Condolences

Denise Adams, left, Charles Smith and Carrie Barlow died in a medical helicopter crash in Fayette County. Adams, 43, a respiratory therapist, and Barlow, 43, a nurse, worked for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Smith, the Hospital Wing helicopter pilot, formerly worked for the Memphis Police Department.

The Facts

I don't know how I feel about this case yet. But I do know race relations are at a feverish pitch in this country.  Based on the way this story is being covered and the resulting message board comments. People are choosing sides and making presumptions based on race alone. Now let's not jump to conclusions.We don't know the facts

Leave The Fighting Alone

A hard head makes a soft behind. I'm not so sure a couple of nights behind bars will be enough to scare Chris Brown straight. He is in trouble again. It's going to take more for him than it would for Justin Bieber. I think twenty-four hours in a holding cell would straighten him out. But Chris might be a different story. He might be a troublemaker without the bodyguards. This is your local neighborhood street thug who happens Io be a millionaire. His mentality is that of a dope boy.

I always thought he got a raw deal when it came to Rhianna. But maybe I was wrong. Considering the things he has done since then. I think these celebrities going to jail might be giving the wrong impression  If the truth was known T.I indirectly paid for his juice behind bars like he does on the street. Ja Rule wasn't in a state prison. He got locked up for income tax evasion.  In essence a stupid crime. Having a qualified tax attorney would have prevented that. I look at Ja Rule and Irv Gotti and see two fools.

These guys are earning sometimes $100,000 a night.  But they're sitting behind bars for free.  Even Lil Scrappy knows incarceration doesn't help his bottom line. The only rapper that made a record behind bars is dead. Not a day passes that someone doesn't mention Tupac. He was killed for this same type foolishness.  If he  was still living he would be bigger than Lil Wayne and Jay Z.  They leave the fighting alone.

Not Checking For You

When you first hear "Lil Mama" make accusations about "Nicki Minagi" stealing her style. At first it sounds crazy. But when you listen to some of her old records and watch her old videos, you see what she is talking about. I say she is suffering from what I call the "Sissy Nobby Syndrome". It's when you see somebody else (Big Freedia) blowing up with what you started. You recognize  your handiwork right away. But for some  reason people aren't checking for you.   

Not A Good Look

If a cat really has nine lives. Janis Fullilove must be a feline. I thought there was already an ethics clause in place on the council. But it must not have any teeth.This new initiative by Councilman Edmund Ford Jr.was put in place just for her. She has been charged with DUI, domestic violence and acquiring a fraudulent drivers license after hers' had been revoked. Now she is being accused of being at the council meeting under the influence of alcohol. The absence last week was not a coincidence. A move to cover herself on her latest ordeal is already underway.

Why would you want the record not to reveal your position, not just how you voted? That sounds like you're dealing in deceit. All this money going to Cooper Young, Downtown, Harbour Town and Overton Square  requires seven votes on the council. She wants the doors to stay open for her to get her share of the bribes. Edmund Ford Jr and Harold Collins are tired of being the whipping boys while Joe Brown and Myron Lowery are somewhat irrelevant. The only one making money under the table is Wanda Halbert. You don't hear her at all these days. Lee Harris is being used by both sides. So don't rest your cares on him. He is that soft one in the window.

Pride always comes before destruction. People are getting tired of having their intelligence taken for granted.  You can't just continue to tell your supporters whatever comes to mind. Having people like Greg Grant, Karl Shledwitz and David Upton on speed dial is problematic. None of them would make a good character reference. She even has ties to the societal misfit. You aren't responsible for the actions of others. But birds of a feather flock together. In any event. That's not a good look.

 

One Contract At A Time

Thank God for the people of the council who consider the citizens of Memphis before they make the fiinal vote..Robert Lipscomb was bold enough to tell the truth. Southbrook Mall has been a flop since I  was a child. The biggest store they've ever had is Service Merchandise. And it closed over thirty years ago.  They haven't had a substantial tenant since then. The only other big store they had was Barzizza Brothers. They're still open in another part of town. The mall went the way of the neighborhood.

I knew something was fishy when Janis Fullilove was pushing so hard for this  project.   I knew her hands were in the cookie jar  I just didn't know to what extent.   The "Commercial Appeal" isn't easily fooled like the listeners of WDIA. She isn't beyond misplacing money. What did she and Norman  Redwing do with the Caitlin fund?. I don't  trust anyone using Suntrust Bank to collect money. They were still collecting funds after the Caitlin house was already torn down  That was a small endeavor compared to this. This was supposed to be a big score.

When this guy's name came up it all made perfect sense. Greg Grant is a lawyer without a license.Janis Fullilove is a faithful client. He has had a ring in her nose I know for the last ten yrars. Greg Grant wants to be a Karl Schledwitz  He has made a living off the loopholes in the law.Everything he has been involved with, has had money to come up missing. The plan was to buy the building cheap, and let Janis squeeze the council for a grant. The project has extensive remodeling and construction. Then siphon as much money as possible off the top one contract at a time.

  

15 Carat Diamond

I'm not surprised that Kimye would make this marriage proposal a big deal.  Don't believe for one minute this whole thing wasn't planned. We'll get to see this whole thing later.,  It will be seen on "Keeping up with the  Kardashians" this season  Just like the wedding whenever it happens. The bets are already being made that it won't last. But I think it will. At least for quite some time anyway. Kim really wants to be married. She just wants somebody to cherish her. This might be the one. She is probably the best looking woman Kanye ever had. This is the first time for Kanye and the third for Kim. Hopefully it will be the last one for both of them.

These two are in a good place here. Kanye has finally pulled the woman of his dreams. One of his immediate goals in life is to have a hot woman that doesn't need his money. He thinks they're just using him for his dough. He might be partially right. How many available young women share his wealth?  His ego suffered major damage after his split with Amber Rose. Landing on the likes of Kim Kardashian softens the blow though. Like her or not Kim is a beauty. She could hang in a room full of Brazilian babes and not be out of place. Kim is the only good looking woman Kanye can get with enough money, to trick him out of his. He isn't Rhianna's or Nicki Minaj's  type. And Mariah Carey is married. So it's Kim hands down. He bought her a 15 carat diamond ring.

Coached

What goes around comes around. That being said. These three women can expect totally different outcomes. Marlo is an opportunist. and NeNe is a instigator, Birds of a feather flock together. But they eventually bump heads. What brought them together at some point will tear them apart. Kenya is good at putting one hundred on ten. She tends to stretch the truth a bit. According to her this whole thing is beneath her.Which all make good story lines. This is reality, not  just television. That's why this program is so popular. People can relate to every character on this show.

The other women are good too. But they are predictable. The three lades above make you set the DVR.  This show is on it's sixth season. The networks are in heaven.  They don't have to pay the big salaries anymore. Even though NeNe is very rich. Right now she is the latest flavor. Will she be a viable actress twenty years from now? Who would you rather pay? NeNe Leakes or Susan Lucci? The reality shows are putting the actors and actresses out of work. Let's see if NeNe's charisma crosses over to the "New Normal". Let 's see if other roles are to follow. Like an athlete in the rough. Can they be coached?.
 

Future Meets The Past

For my taste I would probably lean toward Kim Kardashian, but Anastasia Ashley is the cat's meow on this one. Myla Sinamaji looks good too. They are all good looking women. But Kim is the standard. Don't leave out Melissa Molinari. This is how Kim looked before she had a baby. This is how she looked in her younger days. This is like the future meets the past.

Behind

Kim Kardashian took this photo 100 times before she got this shot. The girl looks good but part of the beauty of  this picture is the angle.This whole thing was planned. From the lighting and the mirrors to Kanye posting on Instagram. Kim can't wait to be pictured somewhere everyday. Khloe is getting all the attention recently. How does it feel to be behind?

More Ways Than One

I have been watching Jamie Foxx for over twenty years and I have never known him to have a woman. He supposedly has two children, but you have never seen their mothers.  I became suspicious after I heard an interview with his best childhood friend. It  was unclear what kind of relationship they have now. But they didn't talk to anyone but him. If Jamie had a pretty woman. As braggadocios as this man is, he couldn't keep it to himself. He wouldn't have to tell anybody anyway. Jamie Foxx is a multi-millionaire and a celebrity. His lady wouldn't stay a mystery.

We hear about these lavish parties and hear about his smoothness with the ladies. But this guy is forty-five years old and he has never been romantically attached to anyone. Periodically someone leaks a rumor and the question is put on the back burner again. The only proof of him liking women is his public kiss with Fantasia.  Which supposedly led to a rendezvous. I just think that was a show. Based on how his daughter looks. He has a type. Is he funny in more ways than one?

A Fool

I have noticed somewhat of a pattern with Khloe Kardashian. She is the most down to earth of her mother and sisters. But this chick is sort of  scandalous herself. If she looked as good as Kim. You couldn't hit her on the behind with a wrecking ball. Everybody is so busy feeling sorry for her. They forget how she get  in these situations in the first place.She is always hooking up with somebody elses man.. She took Lamar from a thirteen year relationship and engagement with two kids. Now she is hanging out with the Game who is engaged to and has two small children by another  woman. He even has a  reality show about his life " Marrying The Game".

I hope Khloe doesn't give this guy too much credit because he has a lot of money. This guy is a pistol with a hair  trigger. It's just a matter of time until he shoots off. As much money as this guy has, he still is into this gang banging lifestyle. On more than one occasion this guy has been caught on camera starting fights. Right now to Khloe that  might might be exciting. But she isn't about that life. She might think she has found the perfect replacement for Lamar. Kim had a baller, now she has a rapper. Khloe is trying to do it too. Once again I think she has bitten off more than she can chew. Kanye is a frankfurter, but Game is a fool.

Fans Don't Like Her

In hindsight looks like this whole "Basketball Wives LA" was a set up to get Laura Govan. The original plan was to have her try to rescue her sister from Shauunie's wrath.. But Gloria could hold her own with the girls. She didn't need any help. Shaunie and Evelyn couldn't intimidate her. She didn't stay around  to let  them catch her with her guard down. But she is from Compton. She knows how to fight. Shaunie had to start a whole new show in another city to catch her. So when Laura says the only reason there is a show is because of her and her sister. She is telling the truth. She just doesn't tell it all. That's where Shaunie got even with Laura. Even though she was never on the set..

Laura Govan blames the show's falling ratings on hiring non-wives. Someone needs to tell her, "almost doesn't count". Having two or three babies doesn't make you a wife. The only wives on the show were Jackie Christy and Malaysia Pargo. The rest of them were girlfriends and baby's mamas. Gloria Govan finally married Matt Barnes after going through the "Money Game" crew. So when it comes to the virtue of these women. The pot can't call the kettle black. As far as Laura calling the other women Hoes. No one can talk about the other. Except when Draya took it to another level. When she announced that she was gay.

Laura's fate was sealed the first episode of the show. She never recovered from the beating she got from Malaysia. She tried to beat up on Draya to save face. That just made things worse. She even loss a lot of weight, but that didn't help. In case her and Laura  tried to double team Malaysia. They brought in reinforcements. First they brought in her cousins. nightmare. But that didn't add enough drama.. So in comes Bambi and shut the sisters down. She was heir worst nightmare. Laura must not read the blogs. The fans don't like her

Poison The Well

I don't think the new television series " Preachers Of LA" is a good look for successful pastors. The point that I think should be driven home is:  Luke 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house."  If a man is able to gain material wealth from his preaching the word of God.  I have no problem with that. Even though we are dealing with men of the cloth. I predict butting of heads because we are dealing with five  black men and one white with money. Egos no doubt are going to collide.

I noticed only five  men are in this above picture. In the first episode there were six.  Has one of them quit already. Other than this show. Do these ministers even fellowship?  I can see Deitrick Haddon and Clarence McClendon bumping heads. McClendon is the one not like the other. No matter how many awards Deitrick gets and records he sells.  Pastor McClendon's congregation and followers know better. They are too mature in the faith to drink the milk.They know a pastor shouldn't be having children outside of marriage. He is not operating according to scripture. And neither is Noel Jones. He and Deitrick Haddon are two peas in a pod. Noel Jonrs is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He preys on the flock.

People these days often turn a testimony into a ministry. Just because you stopped using dope doesn't mean you were called to preach. Ron Gibson and Jay Hazlip are hard time preachers. People always get religion after a troubling ordeal.  I'm not saying they're not real. I just don't care for focus groups. The message of the gospel is the same for Bloods, Crips, Vice Lords and everybody else.The truth is in the retention. How many gang bangers and party goers have actually changed their lives? Christianity is not a quick fix. According to Pastor Gibson"They see my glory, but  they don't know my story". But the glory is why people listen to you. I bet they get a lot of  converts at funerals and altar calls.

The jury is still out on Wayne Chaney and his wife Myesha. He is from the old school of religion His grandfather founded Antioch Church 52 years ago. He knows how to do it whether he does the right thing or not. I think he has gotten hung up on the hype himself. So far with him I haven't seen the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by some of the others. But he might be hen pecked. The way to get to him is through his wife. This show is what folks will do for money and power. Deitrick Haddon, one of the shows producers is an unemployed pastor. He doesn't have a 3000 member congregation. His ministry is on his back. He spit the silver spoon out of his mouth. Now he wants to poison the well.

You Can Win

 

The best time to enter a political race for a newcomer is a special election. Raumesh Akbari pulled off a major upset in the Dist.91 seat left vacant after the death of Rep. Lois Deberry.She did have more name recognition than five of the other candidates. But not more than one, Kemba Ford. I'm sure her father John Ford and the rest of her family are still scratching their heads.  They can't believe this little chubby woman with a Jheri Curl beat Kemba who looks like a runway model.  When less than 2000 voters show up at the polls. It's about your team. A good treasurer and campaign manager. Coupled with a good deed and a commercial on the  "Thaddeus Matthews Show'. You can win. 

Topped

Khloe is a BMW on  a Bentley lot.  She looks good until you put her next to Kim and Kourtney. When they say 99.9% could that .1% mean the father had some help? Khloe has some traits of a different father than the other girls. She is a amazon, her sisters are petite. It's a matter of choice. Everybody doesn't like a Layla Ali. Looking at her in this picture, looks like she needs trimming. Lamar better get it together. Before she gets topped.

Cheaper To Keep Him

If I had been asked about the future of this couple, I would have predicted this split. Bruce and Kris Jenner have separated after 22 years of marriage. Kris Jenner is a slore. She has been living vicariously through her daughters, especially Kim for years. There is even rumor of her being in a sex tape.The last time I watched an episode of "Keeping Up With The Kaedashians". The girls were trying to convince their mother not to meet up with the man  who caused her to leave their father. Then she had to be called out for inappropriate behavior with her step-sons. For a married woman, she has always been to fresh with other men. Her daughters want a player, but she wants an owner who has had a couple of wives. She initiated this.separation She has already started dating. The box is hot.

My guess is Bruce must not be putting it down in the bedroom. Kris talks to him any kind of way these days. That's a tell tale sign. He was gone from the house for two days one time and she didn't even notice he was gone. He must not be sleeping in the bed with her. In many ways  this is like Khloe and Lamar. Except she still has the light on for him. Another thing is Lamar has a $30 million bank account.  Bruce is worth something as well.  But not as much as Lamar on his own. His biggest asset is Kris. These women don't want to divorce these men. Especially Kris. It's cheaper to keep him. 

Take Him Back

I think I know why Khloe is so slow about making a move on Lamar concerning his drug use. They claim this has been going on for two years. But I don't believe that because he was still playing in the NBA. He was still earning millions as a professional basketball player. I don't think when the two got married there was any indication of something like this happening.  If anything Khloe expected to at least be married to a Matt Barnes or a Kenny Smith. If not playing on some team, being an analyst on some television show. But it hasn't worked out that way.

A strange thing has happened in the interim since they exchanged vows. She now is a very wealthy woman married to a drug addict. A comment I once read put this in perspective. Khloe's nose was so wide open. Every time Lamar layed her on her back. He could see what she was thinking. She should've took note of how he treated Liza Morales. After twelve unmarried years and three out of wedlock children. In a few months he met and married  you. Khloe jumped in with no hesitation. Unlike her sister she can't just walk away. She might have to pay.

The Kardashian machine is working hard behind the scenes to clear Khloe's slate. Right now she is a mess. Notice how quiet the whole Kardashian family has been. The only one saying anything is Khloe and she isn't really talking. But you see a story about Lamar everyday. If they're waiting for him to hit rock bottom. They might be waiting for a while. Lamar is getting high and having sex with lawyers and strippers. Staying in a luxury hotel riding around in a Range Rover. He is having a ball, The break-up is harder on her.than him. If he acted half way right. She would take him back.

Shot

I alluded to this just last week in the Navy yard shooting. That shooter got less press than any mass murderer in recent history. Now we have a female who rammed the White House gate.  That's two
unexplained incidents in the same area in as many weeks. These acts were the equivalent of committing suicide. They just didn't pull the trigger themselves. Something must be in the water in the Washington D.C. area. Because both of these assailants were black. In both these cases they had to know they were going to be killed in the end. Both attacks occurred at government installations with all kinds of armed security on the premises.

When the culprit is black, the first thing they do is label them as crazy.  Anyone that does something like this has to have mental issues to a degree. Whether they are part of a group or not. It's going to make the same statement. The medications didn't work or they were hearing voices  If indeed she was taking any.Why did it take two days to reveal her picture? Could it be due to her race.. The liberal talk shows and news stations probably had to rewrite their headline stories. I bet they were all prepared to blame this on someone with " Tea Party" connections. But Miriam Carey looks like a stereotypical President Obama supporter.

With the Moorish American movement on the rise.  We should take black terrorism serious. I'm nit saying Miriam Carey or Aaron Alexis were part of a insurgent group. But it's a real possibility. The contradictory profiles start with their families Neither of the mothers really knew their children, And Carey's siblings are in denial. They think her life should have been spared. But this is not a video game. When you take the police on a high speed chase. No matter how pretty your smile is, you might get shot.

A Sponsor

The major local stations didn't cover this story. But it has been the buzz of the underground and the Internet for days.. Yvette Whiteside conducted the initial interview with Lashondra Matlock. But Thaddeus Matthews has given the story life. White people aren't  bothering themselves with this ni##ga stuff. This type behavior doesn't surprise them. Once again a black community leader has been found to be foul.  There is a difference between being right and not being wrong. That's what happened here.

Based on what I have read and heard so far. This is dirty laundry with a permanent stain. Pastor Adkins thought he had washed his hands and put this issue behind him. Child support begins when the guardian files the petition. Lashondra was eleven years old before her mother sought to establish paternity,. He let another man claim and pay for his daughter all those years.Then they kept it in court for five years longer. By the time the girl knew who her real father was she was seventeen years old. In light of the success of preacher's kids like Cameron Whalum. Having to make her way without the help of her father's influence is hard. The young lady feels cheated.

I haven't heard Lashondra yet, but I don't expect her to get a balanced interview from Thaddeus  Matthews. He was on his best behavior with the pastor. You  would have thought Willie Herenton was in the studio. And getting her mother to come on the show is out of the question. She is the common thread in all of this. Thaddeus claims he couldn't find anything wrong with Adkin's story. But naturally he wouldn't. Being a deadbeat father himself. He appreciates the slick maneuvers on Adkins part. Thaddeus brags about his relationship with his youngest daughter. But what about his other two children. I remember a few years ago Dominique posted a letter just like this about him.  Now Thaddeus is trying to play Big Papa. All girls want the security of a father. Since her mother has divorced all her stepfathers. Lashondra doesn't have a sponsor.

The Keys

After years of listening to Lisa Akbari promote her business. I finally got to the bottom of where it all got started. After farther investigation. I have found this to be a Taylor-Brown situation. Lisa Akbari was a hairdresser who with the help of her chemist husband Hussein Akbari has developed her own line of hair care products. Which she has parlayed into a beauty school and a college-credit course at Southwest Community College. She even has radio broadcasts on WDIA and WLOK.

Her shop was never a Jessie and Eliza's or a Marie's Coiffures. Those were the premiere shops back in the day. They were doing hair weaves when it was still a secret. Lisa's track record is not in the stylist chair. Her customers have special needs. She recognized women with scalp problems and who sweated in their heads. Which made using the chemicals problematic. Thus the natural hairstyles. She doesn't even do hair anymore.  All she does now is promote her hair care products.

I appreciate Mrs. Akbari's persistence. She had to make her way in a market that didn't necessarily embrace her talents. I didn't see her face for years and that's unusual. They usually have their faces on something. I only heard that unusual name for years. Since she introduced her daughter Raumesh Akbari as an important part of operations. I wondered why a beauty shop would need a lawyer? Now I think I have it figured out.. She wants to reorganize the local beauty industry. Almost like a union of sorts. Rate beauticians based on education.

Today she gave me a point of reference to start from\. She mentioned she is now working with Gandy's Barber Shop. That's where I paid for my first haircut.  Every successful barber and beautician in South Memphis has been through there at some point..He has helped a lot of people make a lot of money over the years fixinng hair. And I don't remember Lisa Akbari ever working for him. I know if William Gandy was still living. He wouldn't go along with this. She is trying to eradicate what has basically sustained him all these years. Operators who can do hair and want to make a lot of money. Making women pretty and men look good. With relaxers I might add. But they don't want the keys.

 

Edge Of Your Seat

This is an indication of what's in store for those who will watch the BET Hip Hop Awards. I have heard at least one of these women in the above photos referred to as rachet, but instead I call them ready. Ready to be the center of attention. Everybody couldn't pull it off. Black leather outfits seemed to rule the night. But there were obviously some standouts in the crowd. Good and bad alike. I don't know much about Lola Monroe. Other than the fact she is in the Wiz Khalifa camp and she can rap  She has that winning combination. Her beauty speaks for itself. She has been compared to Nicki Minaj. And I can see why.

I do know a little about Bambi though. She took a guest appearance on a spin-off show and kept it on the radar, People have pretty much forgotten about the rest of the cast members. I would be hard pressed to remember who else was on the show. You have to admit this gown is different, but she is pulling it off. The women laugh about  her being a hood rat behind her back, but they do it under their breath. Kandi Burrus is fascinated with her for sure. She is opening for 2 Chainz. She is the kind of woman that's like "I got your man". And the woman isn't sure she didn't. Lil Scrappy is a perfect example of this. Now Erica Dixon and Shay Johnson are in the same position as everyone. Sitting on the edge of your seat.