May 10, 2012

By HANNAH DREIER | Associated Press 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A first-of-its-kind ban on a controversial form of psychotherapy aimed at making gay people straight is speeding through the California statehouse.

Supporters say the legislation, which passed its final Senate committee Tuesday, is necessary because such treatments are ineffective and harmful.

"This therapy can be dangerous," said the bill's author Sen. Ted Lieu. The Torrance Democrat added the treatments can "cause extreme depression and guilt" that sometimes leads to suicide.

Conservative religious groups emphatically reject that view of sexual orientation therapy and say the ban would interfere with parents' rights to seek appropriate psychological care for their children.

The bill would prohibit so-called reparative therapy for minors and obligate adults to sign a release form that states that the counseling is ineffectual and possibly dangerous.

Representatives of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality on Tuesday called the bill a piece of social engineering masquerading as a solution to a clinical problem.

David Pickup, who is registered with the California Board of Psychology, said a ban would prevent people from recovering from trauma of sexual abuse.

"Any therapist worth his salt knows that homosexual feelings commonly occur in victims as a result of abuses," he said. "I ought to know because I was one of those boys."

The debate comes as gay rights issues take the spotlight around the nation.  Over the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden said he is "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex couples getting the same rights as heterosexual couples. 

[And President Barack Obama expressed his support for gay marriage on Wednesday. (See related story.)]

In North Carolina on Tuesday, voters moved to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. And in Colorado, a civil union bill faced a looming deadline in the state Legislature.

Conversion therapy penetrated the national consciousness last year when former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was questioned over whether her husband's Christian counseling business provided services that attempted to change gays and lesbians.

Interest in the religion-based therapy appears to have surged in recent years, sparking debates about whether sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic.

Exodus International, the world's largest Christian referral network dealing with homosexuality, now steers people to 260 groups across the country, up from about 100 a decade ago. The organization has 35 ministries and churches scattered around California, from the Central Valley to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Conservative religious leaders say it is important for families to have access to services as teens first awaken to their sexual orientation.

"When I was struggling with those things in the early '80s, the church didn't seem like it had a place for me," said Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International.

But mainstream mental health organizations say people should not be seeking out such ministries.

The American Psychological Association said in 2009 that mental health professionals shouldn't tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy.

The association cited research suggesting that efforts to produce the change could lead to depression and suicidal tendencies and stated that no solid evidence exists that such change is possible.

The American Counseling Association and American Psychiatric Association have also disavowed the therapy. The psychiatric association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders nearly 30 years ago.

Last month, the author of a widely cited 2001 study supportive of the notion that "highly motivated" people can change their sexual orientation retracted his study and apologized to the gay community.

Peter Drake, 55, testified Tuesday that he sought out conversion therapy in an effort to save his 20-year marriage, and the years of trying to change himself nearly drove him to suicide.

"I am left-handed and I am gay," he said. "I could learn to write with my other hand, but that is not who I am."

Gay rights advocates say a ban like the one proposed in California could represent a turning point and inspire similar legislation in other states.

The measure, which moves to the full Senate, would likely face legal challenges from opponents who say it is unconstitutional.

"We're talking about stepping into the doctors' room or the physiatrists' office and clamping a hand over the mouths of the clinicians," said Matthew McReynolds of the conservative-leaning Pacific Justice Institute.

Lieu says he addressed free speech issues in SB1172 by excluding clergy and other people who are not medical professionals from the legislation.

The practice has garnered attention in past years as teens sent by their parents to conversion therapy programs have shared their stories online.

Among the lawmakers who approved the bill Tuesday was Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. Leno said his parents sent him to a therapist when he first told them he might be gay, and it was only because the therapist did not pathologize his sexual orientation that he was able to come out of the closet.

"There are many that are trapped in this horror situation," he said. "And it can have extraordinarily negative impacts."

May 10, 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The queen of soul is taking her place in the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Aretha Franklin is one of six people who’ll be inducted into the Hall on Aug. 14 in Hendersonville, Tenn. She'll be joined by bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs, family group The Hoppers, contemporary Christian singer Dallas Holm, the late TV evangelist Rex Humbard and Christian rock band Love Song.

Franklin's gospel roots run deep, starting with her father, who was a prominent Baptist minister. Her 1972 album, “Amazing Grace,” has sold over 2 million copies and is one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time.

The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame was established in 1971. More than 150 members have been inducted, including Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley.

May 10, 2012

By JOHN ROGERS |

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When it comes to compiling a list of the great songwriters of the past 50 years, Victor Willis’ name likely wouldn’t merit more than an asterisk.

Far better known as the cop in the novelty disco act the Village People, Willis is also remembered for a number of drug-related troubles in the early 2000s that nearly upended his post-Village People days.

Yet there he was this week, being mentioned in the same breath as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, after he won a court battle to claim at least a third of the copyrights for such songs as “Macho Man,” “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy” that he co-wrote for his old group.

The former “Macho Man,” who says he has a new album titled “Solo Man” coming out in a few weeks, declined to say what kind of payday he expects Monday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Barry Moskowitz to bring him.

“But those songs, they gross millions a year, so it could be a significant thing,” he noted with a chuckle.

Willis was a musician-actor who, among other things, had appeared on Broadway in “The Wiz” when Jacques Moreli decided to cash in on the disco craze in 1977 by putting together a group made up of beefy, macho-looking guys dressed as a biker, a construction worker, a cop, a cowboy and an Indian chief.

Willis, who was the group's lead singer, was soon dancing up a storm with his cohorts to catchy beats while disco balls glittered and music blared around the country and in Europe.

The Village People sold tens of millions of records in the 1970s, and Willis co-wrote all the big hits. But he also signed away his copyrights to the songs for a cut of the profits that today ranges from 12 to 20 percent.

“I was very young and naive,” he said by phone from New York on Thursday. “I didn’t know at that point what I was going to be giving away. So If they put a contract in front of me, I signed it.”

He said he suspects many other young artists did as well, and he hopes his court victory this week will eventually benefit them, too.

When Congress updated federal copyright law in 1978, it allowed songwriters to reclaim such signed-away copyrights after 35 years. That's something that over time is expected to affect the rights to songs by Dylan, Springsteen, Tom Petty, Billy Joel and others.

After Willis sought to get the copyrights to 33 songs back, the owners, Can’t Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, sued to stop him, arguing that he was simply a “worker for hire” for the Village People and therefore had no stake in the songs. They also argued that because his co-writers didn't join him in seeking their share of the copyrights Willis shouldn’t be granted his share either.

The companies dropped the “worker for hire” argument before Moskowitz issued his ruling Monday. The ruling determined that Willis didn’t need to join with the others.

Still to be determined is just how much of the copyrights he’ll control — one third or one half.

His co-writers are credited as Moreli and Henri Belolo, although Willis says he and Moreli really wrote the songs.

“Belolo didn’t write anything. He was just the publisher,” he said, adding he's confident that means the court will give him 50 percent.

The music publishers’ attorney, Stewart Levy, disagrees, saying he expects Willis will get no more than a third, which he maintains isn’t much more lucrative than the 20 percent he gets these days for “Y.M.C.A.”

“We’re disappointed, of course, but we don’t think it's as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be,” he said of Monday’s ruling.

Willis’ attorney, Brian Caplan, said the case is the first addressing the rights of songwriters to terminate agreements they signed decades ago, and as such, lays the legal groundwork for others who seek to reclaim their copyrights.

That could open “a tremendous can of worms” for the music industry, said Mark Volman, coordinator of the Entertainment Industry Studies program and an assistant professor at Belmont University in Tennessee.

“It would be a tremendous win (for songwriters) to get something like that in place,” said Volman, who as a founding member of the 1960s group the Turtles fought his own share of battles over royalty rights signed away.

As for Willis, he’s looking to getting on with his career.

After vocal cord surgery in 2008, and a series of arrests on drug-related charges in the mid-2000s that resulted in a stint in rehab, he says his life has turned around in recent years.

“Life is fine. I went through whatever I went through, but everything is going great now,” he said.

May 10, 2012

By MESFIN FEKADU | Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — B.o.B's 2010 debut launched hits that co-starred Bruno Mars, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and Hayley Williams of Paramore. So for his second album, the rapper wanted to feature his many talents without assists from famous faces.

Then he bumped into Chris Martin of Coldplay.

"I ran into Chris Martin in a studio in New York and I was like ...'I don't really want features on my project.' And he was like, 'Why the (expletive) not? Like, what? Like, why? What is the reason behind purposely not having features?'"

The 23-year-old says he's a Coldplay fan and found himself rethinking his original plan. But B.o.B also wondered why Martin would advise him to do collaborations when his band rarely does so.

"I'm thinking like, 'Coldplay, you don't need a feature. You're Coldplay.' At the same time, I kind of understood what he was saying the more I progressed because it's really just about the music," B.o.B said. "It's an art form."

Now "Strange Clouds," released this week, has guest appearances from Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Ryan Tedder, T.I. and Trey Songz. It's the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated, gold-selling "B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray," which includes the top 10 hits "Nothin' on You," ''Airplanes" and "Magic."

The Associated Press: Why didn't you want your new album to feature other performers?

B.o.B: I didn't want to have features because I felt that on my first album people didn't know who I was. They didn't really get the full meaning behind who I was. They only saw a glimpse of me, and they made their opinions and drew their own conclusions from just a glimpse of something.

AP: Dr. Luke produced four songs on "Strange Clouds." What was it like working with him since he's best known for his hits with Katy Perry and Ke$ha?

B.o.B: Working with Dr. Luke is good, but sometimes you may run into disagreements, certain things that may rub an artist a certain way. For example, when I recorded "Both of Us" (featuring Taylor Swift), I recorded my vocals on the hook, but when it was time to turn the masters in, he snatched my vocals right when it was time to turn in the masters. And so, as an artist it kind of makes you feel like, "I guess it's his song." I don't know. He's a talented dude, but sometimes when you work with a producer, sometimes their ego may get in the way into really making it a completely mutual project.

AP: What was it like to hear Swift's vocals on the song when it was done?

B.o.B: I played her the song at her show ... and instantly she loved it. She was like, "Bob, I have tears in my eyes. I love this song. I'm down. I want to be a part of it." ... And she sounded amazing on the record. (She) actually rewrote some of my verses as well.

AP: How was Nicki Minaj?

B.o.B: Just in the brief moments that I've spoken with her, she's very much about her business. There are no gray areas with Nicki Minaj. ... We had a couple of creative conversations, but the main thing was everything was professional and taken care of.

AP: What did you want to do on this album?

B.o.B: You can have a good album with good songs, but I wanted a good album that was organically good, something that really felt like, "Man, only B.o.B has this music, only B.o.B makes this type of sound." I felt like in order to do that I really had to not let the success of the first album make me complacent.

AP: When you were a kid, did you know you wanted to be a musician?

B.o.B: It wasn't until I was 13 when I was really strongly adamant about being an emcee, to the point where it was like I had an ultimatum and I was like, "Man, I really need to decide what I'm going to do with my life."

AP: So you were a serious 13-year-old?

B.o.B: Absolutely. That mentality at 13 to become an emcee wholeheartedly, you know, it's a danger to it and risk to it because you neglect certain things that you automatically count off as not being necessary for this type of lifestyle. As a kid I was like, "I don't need school or books. I'm an emcee; I'll make it off of that." And granted, I did, but it's like, you don't really know. You just have all the faith that you can have and then it's left up to the universe to make it happen. So, it's been like this since I was 13.

May 10, 2012

ARIES

If you are unhappy with your situation this week, you have all the power you need to change it! Don’t procrastinate any longer. You can make the improvement now! Don’t worry about what others are thinking. Just do what is good for you.  Soul affirmation: Love is my reward for giving love.

TAURUS

The universe is balanced and our lives will be filled with triumphs and tribulations. Don’t fret when you face turmoil this week. Deal with it head on and stay undeterred. Keep straight on the path you are traveling and you will reach the place where you are meant to be.  Soul affirmation: All is well and so I let it be.

GEMINI

Your inner beauty is one of your greatest assets. This week take full advantage of this gift you received from God. This week hold in consciousness the truth that you are specially crafted from His hands. Allow a cheerful disposition to radiate through you. Soul affirmation: I happily help to clear up a mess made by others.

CANCER

Everything that goes around will come around, for the universe is balanced. We all need to bear our crosses and accept the fate that is destined for each of us. The will of God is good, and we will receive as He gives. This week is a week for finding joy in little things.  Soul affirmation: I let love teach me more about life.

LEO

This week have faith in what you know can happen and rededicate yourself to achieving your dreams. Be sure to remember and respect who you are as the week unfolds. Love yourself for who you are this week, and this will give you a clear perspective on what you can become. Soul affirmation: I celebrate the high energy that engulfs my life.

VIRGO

Give yourself a chance to experience a different side of your personality this week. Keep from getting bored by doing a little acting. Choose a character who would be more effective than you in the situation in which you find yourself. Be that character. Play the role. Enjoy it.  Soul affirmation: The value I place on myself is the value that others see in me.

LIBRA

You are a person of action. Believe in your ability to get things done and you will find things so easy to do. Put things into perspective and obstacles will become opportunities. Put your plans into practice with confidence and your list of things to do will get done one by one. Soul affirmation: Hope brightens my mornings, faith sustains my nights.

SCORPIO

This week think of yourself in ways that you have not thought of yourself recently. Find in the closet of your spirit another set of clothes. Put them on and wear them like they are your everyday apparel. Reinvent yourself and act as if the new is usual. Soul affirmation: I feel like the star that I naturally am.

SAGITTARIUS

You are a person of many talents and skills. People around you count on your abilities to keep things running smoothly this week. Know that all your hard work is appreciated and even though you may not see it right away your dedication will be rewarded. Soul affirmation: I do good unto others and enjoy doing it.

CAPRICORN

Allow yourself to live your dream this week. Don’t second- guess your instincts or desires and you will find you are already the person who you always knew you could be. Be courageous as you set forth to fulfill your goals. If doubt knocks, lock the doors and windows of your heart. Soul affirmation: I make sure people understand that I am on their side this week.

AQUARIUS

Trust your special knowledge of yourself and the universe and use that knowledge as a guide this week. Not everyone will trust you to be true. Do not let their lack of faith shake your belief in yourself. Knowledge of external processes is not nearly so important as knowledge of yourself this week. Soul affirmation: Doing good this week is the key to feeling good.

PISCES

It’s not always what you know, or even who you know that paves the road to success. Sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time that counts. Be prepared to answer when opportunity knocks this week. Accept your good fortune graciously, and share it with others. Soul affirmation: I go within myself to find a place of calm where I can rest.

May 10, 2012

By JENNIFER PELTZ |

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — When rapper G. Dep turned himself in for a nearly 2-decade-old shooting, he told police he wanted to clear his conscience.

He found out Tuesday what the consequences would be: 15 years to life in prison, the minimum term for his murder conviction. A judge, prosecutors and even the jury foreman said he deserved credit for coming forward when he'd never been suspected in the long-cold case.

“It may not be the best legal strategy, but, certainly, it was the right thing to do,” Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus said, “even though it landed you in the situation you're in now.”

With that, the 37-year-old rapper — who had a brush with fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s — walked slowly out of the courtroom, looking back at his wife, mother and a couple of longtime family friends in the audience. He didn’t speak at his sentencing, but his lawyer, Anthony L. Ricco, said G. Dep was at peace with his decision to speak up.

“He was in search of his redemption and his honor, and some might say that he achieved that,” Ricco said after court.

The sentencing capped a case with uncommon contours from the moment the rapper revived it by walking into a police stationhouse in late 2010. He told police he’d shot someone while trying to rob him on a street corner years earlier.

Then came an unusual trial in which he acknowledged confessing but argued that police might have mismatched his account to the October 1993 shooting of John Henkel, 32.

G. Dep was convicted last month — a decision jurors made “with a heavy heart,” foreman Jim Nelson wrote to Obus in a letter asking for leniency for the rapper, born Trevell Coleman.

“I, and I believe many others, have been moved by Mr. Coleman’s story and by what he did in listening to his conscience and coming forward after all these years,” wrote Nelson, the editor-in-chief of GQ magazine. His name was redacted in court records but appeared in an editor’s letter he wrote about the case in the magazine’s June issue. (“We found him guilty, because he was, and no one’s excusing anything,” he noted there.)

G. Dep became part of rap impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs’ slate of up-and-comers at Bad Boy Records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. G. Dep had a rap-chart hit with “Special Delivery,” and the video for his “Let’s Get It” helped popularize a loose-limbed dance called the Harlem shake before his career dwindled.

“He achieved some fame in the music industry. ... But that success was not able to overcome that sense of remorse and guilt that he had about what he had done one night in his teenage years,” Ricco told the judge Tuesday.

The rapper sank into drug use and a roster of arrests on drug, trespassing and other charges.

But he finished a drug-rehabilitation program and had released a new album online in the months before he went to tell police he’d fired at someone during an attempted holdup on a Harlem corner when he was about 17 to 19. He said he'd fled on a bicycle, unsure whether the man had been hit.

Authorities paired details in his account — including the location, gun caliber and rough timeframe — with Henkel's death.

Ricco, meanwhile, pointed to discrepancies, including in G. Dep’s description of the man he’d robbed. He has said the rapper plans to appeal.

During the trial, prosecutors portrayed G. Dep as a man who coldly shot a stranger. But at the sentencing, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney David Drucker emphasized the rapper’s choice to come forward.

“He had no ulterior motive, nothing to gain, other than within himself,” Drucker said.

G. Dep, who has three school-age children, told MTV News last month he has “no ill thoughts towards anybody” about the trial and outcome.

“Someone was taken from (the Henkel) family, so I can’t feel like I was robbed in any kind of way,” he told the network by phone from jail.

Henkel’s relatives didn’t attend the trial or sentencing. One of his brothers, Werner, has said he’s thankful the justice system saw the case through.

May 10, 2012

By Brandon I. Brooks

Mother’s Day is the day to share with the woman or women who guide us or have guided us through this journey we call a life.

 It is a day to cherish because we get to reflect either by ourselves or with the person we love and consider our mother or a mother figure.

 It’s a time to come together and live in the moment.  Don’t worry about tomorrow or yesterday.  Just be thankful for today and remember that life can be short.  Time with family and friends is precious so live it up!

I have always appreciated Mother’s Day because I was raised by a single mother who took care of five children.  And trust me when I say, we all turned out great. There was no father in the house to tell me what to do or lead me through life, only my mom’s gentle voice and on many occasions, her commanding tone.  She always knew the answer and I know now more than ever, that without her, I could never be the man I am today. 

This mother’s day I salute you Mom (Pamela A. Bakewell) and Thank God for blessing me with an Angel on earth. 

God Bless your sweet soul….Happy Mother’s Day.

Dorothy McDavid

A True Mother

A Mothers love is like the love of Christ it penetrates through and through. Unconditional without limits.   We nurture, plant, water, counsel and give you space to take flight to grow with your own mindset.  But always standing by when we are needed.  We stand on the foundation that we have planted in your life knowing that the choices you will make you have bowed your knees and consulted God in all your ways and waited for the answer with Pray, Praise and Worship!  Then the final result of your talents and gifts will become explosive when you make choices for your live to pursue with Excellence and pass the no limits on for generations to come. Happy Mother’s Day!

Pat Munson

I don't really celebrate Mother's Day anymore and I haven't since my mommie passed away in 1987. It's usually a day I enjoy being alone quietly reflecting on my mother's unconditional love. She was a single mother of 11 children from Louisiana who came to Los Angeles in 1963 looking for better opportunities for her family. She went to school at night, worked double shifts at nursing homes, cleaned white folk houses and did everything in her power to provide for us. She kept us in Sunday school, church, singing in the choirs, reading the bible and praying at home to instill in us an unshakeable faith in God because she already knew what it would take to get us through life's ups and downs. So that's what Mother's Day means to me; remembering the strength and love of my mother and doing my best to pass along those same values to my daughter and grandchildren.

Adrianne Sears

Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts and responsibilities that God can bestow.  As mothers, we plant the seeds of confidence, character and courage to conquer life’s challenges.  We instill a sense of purpose and pride through consistent acts of love and respect.  A mother is indeed a child’s first and most influential teacher.  We as mothers provide opportunities that help to mold minds and shape world views.  Motherhood is a lifelong journey that is filled with patience and faith.  We are pillars of strength. 

As the co-creators of life, we provide for our children and protect them from the dangers of this world.  The sorority of motherhood is a powerful one, in which we teach love for self and responsibility for the success of our community.  We nurture the talents of our children, expose them to learning opportunities and support their dreams.  We are advocates, counselors, cheerleaders, confidants, prayer partners, nurses, cooks and comforters.  Ultimately, mothers seek to provide a great example that will build a legacy for generations to come.  It is for these reasons, and so many more, that we should celebrate mothers every day. 

Diana Pinkney

Yes, May 13th is officially mother’s day but for my mother every day is mother’s day because of the wonderful things she does for her family & friends.  So mother Laura, you have our full attention and a full salute on this very special season called Mother’s Day.  We love you Godly Woman!….Love Dianna, Troy, Ronnie and Dreneka. 

Pamela Bakewell

Mother’s Day is a very special day to me for many reasons.  Most of all, I had the privilege of having one of the best Mother’s in the whole wide-world. Really, it’s true.  I’m not just saying that to be cliché.  My Mother was considerate, thoughtful, caring, humble, funny and most of all, loving.  My brother and I never wanted for anything even though we came from very humble means. Our Mother and Maternal Grandmother (Mama Camille) made sure we were secure, educated and well mannered.  We were rich in LOVE.  I am forever grateful to God for my Mother, Marybell, and I thank her for instilling values into us that we’ve been able to pass onto our children.  My Mother’s legacy will live on for generations.  Thanks, Mother, I know you are resting and smiling in God’s Love.  Your Loving Daughter. 

Iris Stanford

I am Ruby’s Child. Understanding, devotion, trial and error, self-sacrifice, unconditional love, an understanding heart and gentle hands. “THE FLOWER IN GOD’S GARDEN”.

Joy Childs

Mable Childs, my little 5'6" mother, taught first grade at Cienega Elementary School on Adams Boulevard between Fairfax and LaBrea until she retired in 1986 after teaching there for nearly 40 years. Even though she passed away in 2001, she’s always with me: in pictures around my home, in the music that she turned me on to—mostly classical music, hymns and children’s ditties—and in the many students that she taught back in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s who I still run into who, without exception, tell me what she meant to them. One of my favorite moments with her was on Mother’s Day 2001when we went to church at the West Angeles COGIC, then to the Mama’s House restaurant on Crenshaw where she and I ran into Magic Johnson and his family. She nervously approached him at his table to tell him that he was one of her favorite people for all he did in our community.  I chimed in, proudly telling him that she had been a teacher for 40 years. He stood up, all 6'9" of him, looked waaay down at her and said, “Well, I’m proud of you for all you’ve down in our community!” That is my sweetest Mother’s Day memory.

Benjamin ‘BJ’ Samuels

As the son of a mother who has passed on, I take this moment to reflect on how powerful she was in my life.  And in her physical absence, I recognize the strength and bond of mother’s around me. My sister, LaDonna Samuels Ott, has two daughters and her devotion to their happiness and success is paramount to her life’s purpose.  It brings me joy to share and be a witness to her brand of motherhood...a seemingly effortless truimph!    

DeDe Price

Honestly, my first thought when asked was of two songs my Pastor Shirley Ceasar. Even though I am blessed to still have my mother, I thought of Everyday is Like Mother’s Day and I remember Momma. When you get a chance listen to them. I could go on and on, but I will make it short. Mother’s Day means to me a day set aside to show love, honor, appreciation, gratefulness and reflection. Honored to be a mother/grandmother, appreciate and grateful to God for giving me the honor. Reflecting on what I could, should or would have done differently and continue to attempt to be the best mother/grandmother than I can be. Lastly - sit back and enjoy the day. Happy Mother’s Day to the other mothers - especially yours. Good Job Pam!!

May 10, 2012

By Pamela K. Johnson

Contributing Writer

“The Brotherhood Crusade is not just a local entity that popped out of somebody’s dream,” said CZ Wilson, Ph.D., a retired UCLA vice chancellor. “Walter Bremond, who founded the nonprofit, had a vision that our people could be self-sufficient, while [institutional builder] Danny Bakewell had a whole system of socioeconomic organization that he brought to the table.”

Wilson, now 83, was a young educator with a family when he first came to Southern California in the mid-‘60s and teamed up with Bremond, and later Bakewell. He is one of many who will be videotaped giving their oral history of the organization in early June. 

The Brotherhood will turn 45 next April, having been founded in the weeks between the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, and Senator Robert Kennedy on June 5, 1968.

This Oral History Project is intended to capture the origins of this history-making organization for the record, to be used as a blueprint for future generations to follow.

Wilson, who is the author of “Crossing Learning Boundaries By Choice: Black People Must Save Themselves,” migrated to the north from Greenville, MS, “at 16 years old, with 50 bucks in my pocket, to go to University of Illinois.” Then he became a postdoctoral student at Binghamton (NY) University and ultimately made his way to UCLA, where he quickly ascended the university administration ladder and met up with Bremond and Bakewell.

“We shared this burning desire to change inner-city America,” Wilson recalled. “And today, the Brotherhood Crusade is as close to a socioeconomic success story as you’re going to find in this country.”

If you have any memories of Brotherhood Crusade's early days in South Los Angeles in the 1960s, please email a brief description of your story, along with your contact information, to brotherhoodcrusade@gmail.com.

May 3, 2012

By BRETT ZONGKER | Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A live recording of Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet for one of the last times was released to the public for the first time.

The recording was played Friday, April 27, at the National Press Club in Washington where it was created in January 1971. Armstrong was a featured performer celebrating the inauguration of fellow Louisiana native Vernon Louviere as president of the club.

That performance was a comeback of sorts. Armstrong had been in poor health and didn’t play for much of 1970. But he felt strong enough to play in Washington and surprised the crowd with tunes like “Hello Dolly.”

Armstrong died five months later.

Smithsonian Folkway Recordings released Armstrong’s music on CD and digital download after collaborating with the press club and the Louis Armstrong Foundation.

May 3, 2012

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody | Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawsuit filed against the Recording Academy over its decision to trim the Grammy Award categories from 109 to 78 has been dismissed.

The ruling last week by New York State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Oing granted the Academy's motion to reject a lawsuit by Grammy-nominated jazz musician Bobby Sanabria and three others. Sanabria had been the loudest opponent of the Academy's decision last year to reduce its categories and fold some genres into larger fields.

In an interview Sunday, Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow said he was gratified by the court's decision.

"The decision makes it very clear in the eyes of our legal system that we, as we've said all along ... have done all of the changes that we've made through our process based on our own rules, regulations and bylaws," said Portnow.

"It seems to me that the court made it very clear that this (is) an issue for the Academy to resolve on a regular basis," he added.

The Academy announced last April that after a more than yearlong review, it had decided to trim its categories by 31, in part to make the awards more competitive. That meant eliminating categories by sex, so men and women compete in the same vocal categories.

But it also eliminated other niche categories and created broader ones. For example, instead of a best Latin jazz album, those musicians competed against a larger group of artists in the best jazz instrumental category.

In his lawsuit, Sanabria accused the Academy of not following the proper procedures to implement the changes, and demanded that the best Latin jazz category be reinstated, saying the removal had a detrimental effect on the musicians' careers by taking away the Latin jazz category specifically.

Sanabria on Sunday held out the possibility of an appeal, and said he was waiting to see the judge's official ruling. "We have to step back from this because we've been so involved in this for so long," he said. "Sometimes you have to take a breather from some things."

He added: "It's disappointing but I expected this to be a long fight."

Sanabria was part of a vocal group that protested the cuts made by the Academy, drawing sympathizers that at one point included Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Sanabria called the cuts unfair, and even racist.

However, as the February awards drew closer, few key stars aligned themselves with Sanabria's cause.

Portnow said Sanabria represented a small number of the Academy's members and that most had no problem with the changes, which Portnow said made the awards more competitive.

"Frankly, the actual discontent and impact was very, very small when you compare (it) to the majority of the (membership)," he said. "You just didn't have a huge critical mass here."

The Academy's board of trustees is due to meet in May to consider last year's other changes and other matters involving the Grammys. However, Portnow said it is unlikely they will reverse the cuts made last year. "This year, I think the review will be a little more micro than macro," he said. "Overall, I would anticipate that the overall structure would remain the same."

Sanabria was hopeful the board, which he said consists of new members sympathetic to his coalition's cause, might restore the categories. If not, Sanabria seemed prepared to continue the fight, which he said was for the good of the Academy.

"In families, there is always conflict," he said. "We love the Academy, and that's why we're fighting for this."