Marijuana found in face-chewer's body, but no other drugs, medical examiner says

Handout / Reuters

Rudy Eugene, left, was shot after he refused to stop chewing the face of Ronald Poppo, right.

By NBCMiami.com

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner found only marijuana in the body of the man who was fatally shot while chewing a homeless man's face over Memorial Day weekend.
The medical examiner's office said on Wednesday that 31-year-old Rudy Eugene's toxicology was complete.

"The department's toxicology laboratory has identified the active components of marijuana," the medical examiner said in a statement. "The laboratory has tested for but not detected any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs."
The department also ruled out common drugs found in the street drugs called bath salts, which authorities had initially speculated were the cause of the brutal attack on Ronald Poppo.

Follow West Coast Media On Twitter: @webcast2011

Read more on this story on NBCMiami.com
He has been recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center since the May 26 attack along the MacArthur Causeway.
Poppo was rushed to the hospital after he was attacked by Eugene, who tore off and chewed most of the 65-year-old's face, authorities said. He also suffered trauma to his brain, doctors said.
Poppo also had a couple puncture wounds in his left chest area.
About 50 percent of his face, including his forehead and cheek, was affected and he has an infection, brain injury and a puncture wound to his chest.
Report: Miami face-chewing attacker had no flesh in stomach
Eugene was fatally shot by an officer after he refused to stop the savage attack on Poppo, police said. Witnesses said a naked Eugene was throwing his clothes into traffic and swinging from a light pole shortly before the attack.
The medical examiner's department also got assistance from an outside forensic toxicology lab, which confirmed that there were no bath salts, synthetic marijuana or LSD in Eugene's system.
New tourist stop: Miami site where naked man chewed off victim's face
"Within the limits of current technology by both laboratories, marijuana is the only drug identified in the body of Mr. Rudy Eugene," the statement said.
The attack sparked a statewide crackdown on synthetic drugs and bath salts, with many South Florida counties and cities moving forward with ordinances to ban and restrict their sale.
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi held a ceremonial signing of House Bill 1175, which outlaws more than 90 new forms of synthetic drugs.

The Faithful Central Bible Church Has Sold The Inglewood Forum For $23.5 Million

MSG buys Inglewood Forum

The Forum was the home of the 'Showtime' Lakers.

Updated Jun 26, 2012 12:41 PM ET

     

NEW YORK (AP)

The Madison Square Garden Co. says it bought the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., for $23.5 million.

COURTSIDE STARS

Celebrities like to see and be seen at NBA games, especially in the playoffs.

The historic arena opened in 1967 and was home to both the NBA's Lakers and NHL's Kings until they left for the Staples Center in 1999.
The venue also hosted generations of pop music acts, including Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith and Nirvana. It's currently owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which uses it for services as well as concerts.
Madison Square Garden, which owns the namesake New York arena, along with the NBA's Knicks and the NHL's Rangers, says it plans to start renovating the Forum later this year.
Shares of Madison Square Garden rose 54 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $37.65 in morning trading, approaching their 52-week high of $38.90.

Snoop Dogg’s son Cordell Broadus lands football scholarship offer from UCLA

Cordell Broadus lands football scholarship offer from UCLA, new home of P-Diddy’s son Justin Combs

 

When UCLA offered Cordell Broadus a scholarship, the Bruins were doing more than trying to attract a promising sophomore wide receiver and defensive back for Diamond Bar (Calif.) High. In essence, the program was staking a claim to territory in the L.A. pop culture spotlight, for one very clear reason: Cordell Broadus is Snoop Dogg's son.

 
Snoop Dogg's son Cordell Broadus — Facebook


As reported by the ESPNLA and the National Football Post, UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. recently offered a scholarship to Broadus, despite the fact that the rising sophomore has spent just one year in high school, and played on the Diamond Bar freshman squad during that campaign. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, the younger Broadus -- Snoop Dogg's legal name is Calvin Broadus -- has a body which could develop into that of a legitimate Division I prospect, but no one knows whether he'll continue to grow.
Of course, Broadus isn't the first son of a rapper to land with the Bruins. Justin Combs, the son of Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, signed to play at UCLA beginning in fall 2012 after an impressive prep career at Iona Prep in suburban New York City. Combs is expected to play at defensive back for the Bruins, so it's even possible (though highly unlikely) that the Bruins could use both the son of P-Diddy and Snoop Dogg in the same defensive backfield come fall 2015.
Regardless of the younger Broadus' potential, it's hard not to feel that Mora Jr. may be offering him a scholarship at least in large part for PR benefits. Snoop Dogg officially claims to be a USC fan, so snapping up a commitment from his son could give the school requisite street cred and offer a certain buzz to a program which sorely needs just such a jolt of excitement.
Diamond Bar's head football coach, for one, was quick to indicate that getting in early on Snoop Dogg's progeny might be a very wise move for the Bruins.
"We're expecting him to really lead us the next three years," Diamond Bar's Ryan Maine, who first tweeted the news of Broadus' scholarship offer, told ESPNLA. "Hopefully [our athletes] get bigger, stronger and keep leading this team."

As for Cordell Broadus himself, the teen said he feels more settled now as a sophomore in Diamond Bar than he did after a sudden transfer from Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High made him a member of the Brahmas just before the 2011 season, as he told ESPNLA.

"The move was difficult when it first happened, meeting new friends and a new team," Broadus said. "It's been good ever since. The competition level at Long Beach Poly is a whole lot different than it is down here, but I've learned that it's all on me and how hard I work."

 

50 Cent out of hospital after SUV rear-ended

50 Cent out of hospital after SUV rear-ended by Mack truck

Seth Wenig / AP file

50 Cent

By Courtney Hazlett

50 cent is "doing fine" after his SUV was rear-ended by a Mack truck early Tuesday on the Long Island Expressway in New York.
A spokesperson told TODAY.com the rapper "was taken to New York Hospital Queens where he was treated for minor neck and back injuries. He was released this morning and is doing fine."
 Thisis50.com, a site with ties to 50 Cent's official website, published photos of the musician in a neck collar and on a stretcher. The site also reports that the truck driver told police his load shifted and he lost control of the vehicle. Photo show a large hole in the front of the truck and damage to the rear of the musician's black SUV.
The driver of 50 Cent's car was also taken to the hospital. There was no word on his condition.

Dr. Conrad Murray Unseen Video Just Relesed

It's the Conrad Murray video you were never meant to see -- a secret, emotional recording made days after Michael Jackson died ... in which Murray lies through his teeth about his relationship with the singer, blasts the public for blaming him for MJ's death, and even says he's a victim of MJ's deceptions.

The video -- which was never released -- was shot the very same day Murray recorded the infamous "Do not worry" clip he released in August 2009 ... his first address to the public after investigators named him as a suspect.

In this clip, Murray appears much more emotional -- with tears in his eyes, ranging from sadness to anger -- saying, "I can find no words satisfactory to summarize my affection for Michael."

He then proceeds to tell a bald-faced lie -- saying, "Despite our relationships and conversations, I am now made aware through recent media reporting that he failed to share with me any problems involving his alleged addictions with medications."

It later came out during his manslaughter trial ... Murray was intimately familiar with MJ's drug addictions -- and claimed to use drugs as a means to ween Michael off Propofol.

Later in the video, Murray gets aggressive -- saying, "No man, no woman, with the exception of innocent child, is absolutely free of hidden skeletons."

He continues, "Therefore, next time you look in the mirror, before passing judgment or condemning someone, take a good look at yourself, and if you're not 100% sure that when scrutinized no faults can be found, then you may have earned that right to criticize."

Sources close to Murray tell TMZ, Connie's lawyers eventually decided to bury the video because they felt it could only hurt him.

You gotta hear Murray's tone and anger in the video.

Rodney King's fiancee will not be invited to his funeral, according to reports

inShare

By Daniel Blake , Christian Post Contributor

June 23, 2012|6:31 pm

• 
  Twitter: Rodney King
  Rodney King, Center of LA Riots, dies at 47

King family sources have reportedly told TMZ that his family do not believe he drowned on his own. They have highlighted that he was always a great swimmer, and they want to wait to hear what the official cause of death is announced as.
King, whose videotaped 1991 beating by Los Angeles police officers led to some of the biggest riots the country has ever seen, drowned last weekend after Cynthia Kelley reportedly found him at the bottom of their swimming pool.
Kelley allegedly has told LAPD that she heard King banging on the window of their home at around 5:00 a.m. before hearing a splash and him falling into the swimming pool.
According to TMZ's source, the King family and Kelley have not spoken to one another since his death last Sunday. Despite their wall of silence, some are suggesting that King's relatives do not necessarily feel any bad feelings against Kelley but feel contact with her may be inappropriate until the official cause of death is released.
LAPD are still investigating the death, but are treating it as an accident, rather than homicide, and it is believed there are no signs of foul play apparent at the scene.

Music mogul Rosemond indicted on New York murder charge

e Associated Press, Friday, June 22, 2012, 5:00pm (PDT)

• NEW YORK (AP) -- Hip-hop mogul James Rosemond has been indicted in New York on a murder-for-hire charge.
  RELATED: Celeb Mug Shots
  Prosecutors brought the revised indictment Friday accusing Rosemond of ordering others to kill a man in the Bronx in 2009 as payback for an assault on his 14-year-old son.
  RELATED: Year in Review 2011: Trouble with the Law
  The 47-year-old chief executive of New York-based Czar Entertainment is already imprisoned. He was recently convicted in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on drug trafficking charges.
  RELATED: 'Swamp People' TV Star Arrested in Florida
  Rosemond's lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
  He is behind such hits as Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop."

Bobby Brown Ties Knot

Bobby Brown Ties Knot In

Whitney Houston's Ex Marries His Fiancee/Manager

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

 

Bobby Brown knocked out two birds with one recent trip to Honolulu.According to People magazine, the R&B singer performed with New Edition less than 24 hours prior to walking down the aisle to marry his fiancee/manager Alicia Etheredge.Brown's rep tells CNN that the ceremony was "beautiful." The groom wore a red suit with Adidas sneakers, the footwear of choice for the newly married couple's one son together, 3-year-old Cassius, who served as ring-bearer. Brown shared an Instagram photo from the special day, which also included four adorable flower girls.

The couple got engaged in 2010 at a New Edition concert after dating for close to three years.Brown, 43, was previously (and infamously) married to the late Whitney Houston, who he divorced in 2007. In addition to Cassius, Brown has one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, from his relationship with Houston, as well as three other kids.CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

Copyright CNN 2012

Jennifer Lopez Betrayed: Casper Smart Cheating With Gay Lover

Casper Smart has allegedly been in a relationship with a man for two years now even though he is dating Jennifer Lopez, voted ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in the World‘ by People magazine.

Not only are the couple dating, but JLo is also providing Casper with an allowance every month and she is completely oblivious to the fact that he is using the money for himself and his gay lover.  Since when is Casper Smart gay?

Here’s what our source reports: Qoute “JLo swears up and down she’s in love, and doesn’t know she’s getting bamboozled by a dude that likes dudes. Poor JLo… first she’s married to a Puerto Rican drug addict that can’t put down the cocaine and now she’s falling hard for a dude that can’t put down the 

D!$K" Unqoute

This is very sad for JLo indeed, her ex-husbands had the characteristics and even the looks of rats and now she ends up with a rat again. This just goes to show you that the term “gold digger” isn’t just for the ladies but even for us guys too.

Casper proves that if we’re “Smart” enough, it’s not that difficult to take money off some rich and desperate cougar. Seems like an interesting career choice, but it would take so much time and effort and completely suck to get caught.

Casper is one smart guy, taking advantage of JLo when she’s lonely to fund his real relationship on the side. Hopefully JLo isn’t so delusional about being “in love” with Casper that she doesn’t believe that she’s being treated like some dumba*s by screwing herself over emotionally and financially by dating and supporting this loser!

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Beyonce buys Jay-Z private plane

Yesterday | Posted by: roboblogger 

Los Angeles, June 21: Singer Beyonce Knowles has bought a 25-million-pound aircraft - Bombardier Challenger 850, to gift it to her husband Jay on Father's Day.

Beyonce thought this would be a perfect way to show Jay how much of a great dad he is.

The aircraft has a flash interior,including cream leather living room.a kitchen, a bedroom and two bathrooms.

Beyonce bought a larger plane which can fit up to 15 people for longer trips with extended family

Cee Lo to debut Bizzare sidekick

Cee Lo to debut new pink cockatoo named Lady on 'The Voice' next season 

T

By Joyce Chen / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, June 21, 2012, 7:08 PM

NBC

Cee Lo and his new gal Lady, a salmon-colored Moluccan cockatoo, will return to 'The Voice' next season.

Cat's out of the bag: Cee Lo's latest animal pal will be feathered, not furry.
The quirky "Voice" mentor will debut a salmon-colored Moluccan cockatoo named Lady on the upcoming season of the hit reality singing competition, he tells People magazine.
"Lady's name says it all," Green said. "She's my little lady with a big opinion. Sometimes whispers inappropriateness in my ear, but always ladylike."
Last season, Green introduced audiences to his swivel-chair companion Purrfect, a white kitty who laid docile in his arms each week.
"She's a special cat. Cats are usually careless - or they could care less - but she seems pretty compassionate," he told People of Purrfect.
"The cat is not a rental," he also clarified. Purrfect doesn't belong to "The Voice" mentor. "The cat is a professional."
But Green will only have eyes for Lady this season.
That’s because, says the mentor, their relationship is already a special one.
"I met her flying around in a fantasy of mine," he told People. "She was wild and free just as I'd like to be! Birds of a feather we are."
jchen@nydailynews.com

Couple arrested for movie theater fornication

Columbia County Sheriff's Office

Claude Lamar Harris Jr., 31, of Honors Way in Martinez, and Angela Prater Veale, 43, of Galahad Way in Augusta, were charged Thursday, June 14, 2012, with public indecency after being caught having sex in an Evans movie theater.

By Valerie Rowell

Staff Writer

Twitter @ValerieRowell
Authorities arrested a couple Thursday after they were caught having sex inside an Evans movie theater.
Claude Lamar Harris Jr., 31, of Honors Way in Martinez, and Angela Prater Veale, 43, of Galahad Way in Augusta, were charged with public indecency.
At about 3:30 p.m., a manager of the Evans 14 Cinemas told a deputy that a couple was having sex inside one of the theaters, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report.
The manager said several employees saw Harris and Veale having sex and flicked the lights in hopes of stopping them.The theater was not playing the movie the pair purchased tickets to see, according to the report.
The manager escorted the deputy to the theater, where the deputy saw the pair having sex on the floor.The deputy told the lovers to get dressed and they were arrested.

Harris is listed as working for New Life Worship Center, while Veale is employed by WJBF-TV, according to the report.
Harris and Veale were released from the Columbia County Detention Center Thursday evening after each posted a $1,600 bond, according to sheriff’s Capt. Steve Morris.

Halle Berry Ordered to Pay $20,000 a Month to Ex-Boyfriend

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Halle Berry has been ordered to pay ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry $20,000 a month in child support.
  RELATED: Never Say Never: Halle Berry Engaged to Olivier Martinez
  The former couple have been embroiled in a messy court fight over 4-year-old daughter Nahla since their split in 2010, and in March, the model filed legal papers seeking at least $15,000 a month from Berry to rent a home and keep their little girl in the comfortable surroundings she has become accustomed to.
  
  
  On Monday, a family law judge granted Aubry's request and ordered Berry to pay the 35-year-old $240,000 a year, according to TMZ.
  However, they remain locked in a bitter battle over Berry's request to move Nahla to her fiance Olivier Martinez's native France amid fears for her daughter's safety after multiple run-ins with an alleged stalker and the paparazzi.
  
  

Zimmerman recounts shooting Martin in vivid detail

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NBC's Kerry Sanders reports from Florida, where new documents and video released by his attorney detail 
George Zimmerman's initial interrogations after shooting Trayvon Martin.

By Kerry Sanders, James Novogrod and Elizabeth Chuck

 

George Zimmerman, the man charged with killing Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, told police he took his "gun, aimed it at him, and fired one shot" after Martin allegedly threw repeated punches at him, according to police video made public Thursday.

Varying accounts of what happened between Zimmerman, 28, and Martin, 17, inside the gated community in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 have trickled out to the public via state prosecutors, lawyers and relatives. But on Thursday morning, Zimmerman's defense team released a trove of information gathered in the initial days of the investigation that includes a never-heard police interview with Zimmerman himself.

The one hour, 11-minute videotaped interview was conducted almost exactly 24 hours after the single gunshot fired by Zimmerman pierced Martin's chest. Police used the interview to perform a computerized voice stress analysis, which detects psychological stress based on voice patterns, on Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had called police to report a suspicious person when he spotted Martin. In the videotape, he walked officials through what happened next as he approached Martin.
"I reached for my pocket, and I was looking for my phone, and he just punched me in the nose. And I fell backwards, to the side, somehow I ended up on my back. He ended up on top of me and he just kept punching my face and my head," Zimmerman said, adding that he was "screaming for help" as Martin allegedly pummeled him.
"He told me, 'Shut the f*** up.' I kept yelling for help," Zimmerman told police.
Zimmerman said Martin "took my head and slammed it into the concrete several times."
As they fought, Zimmerman said, his jacket and shirt rose up, revealing his gun. Martin then said, "You're going to die tonight," according to Zimmerman.
Martin then allegedly slid his hand down Zimmerman's chest, so "I just pinched his arm and I grabbed my gun and I aimed it at him and fired one shot. He kind of sat back and said, 'You got me here,' 'You got me,' 'You got it,' something like that. And I thought he was saying that he heard the shot and that he was giving up."
But Martin had actually been hit by the gunshot, and died a short time later. An autopsy report confirmed he had been shot at "intermediate range," and also found a small abrasion on his left ring finger, below the knuckle.
Trayvon Martin killed by single gunshot fired from 'intermediate range,' autopsy shows
Key events in the Trayvon Martin case

4 months after Trayvon Martin shooting, Sanford police chief fired

A video re-enactment of the altercation, in which Zimmerman took investigators to the area where he first spotted Martin, was also released Thursday morning.
A Sanford police spokeswoman told msnbc.com that police would not comment on the results of Zimmerman’s voice stress test, as the case was still ongoing.
When police found Martin dead on the sidewalk on Feb. 26, Zimmerman had claimed he shot him in self-defense. Zimmerman was treated at the scene for cuts and a bloody nose, and then questioned before police released him hours later without an arrest, believing there wasn't any evidence to challenge his account.
Authorities said Zimmerman's conduct appeared to be justified under Florida's Stand Your Ground law. But questions began to arise about whether there had been a racial motivation in the case, prompting protests in Florida and nationwide: Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic. A special prosecutor took over the case, and Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder on April 11.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He remains in a solitary cell in Florida's Seminole County jail.





 Eight grader made $287,145 with his stupid app??
TWO MILLION downloads of schoolboy's game??
Robert Ney, a schoolboy, 14, who designs iPhone app video game
that has been downloaded TWO MILLION times

Bubble Ball  is the name of the game.

If eight grader can do it - SO CAN YOU!

Are you missing out the boat? App Dev business is the hottest
opportunity of the whole year!
To read more...... Click Here

Without Michael, Jackson brothers prepare to tour

The Hall-of-Fame group hasn't released a new album since 1989.

The Associated Press

BURBANK, Calif. — Guided by a thumping bass line from their backing band, the Jackson brothers strut forward to a row of four microphones, thrusting their pelvises along the way, before launching into "Can't Let Her Get Away," a song their superstar sibling released on his "Dangerous" album.

click image to enlarge

This June 12, 2012 file photo shows, from left, Marlon Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson and Jermaine Jackson during a rehearsal in Burbank, Calif. Nearly three years after Michael Jackson died while staging his comeback, four of his brothers - Marlon, Jermaine, Tito and Jackie - are preparing for their own return to the stage. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

If they had afros and matching powder blue suits, it might feel like 1977 again.
It doesn't. They're casually sporting sunglasses, workout gear and a few more pounds than when they, along with the future King of Pop, were simply known as the Jackson 5. (Also, "Can't Let Her Get Away" was released in 1991 after the group fizzled out.)
Nearly three years since Michael died while preparing for his comeback tour, four of his brothers — Marlon, Jermaine, Tito and Jackie — are set for their own return to the stage as The Jacksons. It hasn't been easy.
"The brothers don't know this, but I've broken down several times and cried during rehearsals," said Jermaine during a recent rehearsal break on a soundstage in Burbank, Calif. "I'm so used to Michael being on the right and then Marlon, Jackie, on and on. It's just something we never get used to."
The brothers are launching their "Unity" tour on Wednesday, five days ahead of the third anniversary of Michael's death from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009.

"For me, this cycle that comes around every year — this day, that day — that doesn't affect me because it affects me every day," said Marlon. "When that day comes around, it's the same. You learn to live with it. I still wake up sometimes and go, 'Jeez. I can't believe my brother's not here.'"
Following Michael's death, the four brothers appeared in the A&E reality series "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty," which chronicled their loss and attempt to stage a comeback before their brother died.
Jermaine said the brothers have wanted to reunite on their own for years, but after Michael's passing, they needed time to heal — and the tour is another step in that process. They've rearranged their classics to suit their voices, and Jermaine said the group plans to pay tribute to Michael during their shows with a slideshow and medley that will conclude with the tune

 "Gone Too Soon."
"There's certain songs that make you feel the sorrow,"

 said Tito. "Then again, there are other songs that bring so much joy and happiness, such as 'ABC' and 'I Want You Back' and the up-tempo stuff like 'This Place Hotel.' I just imagine how he used to walk and spin and do all these things. You can feel his presence here."
The Jacksons' tour kicks off at Rama Casino in Ontario, Canada, and is scheduled to end July 29 at the Snoqualmie Casino Amphitheater in Snoqualmie, Wash. Other stops include Detroit's Fox Theatre, Los Angeles' Greek Theatre and Harlem's sold-out Apollo Theatre, where the Jackson 5 won an amateur night in 1969 before rocketing to fame.

Michael later forged unprecedented success as a solo artist. His superstardom was unrivaled, and his brothers couldn't capture similar acclaim or sales with their solo projects or last studio album, 1989's mostly Michael-less "2300 Jackson Street," but their legacy as a group has remained unchanged. The Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
While various combinations of the brothers have reunited to perform over the years, including at last year's "Michael Forever" tribute concert in Wales, "Unity" will mark the first time the brothers have toured together since their final "Victory" outing in 1984. (Marlon said Randy, who officially joined The Jacksons in 1975, elected not to join the tour but noted that the youngest Jackson brother was welcome at any time.)
"We have a certain magic," said Jackie. "Once we get out here and run it down a couple times, it comes back to you. I'm not (moving) like I used to, but we still got it."
Will the fans think so — and will they turn out to see The Jacksons, whose ages now range from 55 to 61, perform their hits without Michael?

Last year, Cirque du Soleil launched "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" in Las Vegas. The show featuring dancers and acrobatic acts performing routines set to M.J. tunes has been among the top touring acts this year, and "Immortal" will return to Vegas for a residency at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
However, Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of concert industry trade publication Pollstar, doesn't believe The Jacksons will achieve similar success with their smaller endeavor.
"The Jacksons were really all about Michael," said Bongiovanni. "The Cirque du Soleil show was successful because it was Cirque du Soleil and Michael's music. I don't know if that portends much for the remaining brothers and their ability to generate enthusiasm for ticket sales."
The brothers are undaunted, hoping to release an album of new music then go back out on tour.
"It's like riding a bike," said Marlon. "You never forget, but you do need to tweak a few things."

Detroit Man Gambled Away Over $1.5M After ATM Error

• Posted by FREEWAYGRAPHICS JonathanMartinez on June 20, 2012 at 11:41am
• View Blog

A Detroit man is facing 15 months in prison after he was able to withdraw unlimited ATM cash from his Bank of America account that only held a few dollars.
Ronald Page, 55, took advantage of a bank mistake that placed his account into a "pay all' status that allowed him to withdraw unlimited overdrafts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said. And withdraw he allegedly did: From August 1 to 18 in 2009, Page hit the ATMs, mostly at casinos, and cashiers --for $1,543,104.
Page, a retired worker after 30 years at General Motors, had maintained an average balance of about $100 in his account from Dec. 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009, according to his indictment.
Page pled guilty on March 7 to theft of bank funds. His sentencing will take place on June 27.
Page could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Richard Morgan, did not immediately return a request for comment.
A spokeswoman for Bank of America provided a statement to ABC News saying, "We can't provide specifics in regards to Mr. Page's account as it is proprietary and because his case is still in the courts, we are unable to comment."
Court papers state that Page was a frequent gambler at casinos in the Detroit area and Las Vegas from January 2009 to February 2010.Between February 2009 and August 2009, his Bank of America account was used primarily for gambling, a court document states, in which he would deposit his winnings and withdraw amounts from $2,000 to $50,000.
Then on August 1, because of the bank error, he withdrew $312,000 from ATMs at Greektown Casino in Detroit, then $51,727 the same day from MGM Grand Casino. Finally, on August 18, Bank of America placed a hold on his account when it was overdrawn by over $1.5 million, his indictment states.
But the party came to an end August 18, when his attempt to withdraw $52,000 from his account at Greektown Casino was denied. He also went to the Motor City Casino on August 19 and attempted to withdraw $51,400 from his account but was again denied.
Bank of America advised him on August 21, 2009 that his account was overdrawn by over $1.5 million and demanded immediate repayment. Page has not repaid Bank of America.
The U.S. Attorney's Office recommended 15 months in prison for Page and that the court order restitution to Bank of America for the $1,543,104.
"In this case, the bank's glitch allowed the defendant to lose a significant amount of money that was not even his in the first place," states the U.S. Attorney's sentencing memorandum, filed on June 11. "The fact that defendant acted on an impulse does not minimize the seriousness of his conduct and the need for a custodial sentence."They also recommended Page be prohibited from gambling activity, lotteries, or wagering of any kind and from entering the premises of any gambling casinos, horse tracks, bingo parlors, or dog races or wherever gambling activity is conducted.
Prosecutors noted that Page is not a violent offender and his age and background indicate a low risk of committing violent crimes in the future.
"If his gambling addiction is not addressed, he is very likely to cause further financial hardship to himself and his family," the memorandum states.
Credit: ABC News
Written By: By SUSANNA KIM (@skimm)

Adidas' shoes targeted prison culture

 

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Updated Jun 20, 2012 11:54 AM ET

     

When Nike began releasing its overpriced, slave-shop-constructed Air Jordan shoes in the ’hood specifically to attract inner-city tastemakers, where did you think the gym-shoe wars were headed?

When Reebok, in an effort to undo Air Jordan’s stranglehold on hip-hop sneakerheads, showered a multimillion-dollar contract on the Tupac Shakur of basketball, Allen Iverson, where did you think the gym-shoe wars were headed?
That’s right. Nike and Reebok placed the shackles on Adidas’ now-canceled line of gym shoes. Nike and Reebok laid the groundwork for Adidas to take the gym-shoe wars to their rightful home — inside America’s prisons.
The outraged, well-intentioned critics of Adidas’ initial decision to launch the “JS Roundhouse Mids” are upset about the wrong thing. They think the shackled shoes are connected to America’s despicable history of African-American slavery. They’re wrong. The shoes are an attempt to capitalize off America’s despicable drug war and subsequent mass incarceration of minority men of color.
Nothing could be more obvious.
Adidas wants to ride the wave of prison/hip-hop culture. The inner-city tastemakers who made Air Jordans a juggernaut brand in the 1980s and 1990s now mostly languish in prisons and graveyards. The key to controlling the gym-shoe market has always been controlling the inner city. Urban youth have been robbing and shooting each other over Air Jordans for nearly 30 years now. More than a decade after his retirement, the release of Michael Jordan’s latest shoe still sets off rioting and chaos among poor black youths.
It’s not by accident. Nike planted these seeds decades ago.
Adidas, showing its desperation and naivete, simply came up with an unsophisticated, straightforward, politically incorrect strategy to cut into Air Jordan’s dominance of the market.
It’s “nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery. . . . Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful,” an Adidas spokesman said in a statement.
It’s true. It’s not about slavery.
It was about creating a shoe that would be appealing to men who have been touched by incarceration. They are the trendsetters as established by popular, commercial hip-hop culture. Their sagging pants, tatted arms, slang and acceptance of baby-mama and baby-daddy relationships drive youth culture.

If Adidas could get Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne or T.I. — or some up-and-coming gangsta icon — to wear the JS Roundhouse Mids, the shoe company would have a shot at cutting into Jordan’s market share.
This is not another attack on hip-hop music, although longtime readers know I’m unafraid to go there. This is an attack on America’s drug war and mass incarceration of poor minority men who are casualties of a war President Reagan started in 1982 for political gain and President Clinton escalated in the 1990s for even more political gain.
This week, as I’ve been preparing for a debate in London on June 26 about the future of hip-hop culture, I’ve been reading Michelle Alexander’s amazing book — "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" — about the ramifications of America being the world’s leader in incarceration.
Alexander pointed out that there are “more African-American adults under correctional control today, in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began.”
How do you communicate with and influence a group this large? You talk their language, the language of imprisonment. You invent shoes with shackles.
I’m not joking. This is America, where capitalism is king. Capitalism left unchecked for fairness will cannibalize the weak and vulnerable. Over the past 30 years, in reaction to the federal government financially incentivizing law enforcement to severely punish nonviolent drug offenders in politically impotent voting districts, we have created a prison-institutionalized underclass that is stripped of rights and exploited.
We sell them cheap fast food, liquor and drugs, and overpriced, vanity luxury items such as Air Jordans and JS Roundhouse Mids. We then elect a few of them to be rappers to serve as minstrel-show clowns, promoters of a prison lifestyle that will lead to death and product pitchmen to suburban kids who are entertained by the misery and dysfunction.
It’s a damn good living for Jay Z and Kanye. For the permanent underclass? The lucky ones get a nice pair of kicks out of the deal.
Meanwhile, the architects of the bogus and immoral “drug war,” America’s lawmakers, get to stir up reelection momentum by bragging about how tough they are on crime without ever mentioning that America’s 30-year, skyrocketing incarceration rate is the very foundation to the corruptness that powered our 2007 economic collapse.
It’s no secret how we got here. Michael Jordan and Ronald Reagan started this $h*t.

Mike Tyson Confesses He Was A Prostitute Hunter

Mike Tyson - Funny bloopers R us

Listen, Mike Tyson says a lot of hilarious things but this morning on the ‘Today’ show, he was simply on fire. When asked why he became a vegan, Tyson said he was sick of venereal diseases and being a prostitute hunter. You know, because carnivores are all syphilis-infested hookers.

The normally unflappable Ann Curry almost burst out laughing but had the wherewithal to stop him before he got into explicit details. By the way, if you want to know more about Tyson’s sex life, you’re in luck. He’s headed to Broadway with Spike Lee to do a one-man show. We’re hoping it’s called “One Man, Two Hoes” but we’ll settle for “The Venereal Monologues.”

Roots 2012 Nothing Has Changed.(When Were Blacks Truly Freed From Slavery?)

When Were Blacks Truly Freed From Slavery?

For Juneteenth, The Root investigates the blurred line of emancipation in America.

• By: Hillary Crosley | Posted: June 15, 2012 at 12:22 AM 

Buyenlarge/Getty Images

(The Root) -- Though President Abraham Lincoln ended slavery with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slaves in Texas had no knowledge of their freedom until two and a half years later. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and declared the end of the Civil War, with General Granger reading aloud a special decree that ordered the freeing of some 200,000 slaves in the state.
Because of the delay, many African Americans started a tradition of celebrating the actual day slavery ended on June 19 (also known as Juneteenth). But for some, their cheers were short-lived. Thanks to the South's lucrative prison labor system and a deceptive practice called debt peonage, a kind of neo-slavery continued for some blacks long into the 1940s. The question then arises: When did African Americans really claim their freedom?
Chattel slavery in the classic sense ended with the Civil War's close and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Reconstruction followed, creating new opportunities for African Americans who owned and profited from their own land and dug into local politics.
"It's important not to skip over the first part of true freedom," says Douglas Blackmon, author of Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans From the Civil War to World War ll and co-executive producer of the eponymous documentary film. "Public education as we know it today and the first property rights for women were instituted by African-American elected officials."

But the social achievements were fleeting.

"Put yourself in that place," Blackmon says. "You're enslaved, then liberated for 30 years, and then all of a sudden, a certain group of people begin a campaign to force you back into slavery."
Across the South, laws were instituted that stripped African Americans of their rights, making celebrations like Juneteenth a distant memory. A prison-labor paradigm developed. Jail owners profited from the hard labor of their black inmates who were incarcerated for petty crimes like vagrancy, which carried long sentences.
Prisons sold their workforce to nearby industrial companies to work as coal miners, for example, for as much as 9 dollars a month, and inmates were often worked to death. Elsewhere,whites fabricated debt owed by blacks, forcing them into peonage and trading years of free work for their freedom, a practice that spread across the Bible Belt.

 

"Black people had been seen as chattel for many years and just because someone says that we're free doesn't mean everyone bought into it," says Sam Pollard, who directed the documentary film adaptation of Slavery by Another Name, which aired on PBS earlier this year. "It's racism and how whites perceive us; some see us as people who shouldn't have any kind of rights."
But in 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved against that notion. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II by Japanese troops, Roosevelt signed Circular No. 3591 (pdf), giving teeth to the Anti-Peonage Law of 1867, which criminalized the practice. Dispatching a federal investigation, Roosevelt's team prosecuted guilty whites and effectively ended peonage in 1942.
However, African-American second-class citizenship has reappeared as a result of the war on drugs and draconian laws created during the 1980s. As civil rights litigator and author Michelle Alexander points out in her recent book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, the subjugation of African Americans through criminalization continues through the prison industrial complex.
"Racial caste is alive and well in America," Alexander wrote in the Huffington Post. "Here are a few facts ... There are more African Americans under correctional control today -- in prison or jail, on probation or parole -- than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. As of 2004, more African-American men were disenfranchised (due to felon disenfranchisement laws) than in 1870, the year the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that explicitly deny the right to vote on the basis of race."

But Blackmon explains that the American economy doesn't rely on prison labor for major financial gain the way the New South did. For that reason, he is hopeful that the prison industrial complex won't evolve into a form of modern-day slavery.
"As the crime rates have dramatically dropped in the last decade, people have begun to feel less threatened," Blackmon offers. "Now they can open their eyes and say, 'Why are these young men who really didn't do much of anything in jail?' "


Note: From the Editor
Michelle Alexander is full of Sh$! when he states, qoute

 "the American economy doesn't rely on prison labor for major financial gain the way the New South did. For that reason, he is hopeful that the prison industrial complex won't evolve into a form of modern-day slavery."

The American economy is garnering at least a trillion dollars a yr from incarcerating people if you take into account the fact that prison industries is charging $50K a head to house and feed prisoners multiply that by millions of prisoners and now were talking about real money.
Records show that over half of Americas prison population is serving long sentences for drug related or non
violent crimes.

From The Above Article
 "A prison-labor paradigm developed. Jail owners profited from the hard labor of their black inmates who were incarcerated for petty crimes like vagrancy, which carried long sentences."

And amazingly so they are still using the same tactics that they used in the 1800s by creating fraudenlent debts.Student loans and credit card debt are both enslaving millions of Americans yearly.

From The Above Article
  "whites fabricated debt owed by blacks, forcing them into peonage and trading years of free work for their freedom, a practice that spread across the Bible Belt."

 21st century slavery makes the1800s slave owners look like complete amatuers.


Roots 2012 Nothing Has Changed.

Another Weekend Of Madness In Chicago 7 Killed 35 Injured

By NBCChicago.com

President Barack Obama's visit to Chicago didn't stop another violent weekend.

At least seven people were killed and 35 were injured since Friday night. The youngest victim was a 16-year-old girl who died after she was shot three times in the chest Saturday evening in the Englewood neighborhood.

Ten people were shot overnight Friday, and in one hour Sunday morning, three people were killed. The latest shooting happened just after midnight Monday when a 19-year-old was shot to death on the city's North Side.

The shootings mark the third weekend in a row with gunfire injuries totaling well into the double digits. Last weekend, 46 people were hurt and eight killed across Chicago. The previous weekend, 29 were injured and three were killed in shootings.

"None of it is OK," Supt. Garry McCarthy told NBC Chicago last week. "And I don't want it to seem like we're managing it, but the realistic expectations have to be over the long-term."

This weekend marked the beginning of an overtime incentive program to put more police in neighborhoods where crime is highest. Fewer than 60 officers signed up for the program, though.

President Obama and his family arrived in Chicago Friday evening. They attended the wedding of senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett's daughter, and the president spent Father's Day golfing with friends.

Rodney King Found Drowned

Rodney King, the man whose beating sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, was found dead in his swimming pool early Sunday morning at the age of 47. Though King was described as an avid swimmer, police are investigating his death as a drowning. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.

By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

Updated at 3:34 p.m. ET: Rodney King, the black motorist whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers in 1991 sparked some of the deadliest race riots in U.S. history, was found dead on Sunday, police said. He was 47.
Police in Rialto, Calif., found King's body in a swimming pool after getting a 911 call from his fiancee, Rialto Police Capt. Randy DeAnda told NBC News. Officers pulled King from the pool and began doing CPR but he was unresponsive.
King was transported to Arrowhead Hospital in Colton, where he was pronounced dead at 6:11 a.m. PDT, DeAnda said.

The San Bernadino County coroner will perform an autopsy.
"Right now we have no reason to believe there was foul play because of the circumstances," Rialto Police Sgt. Richard Royce told msnbc.com. "The evidence is that it was a simple drowning."
Rodney King: 20 years after L.A. riots, 'Can we all get along?'
Homicide detectives continued to investigate mid-Sunday morning, Royce said, although he called the investigation "a standard death investigation."

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Detective Carla McCullough, right, of Rialto Police directs a police photographer as they investigate the death of Rodney King who was found in his pool on Sunday.

A file photo from the Los Angeles Times shows that the pool is oval-shaped, and that King had erected tarps around it to prevent neighbors from peering in. Two dates are inscribed along the pool wall: 3/3/91, the day King was beaten, and 4/29/92, the day a jury acquitted three of the four officers who beat him.
King was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers on a dark street on March 3, 1991, after he was stopped for speeding. Four officers hit him more than 50 times, kicked him and shot him with stun guns. A bystander videotaped much of the incident from a distance.

Capt. Randy Deanden of the Rialto, Calif., Police Department discusses the circumstances surrounding the death of Rodney King.

A year later, a California jury acquitted three of the four officers, three of whom were white and one Hispanic. The jury deadlocked on one of the charges for Officer Laurence Powell.
The riots that erupted on April 29, 1992, were among the most lethal in U.S. history. By the time order was restored, more than 50 people had died, nearly 3,000 were injured and thousands of businesses were damaged or destroyed.
In one of the most searing images from the riots, a 33-year-old white construction worker named Reginald Denny was pulled from his vehicle and beaten unconscious by four men at a Los Angeles intersection. Twenty years later, he has still not recovered from his injuries.

The violent reaction prompted King's famous plea on television: "Can we all get along?"

Gene Blevins / Reuters

Former bodyguard for Rodney King, Johnnie Kelly, left, walks with one of Rodney King's daughters Dene King, center, outside her father's home in Rialto, a suburb of east Los Angeles on Sunday.

Nearly a year later, a federal jury convicted two of the police officers of a federal charge of violating King’s civil rights and sentenced them to 30 months in prison. Two other officers were acquitted. King eventually received a $3.8 million settlement from the city, and the case led to sweeping changes in LAPD.
The police chief, Daryl Gates, came under intense criticism from city officials who said officers were slow to respond to the riots. He was forced to retire. Gates died of cancer in 2010.

Twenty years after Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of charges they brutally beat motorist Rodney King, TODAY's Lester Holt looks back at the case and how it changed the Los Angeles police department and how Americans view the justice system.

20 years later: Have race relations improved?
In the two decades after he became the central figure in the riots, King was arrested several times, mostly for alcohol-related crimes. He later became a record company executive and a reality TV star, appearing on shows such as "Celebrity Rehab."
In an interview earlier this year with The Associated Press, King said he was a happy man.
"America's been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all," he said. "This part of my life is the easy part now."
King had recently been promoting his just-published memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption." The book came out around the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots.

King, who has three children, was engaged to marry Cynthia Kelley, a juror in the civil suit he brought against the city of Los Angeles, according to the biography that accompanied his book.
The Los Angeles Times published a quote that King gave the newspaper earlier this year: "I would change a few things, but not that much. Yes, I would go through that night, yes I would. I said once that I wouldn't, but that's not true. It changed things. It made the world a better place.''

Los Angeles riots: 20 years later

Hyungwon Kang / Reuters

Revisiting a turbulent chapter in race relations