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Good Black News

Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" Becomes the 1st 30-Times Multiplatinum Album in U.S. History

By goodblacknews on December 19, 2015
137410493-superstar-michael-jackson-holds-several-grammy-awards
Michael Jackson holding the several Grammy awards he won at the 1984 Grammy ceremonies Feb. 28, 1984, in Los Angeles. His top award was Album of the Year for Thriller. (SUSAN RAGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Michael Jackson is still setting records years after his death. The King of Pop’s Thriller album has become the first album to go platinum 30 times in the U.S., with sales of more than 30 million albums here and 100 million albums worldwide.
“RIAA has awarded gold and platinum records on behalf of the music business for nearly 60 years, but this is the first time an artist has crossed the 30-times, multiplatinum plateau,” said Recording Industry Association of America chief Cary Sherman in a statement. “We are honored to celebrate the unique status of Thriller in gold and platinum history.”
Thriller was released Nov. 30, 1982, and spent nearly two-and-a-half years on the Billboard album charts, with 37 weeks at No. 1. The album was produced by Quincy Jones and won eight Grammys. Included on the album were such hits as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and its title song, “Thriller.”
“It is crystal clear that Michael Jackson is simply the greatest and biggest artist of all time,” Epic Records Chairman and CEO L.A. Reid said in a statement. “Not only are his charts hits, and sales stats staggering, but his pure musicality was otherworldly. Thriller was groundbreaking and electrifying … it was perfection. I am extremely proud that Michael is the heart and soul of Epic Records, and he will forever remain the one-and-only King of Pop.”
article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com

Korey Wise Of "Central Park Five" Donates $190,000 to Help Fight Wrongful Convictions

By goodblacknews on December 18, 2015

Korey Wise (photo via cnews.com)
Korey Wise (photo via cnews.canoe.com)

The University of Colorado’s Innocence Project got a boost and a new name with a $190,000 donation from Korey Wise, a man exonerated in New York City’s high-profile Central Park jogger case.
The program, operated out of CU’s law school, is now named the Korey Wise Innocence Project at Colorado Law. Wise’s donation allowed the student-led volunteer program to hire a full-time director this fall and provides financial support for its investigative work.
The Innocence Project is a national nonprofit with chapters across the country that investigate claims of wrongful convictions. Colorado’s chapter was founded in 2001 under the Colorado Lawyers Committee and moved to the CU law school in 2010.
Wise was 16 when he was tried and convicted as an adult in connection with the 1989 attack and rape of a female jogger in Central Park.
He spent more than a decade in prison and was exonerated in 2002 after another man admitted to the attack and DNA testing confirmed his involvement. The convictions of the four other men accused in the attack were also overturned.
The men, who became known as the Central Park Five, settled with the city of New York for $41 million in 2014.
This is believed to be Wise’s first major philanthropic gift.

THE GOODS: Gadgets and Goods Holiday Gift Ideas for Teens – GBN

THE GOODS: Gadgets and Goods Holiday Gift Ideas for Teens – GBN

By goodblacknews on December 18, 2015

Lesa Lakin
Lesa Lakin

Today we’ve got gifts we think any teen would appreciate. Yes, that age group can be a little tricky to buy for, but we think we’ve picked some good GOODS. Yes, I will certainly be doing the “gift card” thing… but I like to throw the teenagers off a bit and actually wrap a gift that scores and surprises them.
We’ve compiled a short list of goods they just might like.  I’ve certainly got a little perma-teen in me, and I’d love just about any of these…
Skull Candy

SKULLCANDY – CRUSHER – $99.99 (some colors on sale 79.99)

We LOVE the way these headphones look and sound. They come in nine stylish color combos. Crusher brings the sound and feeling that you get from sitting front row at a concert. The headphones’ design features a slider to control the bass and customize your music. Dual ear cup articulation and premium materials deliver long-lasting comfort.
http://www.skullcandy.com/headphones/CRUSHER.html?cgid=1000&color=Bunny %20Teal#6lZUfLFXFpvBWuzJ.97
Naughty or Nice Decorative Pillow, 10" x 14" - 100% Bloomingdale's Exclusive

NAUGHTY or NICE DECORATIVE PILLOW, 10″ x 14″ – 100% Bloomingdale’s Exclusive – $70.00 (each)

These Alexandra Ferguson Naughty And Nice Pillows are the perfect fun gift for anyone on your list. These stylish 10”X14” are pretty fun and irresistible. Machine washable.
http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/alexandra-ferguson-naughty-or- nice-decorative-pillow-10-x-14-100-bloomingdales- exclusive?ID=1538137&pla_country=US&cm_mmc=Google-PLA-ADC-_-Home-NA-_- Alexandra%20Ferguson-_- 818635012752USA&catargetid=120156070000345783&cadevice=c

Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard

LOGITECH K380 MULTI-DEVICE BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD (Blue) $39.99

This multi-device Bluetooth universal keyboard is simply the best we’ve seen. It can go in between devices with the click of a button (Mac, PC, Tablet, Smartphone). This keyboard gets our vote. Comes in blue & dark grey.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0148NPAT0/ref=asc_df_B0148NPAT04049958?smi d=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=cnet-pc-20&linkCode=df0&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0148NPAT0
Polaroid 300 Instant Camera

POLAROID 300 INSTANT CAMERA $79.99

Remember instant photography? Well here’s a modern version of the old throwback Polaroid camera. Exceptionally stylish –the Polaroid 300 instant analog camera is beautifully designed and comes in different colors. We LOVE the red. It’s one of the more reasonably-priced instant cameras out there and makes a great gift.
http://www.target.com/p/polaroid-300-instant-camera/-/A-13043100#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=polaroid+300+instant+camera

Film: $16.99 (sold separately)
http://www.target.com/p/polaroid-300-film-10-pack-pif-300/-/A-13042872#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=polaroid+300+instant+camera
#GBN #goodblacknews.org #giftideas #teens #Polaroid #logitech #skullcandy

Lt. Gen. Nadja West Confirmed by Senate as First Black Army Surgeon General

By goodblacknews on December 18, 2015

naja west (lt general)
Lt. General Naja West is the Army’s first black Surgeon General (Photo: John G. Martinez, Photojournalist to the Secretary of the Army)

Falls Church, VA  – The Senate confirmed Thursday Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West to serve as the new Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM).  This makes West the Army’s first black Surgeon General.
Additionally, with the appointment as the 44th Army Surgeon General, West picks up a third star to become the Army’s first black female to hold the rank of lieutenant general.  West was sworn in as the Army Surgeon general on Friday by Acting Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning. She most recently served as the Joint Staff Surgeon at the Pentagon.
The Army Surgeon General provides advice and assistance to the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff on all health care matters pertaining to the U.S. Army and its military health care system.  West will be responsible for development, policy direction, organization and overall management of an integrated Army-wide health service system and is the medical material developer for the Army. These duties include formulating policy regulations on health service support, health hazard assessment and the establishment of health standards.
Dual-hatted as the MEDCOM commanding general, West oversees more than 48 medical treatment facilities providing care to nearly 4 million active duty members of all services, retirees and their Family members. MEDCOM is composed of three regional health commands, the Medical Research and Materiel Command, and Army Medical Department Center & School.
West holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Doctorate of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine. She has held previous assignments as Commanding General, Europe Regional Medical Command; Commander of Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Division Surgeon, 1st Armored Division, Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany.
West hails from the District of Columbia, and she finished high school at the Academy of the Holy Names in Silver Spring, Md.
While West’s promotion to lieutenant general is already effective, she will “pin” on the rank in a formal ceremony in early 2015.
article via eurweb.com

New Orleans City Council Votes to Remove Confederate Monuments

By goodblacknews on December 17, 2015
Confederate Symbols
The Robert E. Lee Monument is seen in Lee Circle in New Orleans.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

New Orleans‘ leaders on Thursday made a sweeping move to break with the city’s Confederate past when the City Council voted to remove prominent Confederate monuments along some of its busiest streets.
The council’s 6-1 vote allows the city to remove four monuments, including a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has stood at the center of a traffic circle for 131 years.
It was an emotional meeting — often interrupted by heckling — infused with references to slavery, lynchings and racism, as well as the pleas of those who opposed removing the monuments to not “rewrite history.”
City Council President Jason Williams called the vote a symbolic severing of an “umbilical cord” tying the city to the offensive legacy of the Confederacy and the era of Jim Crow laws.  “If anybody wins here, it will be the South, because it is finally rising,” Williams, who is African-American, said.
Stacy Head, a council member at large, was the lone vote against the removal. She is one of two white council members.  She lamented what she called a rush to take the monuments down without adequate consideration of their historic value and meaning to many in New Orleans.
Fixing historic injustice is “a lot harder work than removing monuments,” she said, even as many in the packed council chambers jeered her.  She said the issue was dividing the city, not uniting it. “I think all we will be left with is pain and division.”
The decision came after months of impassioned debate. On Thursday, four preservation groups filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to stop the city from taking down the monuments by challenging the city’s removal process.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu first proposed taking down these monuments after police said a white supremacist killed nine parishioners inside the African-American Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June.

THE GOODS: Baby, It’s Doggone Cold Outside– Holiday Gifts for Dogs – GBN

THE GOODS: Baby, It’s Doggone Cold Outside– Holiday Gifts for Dogs – GBN

By goodblacknews on December 17, 2015

Charlie (Photo by Phoebe)
Charlie (Photo by Phoebe)

Every year without fail it takes me a minute to get into the holiday giving spirit. I Scrooge it up until it really hits me that the holidays are coming fast and furious and I’ve got to step on it to make things happen. This year is no exception. I am more likely to sit at a computer and “add to cart” than I am to brave the crowds in search of the perfect gift. Well, that was until it came to choosing an important gift for someone I love… my dog, Charlie (pictured above). No, I am not a crazy dog person (and yes, he’s a rescue)… and no, he doesn’t go everywhere with me. But we do have a mutual respect for one another and bring joy into each other’s lives on a daily basis.
I run with Charlie every morning regardless of the weather. But as the years pass, every winter I’m noticing he and I are not loving the pre-dawn adventures as much. Quite frankly – we are cold!  But at least I am bundled… he is not. We used to sort of snub our noses at the little dogs that were geared up in their little outfits. Charlie is big and sturdy… does he really need a dog-semble? Well… he does now… and I’ve found the perfect one.
I searched the brick and mortars, but found one that fits our needs best in the old-school LL Bean catalog. They’ve got some great stuff in there. More choices from their catalog – for humans – coming in a later post. (Get ready – I’m bringing back the flannel nightgown!)
unnamed

FIELD COAT FOR DOGS $29.95 (sizes small to extra large)

LL Bean offers the original field coat for dogs. This one comes in all sizes and in two colors.  It is layered enough to keep the dog warm but it’s not restricting. Great price!
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/51671?page=field-coat-for-dogs?feat=dog%20coats-srrrtop

Pet Parka - LL Bean

PET PARKA $24.00

I really love the look of this parka… too bad my dog is too big. They only seem to have it in small – it’s a great color and a GREAT BUY.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/83822?feat=sr&term=dog+parka
Holiday Treats:
I’ll probably pop down to Petco and get Charlie some of his favorite cookies, or maybe a couple of doggy cupcakes from Sprinkles… he deserves a little extra snack this season, too!

Lesa Lakin and Charlie
Lesa Lakin and Charlie

Michael B. Jordan Co-Authors New Comic Book Franchise "North"

By goodblacknews on December 17, 2015

"Creed" and "Fruitvale Station" star Michael B. Jordan
“Creed” and “Fruitvale Station” star Michael B. Jordan (Photo: Gustavo Caballero / Getty)

Michael B. Jordan‘s first attempt at playing a superhero didn’t go over well with movie buffs. The 2015 reboot of “Fantastic Four” bombed at the box office but similar to his character in “Creed,” Jordan is a fighter! He’s now planning to star in his own superhero franchise.
Jordan and Nathan Edmonson are co-authoring the comic book, “North.” Here’s the premise of the series from The Hollywood Reporter:
“[‘North’] follows a soldier who is recruited into a top-secret paramilitary program that modifies his mind to make him a spy like no other. When an operation goes south, he is betrayed by the organizations he serves but quickly discovers he is far more dangerous than even his betrayers realize.”
While it sounds a lot like “Captain America,” Edmonson is an accomplished writer who wrote “The Punisher” and “Black Widow” for Marvel. He and Jordan met, ironically at one of Los Angeles’ top comic shops, Golden Apple, and decided to collaborate on their own comic.
The pair have already completed two issues which will be published by Dark Horse Comics in 2016. According to THR, this is the start of something big for the 28-year-old. “The duo want the comic to stand alone on its own merits, one of the goals is to craft an eventual producing vehicle for Jordan.”
article by Zon D’Amour via hellobeautiful.com

LeBron James Shares Touching Moment with Special Olympics MVP Aaron Miller

By goodblacknews on December 16, 2015

LeBron James and Special Olympics MVP Aaron Miller (photo via Vibe.com)
LeBron James and Special Olympics MVP Aaron Miller (photo via Vibe.com)

Tuesday night, Lebron James showed everyone what good sportsmanship looks like.
Even as the Cleveland Cavaliers pushed towards a 89-77 win in Boston, the 11-time NBA All-Star went out of his way to greet Special Olympian Aaron Miller.
Miller, who is a golfer and basketball player, beamed in awe as James ran over to the side of the court to shake his hand during the second quarter.
“I wasn’t able to hear the whole story because I was in the game and Coach [David Blatt] was drawing up the play,” James said of the moments leading up to the encounter. “But I looked up by the JumboTron and I saw what [Miller had] been through and where he is now. I think the doctor said he would never walk again or talk again. I looked up there and right from there, it became so much more than basketball.”
James also gave the 16-year-old, who suffers from severe brain damage, his basketball shoes he wore during the game.
“When I saw his story, it was just like, I don’t know, I felt like I was a part of him. Just showing my respect, gave him my shoes. It was well received by him. It was not for you guys or the fans. It was for him.”
article by Blue Telusma via thegrio.com

THE GOODS: Do Some Good, Get Some Good – H&M Garment Collecting – GBN

THE GOODS: Do Some Good, Get Some Good – H&M Garment Collecting – GBN

By goodblacknews on December 16, 2015

Dr. Thomas G. Lakin
Dr. Thomas G. Lakin

Today we are doing the Holiday Gift Guide a little differently. We’d like you to GIVE for sure. But this time how about giving AND helping the planet at the same time?
The picture above is of my father, Dr. Thomas G. Lakin. He was an educator, the first African-American chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District in California, in fact.
He believed whole-heartedly in the art of giving back… that knowledge is power… and that the Earth was ours to protect and nurture. With that instilled in us, my sister decided to do her part in giving back by creating what she hoped would become an online archive of all the great things that African-Americans do. Thus, Good Black News began. And yes, it is great to have a site that only reports on the GOOD we do (because, um…there is a lot of it!)

No doubt Dr. Lakin (if he were still alive) would be really proud of Good Black News. I am, and that is why I help out when time permits. In the photo above, our Dad is wearing a “Funky Planet “ T-shirt from a now-defunct, eco-conscious clothing venture of my sister Lori Lakin Hutcherson and her partners Teddy Tenenbaum and Bill Kuluva (I was the artist). My Dad loved it… and would often be photographed in Funky Planet product since it was “his daughters’” and well, he liked the idea of a cool planet.
Logo of an H and M store pictured in WarsawMy father was also one of the first guys I knew to get into health food and recycling… and that whole “earthy” thing way before it was the norm. So today, we’d like to help the Earth and get you a little discount on holiday shopping at the same time.
H&M is doing something great for the planet. Bring in your old clothes – no matter what brand or condition. And for every bag you turn in, you get a 15% discount card to be used on any purchase. Its GARMENT COLLECTING initiative earns H&M the proud label of being the first fashion company to collect clothes we no longer want and recycle or repurpose them. And for this we receive a 15% discount! Yep… it’s a Win Win.
For more information:
http://about.hm.com/en/About/sustainability/commitments/reduce-waste/garment-collecting.html
Shop H&M for affordable fashion: http://www.hm.com/us/
Lesa Lakin
article by Lesa Lakin

Ferguson, U.S. Department of Justice Near Deal to Reform Police Department

By goodblacknews on December 16, 2015

US-POLICE-RACISM-UNREST
Nine months after the United States Justice Department released a damning report detailing the racial biased practices of the Ferguson Police Department, the Missouri city and DOJ officials are nearing a reform deal that will likely effect change and overhaul what has been called “unconstitutional” policing.
The report, released earlier this year, was prompted by the death of Michael Brown — a Black Ferguson teenager who was fatally shot by former police officer Darren Wilson. Last November, a grand jury elected not to indict Wilson on criminal charges.
According to the New York Times, the agreement is set to include new training for officers and new-improved record keeping. But the changes won’t come easy or cheap, the Times notes.

Completing the deal, however, will require support from diverse factions of Ferguson’s leadership, which will have to sell residents on the idea of a federal policing monitor and of huge new expenses for a city that is already struggling financially. Some officials said a local tax increase appears unavoidable, which in Missouri requires approval from voters…

The two sides have been negotiating for several months, after a scathing Justice Department report in March described Ferguson as a city where police officers often stop and arrest people without cause, where the court operates as a moneymaking venture, and where officers used excessive force almost exclusively against blacks.

The deal’s anticipated close was confirmed by Mayor James Knowles III, who, in a telephone interview, told the Times the city has made “tremendous progress.”

“We’re at a point where we have addressed any necessary issues, and assuming it is not cost prohibitive, we would like to move forward,” Mr. Knowles said.

“The talks with the city of Ferguson to develop a monitored consent decree have been productive,” Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said in a statement. “The department believes that in order to remedy the Justice Department’s findings, an agreement needs to be reached without delay.”

The agreement would allow the city to avoid a lawsuit from the Justice Department.

article via newsone.com