Keepingitreal

RuPaul @ Medium Rare Records

The infamous RuPaul stops by a local record store to the happiness of her fans and sits down with Real Talk to talk about her latest film, entitled "Star Booty".

New Hershey Mints Resemble Cocaine

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Nov. 30) -- Hershey, the century-old maker of chocolate bars recognizable in every corner of America, is selling a mint that police officers and judges say would be recognizable on a drug corner. Ice Breakers Pacs are nickel-size dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside. They look similar to the tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell illegal powdered drugs like crack, heroin and cocaine. "Being in narcotics the majority of my career, I thought it was the real stuff," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn told the Philadelphia Daily News. The mints, which are sold in blue and orange plastic slide-top cases, first hit store shelves in November. Linda Wagner, a Philadelphia narcotics officer whose teenage daughter died of a heroin overdose, held back tears when she saw the pouches. "I was shocked," Wagner told the newspaper. A spokesman for the company, based in Hershey, Pa., about 80 miles west of Philadelphia, pointed out that each pouch -- made by two dissolvable mint strips -- bears the Ice Breakers logo. "It is not intended to simulate anything," said spokesman Kirk Saville. Saville would not directly respond to questions about whether Hershey has plans to change the product's appearance or whether anyone in law enforcement or inside the company has previously raised a concern about it. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

AIDS: What's The Plan? Show me the plan.

When the United States offers aid to developing world countries to address their AIDS epidemics, we require them to have a national strategy to reduce new infections and provide treatment. Yet, 26 years into the AIDS epidemic and over 30 million deaths provides a roadmap for effective delivery of services and steadily improved results. It is time we do the same to address the epidemic at home. America has allowed its domestic AIDS epidemic to become a chronic public health problem characterized by persistent levels of new infection, needless mortality, insufficient access to care, and disturbing racial disparities. The US's investments in AIDS prevention, care and research have paid off in thousands of lives saved and infections prevented, but too many citizens are denied the benefits of these investments. New approaches are needed to help Americans hold their government, and themselves, accountable for steady progress against the complex challenges involved in the domestic AIDS epidemic. It is time the develops what it asks of other nations that it supports in combating AIDS: a national plan that provides a roadmap for concrete and equitable results. Continue reading AIDS: What's The Plan? Show me the plan.

HBO To Make Film Based on Barry Bonds

The book recounts how Bonds allegedly began using steroids in 1999 after becoming jealous of Mark McGwire setting Major League Baseball's single season home run mark the previous season. In case you are a Bonds fan who is on the fence on whether the all-time home run leader took steroids or not, reading 'Game of Shadows' will leave little doubt in your mind when you're done with it. But the real question is, who should play Barry Bonds? If Blair Underwood were willing to shave his head, i think he could be a close match. Granted, nobody's head is close to being the size of Bonds Lance Williams, a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, said that Ron Shelton has been tapped to direct the flick and will co-write the script with "Tin Cup" partner John Norville once the Hollywood writers strike is settled. Williams co-wrote 'Game of Shadows' along with former Chronicle sportswriter Mark Fainuru-Wada. HBO Films is planning on turning the best selling book 'Game of Shadows' about MLB slugger Barry Bonds. The book recounts how Bonds allegedly began using steroids in 1999 after becoming jealous of Mark McGwire setting Major League Baseball's single season home run mark the previous season. In case you are a Bonds fan who is on the fence on whether the all-time home run leader took steroids or not, reading 'Game of Shadows' will leave little doubt in your mind when you're done with it. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

WILL SMITH HEADED FOR GRAUMAN'S CEMENT: Actor to be immortalized during hand and footprint ceremony next month.

It's Will Smith's turn to join the ranks of Hollywood legends Sidney Poitier, Eddie Murphy and others, whose hands and feet are immortalized in the pavement outside of world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. The rapper-turned-actor will stick his extremities into the wet cement during a ceremony to take place on Dec. 10 at 11:30 a.m. Smith, star of the upcoming action thriller "I Am Legend," was selected for the honor due to his tremendous box-office success in such films as "Men in Black," "Independence Day," "I Robot," "Ali" and "The Pursuit of Happyness."The Grauman's ceremony precedes the Dec. 14 opening of "I Am Legend," which stars Smith as the last man on earth following an apocalyptic event.

CT Scan Overuse May Up Cancer Risk

Radiation from the increasingly popular computed tomography scanning machines may be causing cancer, a new study finds, but experts say this shouldn't deter people who need the scans from getting them.In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York estimate that CT scans could cause as much as 2 percent of all cancers in the United States in the next 20 to 30 years. Some experts point out that this is just a theoretical estimate based on data from Japanese victims of the atomic bomb. Still, the predictions have many worried about the possible increase in cancer risk that accompanies these tests. "It has been pretty clearly demonstrated that [radiation] doses in CT scans have increased cancer risk," says study author David Brenner, a professor of radiation oncology at Columbia."Although the risks for any one person are not large, the increasing exposure to radiation in the population may be a public health issue in the future."And while radiologists agree that there are cancer risks associated with CT scans, they say that no controlled epidemiological studies have been done to show how great this risk is. "There is no definitive evidence to suggest the risk is as bad as they state," says Dr. Carl Schultz, professor of clinical emergency medicine at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. "I'm not saying radiation is good. I am saying we have absolutely no idea what the real lifetime risk from CTs is."
CT imaging is used today to diagnose a wide array of diseases -- from hemorrhages in the brain to cancer in lungs to appendicitis. During the procedure, X-ray machines rotate around a section of the body, taking cross-sectional pictures that computers assemble into a 3-D image. Although the image is a big improvement over conventional X-rays, the radiation dose that patients receive is also much higher. Researchers say an abdominal CT scan exposes patients to 50 times more radiation than an X-ray of the same region does. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

SPOKEN WORD SOUL FESTIVAL

Panel Discussion moderated by Weyland Southton, Hard Knock Radio.

Terrence Howard Featured In 'Awake' With Jessica Alba

It seems like every week or so, there's a film featuring Terrence Howard! I thought Samuel L. Jackson made more films in one year than anyone, but Howard is challenging that position. Since the Fall season began, Howard's been in 'The Hunting Party' with Richard Gere, 'The Brave One' with Jodie Foster, and most recently was seen in 'August Rush' with Robin Williams. Still on the plate is 'The Perfect Holiday' with Queen Latifah. Coming out this week is 'Awake', which has him starring with Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen. "Awake" is a psychological thriller about a common occurrence called "anesthetic awareness", a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient's (Hayden Christensen) failed anesthesia leaves fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. The patient's charming new wife (Jessica Alba) is forced to struggle with her own demons as a terrifying drama unfolds around the couple. Also starring Lena Olin, Terrence Howard, and Sam Robards, the film marks the debut of Joby Harold. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER

Jill Scott says "Excuse me?"

Being a Grammy-winning soul sista doesn't mean you won't get called "the n-word" in 2007! But ya'll know Jilly from Philly don't take any foolery......she was alone, "waiting outside for the valet to bring the car round, and these … I say kids, but they must have been 25, looking wealthy, five-o'clock-in-the-morning wasted. And this guy's saying, 'Step back nigger, step back nigger.' He's saying it like it's a song, but there's nobody out there but me. I was taken aback, and I said, 'Excuse me?'Continue reading to see what she did next!

And he said, 'Shut your mouth and don't say a word when a white man is talking.'
"I'm not kidding. I started laughing, and I followed him and his cohorts through the parking lot laughing hysterically, and they became more and more uncomfortable. It was one of the best moments of outrageous laughter I've had. "To think for one moment I could possibly fit into that box … I am so far from that word that it is funny. They looked so uncomfortable; I wanted to emasculate him, to make sure he was getting no nookie that night. The girls sobered up and were looking scared. It was something else - the first time in my life I've been called that. Wow. But I enjoyed it. You must fight back; it's imperative. I like the fight in me now." [SOURCE] Way to handle it! Loves it...

WORLD AIDS WEEK OAKLAND, CA.

Oakland's World AIDS Week
Featuring Talib Kweli, Martin Luther, Sunny Hawkins & More!
PLUS
Thursday, November 29

Join us at Laney College from 6pm-9pm for a special screening of the FIlm "Life Support" starring Queen Latifah and panel discussion including stars from the Film "Life Support"

Brazil stops to mark black rights

Thousands of people have taken part in celebrations and protests in Brazil to mark Black Consciousness day. Two of Brazil's biggest cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - shut down for the day. Events were also held in towns and municipalities across Brazil. The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva designated 20 November as Black Consciousness day in 2003. It commemorates the 17th Century slave leader Zumbi dos Palmares, who was beheaded by the Portuguese. 'Respect and equality' In Sao Paulo, where organisers said 30,000 people attended the festivities, rappers and other black musicians performed outside the Se Cathedral. Inside the cathedral, a Catholic Mass was celebrated that incorporated Afro-Brazilian religious rituals, reported Globo Online. The state governor, Jose Serra, spoke of the "necessity for respect and equality". Brazil has more people with black ancestry than any other country outside Africa. But there are very few black people in the higher echelons of society, including government, Congress and top posts in the civil service and armed forces, say correspondents. Studies point to a huge economic gulf between the country's black and white population. [Source: BBC News]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

U.S. prison system a costly and harmful failure: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people in U.S. prisons has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to taxpayers and society, researchers said in a report calling for a major justice-system overhaul. The report on Monday cites examples ranging from former vice-presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby to a Florida woman's two-year sentence for throwing a cup of coffee to make its case for reducing the U.S. prison population of 2.2 million -- nearly one-fourth of the world's total. It recommends shorter sentences and parole terms, alternative punishments, more help for released inmates and decriminalizing recreational drugs. It said the steps would cut the prison population in half, save $20 billion a year and ease social inequality without endangering the public. But the recommendations run counter to decades of broad U.S. public and political support for getting tough on criminals through longer, harsher prison terms and to the Bush administration's anti-drug and strict-sentencing policies."President (George W.) Bush was right," in commuting Libby's perjury sentence this year as excessive, the report said. But he should also have commuted the sentences of hundreds of thousands of other Americans, it said."Our contemporary laws and justice system practices exacerbate the crime problem, unnecessarily damage the lives of millions of people (and) waste tens of billions of dollars each year," it said.The report was produced by the JFA Institute, a Washington criminal-justice research group, and its authors included eight criminologists from major U.S. public universities. It was funded by the Rosenbaum Foundation and by financier and political activist George Soros' Open Society Institute. SOURCE OF THIS POST

DANCIN IN A UGANDA REFUGEE CAMP: "WAR/DANCE" COMES TO NYC

According to the Angelika Film Center: "Already generating Oscar buzz, “War/Dance” is an uplifting and enlightening documentary about three young African girls. Devastated by the raging war in their home in Northern Uganda, they find hope as they make a historic journey to compete in their country’s national music and dance festival with their school in the Patongo refugee camp." Sounds interesting, especially for performance studies gurus. Lets just hope this film doesn't subscribe to the colonial, ethnographic exotics of the Angelika's last "afro-diasporic" documentary: Asger Leth's deeply problematic (though aesthetically gorgeous) Ghosts of Cite Soleil.

The Ceremony

Short Film dealing with male partners that through turmoil and drama met challanges to hold their relationship together for 9 years, finally deciding it's time they have their dream commitment ceremony.

FDA to consider salt content of processed foods

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Think cooking the perfect Thanksgiving dinner is stressful? Something else is far more likely to raise your blood pressure: salt hidden in all those goodies. Don't blame the chef. Much of that salt was hidden from him or her, too. Americans eat nearly two teaspoons of salt daily, more than double what they need for good health -- and it's not because of the table salt-shaker. Three-fourths of that sodium comes inside common processed foods like stuffing mix, gravy, and yes, pumpkin pie. Even raw turkey, which is naturally low in sodium, sometimes is injected with salt water before it reaches the store, a lot more salt than a home cook might sprinkle on. You have to read the brand's fine print to tell. Now public health specialists are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to require food makers to cut the sodium. In a hearing set for next week, they will call the government intervention crucial to fighting heart disease."There's just a growing scientific consensus that current levels of salt in the diet are one of the biggest health threats to the public," says Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group that filed the FDA petition triggering the meeting."This is truly urgent," adds Dr. Stephen Havas of the American Medical Association. "We need to act."The AMA says cutting in half the sodium in processed and restaurant foods within 10 years could wind up saving 150,000 lives annually.The grocery industry knows there's a problem: Food makers and CSPI put aside their differences for an unprecedented, closed-door meeting on how to reduce sodium last month. And the salt content of many foods has inched down in recent decades. But manufacturers argue they don't have tasty ways to make deeper cuts in salt, and fear consumer backlash if they slash it. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

The Future of Black Television

November 15, 2007--Last week, several hundred journalists, students, television and Internet executives from around the world gathered in New York City for a conference called The Future of Television. Presented by Digital Media Wire, a digital entertainment news source, the purpose was to discuss where the medium is going and what we should expect in this ever changing landscape.There's no question that the television business is rapidly changing. No longer is TV content restricted to the tube. "The era of appointment television is gone, never to return," said Warner Bros. Television Group President Bruce Rosenblum, in his keynote address at the conference speaking of our current TV environment. Television programming is now available on a host of alternative devices, including the Internet, cell phones, iPods, and other mobile devices. In our ever busy society, more and more consumers are calling the shots on when and where to watch their favorite shows, an issue that has been at the center of the current writer’s strike in Hollywood. With the blast of new media outlets has come a fractured marketplace over the past 20 years. Rosenblum explained that in 1987, we had only three major networks: NBC, ABC, and CBS. There was also FOX, which, at the time, was a fledgling network and did not air every night. That same year the networks garnered a whooping 78% of the television market. "The No.1 show in America was The Cosby Show, which had 30 million viewers," he explained. Today, however, it's a different ball game. Rosenblum points out that FOX is now a full-fledged network and it, along with the other big three, now have only 38% of the market. What is perhaps most illuminating is the fact that the No.1 show in the country today is not a family sitcom but the reality show American Idol, which garners 18 million viewers. And it airs on FOX. Yes, much has changed in TV land. With so many entertainment options and more transformation on the horizon as technology continues to advance exponentially, the question becomes: What role will African American television play in this evolving space? According to a 2007 Nielsen Consumer Insight report, The African American Consumer: Is the Cultural Divide Breaking Down, African Americans spend 10 hours and 48 minutes per day watching TV. Leaving aside the debatably harmful health and social consequences of too much TV, that’s nearly three hours more each day than the U.S. total. Those figures stretch across the board with regard to age and gender. In fact, the report indicates that total day viewing by African Americans exceeds that of the total U.S. by 41%; adults 55 and over had the highest viewing levels. But it's not just television with which African Americans are enamored. The Nielsen study also reports that African Americans are early adapters with regard to technology. On average, the study finds, African Americans' rate of acceptance of the newest technologies like HDTV televisions, movies on demand, (both free and subscription), and HDTV services exceeds the national average. African American households use such products at higher rates than whites, Hispanic, and Asian households. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression

Overton takes a wonky but worthy look at the "matrix" of "thousands of election regulations and practices" that can discourage—if not completely suppress—citizens from voting or make their votes count less. A law professor and election reform activist, Overton makes concrete proposals for restoring power to voters. Redistricting, he says, is often conducted in a partisan manner; Overton recommends that the United States assign the responsibility to an independent commission. He calls for federal standards for counting ballots and the provision of voting machines. The much-debated Voting Rights Act, Overton argues, remains vital, though those invoking it should more carefully analyze "practices that disadvantage voters of color." In answer to those bilingual education opponents who might withhold "democracy from Americans with limited English skills," he also argues that bilingual ballots would "advance citizen engagement." Overton warns that a photo ID requirement for voting would exclude those (e.g., the poor, many people of color) who don't have driver's licenses. Citing relatively low voter turnout and lack of centralized election oversight, the author notes how the United States "deviates from democratic norms" of other established democracies, concluding with profiles of activists to inspire the citizens' movement needed to enact the sensible reforms he advocates. (June) SOURCE OF THIS STORY

One Million To Be Tested by Black HIV/AIDS Day

Organizers and sponsors of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) are encouraging 1 million black people to get tested for the disease between now and February at local clinics and hospitals. Communities across the country are going to be bombarded with the message to "Get educated, get tested, get involved, and get treated," says LaMont "Monty" Evans, CEO of Healthy Black Communities, the lead organization for NBHAAD. The purpose of testing 1 million black people is four-fold:

• Spread prevention awareness
• Know your status
• Get involved in education
• Seek continual treatment if you're HIV positive

Organizers want to spread awareness about the disease and how to avoid the risk of contracting it. Founded by five organizations funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1999, Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day has recruited the help of celebrity spokespeople to get its message out. NBHAAD will call upon the likes of Colin Powell, T.D. Jakes, Cheryl Lee Ralph, Patti LaBelle, NFL coach Tony Dungy, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to participate in a nationwide media blitz, starting today, to motivate people to learn their HIV status. NBHAAD organizers will also rely on TV One, Radio One, CNN, and BET to spread the word. "We are using a network of 305 organizations that the CDC funds for prevention in the African American community," Evans says. He adds, Evans says "Contributions, donations, and resources from the black business community would help to achieve the goal much quicker and help turn the epidemic around."Organizers want people to learn their status. According to Gilead Sciences, producer of a leading HIV medication, one in four African Americans with HIV do not know that they are infected with the virus (See "A Black Plague," December 2006). "If you don't know your HIV status, you don't know enough about HIV," Evans says. "Knowing is half the battle. There is nothing to fear, because if you test positive, you can get treated and live longer. If you are positive and don't know you status you are compromising your health. Not knowing your HIV status is not an option." Each year, between 60,000 and 70,000 people are tested on Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 and 34, and the third leading cause of death of black Americans between 25 and 34."With each test that is taken, patients are counseled on how to not put themselves at risk for this disease," says Dr. Judith Lightfoot, an internal medicine and infectious-disease specialist at the Garden State Infectious Diseases Associates, a performance-enhancement center that is nationally recognized as a model AIDS/HIV program. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Oakland 4th-most perilous U.S. city

OAKLAND — Oakland was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States on Sunday by a controversial but closely watched private-research group that publishes a list of the country's most dangerous cities annually. Nearby Richmond came in at No. 9.Oakland jumped four spots, from No. 8 last year, in this year's "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America," which was published by CQ Press, a unit of Congressional Quarterly Inc. "Obviously, it's not something we can ignore," said City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente (Glenview-Fruitvale). "I think that unfortunately, let's face it, we have not been able to deal with some of the main sources of crime." De La Fuente said city officials did not do enough over the past 12 months to attack the problem. "I don't think we've done a very good job, collectively," he said, "that's the mayor, that's the chief of police and that's the council. ... We have increasing crime in neighborhoods that have historically been safer than they are today." Detroit earned the dubious title of most dangerous city in America. It was followed by St. Louis and Flint, Mich. After Oakland, at No. 4., came Camden, N.J.; Birmingham, Ala.; North Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Richmond; and Cleveland. Landing in the top 10 in the 2007 rankings, which were based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime data for 2006, is not shocking for Oakland. "We don't need a poll to tell us that public safety is the No. 1 issue in the hearts and minds of Oakland residents and the top priority for the mayor's administration," said Paul Rose, a spokesman for Mayor Ron Dellums. He attacked the credibility of the report. "The FBI questions the use of the statistics, which forces many to question the validity of such a poll," he said. The FBI distanced itself from the report. "These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region," the FBI said in a statement on its Web site. "Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents." Indeed, criminologists and law enforcement across the country pan the most-dangerous cities list when it is published every year. This year, the report looked at 378 cities with at least 75,000 people. Its conclusions were based on per-capita rates for homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft. SOURCE OF THIS STORY