A Peek Into the Mind of an NYPD Officer - 2:03 p.m.
Newsday has a story in today's paper about a blog written by a NYC police officer. In the blog - located at xanga.com, under the name Brooklynbacon - he brags about beating people, writing phony tickets and playing video games during investigations.

On February 27, 2003 he wrote about his frustration dealing with a parking ticket quota.."The new commanding officer of the precinct is pressuring us to write more and more tickets. We were officially told NOT to write anymore tickets for headlights and taillights. Most people fix the problem within 24 hours and the ticket would be admonished therefore the City of New York makes no money in the end."

First of all NYPD spokesman have repeatedly denied that quota even exist, of course it's not hard to believe they're lying through their teeth. But the officer continues with his way of handling it.. "So I have come up with a better way of writing tickets. I just write down the plates of the cars that cut me off the parkways and I send them a bogus parking ticket in the mail. The person will then have to deal with the Parking Violations Bureau and not me. Problem quickly resolved. So, in other words, be careful who you cut off on the road. They might be an off duty cop and they could write your plates down and write you a $150 parking ticket. Have a nice day."

On the same day he mentions a bust in a Brooklyn garage that he associates with the Ruff Ryders.. "The other night, the Bronx Anti Gang Unit came over to my precinct with a search warrant of the Ruff Ryders house located off the Conduit Blvd in Brooklyn. And of course, yours truly was involved in the raid. We requested Emergency Services to assist us with taking down the door and searching the house and garage. In the end, we recovered 11 stolen motorcycles and 4 stolen cars. We are not too sure who exactly owned the stolen bikes. We think 11 guys were storing their bikes in the garage for the winter time and now they are shit out of luck. Every bike had the "RR" logo on the windscreen. So, I have no respect for the Ruff Ryder anymore. BOYCOTT THEIR MUSIC!!

Anymore? So I guess he listens to rap, probably has 50 Cent in the deck. His picture is.. wait a minute, I was about to say that his picture is on the site and Internal Affairs has identified him as working in Brooklyn's 75th precinct. That's what Newsday reported, I was on the page, got the Ruff Ryder quote however.. when I went back to check, it seems as though Internal Affairs got their first - it's been wiped out.

In any case, here's the Newsday story "Blog Describes A Rogue Cop"
disclaimer: the cops in the picture aren't associated with this story.. they're waiting for their partner to come back with the donuts.

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NY Knick Fans Get an Early Christmas Present
Yesterday afternoon I heard through the grapevine that the Knicks were having a team meeting, "somebody got fired" was the word. Knick fans know that their team stinks; no maybes.. they are just damn horrible. Reason being that we have a clueless GM named Frank Layden and a no-plan Teddy Pendergrass beard having coach named Don Chaney. This dynamic duo are the epitome of Madison Square Garden basketball circa 2003, it's a joke. Flashback to the 90's and it was a different story.

Sure MJ always crushed their playoffs hopes, the Spurs put a foot to their ass, Houston won game 7 of the 94 NBA Finals.. but you always had a good time; it was a fun team to watch and cheer for. Over the years the combination of bad management and crazy draft choices and trades had me watching only when I'm at home and the fingers on the remote slip up and find the game.

At the Knick team meeting the players were put up on the news that GM Frank Layden was going on a permanent vacation. In his place would be Detroit's certified Bad Boy of basketball, Isiah Thomas. When I heard that I had the big cheese grin, finally someone with b-ball smarts is at the reins. Knick management had already made a terrible decision a few years ago, when they rejected Magic Johnson's offer to help them out. The past is gone forever, at least they finally got something right.

This doesn't mean that Spike Lee is gonna have anything to wave his towel about.. but it's a mental boost for the team. They need more than that though, the players are horrible. Antonio McDyess is still finding himself - if his knee is fully healed he has promise; Allan Houston has a bad back - and an unwarranted $100 million contract; the rookie point guard Frank Williams outplays the starter - which I guess is good thing. Throw in Kurt Thomas and you have the only consistent players on the team... and if that's how I'm defining consistent you can see how bad the Knicks are.

Isiah Thomas is responsible for drafting Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady, and was instrumental in getting Jermaine O'Neal to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers last year. He has a good eye for talent. Hopefully, he'll be able to rub the ink off some of the insane Knick benchwarmer contracts, ship them to Siberia and Madison Square Garden can heat up again. Heh.. I hear Dennis Rodman is looking to get back in the NBA. You think that move would happen? Who else would give him a chance besides his old Detroit homie? He's crazy, 40+, but all he has to do is rebound and piss people off. If you want a quick boost of excitement I say.. give him a year to get in shape and pull him in for the final lap. So many other real  things to do, but with Isiah in a decision making slot there is hope for the future.

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Puff About To Be A Raisin in the Sun - 2:03 p.m.
A few days ago I was thinking about who has been in the news; it was then that I realized since the NYC marathon P. Diddy has all but disappeared. You know it's unheard of for this man to not have his hand in something. The question is what could he do to top a 26-mile run with a crazy Mohawk look. As if the media gods tapped into my consciousness.. here comes a story about Puff saying he won't run another marathon because.. "I lost another toenail last night. I already lost one, and if I lose another one I'm gonna have permanent damage to my feet." Then he said how it was for the kids but his feet are hurtin. I wanted to scream out "media whore!", but I was on the train, there are enough crazy people in the subway.. don't add my my name to that list.

There is always something cooking in Diddy's kitchen, so here comes the "exclusive" in today's NY Post "P.Diddy'll be 'Raisin" hell on Broadway this spring." It seems that Puff will play Walter Lee Young in Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning 1959 drama "A Raisin in the Sun." The play is notable for addressing many issues important during the 1950's. That time is symbolized as a golden happy age when people conformed to one ideal: the house with the white picket fence, mass-consumerism and African-Americans content with an inferior status are the usual stereotypes. Lorraine Hansberry's play is a slightly autobiographical story of African-Americans, well educated and successful, who fought discrimination on the daily. When Hansberry's family moved to a white neighborhood and caught the expected heat, her father took legal action all the way to the Supreme Court.

A Raisin in the Sun digs into the tension between blacks and whites, but also deals with the difficulties blacks dealt with within themselves about how to interact with the white community, dealing with poverty, and retaining one's identity. A major portion of the play revolves around people having big dreams that drive their life. The dreams affect the characters in positive ways by lifting their minds from a tough lifestyle and negatively by creating further dissatisfaction with their present circumstances. Most of the negative feelings come from the characters striving for materialistic goals rather than family pride and happiness. Puffy's character wants to be rich and plans to invest his father's insurance money in a liquor store - which doesn't work out. Throughout the play he is endlessly preoccupied with finding the get rich quick scheme to solve his family's problems.

I had to read some summaries to get the gist of this play, but it sounds more than interesting. I can't tell you how well Puff will do on stage, his acting abilities have been praised for his roles in MADE and Monster's Ball  but I didn't see what the big deal was. Nevertheless, for the story itself, I'm gonna make a point to see this when it debuts. - Here's more info on NPR they have audio and video links at the bottom of the page.

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Bush Teams Up With Taco Bell Ad Creator - 2:04 p.m.
36 hours post Saddam capture and the Bushies can barely contain themselves, they've declared the Democrats one strong issue to be d.i.r. (Dead in the Rat Hole.) Kudlow & Kramer two big time Republican flag wavers spent last night's show with smiles on their faces and high-fiving any guest with a rosy outlook on the economy and a Bush button on their suit jacket. They do that every night, but yesterday they were especially giddy.

If you had any illusions that Bush would be run out of office next year, you better think it over.. and why not do it with a burrito in your hand?
With a current treasure chest of $112 million Bush is putting together a media team that will make the coverage of Operation Iraq look like a school yard fight. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the core croup of "media maestros" involved with his 2000 victory will be returning, along with consultants who have helped win key congressional seats, and a Hollywood ad producer who steered the successful election campaign of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. Maverick Media creator Mark McKinnon will run the team. .. Yeah, all those names mean ZERO to me too.
One thing jumped out in this story. A new member to Team Bush is Vada Hill who worked for Taco Bell. Hill is credited for creating the Chihuahua ad series. You know.. "Yo quiero Taco Bell" or "Here lizard lizard lizarddd."

They have yet to really get going, but a preliminary clip called "When Angry Democrats Attack" was sent out to Bush supporters through email. It's posted on the Bush-Cheney site - it's in Windows Media. With this Vida Hill person onboard the ads might get real crazy.. imagine that Chihuahua tossing insults at the Democrat's nominee .. "You call that presidential material.. Ay Caramba."

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Chuck D Breaks Down the Rim Sensation
When you talk about hip-hop that stimulates the mentals there is no better place to go than Public Enemy. It's a damn shame they aren't relevant to the youth of today. Without spinning back the wheels of time.. It's a good thing that this WWW exists. It makes it extremely easy to check in with Chuck D on his website.

Haven't been there in a minute but I slid over today and on October 18, 2003 he spoke on the "dumbassification" of the culture and the absurdity of people rimming up cheap cars with tires that don't stand a chance on any city street. Quoting: This.. "middle-aged white man verbally dismantled the premise of cars worth no more than $500.00 sporting $6K rims demanding rim notes to be paid. This often ends up leading to foreclosure thus having the rim lender repossess the car AND the rims. He also stated that car experts, one of which is his son-in- law, say that the thinned tires are only good for 7000 miles which in normal cases requires a twice a year purchase. Tires so thin can’t take a pothole, thus leading to rim damage. He went on to add that with this lavish spending in lieu of chasing images, the hood’s investment in style and looks lead to financial gaps and despair upon the reality of life hitting 30 years of age."

I don't know much about rims, I'm riding on stock joints but I've always heard how careful you have to be not to ride rough when your all rimmed up - because they crack. In any case, that was just a small portion of his column. The theme is the "dumbassifiacation" of the culture.. The first two paragraphs are hard to get into but after that it's a good read and food for thought. I understand the Stunt 101 thing.. head nod to it. Given the dinero I'm living it.. within reason. This just gives another perspective. As Chuck says.. "One thing about 50 cent... he is a hard worker besides being a top selling artist under. I give him credit for traveling abroad.. The credit goes to the attempt and he will get better.. yes y'all know what I feel about some of 50s art, but art is art... that's why I'd like to drag out the programmers of the PIMP video playing it in primetime... or just whup out Jimmy IODINE's azz. linkage once again

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A Dazed and Confused Saddam Gets Bagged - 2:07 p.m.
I wasn't in any kind of a foxhole, but like Saddam Hussein I was suprised to see the US military smiling and slapping high fives when I woke up Sunday morning. With all the "special reports" I thought a big terror attack, either here or in Iraq, had happened. But once Saddam's picture, looking like a homeless man in a NYC subway station, flashed on the television screen, it was obvious that this was good news.

It only took 15 minutes of reporting before I was asking myself what this means.. what happens now? It's obviously a good thing, and you'll see it today on the stock market. What it means for the attacks on the soldiers isn't clear. I have serious doubts that Saddam was directing the attacks from that shack. Any organized insurgents are being directed by others: either from his Republican Guard or splinter terrorist organizations. Judging by the lack of any security around him it's obvious that it wasn't the central hideout headquarters. A look at CNN shows that the attacks are right on their daily schedule. It's like masking funky underarms with deodorant, you think you cut the smell without getting to the real source.

Unlike his sons, Saddam crawled out of his little hiding spot without firing a single shot. Looking dazed and confused, Saddam went quietly. After all, this was his chance to get a shower and a shave. It wasn't until later that Saddam got more ballsy with military intelligence officials. They asked him questions they supposedly had answers to before the occu-liberation: Does Iraq have any WMDs? .. Saddam: "No, of course not. The US dreamed them up itself to have a reason to go to war with us." When asked why he didn't let the UN inspectors search all his facilities he replied.. "We didn't want them to go into the presidential areas and intrude on our privacy."

Those answers are consistent with what he said in the interview with Dan Rather just before the war. The funny thing is that Saddam is being called uncooperative and not answering questions.. as if he's gonna just start spilling his guts. Nope, there's gonna have to be some torturing like Method Man said on "36 Chambers" .. rusty screwdrivers and hot hangers in the ass. Or maybe.. he doesn't have anything to tell.

That's doubtful. We gave him the WMD capability so some of it will turn up.. one day .. maybe 3 months before Election Day. Yeah, that's a swipe at GB. While it's nice to have captured Saddam the main reason we went in was to scoop up this batch of weapons. Which you would think if they really existed the remnants of his army would have used them in the middle of Baghdad already. The other side of that argument is that the terror strikes are to simply chase the US out; to break out chemical weapons makes the occupation look legit.

Hey.. I'm on the fence watching this madness called international politics. The Iraqi people .. at least some of them are ecstatic, as would be anyone who caught a slap from the Hussein Crew. Raed writes.."I want a fully functioning Saddam who will sit on a chair in front of a TV camera for 10 hours everyday and tells us what exactly happened the last 30 years. I do not care about the fair trial thing.. we all know he should rot in hell. but what I do care about is that he gets a public trial because I want to hear all the untold stories.

.."All the untold stories.." Who are you telling? That would be must watch TV.

Lauryn Hill Sticks it to the Catholic Priests
On Saturday night in front of a packed house at Paul VI Hall in Vatican City, Lauryn Hill shoved aside any planned performances and whipped out her own plans. There to perform at a Christmas concert there wasn't no type of MCing going on. Reading from a prepared statement she took the time to elbow the Catholic Church in the ribs with comments about its leaders and the priests who abuse children rubba rubba style.

Italian newspapers quoted her as saying.. "I'm not here to celebrate, like you, the birth of Christ, but to ask you why you are not in mourning for his death in this place."

She continued.."Holy God has witnessed the corruption of your leadership, of the exploitation and abuses which are the minimum that can be said for the clergy."
Calling for the accused priests to repent she said, "I realize some of you may be offended by what I'm saying, but what do you say to the families who were betrayed by the people in whom they believed. And what do you say to those children who were violated in body and mind?"

Her speech was met with gasps and wide-eyed looks from the 7500 people in attendance. Lauryn then proceeded to perform a song about social injustice.. which was not on the program.

The concert was held where Pope John Paul II gives his weekly addresses. He wasn't in the audience but a Bishop Rino Fisichella called her speech "a rash outburst" adding that it was, "an uneducated act showing a lack of respect for the place she was a guest and for those who invited her." And doesn't that make you wonder.. how did Lauryn Hill even get on the bill? Here's a news brief Lauryn Hill isn't the girl you used to know. From all accounts she's on her own page and is liable to say all kinds off off the wall things.

Although I don't think her comments here were that crazy.. just the time and place. The accused Catholic priests were all over the news, but have you heard of one case being prosecuted. If so it's totally under the gaydar.. I mean radar. They have really gotten a free squeeze.

Lauryn Hill's record label Columbia Records couldn't be reached for comment. Remember back in the days when Lauryn had women feeling all kinds of proud and good about themselves. She had an entire album that delivered the female MC thing from a positive, uplifting viewpoint. Every time I hear about her new attitude and the extreme views of society I have to ask. What was wrong with that?

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Bin Laden and Saddam Get Cozy in Iraq - 4:07 p.m.
That's a very silly picture for a very serious subject.. but so what. I'll probably get death threats from outraged Muslim militants.. but so what. On this day, in the name of information distribution to the worldwide hip-hop community, I'm ready to die for the cause. Like Biggie said, I'm having suicidal thoughts.. drop that beat.

"The stress is buildin' up, I can't believe suicide's on my fuckin' mind. I want to leave. I swear to God I feel like death is fuckin' callin' me. Nah, you wouldn't understand. You see its kinda like the crack did to Pookie in New Jack. Except when I cross over, there ain't no comin' back. Should I die on the train track, like Remo in Beat Street. People at the funeral frontin' like they miss me. My baby momma kissed me but she glad I'm gone. She knew me and her sista had somethin' goin' on." .. All in the name of information, I'm here. That's so over the top.. but so what.

What was I saying? Oh. This week's Newsweek magazine reports that Bin Laden has put the word out that Iraq is the new battlefront against America. In a meeting in the mountains near the Pakistan border, sources say that Al Quaeda's top officials met with the Taliban and gave them the bad news: They will be moving fighters from Afghanistan to lead a new mission in Iraq.

Bin Laden believes that Iraq is becoming the perfect place for an American soldier shooting gallery. He believes that the Iraqi resistance has been 100% successful.

Going by the nom de guerre (had to look that one up) Sharafullah sat down with a Newsweek reporter at a tea shop in Peshawar, Pakistan to shoot the sh*t. Sharafullah is said to be a reliable source for previous matters, and other Taliban members confirmed that the meeting took place. Sharafullah quoted Bin Laden as saying, "The spilling of American blood is easy in Iraq. The Americans are drowning in deep, rising water. I’m giving men who are thirsty a chance to drink deeply."

Some Taliban officials say that there are 1000 Al Quaeda members in Afghanistan, 350 of them will be sent to Iraq. Many of them will travel through Iran to reach the "battleground."

This is obviously not good news for our troops. In the month of November a record 79 soldiers were killed in Iraq. Each day you hear of one or two being killed, and that adds up. Just today, 33 soldiers were injured. I say all this because the occupation/invasion was as dumb as the Knicks trading Sprewell for Keith Van Horn. Yeah, you got rid of an aggressive, uncooperative guy, but now your stuck in an uncertain, muck and mire. And the fans sit back, watching loss after loss with no change in sight, shake their heads and say, "What the hell is going on?"

What I want to know is how do these reporters meet with Taliban officials and people close to Al Quaeda, yet, they aren't followed or in the case of the Taliban locked up. The reporters don't tip off the military? Even worse. They have better intel than the military? If I'm not mistaking we went to Afghanistan to chase the Taliban out of power. To this day, the propped up Afghanistan leader is one wrong turn from being shot in the head. That's like Ja Rule and 50 meeting up at their kid's birthday party and the next day going back to the dis records.

Either somebody's lying or that hot tub picture is the real deal :)

Here's the Newsweek article.Bin Laden’s Iraq Plans

MC Hammer Gets a Blind Script Deal With the WB
MC Hammer has the distinction of being hip-hop's best example of how NOT to manage your money. He went from rags to riches to wondering why the creditors are calling his house at all hours of the night. *It's six in the morning, Hammer picks up the phone to make a call, but.. someone's already on the line.* "Hello Mr. Burell.. Mr. Hammer Time. Do you have the $1750.00 you promised to pay us?" "Who's this?" "It's your Mama, now stop playing and give me my money back!" *Click*

Mmm Hmm. Things were pretty bad for Hammer. And on top of mismanaging millions his music was seen as being less than viable as a true expression of hip-hop. Something I don't agree with by the way, he was doing the shiny suit thing, the "let's make em' dance thing," way before PD got in the game. That was the late eighties though, so he got the "Gas Face." When he started doing KFC commercials things got even worse, he was labeled as a sell out and an embarassment to the African-Americans. I mean, a black man dancing for chicken, for some folks that was doing way too much.

In a 1997 interview with daveyd.com, Hammer spoke on his image and commercialism: "When we say image, we have to understand that clothing does not change a person's character. So I've never done what they call gangsta rap, that's not my thing, that's the next man's thing; if thats how he chooses to come more power to him. But as for Hammer, I've always done the type of music that's entertaining and fun. From 'It's All Good' all the way back to 'Let's Get It Started'... I think our foundation is a bunch of people who don't have any education. So one day they'll say one thing, the next day they'll say another. They'll say 'don't do a commercial,' then it's 'let's do a commercial.' One day it's 'don't do tv shows,' now it's ok to have hip-hop artists with sitcoms.... Everything that one sets their mind to do is in today and out tomorrow so we have to get to the point in the hip-hop generation where we understand what we truly want."

That's from 1997.. look at the game now. If your not branching out into movies and TV, your not on your grind. Now who bought all those MC Hammer albums (over 30 million sold) is a mystery. I don't know a single person that would admit to blasting "Can't Touch This" or wearing Hammer pants. But ya'll closet fans are out there.. even though I'm speaking up for him. I was never a fan, nor do I own any of his CDs. No, really.. I don't. Hah hah. For real. I just understood where he was coming from.

Where he lost me was when he came back as a preacher and endorsing credit repair services.. what the f? .. I'm not sure about the credit services, those commercials came on late at night. I was tired. But still.. What the f? Well, Hammer is turning his experiences as a preacher and family man into a TV show.

After starring in the wacky WB reality show "The Surreal Life," which featured former stars like Corey Feldman and Emmanuel Lewis, Hammer was seen to have some remaining star power. With that in mind, the network offered him a blind script deal. Which is a guarantee that the show will air at least a pilot episode. This is before seeing one line of dialogue. It really says, "Hey, we believe in you. Do your thing."

So what will the show be about? It'll be about Hammer. Writer and executive producer, Devon Shepard elaborates, "The show is going to focus more on his family as well as himself adjusting to their new lifestyle -- they're not broke, they're not rich, they're just not in the same tax bracket as they were when he was a rapper -- as well as his kids adjusting to having their father at home every day. Hammer and I both agreed that we were going to try to approach this kind of like 'The Cosby Show' was in the '80s, to really give it that traditional feel that I think is lacking in television right now."

I cannot see myself watching this show, but 30 million Hammer fans might want to tune in.

Lee Malvo Uses The Matrix Defense - 5:03 p.m.
John Muhammad was found guilty in the DC sniper shootings; he faces the death penalty. Now it's Lee Malvo's turn to present some kind of defense for his alleged actions. I use the word alleged very loosely. Sorry Lee, your hand was caught in the cookie jar. Not much dispute about you and JM's involvement.

His lawyers are using the insanity defense. More specifically, they are saying not only was he brainwashed by John Muhammad, Lee Malvo was influenced by The Matrix.. yes, the movie. To heighten their case, last Thursday lawyers introduced over one hundred drawings and notes found in his cell. The ink sketches drawn in a lined notebook, depict Malvo as the character Neo and makes references to freeing one's mind.. and letting your ass follow. Uhh.. I added that, too much Funkadelic.

Carmeta Albarus, a social worker who spent 70 hours with Malvo had this to say about his behavior, "I recognized something was amiss with this Jamaican boy who had not been in this country three years and is speaking as if he had lived here his whole life and suffered years of social injustice." Then leaning toward the insanity claim.. "Mr. Malvo wanted me to know how unjust this society was and how important it was for them to build a new and just society." Out came one of the drawings with Malvo pictured in handcuffs with the word "bondage" written on his chest and these words scribbled in the background, "The outside force has arrived, free yourself of the Matrix 'control' Free first your mind. Trust me!! The body will follow."

In The Matrix  violence is used as a way of getting out of the fake oppressive world we live in. A world masked from reality by a computer simulation hatched by computers looking to take over the world. As you know.. Neo was the only one who could save the world from this fate. Carmeta Albarus said patterns of The Matrix  could be seen in the sniper case: Malvo was Neo and John Muhammad was Morpheus, the mentor who pushes the young student to learn the truth about the world and himself; become a hero for the masses.

Albarus also testified that John Muhammad had a master plan to take 70 boys and 70 girls to a farm and raise them as "superchildren" who would reproduce and form a perfect society. The $10 million they demanded was to be used to buy the land and supplies for this magical place. That's crazy, you say? There's more.. "They were going to be trained and sent to different parts of the world to bring about a just system, because he thought a just system was needed," Albarus said. "He felt very confident that this could be done."

It's said that The Matrix defense has been used successfully in other cases. In one case, May 2000, a swiss exchange student dismembered his landlady because she was "emitting evil vibes" and he feared being "sucked into the Matrix."

I guess the Matrix defense is more reliable than that ol story.. rap music made me do it. Nevertheless, there it is. In several of the pictures you'll see references made to "Tupak."
In this one, you'll notice that Malvo is down with the "Tupac is in Cuba" crew. Where else would he be living?

The entire set of drawings and notes can be found here.. Fairfax County Court. The one I picked out is DF exhibit #65-071.

Will this defense work? It sounds crazy enough. And didn't Neo live in The Matrix 3? He saved the world, but what happened next? That movie was so bogus, it has been erased from my memory.

I'm sure the official word will be handed down in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

*EDIT* 12/9/03 Safa.. On these bizarre stories, I gotta remember to source the information. The links to the "Matrix" pictures are 65-06 - 65-07 and 65-114.

The article itself was printed in The Baltimore Sun

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Rosa Parks Cleared to Sue Outkast
I thought this case was already settled, guess not. This morning the Supreme Court gave Rosa Parks the right to sue Outkast over the use of her name in the song "Rosa Parks" off the Aquemini  album.

In 1999, Rosa Parks sued the duo claiming that use of her name constitued false advertising, infringed on her right to publicity, defamed her character, and interfered with a business relationship.
Mrs. Parks isn't wheeling and dealing, knocking out blockbuster mergers in the boardroom.. Her business relationship involved a 1995 collection of gospel recording that she had approved of, a song on the CD was titled "A Tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks." Her main arguments were, Outkast's song used her name purely for financial gain and the lyrics in the song contained profanity and sexual vulgarisms. Rosa Parks claims that she should be compensated for the unauthorized use.

On November 18, 1999 United States District Judge Barbara Hackett dismissed the case, saying that the use of her name was within the bounds of the First Amendment. He went on to define defamation as having to involve actual bad intentions and that.. "the possibly offensive use by such groups of a celebrity's name is exactly the type of speech protected by the First Amendment, which would be a poor refuge for free expression if public figures could censor the use of their names whenever they found the speech to be distasteful."

Needless to say Parks attorneys disagreed and appealed the judge's decision.

An appeals court upheld Judge Hackett's ruling on defamation and interference with a biz relationship, but reinstated the claim that the use of her name was for financial gain. The court said Outkast had to show some artistic reason for naming the song "Rosa Parks." The idea is that it was a disguised commercial advertisement.
Then it was Outkast's turn to appeal, their lawyers asked The Supreme Court to hear the case. They did, and the result was today's ruling.. that the decision stands and Rosa Parks can proceed with her case.

This is a sad, sad story. Here you have one of the most positive, non-violent groups in hip-hop being sued for something that's just insane. If they wanted to use someone's name to promote a song, why would they choose a woman who is known to most of today's generation as a single page in a history book? Black history month comes around, you hear her name. Hardly the type of person that's gonna make your CD a must buy.

Rosa Parks helped to kick off the Civil Rights movement, respect that. If anything, using her name would help to enlighten someone to her signifigance to that movement. I can remember the first time I heard Chuck D say "Joanne Chesimard," who I later found out is Assata Shakur. That one mention opened my eyes to The Black Panthers. Can't speak on the profanity in the song.. don't remember it word for word.. but surely by now Mrs. Parks would have done some research and discovered that like the energy she put into uplifting African-Americans, Outkast is out to uplift hip-hop. Yeah, they may toss around sexual references, a few well placed curse words, and have women wearing booty shorts in their videos.. but Ha.. it's all done with only the best intentions. Somebody please buy her The Love Below, she needs a hug. My prediction is that Outkast settles out of court. That's all you need is a dumb ass jury or judge to chop your life-savings into nickel rolls.

*EDIT - 12/9/03 nena.. I was wondering that myself. Did a little searching and turns out Rosa Parks is being represented by none other than Johnnie Cochran. Here is the appeal filed with the US District Court on May 12, 2003. You'll see Cochran's name, the explanation for the lawsuit and a transcript of the lyrics.

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Jessica Simpson.. You've Got Competition - 12:46 p.m.
In the crowded world of show business, it's said that any publicity is good for your career. Anything to keep your name popping. 22-year-old Paris Hilton probably wouldn't agree with that, she has links to her shaky cam sex tape sitting in email inboxes worldwide. Now she's ashamed and embarassed. Hey.. I never talked about that. Here's the short version: grab camera *click* power off.

It's still worked out for her. If not for the media blitz surrounding that tape, I would have never, ever, ever raced home to watch her new reality show The Simple Life. I'm talking literally, elbowing slow-footed women out of the way to get down the subway steps. The show's premise is that two rich and pampered girls spend a month with a family in the middle of farm country. Leaving their lavish lifestyle behind, they will have a chance to live The Simple Life.
Paris Hilton is the great grand-daughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotel chain. You know may have know that.. but what really got me is Nicole Richie. She's the daughter of Lionel Richie, former lead singer of the Commodores, the "All Night Long" man. Lionel Richie my friend is black, but he's obviously packing the same gene juice as Michael Jackson. That girl looks nothing close to having some brotha in her. Not a problem.. just an observation and another reason why my TV was tuned in last night.

You had to expect they were going to be disgusted with the lack of "the finer things in life" and stand out from the rest of the people in town. As a matter of fact, I was about to switch back to The Tracy Morgan Show  when they started giving Jessica Simpson a run for her money as Clueless Chicks of the Year. It began when they got off the plane and had to drive themselves to the farm in a pickup truck. Paris couldn't even get the thing in gear, and Nicole is laughing like her lil sidekick.. "Parisssss. Do you have it drive?" Then the truck comes speeding and weaving on to the farm.. "they're hereeeee."

Dressed like any other day in the life of a spoiled rich girl: the latest fashions, high heels, sunglasses, and Paris has a chihauahu named Tinkerbell running around. As they get out the car and introductions are made, the mother of the family is looking at them like, "look at these lil whores." The family sends them to the supermarket and Paris wearing hip hugger jeans, that at one point slipped down to show the crack of her ass.. cause she has no butt.. is reading the shopping list. The family wants generic water.. she asks Nicole, "What does generic mean?" Nicole.."(laughs) I don't know." Then they get to the checkout and I guess they have to pay in cash, but don't have enough on them. Looking confused they ask the clerk if they can just take it. He says.."What do you think this is a soup kitchen?" On the way to the car Paris asks Nicole, "What's a soup kitchen?" Nicole.. "(laughs) I don't know."

The question that rocks Jessica Simpson's "chicken of the sea" comment.. came when everyone was at the dinner table, they're talking about what they do in the town. Someone mentioned Walmart. Paris says, "What's Walmart?" Everyone is looking at her stunned.. "Is that like, where you buy walls and stuff?" Now I'm stunned. How do you not know what Walmart is? They rake in insane amounts of money. Way more than Grand Poppa Hilton.. real recognizes real.. She knows what Walmart is. Paris IS trying to break into acting, she's milking it to get a reaction. However, later in the show Nicole and Paris are sitting outside with the son, he's old enough to get some action. So they're talking and he goes inside for a minute. Nicole says.. "He's sweet." Paris.."He's nice." Nicole.. "We should do a threesome with him, give him something you know." Now their laughing and slapping high five.

The show was taped way before that sex tape was released, and before Nicole was arrested for drug possession and driving with a suspended license (she was ordered into a rehab program.) So... the threesome comment was probably real - ahhh, life on a farm - their off camera behavior is the same as when the director yells "action." What does this say about ultra rich kids? That all that dough doesn't make them any less freaky and reckless. It does buy you better lawyers. The second episode airs tonight, Paris and Nicole start hitting on all the little farm boys and Nicole sticks her arm up a cow's butt. Should be fun. By the way.. Paris has a younger sister she runs with and SURPRISE.. Nicole Richie is Michael Jackson's god daughter.

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Ludacris Delivers Turkeys on Turkey Day - 1:49 p.m.
Last August, when Bill O'Reilly questioned Pepsi's taste in rappers and they quickly fizzed out Ludacris's endorsement contract, Luda and Russell Simmons went back to Pepsi threatening a boycott. Pepsi shook the bottle and settled with them: one of the terms being that they partner with Simmons' Rush Arts Foundation and The Ludacris Foundation to support creative arts. The exact details weren't revealed but it's said the partnership would involve multiple years and multiple millions.

This was a great victory, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "What the hell is The Ludacris Foundation?" I found the answer to that question after I caught this brief headline, "Ludacris provided 1,800 Thanksgiving Food Boxes to needy Atlanta families this Thanksgiving." Through The Ludacris Foundation, Christopher Bridges distributed 1800 food boxes filled with turkeys, canned goods, and desserts to families in the low-income housing communities of Bankhead Courts, Hollywood Courts, and Herndon Homes in Atlanta, Georgia.

He stopped by the Marsha Walker Community Center to visit volunteers who participated in the distribution. Ludacris said, "It feels good to be able to give back to the community, especially to those that are often forgotten." Children also participated in a letter writing campaign to soldiers in Iraq. The funniest thing is.. during the event they were served Chicken n Root Beer. So what is The Ludacris Foundation? It's.. "a 501c3 non-profit organization established in 2001 to sustain Ludacris' commitment to make a difference in the lives of youth." If your interested the virtual home is The Ludacris Foundation.org.

Ludacris wasn't the only one in a giving mood. Ghostface visited the the Bowery Mission, a homeless shelter and church in NYC this weekend. In association with Troop (remember Troop jackets?) Tony Starks donated 1000 sleeping bags. Ghost.. "It's giving somebody a little warmth. It gets cold. And [this is] instead of having to be wrapped up in cardboard and stuff that night. You've got to crawl before you walk," he said. "There are too many millionaires out here for the whole world to be starving out here."

Then there is actor John Amos aka the father from the 1970's TV show Good Times. During the California wildfires, Dan Knight, his fiancee Tracy Barker and her 17-year-old son were one of thousands of families left with no place to live. John Amos has given them $500 for food and gas, sent them clothes and shuttled them via limousine to a taping of his new show All About the Andersons. Before you think that he's a cheap bastard.. what the hell does $500 buy?.. Dan Knight refuses to take anything more, "My pride, you know," he said. He is grateful though.."He's really a compassionate, caring person. He's been a lifesaver." Asked his reasons for helping the family John Amos said, "You know, I'm in a business where you have people complaining about the size of their trailers, complaining about the quality of the caviar. Here are people who lost it all except their lives. I'm not out to save the world, but if I can help this one family, I will certainly try my best." .. $500?! I'm still scratching my head on that one. That has to be a typo.. he has a fiancee, a 17-year-old kid, and no home. What are you gonna do with a couple hundred?

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Hello.. It's Me Vivica
Remember the news about Vivica Fox being arrested outside of 50's Connecticut home (if not check last month's blurbs) We all had questions about the truth of the information. I was hoping to see it confirmed through other news sources, that didn't happen. Wendy backed off of the story as well. However, yesterday she was back on it like a pit. She said Vivica Fox called Bow Legged Lou of Full Force fame, telling Lou that since he's friends with Wendy tell her to stop talking about her cause the incident never happened. At the same time, Wendy was getting word from the vine that Vivica's girlfriends have been calling her saying that 50 has said this and that about her on the radio, "What's up with that?" In the meantime Vivica is said to be calling 50's number like it's a radio request line. She still wants to know what happened and why they can't be together. So... Wendy is back to believing the Connecticut arrest story. If its ture and she was booked, there has to be an official record. They could have drove her to the city limits and like Ashton Kutcher said, "you've been pimped!" Punkd.. Pimped.. u know what I mean. I'll refrain from speculation. Just keeping you informed since it sounded crazy.