Another Cali First!

Congratulations to Karen Bass who has now become
the first African American women to hold the position
of speaker of the house for the California Assembly.
Oh yes, the strides we are achieving in politics.


California lawmakers elected Democrat Karen Bass as the next Assembly speaker on Thursday, making her the first black woman to hold the powerful position.

"This is an amazing, amazing moment," Bass, 54, of Los Angeles, said after the voice vote. "Thank you so much for your vote of faith and confidence in me as your next speaker."

Bass was elected to the 80-member chamber in 2004 and is known for writing legislation on child welfare and social justice issues.

She will work alongside Speaker Fabian Nunez, also a Los Angeles Democrat, before making the full transition into the role later this year.





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Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Ultimate Appeal-Crossing Over!

Musicians, actors,entertainers and anyone seeking
the attention of public appeal want it desperately
and that also includes politicians-CROSSING OVER!
When a person in the public eye is blessed with this
kind of persona then there is no limit to what they
can achieve. Obama is the second African American
in the political arena to achieve this status. So who
was the first you ask? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr!
Let's just hope things turn out for the better. We'll
be waiting to hear your thoughts on the article below.


Chatter bounces off the bare walls and checkered linoleum floor as Josh Pedaline and other Barack Obama supporters burn through their call sheets.

A map of Delaware County splays across a tabletop. Another is laden with cookies, pretzels and other snacks. Volunteers seated elbow-to-elbow peck at cell phones and pitch the Democratic Illinois senator in advance of Ohio's March 4 primary.

The scene is a typical campaign boiler room, except that four of the 13 dialing away are lifelong Republicans, including Pedaline, who reveres former President Reagan and twice voted for President Bush.

"I am so sick and tired of the partisanship," Pedaline says before the start of his shift at the Obama outpost in this affluent suburb north of Columbus. "I don't want to be cheesy and say, 'He'll bring us all together.' But he seems like someone willing to listen to a good idea, even if it comes from a Republican."

Pedaline and other GOP renegades are part of a striking phenomenon this campaign season: They are "Obamacans," as the senator calls them, and they are surfacing in surprising numbers, blurring the red-blue lines that color the nation's politics.

"I'm a conservative, but I have gay friends," Pedaline, 28, says over dinner at a Columbus diner. "I have friends who don't believe in abortion, but I don't condemn them for it. I don't feel like Obama is condemning me for being a Republican."

Pedaline has some high-profile company. Susan Eisenhower, a GOP business consultant and granddaughter of former President Eisenhower, has endorsed the Democratic hopeful. Colin L. Powell, who served in both Bush administrations, has hinted he may do so as well.

Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who quit the Republican Party after losing his reelection bid, endorsed Obama even though he campaigned for Chafee's opponent last year. Mark McKinnon, a strategist for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, says he will continue to back the Arizona senator, but will step aside rather than work against Obama if the two meet in the fall election.

McCain also enjoys crossover support, Democrats attracted by his blunt talk and willingness to break with Republicans on such issues as campaign finance and global warming. "We know the old Reagan Democrats," McCain said aboard his campaign charter. "We'll try to get those on our side as well, Democrats who think that I'm more capable, particularly on national security issues."




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Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Loose Lips?

Now that Barack Obama has gone further than
any other African American candidate to capture
the presidential nomination of a political party his
wife Michelle must now gage her words and comments
carefully. Loose lips have sunk many ships! After
reading the article below let us know your thoughts
on what Michelle Obama must be aware of.


It is one of Barack Obama's most reliable laugh lines. At the close of his stump speech, he often says, "I am reminded by every day of my life -- if not by events, then by my wife -- that I am not a perfect man."

These days, after catching grief for calling her husband "snore-y and stinky" and speaking about his bad habits in the manner of a loving but exasperated wife, Michelle Obama only sings his praises.

"You go, 'OK, I've got to be careful not to be the story,' " she said during an interview recently aboard her campaign bus. "Because it becomes a distraction to the broader issues."

Unwittingly, Michelle Obama became the story again this week, telling an audience in Wisconsin on Monday that "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country."

It may have been nothing more than a little hyperbole in a season that has seen plenty. But as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination has narrowed to Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the spotlight is shining much brighter now on Michelle Obama, a 44-year-old hospital administrator.

While Clinton's husband, the former president, has been in hot water regularly for his verbal jabs at Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, whose tongue can be as barbed as Bill Clinton's, has received less scrutiny. With her husband's increasing success, that has changed. And with so much at stake, even minor gaffes are being blown into full-fledged campaign issues.

On Wednesday, according to the Associated Press, she clarified her Monday remarks in an interview with a Rhode Island TV station. "What I was clearly talking about was that I'm proud in how Americans are engaging in the political process," she said. "For the first time in my lifetime, I'm seeing people rolling up their sleeves in a way that I haven't seen and really trying to figure this out -- and that's the source of pride that I was talking about."





This Article Continues Here





Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Gamble And Huff Resurface!

They're back! The dynamic duo that brought you such
hits as Back Stabber, The Love I Lost and so many
other great hits Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. But
don't look for any new acts, they plan on staying with
the ones they already have. Check out the article below
and the let us know how you feel about it.


There are very few hitmakers that have the clout and legendary masterpiece catalog as the music duo of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, aptly known as Gamble & Huff.

The two music maestros are the men behind such hits as Lou Rawls’ “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” Teddy Pendergrass’ “Turn Off the Lights,” The O’Jays’ “Darling, Darling Baby,” and so many, many more, bringing Philadelphia soul music to the world.

In 1971, the duo formed Philadelphia International Records (PIR) and cut a major deal with the largest label at that time, CBS Records and its president Clive Davis. Now, the two have scored a major agreement with mega label Sony/BMG.

“We’ve just signed a deal and we’re re-releasing all of our catalog,” Gamble told EUR’s Lee Bailey. “We have a licensing arrangement. We’re releasing product, but we haven’t any new product. We have a tremendous catalog and that’s what we’ve been working on.”

The thought of the music legends simply re-releasing their classics may not sit well with some fans; both Gamble and Huff explain that this is merely the process and path of legendary music.

“It’s a traditional process. It’s what all the big music labels do every ten years,” Huff said, continuing that the duo may be inspired to do some new music, too. “If something special comes along that would spark our creative activities, we would consider it. We pick and choose. We don’t have that energy that we had in the ‘70s. We can’t just pick any person that sings.”

Huff reminisced on his days in the studio with partner Gamble. At times they spent entire days and nights churning out hit songs.

“We worked seven days a week, almost 24 hours a day,” he said “We’re not trying to compete with the hip-hop guys and all that, but if there is an artist that really excites us, then we’ll get involved with it. At this time, we’d like to set our music for TV programs and movies and commercials and everything you can think of.”

Gamble revealed that there are a few current artists that have piqued his ears, including American Idol Fantasia, but that the two don’t have any current plans to pursue new projects.

“I think she’s a great artist,” he said of the singer. “There’s a couple of other ones out there, but that’s a lot for us right now, and the industry is not what it used to be. The music is different.”

Huff reiterated the fact that the industry has made some changes and that the hit team has, too; one being to just slow down, enjoy life, and get more rest than they did in their heyday in the ’60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

“Music comes in all different forms – in business, too,” Huff added. “The way me and Gamble worked in the ‘70s – I wouldn’t say we couldn’t do it, but the energy wouldn’t allow us to do it [now]. I’m not going to get trapped in that illusion. I’ll mess around and have a heart attack. When me and Gamble worked it was a lot of intensity; a lot of energy. I’m not going to stay up ‘til 4 o’clock in the morning. That’s what we did.”

After all that work to create songs, their hits are now going to work for them. Gamble & Huff classics have resurfaced quite often in many different formats – television shows, movies, commercials.

“I think it’s just as rewarding,” Gamble said of comparing producing the hits with having them be a part of productions. “For example, you take the Donald Trump ‘Apprentice’ show; ‘For the Love of Money’ has been the theme song for that for seven seasons. You got the Coors beer commercial, ‘The Love Train’ had been on that, you got ‘The Rubber Band Man.’ You got so many songs from our catalog that were able to transition themselves.”

This Article Continues Here





Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

SWAT Losses It's First-A Brother

Remember how it use to be in the movies
where the brother always got killed first.
Well that scenario has unfortunately played
out in real life with the death of L.AP.D.
Officer Randall Simmons. Yes, he has become
the first officer ever killed since the elite unit
was put together back in the late 60's. Our
hearts go out to the family of this courageous
Brother!

In a tense overnight standoff, a man shot and killed a Los Angeles SWAT officer and seriously wounded another after calling 911 to report that he had killed three family members at a San Fernando Valley home, authorities said. A police sniper killed the suspect this morning, authorities said.

The sniper struck the man in the head about 7:30 a.m. as he tried to flee out a door, still firing his weapon more than 10 hours after the incident began, several sources with the Los Angeles Police Department said. By that point Randa, a fire had ignited at the home. Three males who police believe were related to the suspect also died.

One of the victims had been pulled from the home hours earlier by officers who thought he was still alive, police said. The rescue attempt was made as officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect -- who jumped up from behind a short interior wall and opened fire on them from a distance of 10 to 15 feet, police said. (Earlier in the day police said he had fired at them from between mattresses, but they later said those exchanges came after their officers were shot.)

LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said today that the shooter had two weapons, a shotgun and a handgun.

A woman who apparently was hiding inside the home came out shortly after 5 a.m. as tear gas was fired into it, police said.

After the canisters were fired, "a woman suddenly appeared from the rear of the residence," said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore. "She was rescued. Our understanding is she was there during the earlier carnage of the people being shot and killed."





This Article Continues Here





Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/

Network Takes Notice Of Black History Month

Finally a major network is recognizing Black History
month. NBC will has produced hundreds of video
clips designed for teachers to integrate into their
lessons. This has been long over due and the network
should be commended for it's work. Thank you NBC!

The curriculum is comprised of more than 500 two-to-five minute video clips spanning hundreds of years of history and designed to be easily integrated into teachers' lesson plans. They are pooled from over 70 years of NBC News coverage and supplemented with early history mini-documentaries created in collaboration with educators, historians, textbook authors, and other experts.

The subject matter includes the history of African-Americans from the slave trade through the modern civil rights movement; features on and interviews with African-American leaders from politics, science, arts and literature, and business; and examinations of the African-American experience today including politics, health issues, education, the justice system, the economy, and the family.

The African-American Studies resource is available online at HotChalk (www.hotchalk.com/nbc.html), a free web-based learning management system designed specifically for K-12 educators. HotChalk helps teachers develop customized lesson plans and assignments, locate and integrate curriculum materials, and manage assignments and grading.

This Article Continues Here





Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/