Black Blogs In One Place

5 hours ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: New AfroSpear Member: The Essentials of Cool
This blog has been a member of The AfroSpear for a couple of years now. There are truly some remarkable bloggers of African descent in The AfroSpear. You can see the full blogroll at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar. The AfroSpear added a new member recently. Barry Belt is the owner of 'The Essentials Of Cool'. He began the blog in April 2008. When asked about the purpose of the AfroSpear he wrote, "I see the AfroSpear as a source to receive news on various topics from an informed Black perspective. Basically, I see the AfroSpear as picking up the ball that the mainstream media has dropped. We can't hold our breath for BET to."Shawn, better known in cyberspace as the Bohemian Hippie Chick, shared her insights on The Essentials of Cool. She has been following Barry's current blog since its inception in 2008 and noted that the blog regularly posts on issues in the Black community such as technology, music, entertainment and politics. She was very complimentary on three specific blog posts: Where Are The Black Tech Bloggers Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story Race & The Last Airbender Barry and his blog, 'The Essentials of Cool', are a great addition to The AfroSpear. I hope that you will take a moment to share your Village Voice' (or COMMENT) to welcome the young brother to the crew!
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1 day ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: 2010 Black Weblog Award Winners
I've been blogging since 2007. For a couple of years I posted a monthly update known as Villager's Black Blog Rankings. There were 1,766 included in the last published Black Blog Rankings. As such, it is truly an honor to win a Black Weblog Award. Black Weblog Award founder Maurice Cherry did a remarkable job in growing this idea. Over 27,000 votes were cast in the contest this year. Without further ado ... enjoy the full list of 2010 Black Weblog Award Winners! Blog of the Year Popular Vote: Miss Jia Judges’ Vote: O Hell Nawl Blog to Watch Popular Vote: Angry Black Lady Chronicles Judges’ Vote: The Gentlemen’s Standard Best Blog Design Popular Vote: The Young, Black, and Fabulous Judges’ Vote: Mostbeautifullest Best Blog Network Popular Vote: Global Grind Network Judges’ Vote: theFreshXpress Blog Network Best Blog Post Series Popular Vote: “I Love Black Men” on Black ‘n Bougie Judges’ Vote: “Michael Jackson and the Five Stages of Grief” on What Would Thembi Do? Best Business Blog Popular Vote: Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed Judges’ Vote: kiss my black ads Best Cooking or Food Blog Popular Vote: Yes, Divas Can Cook Judges’ Vote: My Life Runs on Food Best Culture Blog Popular Vote: Black Girl with Long Hair Judges’ Vote: Socialtik Mag Best Faith-Based Blog Popular Vote: The Old Black Church! Judges’ Vote: The Secular Parent Best Fashion or Beauty Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: Afrobella Best Film Blog Popular Vote: Black Box Office Judges’ Vote: Shadow and Act Best Gaming or Comics Blog Popular Vote: Black Nerd Comedy Judges’ Vote: Black Comix Best Gossip Blog Popular Vote: The Young, Black, and Fabulous Judges’ Vote: Necole Bitchie Best Group Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: Very Smart Brothas Best Health or Wellness Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss Best Hip-Hop Blog Popular Vote: AllHipHop Judges’ Vote: Hip Hop Blog Best Humor Blog Popular Vote: O Hell Nawl Judges’ Vote: Very Smart Brothas Best International Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: Catch a Vibe Best LGBT Blog Popular Vote: The Skorpion Show Judges’ Vote: TransGriot Best Microblog Popular Vote: Sister Toldja Judges’ Vote: The Smithian Best Music Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: SoulBounce Best New Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: The Dithering of a District Diva Best Parenting or Family Blog Popular Vote: Black and Married with Kids Judges’ Vote: African American Dad Best Personal Blog Popular Vote (tie): A Belle in Brooklyn *and* Until I Get Married Judges’ Vote: Sassy Wife Chronicles Best Photography Blog Popular Vote: My Damn Blog Judges’ Vote: Chookooloonks Best Podcast Series Popular Vote: HBCU Digest Radio Judges’ Vote: Friday Favecast Best Political or News Blog Popular Vote: The Urban Politico Judges’ Vote: Black Snob Best Science or Technology Blog Popular & Judges' Vote: Black Web 2.0 Best Sex or Relationships Blog Popular Vote: Until I Get Married Judges’ Vote: The Relationship Playbook Best Sports Blog Popular Vote: Hardwood Diva Judges’ Vote: Black Sports Online Best Teen Blog Popular Vote: Teen Savvy Judges’ Vote: DamierDesigns MMX Best Travel Blog Popular Vote: Black in Cairo Judges’ Vote: Jay Travels Best Video Blog Series Popular Vote: The Skorpion Show Judges’ Vote: Ill Doctrine Best Writing in a Blog Popular Vote: Until I Get Married Judges’ Vote: Uptown Notes And the winner of the Aaron Hawkins Award is… Earl Dunovant! Dunovant is a web developer and political activist who has blogged at Prometheus 6 since January 2004. Dunovant is also a member of the Media Bloggers Association, has attended presidential debates as a credentialed blogger, and has been featured on NPR as part of News and Notes‘ Bloggers Roundtable. Please take advantage of the above links to experience the talent and energy that made these folks winners of 2010 Black Weblog Awards. I can tell you right now that THIS BLOG intends to compete hard to be in the running for a BWA next year!! Do you see your favorite blog on the list above?
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3 days ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: District Attorney Still Considers Criminal Charges in DeKalb County Taser Deaths
The Internal Review Board cleared the unidentified officers involved in the taser-related deaths of Audrecas Davis and Sukeba Jackson-Olawunmi. Prosecutors are still reviewing the cases to determine if criminal charges will be filed agains the officers. Davis' family is reviewing the reports and trying to determine whether they should file a lawsuit. The board, which is made up of investigators, reviewed the evidence and voted unanimously to clear all of the officers involved. The board voted that no policies or procedures were violated, and there were no safety concerns in either incident, according to the report. [SOURCE] "As chief of police, I stand behind the use of the Taser as an alternative to deadly force. While both of these incidents were extremely unfortunate in that they resulted in death, I know my officers followed the proper protocols," Chief William O'Brien said.Villagers recall that the DeKalb medical examiner ruled the deaths of Davis and Jackson-Olawunmi as homicides. Both died in separate incidents in May after being repeatedly tased by DeKalb officers. Police said both were combative and failed to comply with officers' commands during the incidents. Autopsies found that Davis and Jackson-Olawunmi were under the influence of drugs and had prior medical conditions, including obesity, medical examiner Pat Bailey said. Davis, 29, died May 10 from cardiorespiratory arrest and had caffeine, nicotine and chemicals found in marijuana in his system. He also suffered from hypertension and sickle cell disease, according to the medical examiner. Jackson-Olawunmi, 40, died May 15 of a cocaine-induced delirium, the medical examiner said. In addition to cocaine, she had blood pressure medication in her system to treat her hypertension. Both of these people would be alive today if not for the repeated jolts of taser voltage into their bodies.
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4 days ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Taser Autopsy: Coroner Says Phyllis Owens Died From 50,000-volt Jolt
I suppose that 100% of the deaths in America can be classified as 'heart stopped ticking'. Dr. Larry Lewman, Oregon State medical examiner, says that 87-year old Phyllis Owens died of "chronic heart disease" after he completed her autopsy. Of course, Dr. Lewman, clarified a little when he added that the manner of death for the octogenarian, who had a pacemaker since 2007, was receiving a 50,000-volt jolt from a Taser fired by a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy. [SOURCE] "The cause of her death is hypertensive cardio-vascular disease," Lewman said. "But it occurred because of the electric stun gun, which probably intercepted a pacemaker wire."The two deputies involved in this taser-killing are Steve Shelly and Alan Alderman. Both were placed on administrative leave after the July 8 homicide. Owens was shot with a Taser after about 15 minutes of negotiations, during which Owens was waving a pellet gun replica of a firearm. At one point, deputies convinced Owens to put down the pellet gun, which she laid on her porch railing. But when Deputy Alderman advanced toward her, she reached for the pellet gun again. The other deputy, Steve Shelly, believing Owens was reaching for a handgun, electrocuted her with a Taser. Owens died shortly afterwards. I guess I need to see a photo of a "pellet gun replica" to understand how trained police officers can't tell the difference between it and a real gun. Also, I have to wonder what the rush was for these officers. They killed Mrs. Owens after talking with her for 15 minutes? Was their coffee getting cold in the police car? She was contained on the front porch of her own home. These two 'Barney Fife' deputies couldn't wait and talk longer with her ... giving her a chance to calm down? Anyhow, the next step in this process belongs to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office. They are reviewing the case to determine if criminal charges will be brought against either of the two police officers.
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5 days ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Taser Death: Adam Colliers (Gold Bar, WA)
A young man will never see tomorrow as the result of taser-happy Snohomish County sheriff's deputies who chose to pump 50,000 volts of electricity into an unarmed 120-pound man rather than use other less-lethal methods of subduing him. 25-year old Adam Colliers was in Gold Bar, WA to help watch over a parapalegic man. For some reason he 'snapped' and began yelling and screaming. The police were called in. Instead of assessing the situation and trying to help Colliers ... two police officers electrocuted the guy with their tasers. After Colliers was hit the officers discovered he was not breathing. When the fire department aid car arrived the EMT’s continued CPR and then took the man to Valley General Hospital in Monroe where he was pronounced dead. The two unidentified officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. One of the deputies is a three-year veteran of the force and the other has four years of law enforcement experience. Both are under 30 years of age. The Snohomish County Medical Examiners Office will conduct an autopsy to determine cause of death. I'm sure that the police will try to blame it on drugs ... that is their usual tactic in these situations.
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6 days ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: First Ad: Hillary Clinton for President - 2012
I don't think that Hillary Clinton has finished paying off the debt from her failed bid at the presidency in 2008 ... but, here we have one of her supporters producing this unauthorized campaign ad for 2012 presidential campaign: As I recall, the last time that a Democratic president was seriously challenged by a member of his own party was back in 1980 ... when Teddy Kennedy decided to challenge Jimmy Carter. That didn't work out so well for either Senator Kennedy or the Democratic Party. I figure that Hillary won't let history repeat itself in 2012. Personally, I hope that she and President Obama can do something remarkable in foreign policy arena over the next couple of years ... like Peace in the Middle East ... or the capture of Osama bin Laden. Anyhow, what are your thoughts as you see this 60-second campaign ad for Hillary Clinton's future presidential campaign?
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6 days ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Taser Death: King Hoover (Spanaway, WA)
It happened again. This time the taser-killing took place near Tacoma, WA in a small town of Spanaway. King Hoover, 27, was electrocuted to death by unidentified Pierce County sheriff's deputies as they took him into custody last Monday, August 31. [SOURCE] Hoover overstayed his welcome after a gathering at a friend's house. He was asked to leave and a dispute began when he didn't leave quickly enough. He eventually left the apartment ... however, he then took a propane tank from a nearby BBQ and threw it into the apartment through a back window. The police say that Hoover then broke another window and entered the apartment again. Deputies were called to the apartment just after 8:30 a.m. Dispatchers could hearing arguing, screaming and crying in the background. Two deputies arrived and found the man hiding behind a couch. The man didn't follow commands to come out and refused to show his hands to the deputies. A police spokesman said, "They tried to physically take him into custody," Bates said.When Hoover refused to obey the orders of the officers they pulled out their six-shooters ...uhhhh, I mean their taser guns and electrocuted him. A third deputy arrived at the scene. The three deputies were able to get Hoover handcuffed as he kicked at them. They also tied together his feet. Shortly after he was in custody the deputies called for medical aid because Hoover wasn't breathing. Paramedics took Hoover to St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, where he was pronounced dead. The unidentifed deputies involved in the confrontation were interviewed and placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. Please let this blog know if you hear of any updated facts or circumstances regarding this taser-related death.
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1 week ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Black Unemployment Rate Rises to 16.3% in August 2010
The negative economic news continues to flow from Washington DC ... and it is hitting the Black community harder than anyone. A new employment report released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows us that the unemployment rate for African Americans rose from 15.6% in July 2010 to 16.3% in August 2010. The mainstream media is painting this month's report in a negative light -- 54,000 jobs were lost last month. The unemployment rate edged up slightly over the past month ... it's now 9.6%. There was some positive news with private employers hiring increasing by 67,000 jobs last month. Since its most recent low in December 2009, private-sector employment has risen by 763,000. What do these numbers mean to you?
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1 week ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: 59% Say Sarah Palin Isn't Presidential Material -- What Are the Other 41% Thinking?
Did you see the recent poll where 59% of Americans believe Sarah Palin lacks the "ability to be an effective president." You can tell from the Sarah Palin World Map that she is still not ready for prime-time! It is uplifting to see that only 26% of the adults polled thought that Mama Grizzly would have the ability to be effective. The number dropped to 21% when asked of independents. Not surprisingly, there are many more -- 47% -- of the Republicans in the poll who thought that Mama Grizzly had the right stuff to be our Commander-in-Chief. We've all seen Sarah Palin on the national stage in the past two years. Can anyone seriously believe that she would be a credible leader of the free world? Does Sarah Palin even know a Black person? You never see anyone of African descent in her videos or at her speeches. I remember that the Blacks folks in Alaska didn't think highly of her when she was running for Vice President. What's changed over the past two years?
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1 week ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Road Scholar: Asa Grant Hilliard III Scholarship (Deadline: 9/30/2010)
Soulclap to The Black Star Project for pointing us to the Asa Grant Hilliard III Award for Lifelong Learning. Dr. Asa Grant Hilliard III (1933-2007) was a noted educator, historian, psychologist, teacher of African history and a lifelong learner and traveler. A graduate of the University of Denver, Asa Grant Hilliard III joined the faculty at San Francisco State University and later became a consultant to the Peace Corps in West Africa, where he served as the superintendent of schools in Monrovia, Liberia. Upon returning to San Francisco State University, Dr. Hilliard was appointed department chair and Dean of Education. Dr. Hilliard spent more than 30 years leading study groups to Egypt and Ghana as part of his mission of teaching the truth about the history of Africa and the African diaspora. At the time of his death, Dr. Hilliard was the Fuller E. Calloway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University, where he held joint appointments in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education. He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Patsy Jo Hilliard, former mayor of East Point, Georgia, with whom he had four children and seven grandchildren. I encourage villagers to apply for the Asa Grant Hilliard III Award for Lifelong Learning.
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1 week ago
From: Electronic Village
Title: Good News Tuesday: Joseph Huggins, Jr. -- Future Face of Technology
Joseph Huggins Jr. graduated from high school earlier this year. He made the decision to accept a commission with the US Navy. He left on July 27th for the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island. There he will receive 10 months of extra academic and military training before being transferred to the Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Joseph earned Bemley Scholarships from BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) for his performance in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. Joseph was kind enough to share his thoughts on the HSCC program with us: The day I first became a member of BDPA seems like ages ago, although it has only been five years since I first joined this program that has changed my life forever. My first year competing with the BDPA Chicago Chapter in the HSCC, I believe, was my best year. The year was 2006 and I remember walking to into a classroom and feeling intimidated by the amazing talent that surrounded me. Being only in 8th grade, I was one of the youngest students and was very shy. I knew I had my work cut out for me. Surprisingly, the competition seemed to fade away as if it just disappeared into thin air. Somehow, after the long months of training, I found myself among the top five students selected to compete at the national conference. The Chicago Chapter took first place that year. I can remember the feeling I had that night as we were announced the first place champions of the BDPA National High School Computer Competition. Winning the national competition was one the greatest accomplishments of my life. After my experience with BDPA in 2006, I decided to stick around and work hard in order to compete in the HSCC for the rest of my high school career. In the following three years I made the team and the Chicago Chapter placed in the top three winning teams two years in a row. I am not able to compete in the HSCC this year in 2010 due to my obligations to U.S. Navy. I have been accepted to the United States Naval Academy where I will study computer engineering and upon graduation will be a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or Marine Corps. I would like to give thanks to the BDPA Foundation for expanding my knowledge of information technology and exposing me to the many great and amazing people I have met over the years. I would like to give special thanks to the people like Gibran McDuffie, Pamela Norfleet, Bryan Moore, Yvette Graham, and the host of other BDPA members and volunteers that have helped to shape me into the young man that I am today. Joe is a remarkable young man. Whenever you hear a BDPAer talking about our work in advancing careers from 'the classroom to the boardroom' you would do well to remember Joe as an example of the classroom'! You can celebrate Joe's story best with a secure online donation to the Bemley Scholarship Fund so that we can help more young squires in the future.
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