Friday, September 25, 2009

The Subject Was Nuclear Weapons

Published: September 24, 2009

With President Obama chairing the session and 13 other leaders around the table, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday intended to strengthen the fraying rules that are supposed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

It was a good-news moment. But also a reminder of the past limits of the Security Council’s will and effectiveness. In defiance of its orders, North Korea has tested two weapons and Iran continues to churn out nuclear fuel.

The resolution commits all member states to a long list of worthy goals, including ratification of the test ban treaty and adoption of stronger national controls on nuclear exports. But some of the countries around the table will have to do a lot more to prove that they mean it.

The resolution commits all United Nations members to enforcing current sanctions on Iran and North Korea. But those measures were seriously watered down — for political and economic reasons — by Russia and China. Russia’s president, Dmitri Medvedev, now says that he might be open to tougher measures on Iran if negotiations fail to bear fruit. China continues to oppose tougher penalties that may be the only chance for constraining Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The resolution set a practical target by urging states to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. The Security Council broke some new ground by warning that any member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that secretly develops a weapon and then withdraws from the treaty — North Korea’s route — will still be held responsible for its violations.

We wish the Security Council had called for states to end rather than minimize the use of highly enriched uranium — a potential bomb fuel — in medical research. And the resolution only encourages, rather than requires, governments to consider whether a state seeking to buy nuclear technology has accepted intrusive United Nations monitoring.

Fortunately, there will be opportunities to fine-tune these goals. A conference on nuclear security is scheduled for next April, and two weeks later the United Nations will review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which has been weakened by Bush-era neglect and Iranian and North Korean violations.

We applaud Mr. Obama for highlighting the nuclear dangers out there and pressing the world to address them. He still has a tough sell at home. He is far from the votes he needs for the Senate to ratify the test ban treaty. Some 150 countries have ratified it. But the treaty cannot take effect until other major holdouts — including China, India, Pakistan and Israel — also ratify it.

Washington’s failure gives them an all-too-convenient excuse. Mr. Obama will have to work hard to rally broader support.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Atlanta Judge Orders King Children to Discuss His Estate

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge on Monday ordered the surviving children of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King to hold a shareholders meeting to discuss their father’s estate.

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Pool photo by Ric Feld

Siblings sued Dexter King.

Two of the children, the Rev. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, sued their brother, Dexter King, last year to force him to open the books of their father’s estate. The lawsuit claimed that Dexter King, the estate’s administrator, had refused to provide documents concerning the estate’s operations.

Dozens of supporters and observers packed a hearing on Monday before Judge Ural D. Glanville in Fulton County Superior Court. They included former Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta and the Rev. Joseph Lowery, both of whom worked with Dr. King during the civil rights movement and remain close to the King family. Mr. Lowery said that the siblings had been in mediation trying to work things out, but that he was unsure of the outcome.

“Dexter’s the unknown factor,” Mr. Lowery said outside the hearing. “We just don’t know what he’s going to do. It’s hard to tell.”

Coretta Scott King died in 2006, and Yolanda King, the Kings’ eldest child, died in 2007, leaving the three remaining siblings as the sole shareholders and directors of their father’s estate. It is set up as a corporation, but there has not been a shareholders meeting since 2004.

Dexter King has also sued his sister, who administers their mother’s estate. He has asked a judge to force his sister to turn over Coretta Scott King’s personal papers, including love letters central to a $1.4 million book deal once being considered.

The siblings’ relationship has deteriorated in the tense climate created by their legal battle.

At least part of the legal battle could be headed to a jury trial next month. At issue would be whether Dexter King acted financially inappropriately in his role as president and chief executive of his father’s estate.

But relations among the siblings could be thawing. Martin Luther King III recently visited his brother in California after Dexter King shattered his right femur in a car accident in July, and observers say the siblings have been in talks to resolve their legal disputes.

Dexter King, who lives in California, did not attend the hearing on Monday. Lawyers said he was hospitalized for several weeks after the car accident, has had to use a walker and is not allowed to travel because he cannot sit in one position for long periods.

His brother and sister, who live in Atlanta, were in court for the hearing.

Sign in to Recommend Next Article in US (10 of 28) » A version of this article appeared in print on September 15, 2009, on page A15 of the New York edition.

SERENA APOLOGIZES BUT NOT LOCAL ONE FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST US

Serena Williams Fined After On Court Tirade

Rant Cost Williams $10,000, Match Point in Open Semifinals

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
Sept. 13, 2009

Serena Williams was fined $10,000 Sunday for a profanity-laced tirade directed at a U.S. Open line judge, and an investigation is under way to determine whether there should be additional punishment.

PHOTO Serena Williams yells at lineswoman at US Open.

Serena Williams of the US talks to US Open head referee Brian Earley after being penalized in her...

(TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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The $10,000 penalty — not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals at Flushing Meadows — is the maximum on-site fine that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament.

The U.S. Open said in a statement that the Grand Slam Committee Administrator will "determine if the behavior of Ms. Williams warrants consideration as a major offense for which additional penalties can be imposed."

Williams, who was the defending champion, also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of what became a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Kim Clijsters on Saturday night.

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Two points from losing in the second set, Williams faulted at 5-6, 15-30. On her second serve there, the line judge called a foot fault, making it 15-40 and giving Clijsters a match point. Williams began berating the line judge and a penalty point was awarded to Clijsters; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal.

"Last night, everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly," Williams said in a statement released Sunday by a public relations firm.

"I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience."

The chairman and CEO of the women's tennis tour, Stacey Allaster, issued a statement calling Williams' conduct Saturday "inappropriate and unprofessional."

"No matter what the circumstances, no player should be allowed to engage in such behavior without suffering consequences. I have spoken with the USTA about this matter and I agree with the action they have taken," Allaster said.

DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BUT JANET SAVES THEIR ASS

2009 09:05 AM ET

Janet Jackson single-handedly saves MTV VMA tribute to Michael Jackson

by Michael Slezak

Categories: Dancing Machines, Janet Jackson, MTV, Michael Jackson

There’s no way MTV would have (or should have) presented the 2009 VMAs without a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, the man who perhaps more than any artist ever, raised the business of making music videos into a rare and delectable art form. But while I can’t be sure how it looked live from Radio City Music Hall, I found the opening three and a half minutes of last night’s celebration played somewhat tepidly from my living-room couch. The hyper-fast cuts of the MTV cameras and the presence of a giant video screen playing “Thriller,” “Bad,” and “Smooth Criminal” made it difficult to focus on the actual dancing taking place on the stage. Yeah, I realize that by playing MJ’s greatest hits in the background, we were able to see just how lovingly his choreography was being recreated right there on the VMA stage — and today’s yoots who may have been unfamiliar with Jackson’s oeuvre (gasp!) got a glimpse of his genius — but the overall effect left me wondering why MTV bothered with the live dancing at all. Seriously, why not just replay a highlight reel of Michael’s most iconic dances?

Thankfully, though, at the 4:15 mark, Janet Jackson came to the rescue, shattering through a safety glass screen to recreate that classic “Scream” dance-off with her big brother. The woman whose “first name ain’t baby” may not have been 100% in sync with the video screen behind her, but so what? She worked that stage harder than an underpaid assistant doin’ overtime, and as tributes go, this was as energetic as it was heartfelt. I predict “Scream” on repeat on my iPod as I head to work this morning.

What did you think of last night’s MJ memorial? Were you touched by Janet’s appearance? And did anyone else get a case of the eeries hearing the line “Oh my God can’t believe what I saw as I turned on the TV this evening” in the wake of Michael’s death?

WHITNEY TELLS OPRAH BOBBY SPAT ON ME

Bobby Brown spat on me, Whitney Houston tells Oprah

September 15, 2009 - 9:33AM

Opening up ... Whitney Houston, left, chats to Oprah Winfrey. Photo: AP

Whitney Houston says ex-husband Bobby Brown was emotionally abusive during their marriage and at one point spat on her.

After a long absence from music, Houston is staging a career comeback with a new album last month and a two-part appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

On Monday, Houston told Winfrey that Brown wasn't physically abusive but that "he slapped me once but he got hit on the head three times by me".

The 46-year-old singer says she "was horrified he spit on me, in my face" and that left her "very hurt, very angry".

Houston says she was attracted to Brown because he had control in their relationship.

Houston is one of the best-selling artists of all time, but her career stalled as she grappled with drug problems and a troubled marriage to Brown.

What Do Public Tirades Say About Our Current State of Civility?

Kanye West, Serena Williams and Joe Wilson All Recently Lost Control in Public

By DAN HARRIS and REBECCA LEE
Sept. 14, 2009

Taylor Swift's music often centers on the drama and hostility of high school: mean girls, cheating boyfriends, and unrequited love. But at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, the teen singing sensation encountered a new breed of incivility.

PHOTO Serena Williams is shown on Sept. 12, 2009, left, Kanye West is shown on Sept. 13, center, and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C, is shown on Sept. 9, 2009.

From left, Serena Williams on Sept. 12, 2009, Kanye West on Sept. 13 and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C, on Sept. 9, 2009.

(Getty Images/AP Photos)

Moments after Swift received the award for "Best Female Video," rapper Kanye West stormed the stage, plucked the mic from her hand, and announced in front of the entire audience and millions of viewers at home that Beyonce Knowles had the best video and that she, instead of Swift, deserved the Moonman.

West's stunt came less than 24 hours after tennis giant Serena Williams unleashed a profanity-laden tirade against a line judge at the U.S. Open after what she apparently thought was a questionable call that put her a point away from loss in her semi-final match against Kim Clijsters.

The outburst cost her the match, when she was penalized a point for her behavior. And, on Sept. 9, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted "You lie!" at President Obama during his health care speech to a joint session of Congress.

Kanye West Creates Chaos at VMAs, Again

Serena Williams Fined After On Court Tirade

'You Lie' Congressman: No Double Apology

By all accounts, last week was chock full of bad behavior. But are these outbursts merely circumstantial, or are they an indication of a shift in our nation's values?

As one might imagine, the recent outbursts have touched off a cascade of talk about the "coarsening" of our culture.

"There is an increasing coarseness to American discourse," columnist George Will said. He blamed our impulsivity and rudeness on a "culture of entitlement" where we celebrate "emotional exhibitionism" on football fields, cable television, and the Internet.

"We've decided that it is therapeutic to express oneself no matter how coarse one's thoughts, and that whatever is therapeutic is good," Will said. "I think we're seeing a kind of emotional exhibitionism whereby people say, 'I said something ghastly, but I said it honestly and sincerely.' And honesty, sincerity, and authenticity are self-legitimizing."

Facing stiff penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct, Serena Williams said in a statement released Sunday she "handled the situation poorly" and thanked her fans "for understanding."

"Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result, handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience," she said in a written statement.

It was not until today that Williams made any public apology to the lineswoman she berated, to Clijsters, and to the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

OBAMA'S KENNEDY EULOGY HIGHLIGHT

Through his own suffering, Ted Kennedy became more alive to the plight and suffering of others - the sick child who could not see a doctor; the young soldier sent to battle without armor; the citizen denied her rights because of what she looks like or who she loves or where she comes from. The landmark laws that he championed -- the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, immigration reform, children's health care, the Family and Medical Leave Act -all have a running thread. Ted Kennedy's life's work was not to champion those with wealth or power or special connections. It was to give a voice to those who were not heard; to add a rung to the ladder of opportunity; to make real the dream of our founding. He was given the gift of time that his brothers were not, and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow.

TEDDY PASSES AWAY DYNASTY ENDS

Ted Kennedy dies: Chappaquiddick was the fatal flaw that haunted Kennedy's career

For more than 40 years, Edward Kennedy was the keeper of the flame, the last of a dynasty of Kennedy brothers who enjoyed an almost mystical status in the American political scene.

By Our Foreign Staff
Published: 11:29PM BST 17 May 2008

(L-R) Robert F. Kennedy, Ted, Edward Kennedy and John F. Kennedy: Ted Kennedy dies: Chappaquiddick was the fatal flaw that haunted Kennedy's career

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (C) with his brothers U. S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (L) and President John F. Kennedy at the White House in Washington, 1962 Photo: AP

Four decades after assassins bullets claimed two of his elder brothers, 77-year-old Edward Moore Kennedy, the patriarch of what many still regard as America’s first family, has died.

The senior senator from Massachusetts is one of only six men in American history to have served 40 years in the upper house of the US legislature.

Over his career he has won the respect of friend and foe alike for his uncompromising liberal views, coupled with his willingness to reach across the aisle to cut deals with political foes like President George W. Bush.

The first president Bush even gave him an award for public service in 2003, saying: “There were times when we were at each other’s political throats, but at the end of the day, we are Americans who love our country and want the very best for it.”

But there was a darker side. It was not just that the images of the three Kennedy brothers together in the 1960s, from a glamorous golden age when America was more confident of its greatness, morphed into pictures of the stolid, white-haired heavyweight (in all senses) that he became.

His senate career, in which he rose to be majority whip and chairman of the judiciary committee, has been partly an act of redemption, an attempt to ensure that when his obituaries are written, his name is not primarily associated with the word “Chappaquiddick”.

It was there, in the millionaires’ playground off Cape Cod, near the Kennedy family compound where Mr Kennedy was taken ill yesterday , that the 37-year-old drove his car off a bridge after a late night part in July 1969. His companion Mary Jo Kopechne drowned, critics have always maintained, because Mr Kennedy panicked and left her in the sinking car. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a two year suspended sentence.

Nor was it the first sign of fecklessness. “Ted”, the youngest of the nine Kennedy children, was expelled from Harvard University in 1951 for cheating in a Spanish exam.

That did not prevent his election in 1962 to the seat in the Senate vacated by his brother, John, when he became president - which had been kept warm by a family friend until Ted reached the minimum age of 30 required by senate rules.

But Chappaquiddick stalked his life, almost certainly deterring him from running for president in either 1972 or 1976, the latter of which was probably his best chance to win.

His run for White House in 1980 was marred not only by a revival of questions about his behaviour at Chappaquiddick but also by his failure to fully explain why he wanted the job.

There was more than a sense that he felt his status as a Kennedy was qualification enough for the office that his brother Jack had held and his brother Bobby seemed on the cusp of attaining when he was gunned down in 1968.

The shadow of John and Bobby was long. “I think about my brothers every day,” he admitted. Another quotation revealed even more: “I don’t mind not being president, I just mind that someone else is.”

That 1980 campaign had parallels with the current contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Mr Kennedy’s battle with sitting president Jimmy Carter was just as bitter and even more prolonged.

It was Mr Kennedy who played the Hillary Clinton role, fighting on with dwindling hopes even when all seemed lost, all the way to the Democratic convention. Perhaps it was that experience which persuaded him to endorse Obama this year.

But perhaps, too, he saw something of himself in the candidate who has made oratory fashionable again. Mr Kennedy may have lost in 1980 but he gave, at the convention, a speech which is hailed to this day as one of the most powerful in recent US political history.

His peroration concluded with the line: “For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

The dream may not be dead, and the Kennedy family still enjoys a unique place in American public life. But the time for someone else to carry the flame has arrived.

Friday, August 28, 2009

JAYCEE LEE DUGARD FOUND, RAPED AND GAVE BIRTH TWICE

Jaycee Lee Dugard, a single mom impregnated by her kidnapper

August 27, 9:42 PM

Salt Lake City Single Moms Examiner

Rachel Tobin

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Jaycee Lee Dugard, age 11 and with age progression to age 25

Jaycee Lee Dugard, the young girl that was kipnapped over 18 years ago, was found today. At a press conference held earlier by the El Dorado police, it was learned that Jaycee was forced to live in a "backyard within a backyard" at the home of a registered sex offender and his wife. The only access to where she was kept was through a series of tarps and sheds, making her unseen to neighbors who were only feet away.

It was also learned that Phillip Garrido, Jaycee's kidnapper, also impregnated her twice, the first time when she was only 14 years old. The two girls, now 15 and 11 have never been to school or the doctor, and lived with their mother in Garrido's backyard structures. Police are looking into whether or not the girls have also been abused by Garrido.

It is still unknown why Jaycee, who has been called Alissa the last 18 years, never attempted to contact police or her family until now. In fact, she was only discovered because Garrido brought her, the children, and his wife to a visit with his parole officer yesterday after campus police at UC Berkley ran a background check on him.

Jaycee is being reunited with her family now. Clearly, the life Jaycee has ahead of her will be difficult. Not only has she suffered greatly the last 18 years, but she also is a single mom of two teenage girls that will also need substantial assistance, counseling, and socialization.

Monday, August 17, 2009

MJ TO BE BURIED AT FOREST LAWN FOR HIS 51 BIRTHDAY

Michael Jackson to be buried on birthday, King of Pop's father says

Monday, August 17th 2009, 4:00 AM

Klein/Reuters

Michael Jackson will be laid to rest on August 29, his father, Joe, says.

Beck/Getty

Michael Jackson's father, Joe, plans to return to Vegas after his son is buried to receive a celebrity star in the singer's honor at the Brenden Theatres.

The King of Pop will finally be laid to rest. Or so says his dad.

Michael Jackson will be buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. on Aug. 29 on what would have been the King of Pop's 51st birthday, Joe Jackson told Steve Friess, the Daily News' man in Las Vegas.

The elder Jackson indicated that the burial plans had been made final just in the past few days. He discussed the burial over ribs and jalapeño corn bread at the poolside Simon at Palms Place at the Palms hotel and casino.

With him was the stunningly beautiful Crystal Marven, a singer he has signed to his new record label, and her mother.

The elder Jackson says he will return to Vegas after his son is buried that Saturday to receive a celebrity star in the singer's honor at the Brenden Theatres, a cinema at the Palms that Michael Jackson and his children frequented. The Brenden will also screen the 1988 film "Moonwalker" that day.

Papa Jackson said he is supportive of the Los Angeles Police Department probe into his son's June 25 death so far - but also said that cops may be making Dr. Conrad Murray "the fall guy for a whole lot of people."

He did not elaborate. Murray was Michael Jackson's personal doctor and with him the day he died. Murray's lawyer has confirmed the Vegas-based doc is being investigated for administering the anesthetic Propofol and possibly other drugs. He denies wrongdoing.

A Vegas pharmacy was searched Aug. 11 for evidence Murray sought Propofol there.

Meanwhile, Joe Jackson, who lives separately from the singer's mom, Katherine, says she's taken Michael's death particularly hard, and frequently bursts out in tears.

Jackson said he had tried to see his son in the months before his death, but "the security guards wouldn't let me get to him."

He also dismissed talk that the Neverland mansion would be moved to Las Vegas as his daughter, La Toya Jackson, told reporters last week.

"How would they do that?" Jackson asked.

U.S. SUPREME COURT WILLING TO HEAR DEATH ROW CASE

Supreme Court Says Ga. Man Should Get Hearing

Supreme Court says Georgia man on death row should get chance to prove innocence in court

By JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON August 17, 2009 (AP)

The Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a new hearing for death row inmate Troy Davis, whose supporters say is innocent and should be spared from execution for killing a police officer 20 years ago.

(/ABC NewsABC News Photo Illustration)

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a new hearing for death row inmate Troy Davis, whose supporters say is innocent and should be spared from execution for killing an off-duty police officer almost 20 years ago.

Davis has spent 18 years on death row for the 1989 slaying of Savannah, Ga., police officer Mark MacPhail. Davis' attorneys insist that he is innocent and deserves a new trial because several witnesses at his trial have recanted their testimony.

The high court ordered a federal judge in Georgia to determine whether there is evidence "that could not have been obtained at the time of trial (that) clearly establishes petitioner's innocence."

Defense lawyers had appealed to the Supreme Court after a federal court denied a new trial request in April.

CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JOSEPH LOWERY AND SIDNEY POITIER RECEIVE MEDAL OF FREEDOM FROM PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Civil rights icon Rev. Joseph Lowery awarded Medal of Freedom

Posted by The Huntsville Times and Associated Press August 12, 2009 3:26 PM

AP PhotoIn this July 2, 2008, file photo Civil Rights pioneer Joseph Lowery speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. President Barack Obama will recognize the accomplishments of actors, activists and athletes on Wednesday when he awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people.

WASHINGTON -- Civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery this afternoon will be among 16 actors, athletes, activists, scientists and humanitarians who this afternoon will be presented the nation's highest civilian honor by President Barack Obama.

Lowery, a Huntsville native who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was an early leader of the civil rights movement, gave the benediction at Obama's inauguration.

Among those receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony Wednesday are film star Sidney Poitier, and tennis legend Billie Jean King.

Others being honored are retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is getting the medal, too, but the Massachusetts Democrat is not at the White House due to his fight against brain cancer.

Posthumous awards are going to former Republican Rep. Jack Kemp of New York and gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

President Harry S. Truman established the Medal of Freedom in 1945 to recognize civilians for their efforts during World War II. President John F. Kennedy reinstated the medal in 1963 to honor distinguished service.

Many of the other recipients announced today are household names: Stephen Hawking, the internationally known theoretical physicist; the late Congressman Jack Kemp, a former Republican vice presidential nominee who died in May; Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts; tennis legend Billie Jean King; actor Sidney Poitier; former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; Bishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-Apartheid activist from South Africa; and Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official from a major city, and the recent subject of a major movie starring Sean Penn.

Others receiving the award today were: Nancy Goodman Brinker, sister of breast cancer victim Susan G. Komen and founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation; Pedro Jose Greer Jr., founder of Camillus Health Concern, an organization that provided medical care to the homeless in Florida; Chita Rivera, a Tony award winning actress, singer and dancer who in 2002 became the first Hispanic to win the coveted Kennedy Center Honor; Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland; Joe Medicine Crow-High Bird, the last living Plains Indian war chief and a World War II veteran; Janet Davison Rowley, the Blum Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago; Mumammad Yunus, an anti-poverty activitst who pioneered the use of "micro-loans" to provide credit to poor people without collateral.

This is the White House statement on Lowery:

Rev. Joseph E. Lowery has marched through life with faith and purpose, carrying with him the legacy of a movement that touched America's conscience and changed its history. At the forefront of the major civil rights events of our time -- from the Montgomery bus boycott to protests against apartheid -- he has served as a tireless beacon for nonviolence and social justice. As a pastor and civil rights advocate, he co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and championed the cause of peace and freedom around the world. The United States proudly honors this outstanding leader.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

MJ'S ESTATE GROWS BIGGER BY THE DAY!

Jackson’s Estate Grows Bigger After His Death

By TIM ARANGO

Published: August 12, 2009

It has been 48 days since Michael Jackson died, and while family members of the late pop star are still at war with the executors of his estate, the answer to another question — how much the singer is worth in death — is becoming clear. He has already earned $100 million through a film deal and various merchandising contracts, and the executors expect another $100 million to roll in by the end of the year.

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Times Topics: Michael Jackson

“Clearly that’s a new record for estates that likely will not be broken,” said John G. Branca, Mr. Jackson’s longtime lawyer who was named in Mr. Jackson’s will as a co-executor of the estate, along with John McClain, a music executive and Jackson family friend.

While several business deals have been reached — for things like commemorative coins, a line of school supplies and a $150 coffee table book — the matter of untangling Mr. Jackson’s vast estate, assets and debt, goes on, as does wrangling with family members.

Cash has been collected from former advisers who had held money for Mr. Jackson — several million dollars from one — and the executors have tracked down a collection of Mr. Jackson’s personal memorabilia and other items that were almost auctioned off last April to pay debts. The items, which included artwork and several glittery, white gloves that had been at the singer’s Neverland Ranch, had been stored in several locations around Los Angeles.

The model for Mr. Jackson’s posthumous business empire is Elvis Presley. “When you look at what the Presley estate has done, you see the opportunities here,” Mr. Branca said. “I quite frankly think this will be a bigger estate.”

Mr. Presley’s estate generated $55 million in revenue last year, according to Billboard, the music industry trade publication. In 2004, Robert Sillerman, a New York music entrepreneur, purchased 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises, the business umbrella for Mr. Presley’s intellectual property rights and Graceland, for about $100 million.

Business aside, Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain — a judge has named them special administrators and could decide in October to name them permanent executors — remain at odds with Katherine Jackson, Mr. Jackson’s mother, who is a beneficiary of 40 percent of the estate. In July, Mrs. Jackson sought to wrest control of the estate from the executors, but was denied by a judge.

“Both McClain and Branca certainly are aware of our intentions to have Mrs. Jackson have a seat at the table, because I believe that her sensibilities with respect to the legacy of Michael bring a very important and valuable dimension to any kind of plans,” said L. Londell McMillan, a lawyer for Mrs. Jackson.

More recently, Mrs. Jackson and her legal team have sought, in behind-the-scenes negotiations, to have her named as an additional executor or as a co-trustee, a move that Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain have resisted, partly because they say that having a beneficiary also serve as a trustee could result in more taxes being owed.

Instead, a more likely possibility is that another member of the Jackson family would be named as a co-executor or co-trustee, according to Mr. Branca.

Mr. McMillan said of the potential negative tax implications, “that’s not a legal position we support. The research we’ve done allows for tax avoidance with respect to our request.”

While Mr. Jackson’s will stipulated that Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain had authority over running the business affairs of the estate, they are aware that their efforts will be more successful if relations with the Jackson family are collegial. Mr. Branca said, “We’ve always been open to a dialogue with Mrs. Jackson about what is best for the estate.”

Mr. Jackson’s estate has been valued at several hundred million dollars. It contains some big assets, including a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV, a music publishing partnership that includes the rights to the Beatles catalog; Mr. Jackson’s own song catalog; and Neverland Ranch. But there also are large debts, because of Mr. Jackson’s free-spending ways. While Mr. Jackson’s portion of Sony/ATV was worth an estimated $500 million at the time of his death, he had about $300 million of debt against it held by Barclays.

Despite speculation, Mr. Branca said, “we do not contemplate selling any portion of Sony/ATV.”

Beyond 2009, Mr. Branca and others estimate the business of Michael Jackson could generate about $50 million to $100 million annually.

“We are very optimistic about the revenue we will generate,” said Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain. “But we also have to be sober about the debt the estate has.”

The overall value of Mr. Jackson’s business, were it to be sold in the future like Mr. Presley’s was, would most likely be several hundred million dollars, said Mark Roesler, chairman of CMG Worldwide, a licensing firm that has worked with the estates of Mr. Presley, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

“You have someone who left a mark on six billion people in the world,” Mr. Roesler said.

“If you put a value of $110 million on Elvis Presley’s intellectual property rights, that’s a baseline. It’s certainly in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Neverland Ranch itself could become a future moneymaker, just like Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Some family members hope that Mr. Jackson will be buried there, but that decision has not been made. Neverland is owned in partnership with Colony Capital, a Los Angeles real estate company that stepped in when Mr. Jackson was on the brink of foreclosure.

Another idea is to establish a permanent Michael Jackson attraction in Las Vegas, which would house the late singer’s memorabilia. This option may be preferable to Neverland, because Las Vegas is more easily accessible to tourists.

In life, Mr. Jackson faced a precarious financial future, as he piled on debts to finance his tastes in art, to travel on private jets and to keep up Neverland. In death, his estate may enjoy the financial security he never had.

Friday, July 31, 2009

From Times Online

July 31, 2009

'Friendly' beer summit calms race row tensions

Henry Louis Gates Jr meets with Barack Obama

(Saul Loeb/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Henry Gates and Sergeant James Crowley share a beer with Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Tim Reid in Washington

The white US police officer at the heart of a fierce national debate about race and law enforcement said he would continue to meet the black Harvard law professor he controversially arrested after the two men shared a nationally watched beer with President Obama.

Sergeant James Crowley spoke after the most widely covered beer in US history, a drink with the man he arrested – Professor Henry Louis Gates Junior – around a table in the White House Rose Garden with President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.

Sergeant Crowley, at a press conference shortly after an event that the press corps could only briefly photograph, out of ear shot, said that he and Professor Gates were "two gentlemen who agreed to disagree".

After the US networks had universally shown footage of the “beer summit” – a 50-yard shot of the four men drinking their respective brews and eating peanuts - Sergeant Crowley then gave some idea of what had transpired.

Sergeant Crowley did not apologise for arresting Professor Gates, but said he “respected him a great deal”, there had been “no tension” at the beer meeting, and that they had “cordial and productive discussions.” He said they would continue to meet each other privately in the coming weeks.

The four men ate peanuts as they chatted over their favourite beers. Mr Obama drank a Bud Light; Sergeant Crowley a Blue Moon; Professor Gates a Sam Adams Light; Mr Biden a non-alcoholic Buckler.

Afterwards, Mr Obama described the "friendly, thoughtful" conversation as a success.

"I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart," the president said. "I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode."

Professor Gates hailed the "great opportunity" fate had given him and Sergeant Crowley. He said their task must be to foster sympathy among Americans about "the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand."

The meeting, which was the culmination of a race row that has consumed America since Sergeant Crowley arrested Professor Gates at his home on June 16, came hours after the controversy took another explosive turn: the description of Professor Gates as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” by a Boston police officer.

Boston police suspended Officer Justin Barrett, who first e-mailed anonymously to The Boston Globe and then to friends in the local National Guard: “If I were the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey I would have sprayed him with OC.”

Officer Barrett, 36, was stripped him of his gun and badge and placed him on administrative leave. He later said: “I didn’t mean it in a racist way.”

Last month, Sergeant Crowley had been called to investigate a suspected burglary at Professor Gates’s house. The scholar had just returned from a foreign trip and had trouble opening his front door.

Sergeant Crowley said that when he confronted Professor Gates the academic became abusive. Despite knowing that no burglary had taken place, the policeman ended up arresting him for disorderly conduct, handcuffing him and taking him down to the station. The charges were later dropped. Professor Gates has said that he was the victim of racial profiling.

Mr Obama, a friend of Professor Gates, fuelled the controversy when he accused the Cambridge police of acting “stupidly”. Two days later, after an outcry from police groups, Mr Obama expressed regret and said he had telephoned Sergeant Crowly, who suggested a White House beer with Professor Gates.

One person who was not there was the woman who made the original emergency call to report the possible burglary. The police first claimed that she reported “two black men with backpacks” trying to get into the house. In fact, Lucia Whalen, who gave a tearful press conference on Wednesday, never mentioned race. She told reporters she had feared for her safety after being vilified as a racist.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

OBAMA BEER THIRTY FOR CROWLEY AND GATES 6 PM THURSDAY AT THE OBAMA HOUSE

It's official: The so-called "beer summit" between President Obama, African-American professor Henry Louis Gates and white policeÂ Sgt. James Crowley will be held 6 p.m. Thursday at the White House.

"Weather permitting, they'll probably sit out at the picnic table behind the Oval Office," said Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs, confirming the time.

The meeting is "a chance to step back a bit" from the flap surrounding Crowley's disorderly conduct arrest of Gates at the professor's home near Harvard University. Gates called the charges -- since dropped -- racially motivated.

There is no formal agenda for the president's meeting, Gibbs said, but rather "a chance to talk and a chance to have a dialogue."

The idea for a White House meeting surfaced during Obama's phone conversation Friday with Crowley. The president later spoke with reporters and expressed regret for his comment that the Cambridge, Mass., police had acted "stupidly" in arresting Gates, saying it only ratcheted up the controversy.

At the time, Obama said: "The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that race is still a troubling aspect of our society."

There will be beer at Thursday's meeting, Gibbs said. The menu is still being worked out, but the spokesman said Crowley told the president "he likes Blue Moon." Gates, meanwhile, has expressed a linking for Beck's and Red Stripe. Obama threw back a Budweiser at a ball game two weeks ago.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Michael Jackson planned to direct movie about foster children; sparked by his itinerant childhood

BY Gina Salamone
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, July 22nd 2009, 9:51 AM

TMZ

Michael Jackson holding Blanket and Paris while Prince, right, looks into the camera. The King of Pop was reportedly planning to direct a movie about foster children.

Michael Jackson, whose hotel-hopping childhood allegedly made him feel like an orphan, planned to direct a movie about foster kids.

A few months before he died, the King of Pop reportedly committed to co-direct and fund the drama, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was to start work on the project right after his string of London concerts.

Writer and Director Bryan Michael Stoller, a friend of Jackson, said that in 2002 the pop star showed him a 1985 book that detailed the author Jennings Michael Burch's real-life experiences in foster homes as a child. Jackson reportedly asked Stoller to produce and co-direct a film version, which would have been called "They Cage the Animals at Night."

Those close to Jackson told the Hollywood Reporter that he had not signed onto any formal deal involving the film before his death last month.

Jackson may have had a soft spot for the project due to his own childhood as a performer, moving from place to place.

"Michael told me often he felt like he grew up as an orphan, like a foster kid, because he never was in one home," Stoller said. "To him every hotel was like a different foster home. He said he used to sit in the window and see kids playing outside and cry because he couldn't be part of that."

While Jackson starred in "The Wiz" (1978) and "Captain EO," a 3-D film shown in Disney theme parks in the 1980s, he had no plans to appear in "They Cage."

"He was very excited about making movies and wanted his hands on everything, from working on screenplays to producing, to writing the music," Stoller said. "However, he never showed any interest in acting."

A Defining Moment Nears for President

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

President Obama will hold a prime-time news conference on Wednesday that will in effect be a “six-month report card.”

WASHINGTON — Six months into his administration, President Obama is at a pivotal moment. He has pushed through a $787 billion economic stimulus package, bailed out Wall Street and, on Tuesday, managed to beat the defense industry in the Senate, which voted to kill a high-profile fighter jet program.

On Wednesday night Mr. Obama addresses the nation in a prime-time news conference as the public, and lawmakers, are growing skittish over his next big plan, to remake the American health care system. How he handles the issue over the next several weeks could shape the rest of his presidency, shedding light on his political strength, his relationship with both parties in Congress and his appetite to fight for his own agenda.

Harvard professor Gates arrested at Cambridge home

July 20, 2009 04:37 PM

Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars, was arrested Thursday afternoon at his home by Cambridge police investigating a possible break-in. The incident raised concerns among some Harvard faculty that Gates was a victim of racial profiling.

Gates

Police arrived at Gates’s Ware Street home near Harvard Square at 12:44 p.m. to question him. Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, had trouble unlocking his door after it became jammed.

He was booked for disorderly conduct after “exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior,” according to a police report. Gates accused the investigating officer of being a racist and told him he had "no idea who he was messing with,'' the report said.

Gates told the officer that he was being targeted because "I'm a black man in America.''

We are with you Katherine!

Katherine Jackson -- I Will Be Heard!

Posted Jul 22nd 2009 2:15AM by TMZ Staff

Katherine Jackson wants "a seat at the table" in all matters involving Michael Jackson's estate.

Katherine's lawyer, Londell McMillan, tells us Katherine called him the day Michael died, asking him to come to the house. McMillan says when he showed up the first weekend, Katherine and Joe expressed "concern" over the estate and hired him to represent Katherine's legal interests.

McMillan says Katherine will not challenge the will, but as far as the executors are concerned, he says, "She deserves a seat at the table at a minimum." McMillan would not say if Katherine merely wanted to be named as a third executor or whether she wanted to challenge John Branca and John McClain, the named co-executors.