Keepingitreal

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Opening an Artstore

If God Were an Accountant …

Whose life is worth more, a drug dealer or a prostitute?

By Tim Harford

"Your money or your life." The choice traditionally presented by the highwayman is supposed to have only one sensible answer. Money is, after all, no use to a corpse. Yet, economists often study something rather like the highwayman's offer in an attempt to uncover the answer to an important question: How much is your life actually worth? Like many awkward questions, this is one that has to be answered. Safety regulations save lives but also raise the cost of doing business, a cost we all pay through higher prices. Are they worth it? Our taxes pay for life-saving spending on road safety and firefighting. Are they high enough, or too high? So, how much are we willing to spend to save a life? A traditional planner's approach used to be to measure the value of wages lost due to death or injury. That's dreadful: It confuses what I think my life is worth with what my boss thinks my life is worth.

Pharoahe Monch Embarks On Speaking Tour Against Gun Violence

Former Organized Konfusion group member, Pharoahe Monch, is currently embarking on a national college speaking tour as a spokesman for Guns 4 Cameras. The program allows troubled youth to trade in their guns for video cameras. Pharoahe spoke at UCLA yesterday (April 26) in hopes of promoting gun control and helping kids channel their anger into something more creative like filming their own home movies. Monch addresses the controversial topic of gun violence on his new street single, “Gun Draws.” The video is a graphic account of violence told from a bullet’s point of view. The song will be featured on Monch’s second solo album, Desire (SRC/Universal). The album will be released on June 26 and features an eclectic selection of songs, including the US single “Push” and the UK single “Body Baby.” “I’ve never been so free with my creativity before,” Monch says. “I’m excited about this new album because everything feels so fresh, almost as if I were a new artist. I’m taking it to whole new places, hip-hop, rock and gospel. It’s all there and it’s all sides of me.” In preparation for his album, Pharoahe will be busy touring the country this spring and summer. He will perform at the famed Coachella Music Festival on April 28, alongside Ghostface Killah and rock acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then, Monch will join the annual hip-hop festival, Rock The Bells, on July 28 in NYC, August 11 in San Bernardino, CA and August 18 in San Francisco, CA. The Rock The Bells concert also features performances by the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, The Roots and Rage Against the Machine. MORE ON THIS STORY

Golden State 103, Dallas 99

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Baron Davis banked in a 3-pointer from midcourt at the halftime buzzer Sunday night. While his Golden State fans nearly deafened their team, absolutely nobody in either uniform seemed terribly surprised. Davis has something in him these days that even the mighty Dallas Mavericks can't match -- and now his crazy, carefree Warriors are one win away from a historic playoff upset. Davis had five of his 33 points and two key assists in the final 3 1/2 minutes, and Golden State roared from behind for a 103-99 victory to take a 3-1 lead over the NBA's best regular-season team in their first-round playoff series. Jason Richardson scored 22 points and Stephen Jackson added 19 for the Warriors, who could become just the third team in league history to knock off a No. 1 seed in the opening round. After the frenzied Oakland crowd's second celebration in three days, the Warriors seem primed to pull off perhaps the biggest heist in playoff history. Every game we play is a learning process and an adventure," Davis said. "This is a young team which has never been in this situation. ... I felt I could carry the load in the first half and open things up He kept carrying it late as he got the Warriors to the brink of history. Only the Denver Nuggets (1994) and the New York Knicks (1999) have won a playoff series as a No. 8 seed -- and both did it in the old best-of-five format. The Warriors are an even more unlikely candidate -- a 42-40 club that didn't make the playoffs until the final day of the regular season. But Golden State streaked into the playoffs -- and Davis' club has a hold on Dallas, winning eight of their last nine meetings and surging to this victory after trailing by seven points with 6 1/2 minutes left. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Dallas, where the Mavericks went 36-5 in the regular season, but blew the series opener. MORE ON THIS STORY

 

 

The Hip-Hop Project Documentary Successfully Appeals ‘R’ Rating

The Hip-Hop Project, a documentary backed by Queen Latifah and Russell Simmons, has successfully appealed the ‘R’ rating it received from the Motion Picture Association of America. The film follows formerly homeless teenager Chris “Kazi” Rolle as he works with a group of troubled teenagers to create a hip-hop album. The MPAA initially gave the film an ‘R’ rating because of 17 uses of the F-word throughout the movie. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rolle and director Mark Ruskin appealed the rating in an effort to make the film available to a wider audience. “After years of working with teens, I know you have to reach them when they are young,” said Rolle. “Just as I didn’t have a parent to take me to the movies when I was a teenager, many of the young people who would benefit most from this film would have been denied access if the R rating stood.” Following the appeal, six of the eight MPAA board members voted to change the rating to PG-13. All net profits from the film will be donated to youth organizations. MORE ON THIS STORY

Lil Wayne & Baby to Perform at AIDS Awareness Concert in Houston

Lil Wayne and Baby are scheduled to headline a free AIDS awareness concert this summer in Houston. According to the Houston Chronicle, the show—organized by State Representative Borris Miles—is free of charge to anyone between the ages of 15 and 30 under one condition. In order to receive their free tickets and qualify for the free transportation to and from the venue, potential concertgoers will have to submit to an HIV test. As of next week, clinics across the city will begin offering free, 20 minute HIV exams to young people. While they wait for the results, they will watch a video on HIV awareness. If their results come back negative, they will be given their concert tickets. Should they test positive for the virus, they will still get their tickets, as well as counseling and referrals for medical attention. Rep. Miles says that the Houston area district that he represents has the highest AIDS rate in the state of Texas. The goal of Mile’s program is to test between 3000 and 6000 youths prior to the concert on June 30. In Houston and Harris County, blacks represent just 18% of the population, but account for 54% of all HIV infections since 1999. MORE ON THIS STORY

Two-Peat? Heat Swept Out Of Playoffs

Michael Jordan's old Chicago jersey hangs over the Miami Heat's home floor, a tribute to the six-time NBA champion. Now, a new bunch of Bulls want a title of their own after ending the Heat's reign atop the league with a four-game sweep. Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng had 22 to lead Chicago past Miami 92-79 Sunday in Game 4 to clinch the first-round Eastern Conference series. The Bulls advanced in the postseason for the first time since Jordan's last title in 1998. Chicago, which meets Detroit next, became the first team to oust a defending champion in the first round since Phoenix did it to San Antonio in 2000. "We felt confident coming into this series," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said. "We felt like we could win."
With good reason. Including playoffs, Chicago was 7-1 against Miami this season, starting with a 108-66 win on opening night, spoiling the Heat's championship-ring celebration, and ending their season by allowing only two points in the final 5:27 of the clincher _ closing the game with a 14-2 run. The coach of that Suns team that beat San Antonio seven years ago? Scott Skiles, who coaches the Bulls now and who put together a plan that befuddled Miami all series long. "It's an accomplishment," Skiles said. "We're in a funny position here. We want to enjoy it. It was great. We played well. We played hard all four games. We deserved to win _ but we want to keep playing." Chicago became the 80th consecutive NBA team to advance after taking a 3-0 lead in a series. Only three teams in major pro sports have overcome such a deficit, and the Heat won't be joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and 2004 Boston Red Sox in that exclusive club. MORE ON THIS STORY

Moss To Pats; Ravens Take Heisman Winner

Troy Smith is taking his Heisman Trophy to Baltimore. Randy Moss is bringing his sinking reputation to New England. The second day of the NFL draft hardly was without big names and drama. No, Sunday couldn't match the slide of Brady Quinn and the dealing of three 2008 first-round picks. But it had some juicy angles, including Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, going to the Ravens on the final pick of the fifth round. That's 174 picks overall, the ninth quarterback and seventh Buckeye chosen. "The wait, that's not a concern for me," Smith said. "The concern was the chance to be a part of an organization which is the ideal fit, playing for a winning team and a winning organization and getting a chance to learn from guys like Steve McNair, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, coach (Brian) Billick and Ozzie Newsome." Baltimore's seasoned roster of winners is a major reason Newsome grabbed Smith.
"I said, `Here you are, coming off a big-time career at Ohio State, playing in the national championship game, the Heisman Trophy winner, and you're probably going to be a nobody because we've got some Hall of Famers that are in that locker room.' And you know what? He really relished that opportunity." Moss never took advantage of his few opportunities with the Oakland Raiders and was dealt to the Patriots on Sunday for a fourth-round pick, No. 110 overall. "Just really last night me and coach (Bill) Belichick really talked for the first time about what's been going on," Moss said. "He asked me how excited I (would be) if the opportunity would present itself for me to become a Patriot and, really, I was overwhelmed because I didn't expect to hear from coach Belichick." It took him two years to become a pariah with the woeful Raiders. Less, actually, because the former All-Pro receiver in Minnesota even admitted he didn't always go all-out as Oakland plummeted to 2-14, the worst record in the league. MORE ON THIS STORY

Life slowly gets easier for gay people in Kenya

Luzau Basambombo spent six months in a Kinshasa prison, being abused over and over again.
The Congolese human-rights activist suspects that he was put behind bars because he openly admitted being homosexual. "If you are gay in Congo, you become an outlaw," Basambombo says. After being released from prison, he left the Democratic Republic of Congo for Uganda, where he was granted asylum. "When the authorities found out that I was gay, I was asked to leave the country," he says. Today, the 38-year-old Basambombo lives in Nairobi and feels comfortable there. "Things are changing here in Kenya -- in favour of us," he says. Gay and lesbian people are prosecuted in most African countries. In some Nigerian federal states, where the Muslim sharia law is in force, homosexuals are stoned to death. Changes to the law are planned, after which even people who only talk about homosexuality can be sent to prison. In Zimbabwe, head of state Robert Mugabe has compared gays to pigs and dogs. Namibian police are instructed to arrest homosexuals and expel them from the country. MORE ON THIS STORY

Raider Nation Scores the #1 Pick

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – They filed into the war room at 6:30 a.m. After months of planning, weeks of deliberation and endless debate, here they were, less than three hours before they'd be on the clock with the first pick of the 2007 NFL draft. So they got down to business. Someone welcomed the security guards. Someone else tapped the kegs. And at 8:01 a.m. sharp, a bartender served the first drink – a Bloody Mary, spicy, double vodka. Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, could have probably used a triple vodka, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither was Lane Kiffin or the rest of the Raiders' new coaching staff. No, this was the team's "unofficial" war room. The big orange sign out front says "Ricky's," but it might as well say "Raiders Nation." On Saturday, the bar and grill looked like a reunion of the cast from "Mad Max," with more black leather, metal spikes and tattoos than you'd find at a Dominatrix convention. With a silver and black motif, of course. They fortified the joint with extra security, extra help and extra booze, because one never knows what to expect when the likes of Spike, Voodoo Man and Skull Lady show up for the annual draft day party. Maybe they figured the alcohol intake would be up with the Raiders coming off another dismal season, though the consolation of going 2-14 and having the worst record of the league was the coveted No. 1 pick. MORE ON THIS STORY

Calif. Interchange Collapses After Fire

A section of freeway that funnels traffic off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed early Sunday after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire, authorities said. The heat from the fire was intense enough to melt part of the freeway and cause the collapse, but the truck's driver walked away from the scene with second-degree burns.
No other injuries were reported, which officials said was only possible because the accident happened so early on a Sunday morning. The truck driver took a taxi to a nearby hospital, Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said. The tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline ignited around 3:45 a.m. after crashing into a pylon on the interchange, which connects westbound lanes of Interstate 80 to southbound I-880, about half a mile from the Bay Bridge's toll plaza. A preliminary investigation indicates he may have been speeding as he navigated the curving road, Cross said. The fire melted a second interchange from eastbound I-80 to eastbound I-580 located above the first interchange, causing a 250-yard section of the roadway to collapse onto the roadway below, according to the highway patrol. Witnesses reported flames from the blaze reached up to 200 feet high. Late Sunday morning, the charred section of collapsed freeway was draped at a sharp angle onto the highway beneath, exposing a web of twisted metal beneath the concrete. MORE ON THIS STORY

The Washing Steps

TLC Singer died five years ago

TLC Singer died five years ago Wednesday 'Last Days of Left Eye' debuts May 19 on VH1, VH1 Soul. Whenever an anniversary of the death of a beloved musician comes around, it's always difficult to believe that they're gone for so long. Last year made a decade since Tupac Shakur left us and last month marked 10 years since the Notorious B.I.G. passed away. Wednesday (April 25) is five years to the day TLC's "Left Eye" Lopes died. She was 30. Like 2Pac and Biggie, Left Eye, of course left a whole legacy of music and memorable media moments to remember her by. But what we didn't know until now is that the self-proclaimed "crazy" third of TLC left even more behind. The hip-hop singer documented the last month of her life in video form, and that footage will soon be made available for the public to see in the VH1 doc "Last Days of Left Eye." Lopes died in a car accident on April 25, 2002, while in Honduras, where she had gone for spiritual and physical healing. She went there on a 30-day pilgrimage with family and friends and was killed just a few days before her scheduled return to the U.S. "Last Days of Left Eye" tells her story not just in the Honduras - she originally went there in 1997 to study with controversial natural healer Dr. Sebi and kept returning - but also the beginning of her life, her career and into its tragic conclusion. MORE ON THIS STORY

50 Million Pound Challenge

After helping stars shape up on Celebrity Fit Club, Dr. Ian Smith now wants to get 5 million African-American to drop 50 million lbs. Standing on the National mall on a frigid afternoon, Caress Weems, 28, confides "I would love to be Beyonce-size," The government worker who says shie is 30 lbs. from her goal, also has diabetes in her family, which she wants to avoid. But motivating herself "hasn't been working. So I thought, 'Why not do the Challenge?" That's just what Celebrity Fit Club diet expert Dr. Ian Smith hoped to hear. On April 7 Weems and more than 5,000 others joined Smith, 37, on the Mall to kick off the 50 Million Pound Challenge. (Similar events in 13 other cities are scheduled.) In the two-year initiative, Smith wants 5 million African-Americans to lose at least 10 lbs. each. Thay may not seem like much, but, he says, the program isn't just about the scale. Citing high rates of obesity in the black population (45 vs. 32 percent of all Americans), Smith says, "This is about taking a better look at overall health." MORE ON THIS STORY "It's a support system," says Fit Club veteran Kimberley Locke, who performed, along with Patti LaBelle, at the event. "On FitClub we had each other. Here, people form a pact and become obligated to each other to do this." So far, almost 16,000 have committed to the State Farm Insurance-sponsored program on a Web site (www.50millionpounds.com) that provides exercise and diet tips and tracks participants' cumulative weight loss.

Gold Diggers by Tracie Howard

Four beautiful young African American women are searching for their version of the American dream in glamorous Manhattan. Paulette, young and ambitious, wants to prove her worth to the wealthy relatives who turned their backs on her mother and herself. Reese, a gold digger after money and prestige, is willing to get pregnant to trap an NBA star. Gillian wants fame and stardom, and Lauren, Paulette's wealthy cousin, is looking for love. All the girls envy Lauren's style and grace, especially Paulette, who goes so far as to sleep with her cousin's husband. While all the women attain varying degrees of success, change inevitably occurs, and old friendships are tested. Howard explores the fleeting world of fame and bling with verve and flash, including enough product placements (including the author's own product line) to help aspiring gold diggers know just what to look for, while providing wry entertainment for less-materialistic readers.

LL Cool J in Talks to Remake Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

L Cool J is reportedly in talks to appear in a Broadway revival of the Tennessee Williams play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The New York Post reports that the rapper/actor is being considered for the role of main character Brick Politt. The play tells the story of a complex family conflict that plays out over the course of a gathering to celebrate the birthday of Brick’s father, “Big Daddy” Pollitt. Stephen Byrd is set to produce while Debbie Allen is expected to direct. Phylicia Rashad and Louis Gossett Jr. are also said to be negotiating roles.

Snoop Dogg Banned from Australia

The Australian government has denied Snoop Dogg entry to the country because of his extensive criminal record. According to the Australian Associated Press, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews says the rapper failed a required character test and will be issued a notice of intention to revoke his visa. Andrews cited Snoop’s prior criminal convictions, particularly his most recent on charges of weapons and drug possession as cause for the ban. Andrews also noted that the rapper was denied entry into the U.K. recently. “He has been denied entry into the United Kingdom because he was caught with others causing affray at [London’s] Heathrow Airport. He doesn’t seem the sort of bloke we want in this country.” With regard to the character test used to determine entry into Australia, Andrews noted that a person’s associations, prior convictions and conduct all taken into consideration. “This man has been a member of a Los Angeles gang—and is still associated with it apparently—that’s been involved in murder, robberies and drug dealing in the LA area.” Because of the ban, Snoop will be unable to attend the MTV Australia Video Music Awards.

Beyonce's "B'Day" Turns Sour, Akon's "Humpin' Around," Ne-Yo's Sittin' On Some Change

Hot off the presses this week Beyonce kisses her B'Day goodbye, Akon "smacks that" with a minor, Mario looks the gift horse in the mouth and Ne-Yo is a self made man. NO, NO, NO
It seems that Beyonce bit off more than she could chew when she recorded "Still In Love (Kissing You)" for the B'Day Deluxe Edition CD. Apparently the song is a cover tune, originally recorded by singer/songwriter Des'ree. Des'ree gave Beyonce permission to use the song with the provisions that she not change the name of the song from "Kissing You" and that she not record a video for the song. Well of course Bey did both and Des'ree slapped Beyonce and Columbia Records with a lawsuit citing copyright infringement. As of yesterday (April 24) Columbia Records has decided to no longer distribute the B'Day re-release nor would they distribute the video anthology DVD until the matter is settled. Soulman says.... DANG! Like switching out Latavia and Letoya... this too shall pass. I don't think this will hurt Bey's sales, it actually might increase them. Since Sony, for the time being, will no longer distribute the re-release and dvd... peeps might run out and buy all the remaining copies, 'cause if they pull the plug on this shit permanently, it's instantly a collector's item.

SOHH Soulful: Jennifer Hudson...The Next Queen Of Soul?

Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has officially begun the casting process for the upcoming stage production about her life. The musical, which is based on "Aretha: From These Roots" is expected to debut in Franklin's hometown of Detroit in the spring of 2008. "Since the announcement, I have a film offer and telefilm offer for the autobiography," said Franklin of the project. According to the Associated Press, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson is up for consideration for the lead in the big screen version. [See video of Hudson talking about her upcoming album here] The 65-year-old-Motown legend is slated to handpick performers to portray her at various ages in her life as well as relatives, close friends, background singers and colleagues like Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington, Smokey Robinson and pianist Art Tatum. Auditions for singing and non-singing parts have been scheduled for May 1-3 in suburban Detroit. In related news, Hudson recently recorded a version of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" for Jamie WilliamS' new CD After Hours which is expected to hit shelves on May 15.