy has already bypassed on the service, too, but Target has accepted the form of the payment.

Apple partnered with major banks and credit card companies, including Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc. and American Express Co., allowing the iPhone 6 maker to piggyback on their checkout systems. Apple will also collect fees from the card issuers. The big catch for Apple is that merchants are required to upgrade their credit and debit card systems in order to read the short-wave signals.

Last week, I read an article that graphically illustrated what the average American male’s body looks like. As interesting as the article was, what was much more amusing was reading the back and forth comments from the men and women who read the article. Many women were immediately visually turned off, since the body of the average American male is, well, not flattering — especially compared to other countries. The truth is, the United States has far too many men (and women) with terrible diets and sedentary lifestyles, which causes us to put on excess weight. Other countries don’t consume nearly as much processed, fatty foods. This lead many of the American women in the comment section to not only praise the bodies of men outside of the U.S., but to also heavily criticize the average American male body as being gross and extremely unappealing. And this is where things got funny as hell: The American men in the comments section indignantly began turning on all the women for being superficial, which would’ve been a good point if we weren’t collectively so brazen about treating women the same way.

In fact, I saw a similar response by men who were upset with women talking negatively about D’Angelo after TMZ recently displayed his weight gain. Women were asking one another, “What the hell happened to this former sex symbol?” And men were asking the women,”How dare you criticize his looks?!” Interestingly enough, we men tend to be very quiet when it comes to fat shaming celebrity women. Dudes weren’t breaking their necks to defend Jill Scott, Jennifer Hudson, or Angie Stone before they lost weight. And many of us still don’t defend Gabourey Sidibe or Mariah Carey. It’s gotten to the point where we even fat shame pregnant women.

If we’re keeping it real, we need to admit that American women probably face more fat shaming and body criticism than women anywhere else in the world. When it comes to body image, being a fat woman in America is to occupy one of the lowest rungs of respect among any group of citizens, especially if they are relatively young. Old, fat women aren’t absolved of needing to keep up a svelte appearance, as much as they are summarily written off as expendable and unimportant once they dare gain weight or even walk around with wrinkles. But young women with guts are routinely told how unattractive they are by a throng of men asking, “would you hit it?” Regardless of age, whether it’s the red carpet at the Grammys or a presidential debate, women must unfortunately endure endless critiques about how their body looks. Men, luckily, don’t have to go through any of that. So why the hell are men getting so upset that women have their own superficial standards?

The last thing us men want to do is have our fat shaming turned against us, especially when facts show that we will probably deserve far more criticism than the average woman receives. Men don’t care about fat shaming until we’re the victims, because most men realize that if women chose to be just as picky about body size as we are, many of us would be spending a lot more time in front of our PlayStation and NOT by choice. We will throw women under an intense social microscope and feel entitled to tell them how repulsive they are, but the second they point out that we have big guts, and a bunch of dudes are walking around shaped like a lower case b, we hop all into our feelings. When I was reading the comments the men were posting under the article, men were damn near crying tears into their MacBooks because women stated they didn’t want a man who was shaped like a summer squash.

The truth is, superficiality is either a good thing or a bad thing, but to make it fine for one gender and disgusting for the other is stupid. Any man who truly judges a woman on character and reprimands men who fat shame, definitely has the moral authority to do the same to women who criticize men. But, if you are a man who actively advocates the ideology that women need to “keep in shape” or find themselves the object of your demeaning-ass comments, then you probably need to shut the hell up.

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.

This will probably be the only “scientific” poll that’s out there on the question, but someone had to do it. YouGov recently asked about social attitudes towards recent Halloween costumes, including some fairly tasteless renditions of Ebola hazmat suits, ISIL re-enactments and the still centuries-going-strong blackface.

On its face, you’d want to believe the results are not all that surprising. Conventional wisdom has been saved by a simple majority of folks saying they reject such ugly choices of imitation.

But digging further, you’ll find some interesting nuggets of rather disturbing attitudes towards race and how that either translates into or is impacted by racial questions in next week’s midterm elections that no one wants to deal with. In essence, how society dresses for Halloween or how they react to others who decide to dress in offensive clothing may be a compelling measure for untold bigotry in elections.

Here’s a snapshot of YouGov’s main question on what costumes are deemed the most unacceptable:

Across the board, the costumes most sane folks would think would be a bit over the top are, by and large, considered over the top.

What’s striking however is that fewer people believe blackface costumes are offensive compared to the number who believe Ebola and ISIL costumes are offensive. In fact, while 80 percent say dressing up like an ISIL fighter is “unacceptable” along with 77 percent who say dressing up like an Ebola first responder is just wrong. But, when it comes to leaving blackface alone, only 57 percent think that’s just not right — along with only 58 percent who think dressing up like a murderer is wrong.

So, let’s get this straight: the most offensive Halloween costumes are ones representing remote, yet deeply Freudian fears about dangers in exotic brown and black lands. But, something that could be pretty damn offensive to your everyday Black neighbor, co-worker or (let’s just accept it) blended family member if they catch you in it is, well, not really that bad says 43 percent of the U.S. population. And the fact that 43 percent of the population has no problem with blackface just like 42 percent of the population doesn’t have a problem with murderer costumes is a bit unsettling.

A deeper look behind those numbers shows 34 percent of whites and 29 percent of Hispanics think “blackface” is an “acceptable” costume — that’s high considering only 15 percent of each, respectively, believe dressing up like a fanatical ISIL fighter is acceptable … despite the fact law enforcement agencies throughout North America are currently on edge about possible “lone wolf” attacks by self-radicalized ISIL wannabes. Imagine how stressed public safety officials will be on Friday night struggling to distinguish assholes from real threats.

No one’s going to judge, as the saying goes, “you doing you.” But one wonders if racial lopsidedness and comfortable anti-Blackness in costume preferences gives us a needed portrait of white voters preparing to lash out come Election Day.

Observers of all partisan stripes are bracing for an election dominated by “GOP enthusiasm.” But, what exactly is that beyond the partisan identification? What sorts of Republicans will be a part of this angry wave of disenchanted President Obama-haters the pollsters keep talking about?

What’s not talked about as much, over the noise of commentary on slothful voters of color not bothering to show up on November 4^th, is how white voters will be voting — or why. We do see a larger share of states containing voters who are basing their vote off hostility towards the president than those who aren’t:

That doesn’t at all mean that all white voters who dislike Obama are “racist.” Many are more than likely rational and truly can’t stand the president’s policies. But observers frequently cite how much unprecedented liberty the larger public has taken in expressing its distaste for this particular president. It’s a strange thing to watch expected blocs of base Republican voters swarming to the polls in a visceral reaction to things that are not as specific or data-reinforced: You think the Affordable Care Act hurts you — but, you can’t say how it’s doing that. You believe the U.S. is weak and Obama can’t respond to numerous threats — but, there have been no attacks on U.S. soil since the Republican president before him. You have this bad feeling about Washington — but, you can’t explain or point to specifically what is bad about it beyond “too much big government,” which is bizarre because both parties have been particularly aggressive in reducing government spend since the start of the recession (and Obama’s first term in office).  Here’s the Congressional Budget Office on deficit reduction — which means you spend less as a way to lower debt.

Without getting off track too much — and being accused of being partisan or pro-Obama — it’s worth pointing out the inconsistencies in discontent. A solid 64 percent of white voters strongly or somewhat disapprove of President Obama. Politics can definitely explain some of that, just like differing perspectives on what’s offensive or not offensive can partly explain why blackface is still a hit with nearly more than a quarter of the U.S. population. Narrowing those explanations down, culture has to fit in there somewhere. If over 40 percent of white people think it’s cool to poke fun at an entire segment of the global population during a sophomoric non-holiday then it becomes easier to assume many will probably vote the same a few days later — even if most won’t admit it.

CHARLES D. ELLISON is a veteran political strategist and Chief Political Correspondent for Uptown Magazine. He is also a Washington Correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune and a frequent contributor for The Root. Reach him via Twitter @charlesdellison.

Those of us who are leaders have known this about ourselves from a very early age. As children, we didn’t go around telling people what to do or dominating situations and events, as most people stereotypically think. Instead, we had and still have a quiet sense of confidence, a knowing, our own melody. We don’t just “follow the leader” unless it makes sense, we respect that person and we feel respected, or we simply want to…for our own reasons.

So what makes someone a great leader?
In my work as a coach I help executives uncover what I call their SITE.

S – Self-Awareness – We all have our own unique, innate style, personality strengths and struggles. Some of us are more creative but less organized while others are more organized and set up structures that help other creative people thrive. Some leaders focus more on results, while others inspire results through their support of others.

I – Integrity – We all have our own set of values as well as the extent to which we are committed to those values. Some people will do whatever it takes “at all costs”. However, at the end of the day there is always a cost. There are always consequences to our actions whether we realize it or not. The #1 reason employees stay with the same company is Integrity.

T – Trust – People don’t want to follow a leader they can’t trust. Humanity and transparency build trust. Cohesive teamwork is based on trust and the sharing of ideas, credit, and inevitably fault. When teammates understand, accept, and respect each other, they trust each other.

E – Empowerment – Great leaders are willing to listen and respect the ideas of everyone from the bottom to the top. Visionary leaders mentor and inspire other great leaders early in their professional lives. Millennials (those born after 1980) are the youngest generation in the workforce today. They have grown up on technology and they see life as more social and opportunistic. Unlike previous generations, who are more accustomed to hierarchies in the workplace, Millennials thrive when they are included in the conversation and feel like they are part of the end game.

Image: Shutterstock

Wendy is an entertainment attorney and founder of the Executive and Spiritual Life Coaching Company, Spanda Coaching. Contact her at www.spandacoaching.com and Follow her on twitter @IIamWendyCredle

Alfonso Ribeiro and his wife, Angela Unkrich,  are expecting their second child! The Dancing With the Stars contestant, who has been doing exceedingly well in the competition, made the announcement after performing the rumba on Monday night.

“My son [Alfonso Ribeiro Jr.], it’s his first birthday today, so I’m so happy that he’s here with me. And as a wonderful present, my wife and I decided to get him a little brother or sister,” the 43-year-old actor told the crowd. “We’re having a baby! I wanted to announce it here on the show because I just wanted to say thank you to all the fans and say I love my wife.”

Ribeiro said that the baby is due in the spring. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, who also has daughter Sierra with ex-wife Robin Stapler, seems thrilled to share the news.

“We were just happy to announce it,” the actor told E! News. “We are certainly along the way. This is not new news. We’ve been holding it for a long time.”

Sarah Palin grabbed headlines Tuesday when she said that she would “hopefully” run for office again soon to feed the fire of her “haters.”

Before I continue, I would like to give Palin some props for her meteoric political ascent and…well, that’s all. Kudos there, Palin. Now, please, for the love of everything holy–just stop. Give it up. Your criticisms go way beyond the petty jealousies of “haters.” People–even people within your own party–dislike you because you often say stupid misguided things. Considering that many of the people in your party are known for these kinds of gaffes, you have to understand that the perception of you is pretty low. But, I digress.

She was asked during an interview with Fox Business Channel if her critics had driven her out of political life. The former Alaska governor said that her detractors actually had the opposite effect.

“No, bless their hearts, those haters out there. They don’t understand that it invigorates me, it wants me to get out there and defend the innocent. It makes me want to work so hard for justice in this country,” she said. “So hey, the more they are pouring on, the more I’m gonna bug the crap out of them by being out there with the voice, with the message, hopefully running for office in the future too.”

I honestly don’t know if she knows what “the message” is at this point. No one, except the Fox network, wants to touch her with a ten-foot pole. She has gone from maverick to political pariah, bless her heart. The chances of her holding political office again anytime soon are pretty slim. Let’s hope that it stays that way.

Marvel Comics took a couple of big steps towards diversifying its blockbuster superhero roster. On Tuesday, Marvel announced that it will release a feature-length film about its superhero Black Panther with Chadwick Boseman in the lead role. They also announced that they will release a film centered around female superhero Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel.

Black Panther was the first Black superhero to ever appear in a mainstream comic book franchise. Created by legendary comic book writer and editor Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the superhero made his debut in a 1966 Marvel comic. Black Panther is the leader of the African nation Wakanda and has a variety of super powers, including superhuman speed, agility, and super-developed senses. Also known as T’Challa, he is a brilliant scientist and technology genius with a PhD in physics from Oxford University.

Boseman, who has received acclaim for playing soul icon James Brown and legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, will appear in the next installment of the Captain America franchise (Captain America: Civil War) before the Black Panther film is released on November 3, 2017.

Marvel has prominently featured its female Black Widow character, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, in a few of its franchise films, but the Captain Marvel film would be the first time a woman superhero would anchor a film. What’s even more interesting is that the character is arguably more powerful than any of the male Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Carol Danvers was a former Air Force pilot whose powers include, superhuman strength, endurance, stamina and stability, flight, precognition, and energy absorption and redirection, which allow for powerful photonic blasts from her fists and superior hand-to-hand combat skills and marksmanship.

The part has not yet been cast, but Marvel studio president Kevin Feige is confident they will find the right actress well in advance of the film’s scheduled 2018 release.

The studio also announced that they will be adding their Dr. Strange character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016.

Reuters, Source

The Federal Trade Commission is calling out AT&T for slowing the data speeds of their ‘unlimited data plan’ customers, in some cases by nearly 90 percent.  So it wasn’t your imagination or Mercury being in retrograde.

On Tuesday, the commission filed a complaint in federal court alleging that AT&T did not adequately notify its customers that they would “throttle” or slow down their data speeds if they use too much data in a given cycle. This practice made common functions like web surfing, GPS, and video streaming nearly impossible for customers to use.

“AT&T promised its customers ‘unlimited’ data, and in many instances, it has failed to deliver on that promise,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “The issue here is simple: ‘Unlimited’ means unlimited.”

The nation’s second largest wireless carrier stopped offering its unlimited data plan in June 2010, but allowed users who already had the service to keep it.

“Throttling” is not an uncommon practice. Wireless companies use it as a form of checks and balances to ensure that all customers get optimal service. Unlimited data users can clog networks, causing the quality of service to decline for other customers, according to Roger Entner, a telecom analyst from Recon Analytics. He says that companies like AT&T need to throttle these superusers as “basically, a network-management tool, because wireless capacity is not unlimited.”

However, the FTC insists that the rate at which AT&T used throttling was excessive. According to their findings, AT&T began throttling data speeds in 2011 for unlimited data customers after they used as little as 2 gigabytes of data in a billing period. Overall, AT&T has throttled at least 3.5 million unique customers a total of more than 25 million times, the agency says. “We believe AT&T made the determination that the continuation of unlimited data plans would be too costly for them to sustain,” said Ramirez.

AT&T disagrees with these claims, of course, and counters that they were transparent about their practices. “It’s baffling as to why the FTC would choose to take this action against a company that, like all major wireless providers, manages its network resources to provide the best possible service to all customers, and does it in a way that is fully transparent and consistent with the law and our contracts,” said Wayne Watts, AT&T general counsel and senior executive vice president.

The Federal Communications Commission has been warning companies about throttling recently. This summer, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler sent letters to all major carriers about this issue.

In a separate FCC-FTC matter, AT&T agreed to pay $105 million to federal and state authorities over charges that they had unauthorized charges for third-party services on customers’ phone bills.

[Source: USA Today]

With a booming capital city (Bridgetown) and clear cobalt waters, it’s no surprise that Barbados attracts half a million visitors yearly. And the annual Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival has quickly become one of its top attractions. The culinary spectacular serves up world-class chefs, sexy coursed dinners, master classes and blowout parties every night, adding even more allure and sophistication to the former British colony. Here are a few reasons you should attend this fête taking place November 20-23, 2014.

OISTINS FISH FRY

The festival typically kicks off  with a night at this outdoor food and music bazaar. Every Friday and Saturday night (even outside of the festival), both locals and tourists converge here and partake of the expertly seasoned grilled or fried fish. For about $15, grab a plate of mahi-mahi, swordfish, marlin, flying fish and more, along with a beer, while enjoying some colorful people-watching and dancing to some rockin’ reggae from live bands and deejays.
WINE SEMINARS

Expert sommeliers, like the the hilarious Josh Wesson (@joshuawine) lead morning and afternoon classes that remove the mystery and perceived snobbery from the world of wine. Wesson says he once “reveled in the extravagance of princely pours, [but] now sips from the cups of carpenters.” It’s no wonder his classes at the 2013 BF&W&R were standing room only.

COOKING DEMOS

Industry titan Food & Wine magazine sanctions the four-day festival, and celebrity chefs such as Ann Burrell (Secrets of a Restaurant Chef), Jose Garces (The Next Iron Chef) and Marcus Samuelsson (The Taste) participate and off er their expertise. Facing enthusiastic audiences, these menu masters whip up signature fare while delivering personal stories and anecdotes that are both entertaining and inspiring.

MOUNT GAY RUM

Rum flows through the veins of Bajans. You can’t discuss Barbados, which has over 1,500 rum shops on 166 square miles, without mentioning rum, and more specifi cally Mount Gay, the self-proclaimed inventor of the sugarcane and molasses-made liquor. At the BF&W&R Festival, Mount Gay Rum Ambassador Chesterfield Browne not only concocts the most delicious rum punch on the planet, but with his lively personality and deep knowledge of his native island’s favorite spirit, he also offers an intriguing oral history of the “world’s oldest rum.” Take the Cocktail Tour or the Bajan Buffet Lunch Tour, with traditional Bajan dishes and rum-infused desserts, at the Mount Gay Visitor Centre. This is the one time it’s actually a great idea to exit through the gift shop: myriad choices of duty free Mount Gay await.

The official state autopsy of 22-year-old Darrien Hunt confirms that he died as a result of being shot several times in the back by Utah police. The news released Tuesday indicated that there were no drugs in Hunt’s system, but he had six gun shot wounds and at least four bullets had entered his body from behind. These findings generally confirm the results of the independent autopsy released by his family.

According to a narrative in the autopsy, an officer fired three shots when Hunt charged at him. Hunt swung the sword at the officer as he exited his car. Hunt ran away and the police proceeded to release four more shots and chase him, according to the narrative. However, Robert Sykes, an attorney for the family says a photograph taken by a bystander shows Hunt smiling as he talked to two officers.

According to the chief deputy of the Utah County Attorney’s Office, Tim Taylor, “the trajectory of the shots found by the autopsy indicates Hunt was turning away when they were fired, but investigators are still looking at exactly what happened during the encounter.”

The victim was shot on the 10th of September while dressed as a Japanese anime character and carrying a sword at a strip mall in Saratoga Springs. It was believed that onlookers became afraid of his intentions with the metal sword and called local authorities.

Hunts family believes their he was treated differently because he is Black and as a result, police used excessive force.

Source

12 Years A Slave star and red carpet it-girl Lupita Nyong’o has become one amongst many who are opposed to the transformation of Shockoe Bottom into a minor league baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Nyong’o played a pivotal role in the 2013 slave narrative that was filmed at the historic Richmond, VA slave site. Shockoe Bottom previously held over 90 slave dealers, and 300,000 men and women were enslaved, bought, and sold there. Shockoe Bottom is also near a slave burial ground.

Standing firm on her decision, Nyong’o recently wrote a letter to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones on October 19. “Evidence of America’s slave history simply must be preserved, as the legacy of slavery affects all American people,” she wrote. Nyong’o has also taken to social media to raise awareness for the plight of Shockoe Bottom.

In response, Jones invited the actress back to the film’s location to witness the steps being made to preserve its historic past. He also stated, “Our plans show where we want to invest in that history and lift that history up for future generations to learn from.”

In addition, the National Trust for Historic Preservation recruited Nyong’o for its campaign. The location has been named one of the “11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” according to AP.

The baseball stadium was just one part of a development proposal, which also included plans for a slavery museum, hotel, and apartments.

Source

Charles Barkley is the most impolitic Black man on television. Whether you attribute this to his age, the socioeconomic dynamics of his childhood, or simply his natural straight-forward personality, the fact is that he shoots straight from the hip without any desire to parse his own words through an internal self-editing mechanism. His tactlessness causes him to frequently say things that come out so clumsily and impolitic that they cause massive push-back, but contain many truisms central to his worldview on a base level. That idea is exactly what ran through my head before I heard his comments on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and the drama he’s going through with some of his teammates allegedly believing he’s “not Black enough.”

In response to that story, Barkley went on the “Afternoons with Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis” radio show and said:

“Unfortunately, as I tell my white friends, we as Black people are never going to be successful, not because of you white people, but because of other Black people. When you are Black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other Black people.

For some reason we are brainwashed to think, if you’re not a thug or an idiot, you’re not Black enough. If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don’t break the law, you’re not a good Black person. It’s a dirty, dark secret in the Black community.

There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don’t have success. It’s best to knock a successful black person down because they’re intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school, and they’re successful. It’s just typical BS that goes on when you’re black, man.”

It’s important to read Barkley’s comments completely and not chopped into segments, because it shows his running thought pattern and it gives his words full context. However, there are some problems uttered throughout, including the notion that Black folks are a monolithic group that can be generalized in overly-simplistic terms. In fact, his comments almost erase the concept of class division, which is a huge reality in the Black community.

I’ve lived in the middle class for the greater part of my life, and I’ve never seen other middle class Black folks deride one another for not being “gangster” enough or not learning. In fact, getting left back in school or having a report card full of Ds and Fs was a great point of embarrassment for me and other Black kids growing up. Being uneducated and unsuccessful is not a tenet of Black life in upper class or middle class communities. And Barkley’s generalizations continue to fall short when you realize that his comments don’t exemplify all or even most Black folks in the hood. There are more than a few Black parents in disadvantaged neighborhoods teaching their children to excel academically, and there are far more than a few Black children/teens in the projects who think that being uneducated and unsuccessful is cool. The fact that Blacks are enrolling in college/university at a record pace, contrasted against a rapidly declining high school dropout rate, tells you that African-Americans of all socioeconomic classes are embracing things some folks consider “acting white.”

But, stats aside, that does NOT make Barkley’s comments wrong, because tactless doesn’t mean incorrect. The crabs in a barrel mentality that may or may not have been enacted in the Seahawks locker room is just as real as the actual crabs pulling each other down in barrels off the port of Seattle. Because so many Black folks do not have a monopolizing mentality like people of other cultures, we believe we can only get in where we fit in, and if another Black person gets in, it’s our individual loss, instead of our collective gain. Instead of saying, “I don’t like Tyler Perry movies, so I’m going to throw my support behind another Black filmmaker so they can get their stories out there,” we say “I don’t like Tyler Perry movies, so I’m going to throw my support behind another Black filmmaker so they can replace his ass!” While other communities embrace their community’s successes, there are members of our community that view other Blacks successes as an affront to their own goals.

To keep it real, I actually appreciate everything Charles Barkley says whether I agree with him or not, because it’s authentic. And genuine authenticity can sometimes shed a much needed light on a topic others are too scared or too political to touch. I’m glad that Barkley stood by his comments and I’m glad that he had an opportunity to stand by his comments and add more context in an interview with Vibe yesterday, in which he said:

“There’s a stigma that when you’re doing well in school, you’re ‘acting white,’ or when you speak correct, you’re ‘acting white,’ that’s bulls**t. You’re supposed to speak intelligent, you’re supposed to do well in school, and when Blacks denigrate other Blacks who are doing well, that’s part of the problem.”

You may not like his delivery or his penchant to overgeneralize, but that mentality does exist and it needs to be called out.

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.

Last night, the local Ronkonkoma Branch of the Long Island Rail Road was shut down due to an investigation surrounding two Farmingdale victims. Today, more details emerged on the gruesome deaths – thought to be Halloween pranks – of Patricia Ward and her son Derek Ward.

Patricia Ward, 66, was found beheaded according to local police officials. While emergency responders, officers and detectives surrounded the building, the elderly woman’s body was covered by white sheets.

Witnesses thought the woman’s headless body was a sick joke since it was near a home full of Halloween decorations including a mock cemetery and cobwebs.  Neighbor Dale Silverman recounted, “I saw what I thought was a head in the street. I saw long, black, straight hair and the head face down. And I did a double-take. And I opened the window and said, ‘No, that can’t be what that is.’”

“I saw the body, completely straight legs together, hands at its side,” she continued.

Patricia’s son and assumed murderer, Derek Ward, 35, was also found a half mile from the original scene after being fatally struck by a Long Island Rail Road train. The train from Penn Station en route to Ronkonkoma struck him around 8:15pm near Clinton Street in Farmingdale.

Derek Ward has a psychiatric history going back about 10 years and had been arrested previously for gun possession and criminal mischief. No motive has been established in the alleged murder-suicide.

This week in celeb quotes, Viola Davis explains why Annalise Keating took off her wig, Laurence Fishburne is not feeling Justin Beiber’s ‘blackish’ behavior, and President Obama needs everyone, especially your Cousin Pookie, to vote! Plus, Wendy Williams reads Tiny Harris about her risky eye color surgery. And Peter Thomas said what?! AND I QUOTE…

“I pushed for that to happen. I said, she’s not going to bed with her wig on.”

Viola Davis explaining why it was important for her character, law professor Annalise Keating, to stop hiding behind her hair, in a phone interview with Huffington Post Black Voices.

Source

“Justin Bieber acts ‘black-ish,’ but he doesn’t get shot by the police. He gets a police escort home.”

Laurence Fishburne discussing his new hit show, Justin Beiber acting ‘black-ish’ and more, in a sit-down on ABC’s  “The View.”

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“We all got a cousin Pookie who is a good person but sometimes is not quite as attentive to his civic responsibility as he needs to be.”

President Obama explaining the importance of EVERYBODY participating in midterm elections, via a phone interview with the Joe Madison Show.

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“Getting your eyes permanently done like this is to me, as bad as people who bleach their skin. You can self-hate your flat boobs. You can self-hate your flat butt…”

Wendy Williams criticizing Tameka “Tiny” Harris for undergoing a risky surgery to change her eye color, via her nationally syndicated talk show. 

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“These MOTHERF***ER at HIP HOP HOLLYWOOD IS BUGGING, get your sh*t right, I hope you didn’t pay your source, you got beat, LOL @baroneatl @sportsoneclt #bravotv”

Peter Thomas slamming reports that he was arrested in connection with fellow RHOA husband Apollo Nida’s crimes, via Instagram.

“I never said he wasn’t a great politician; I’m just saying he’s a sh***y golfer.”

Michael Jordan blasting President Obama’s golf game, in an interview with Ahmad Rashad for Back 9 Network.

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“Of course, I would be insecure. I can’t be out at the club. I can’t be twerking. My knees is bad…I have real bills and expenses and mortgage and cars and stuff and they have no responsibility.”

Tami Roman revealing her insecurities of dating a man 17 years younger, in an exclusive with The Jasmine Brand.

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Black kids in Minneapolis face a bleak outlook when looking toward to their future. According to a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minneapolis the difference between Blacks’ and whites’ arrest records between 2004 and 2012 shows an alarming gap.

A letter penned to Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Janee Harteau points out that a commitment made by government officials to protect and serve everyone equally and fairly in Minneapolis differs with the actual number of arrests in the area. Though good intentioned, the reality is that many Black juveniles will find themselves introduced to the criminal justice system before the SATs.

The ACLU found that the Minneapolis Police Department arrested Blacks at disproportionate rates compared to whites and at higher rates than the national average. Black juveniles who live in the Twin Cities are arrested more often for lower-level offenses, including marijuana possession, “disorderly conduct, ” and truancy, compared to white juveniles. More simply the school-to-prison pipeline is higher for Blacks who are introduced to disciplinary action for these low-level juvenile behaviors. Many of them develop negative opinions of police and are untrustworthy of law enforcement later in life.

[Image: Shutterstock]

Arrest and sentencing disparities are common on the national level with Blacks often being arrested and sentenced to longer terms than white offenders. The ACLU points out that data provided by the Minneapolis Police Department shows that a Black individual is 8.86 times more likely to be arrested for disorderly conduct, 7.54 times more likely  for vagrancy, and 16.39 more times likely for curfew/loitering than a white individual. Blacks are 11.51 times more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites. That figure is higher than the national average that a Black person is four times more likely to be arrested, even though pot use for both races is the same.

One possible theory as Think Progress suggests is “broken windows” policing, in which police target minor offenses with the aim of thwarting more significant crime. For example a juvenile arrested and charged with possession of marijuana could suggest a charge of possession with attempt to sale, if police officers find evidence that the offender may be a drug dealer. That in turn might lead to a weapons charge. From there, an arrest record, even without a conviction, makes finding employment and suitable housing difficult. An arrest could limit educational opportunities and financial aid. A second theory could be that the level of police activity is higher in areas where Blacks tend to live making them more susceptible to stop-and-frisk policing, common in cities such as New York, but figures are rarely reported in other cities.

The report notes that the Uniform Crime Report used by the FBI doesn’t recognize Latino as a separate race, which means there could be an over-reporting of white arrests. That would most likely mean the gap would increase even more if those numbers were updated. The ACLU has asked the Minneapolis Police Department for recent statistics that could show how well these measures are being put into place.

Two staff members at a nursing home in Winter Haven are facing battery charges for tormenting and abusing a 76 year old Alzheimer’s patient.

The victim’s son, Dale Wilson, began to notice random bruises on his father. In early October, he set up a hidden camera at the Palm Garden Nursing Home. What he discovered was extremely upsetting and disturbing. The footage revealed certified nursing assistants Yashika Zenobiaha Jones, 28, and Rose Dorlean Blaise, 35, assaulting him.

Police cited the video and interviews with other staff members regarding three specific incidents, occurring over three weeks:

- On Oct. 7, Jones was videoed rubbing her hands on the victim’s face, and making punching motions to agitate him. Another nurse was in the room.

- On Oct. 16, Blaise appears to lunge at the victim as he gets agitated and flails his arms. The police report says the woman used her legs and feet to stomp on his bare feet or kick him in the leg.

- On Oct. 24, Jones again is seen making punching motions at the victim. Grabbing his wrists, she used his fist to punch himself in the face, and slapped him in the face, police said.

Jones is facing two counts of battery of an elderly person, although she denied the accusations. Blaise is charged with one count of battery on the elderly.

The workers has been suspended without pay.

Take a look at the video footage below.

FOX 29 News Philadelphia | WTXF-TV

[Homepage image: Shutterstock]

Five California University of Pennsylvania football players have been arrested for assaulting a man at an off-campus restaurant. The Cal U football players attacked Lewis Campbell, 30, of West Chester, Pa., as he was tried to stop an argument between his girlfriend and a player at about 2 a.m. on Oct. 30. Campbell remains in intensive care today with severe brain trauma.

Police arrested Jonathan Barlow, D’Andre Dunkley, Corey Ford, Rodney Gillin Jr., and James Williamson at practice on Thursday afternoon. Police said witnesses heard the players yelling, “Football strong,” as they fled to a car, leaving Campbell unconscious. The players are charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. They remained jailed Friday on $500,000 bond.

The team has already removed their names from the roster and deleted their biography pages. The players have also been suspended from the university.

The California, Pa. football team has won seven of eight games this season and this week reached No. 19 on D2Football.com, its highest ranking since 2012. The team has two games scheduled after Saturday’s forfeit against Gannon University.

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Nothing says spooky like seeing your favorite morning and  show hosts dressed as their alter-egos. In the shots to follow check out some the drastic changes we wait all year for from The Today Show, The View, Ellen and plenty more.

Above, Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa of LIVE with Kelly and Michael went through multiple costume changes in an ode to 2014′s favorite characters in pop culture. Here, as Daenerys/Khaleesi and Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.
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As Orange is the New Black jailbirds.

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And towards the end of the show, literally killed is as zombies from The Walking Dead.

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For her show, the hilarious Ellen Degeneres transformed into George Clooney’s new wife, Amal.

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The anchors from The Today Show nailed the ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch theme.

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Kathie Lee-Gifford and Hoda Kotb as Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World.

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Jenna Bush Hager, Savannah Guthrie, and Meredith Vieira rocking Mom Jeans.

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Willie Geist and Tamron Hall had school spirit for days dressed as SNL’s Spartan cheerleaders.

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Today Show anchor man, Matt Lauer as Pat.

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The ladies from The Talk celebrated as favorites from the Peter Pan fairy tale.

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Hosting newbies from The Real talk show dressed as their childhood dream jobs.

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Robin Roberts of Good Morning America and Terry Crews went as On the Run Tour’s Jay Z and Beyonce.

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Co-Host from The View, Nicole Wallace looked dazling as Effie Trinket of The Hunger Games!