Soul 'Godfather' James Brown dies

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.

Copsidas said Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," he said.
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Five killed in Haiti slum raid

At least five people have been killed in Haiti's largest slum during a raid by security forces targeting armed gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The raid came hours after Edmond Mulet, the UN's chief envoy to Haiti, said the government had given the go-ahead for a crackdown on areas controlled by gangs.

About 400 UN soldiers, led by Brazilian peacekeepers and backed by Haitian police forces, entered the Bwa Nef district in the slum of Cite Soleil at 3am local time on Saturday.read more

Local Black Newspaper Burns The Pages With Another Super-Hot Topic: Are Wealthy Blacks Sharing The Wealth?

Springfield, IL (BlackNews.com) - The Capital City Courier (CCC), a local black newspaper, continues to raise thought-provoking and intriguing questions. The latest offering from the nationally-acclaimed newspaper pursues the question of social and fiscal responsibility in this month's lead story, "Do Wealthy Blacks Give Back to the Black Community?" Written by Kim E. Gordon with her usual investigative style, this very informative article follows the Capital City Courier's tradition of probing the past while examining the present in a well-researched and interesting format.
"We believe in educating while entertaining so that the reader comes away with a depth of knowledge he or she might not have previously had." Exploring charitable practices within the African diasporic community, the article dares to call on the super-rich, black elite to take their consciousness temperature. Who seeks out the spotlight and who remains an anonymous angel, giving without fanfare?read more

Cuban Eyes Focus on Leader Who Isn’t There

Raúl Castro, Cuba’s acting leader, next to the empty chair of his brother, Fidel, at a parliamentary meeting Friday in Havana. When Fidel Castro presided over meetings from that chair, he asked many questions.

By MARC LACEY
Published: December 23, 2006
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 22 — Cuba’s acting leader, Raúl Castro, sat silently as the country’s Parliament opened its year-end session in Havana on Friday, and all eyes were on the empty chair next to him from which his elder brother, Fidel, usually presides.

The first meeting of the National Assembly since Fidel Castro went into surgery in late July was, according to news service reports, much like many other legislative sessions in Havana: bland.

But this one was watched closely just in case the ailing octogenarian leader, who used to pepper underlings with questions, showed up — he did not — or in the unlikely event that the Assembly opened a debate on the island’s future.
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In the Third Day of Fighting in Somalia, Worries of a Sharp Escalation by Ethiopian Forces

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: December 23, 2006

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Dec. 22 — Any hope of a quick peace in Somalia vanished in a burst of artillery shells on Friday, as fighting between rival forces raged for a third straight day.

Residents of Baidoa, the seat of the internationally recognized transitional government, said they saw columns of Ethiopian tanks chugging toward the front lines, heightening worries that Somalia’s internal problems could soon become regional ones. Meanwhile, residents in Mogadishu, the battle-scarred traditional capital and the base of Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement, said they saw sailboats packed with foreign mercenaries landing on the city’s beaches.
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U.S. Gives Grants to 4 Gulf Coast States to Upgrade Disaster Housing

By ERIC LIPTON
Published: December 23, 2006

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 — FEMA trailers, the cramped, impersonal housing units that have come to define the federal response to major disasters, may be on the way out, thanks to $388 million in federal grants, announced Friday, that will test half a dozen cozier, more permanent models of postdisaster housing.

The program will offer new housing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to thousands of families, among the 100,000 still living in trailers across the Gulf Coast, by placing them over the coming year in these studier, roomier, better ventilated homes, many of which have front porches, large windows and even small attics.

Mississippi came out on top in the contest for the grants, receiving $280.8 million, compared with $74.5 million for Louisiana, $16.5 million for Texas and $15.7 million for Alabama.
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After Losing the Foundation, What’s Often Left Is the Cellar

By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: December 24, 2006

On his way out of Philadelphia last week, Allen Iverson retraced the path taken by the other superstars the 76ers traded — franchise players who later made the Hall of Fame their final N.B.A. address.


Wilt Chamberlain. Moses Malone. Charles Barkley.

The Sixers never won a title as a result of those trades. Like many other N.B.A. teams that jettisoned franchise players without receiving equal value, Philadelphia fell into disarray and was forced to start anew each time.

Even with Iverson, the Sixers were not heading to the N.B.A. finals, a fact both parties realized, precipitating Iverson’s trade to Denver. Whether the Sixers, who last reached the finals in 2001, do so again soon depends largely on the 2007 draft. They have three first-round picks, two of them coming in the trade with the Nuggets.
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