Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Phila. teacher arrested in marijuana sale to undercover officer
Phila. teacher arrested in marijuana sale to undercover officer
A physics teacher at an elite Philadelphia magnet school has been charged with selling a pound of marijuana outside a suburban high school - and illegally possessing a 9mm handgun when police arrested him.
Paul Stein, 34, resigned Tuesday from his post in the science department of George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, where he had taught for nine years, said Fernando Gallard, a district spokesman.
Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said Stein, of the 7700 block of Summerdale Avenue, was arrested a week ago within 100 feet of Cheltenham High School after he sold marijuana to undercover agents.
Stein taught physics, chemistry, and engineering. His salary was about $75,000, Steele said.
On Sept. 8, Stein sold a pound of pot for $1,500 to an undercover member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force, Steele said.
The deal took place within 100 feet of the high school in Wyncote, and Stein had a loaded Smith & Wesson tucked in the waistband of his pants, Steele said.
On Aug. 10 and Sept. 3, Stein peddled 16 grams of marijuana to an undercover agent for $100, Steele said. One of those transactions also occurred within 100 feet of the high school, he said.
After his Sept. 8 arrest, police, acting on a search warrant, went to Stein's house and seized another pound of marijuana, five firearms, a bulletproof vest, and $16,000 in cash.
Stein was arraigned on drug and weapons charges before District Judge Christopher Cerski, who set bail at $150,000 cash. Stein was being held at the Montgomery County prison.
If convicted, Stein faces a mandatory penalty of five years in jail for carrying a firearm in the commission of a drug deal as well as four years in prison for allegedly conducting two drug deals near a school, Steele said.
Stein's attorney could not be reached for comment.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Portis apologizes for remarks about women
Portis apologizes for remarks about women: "While the NFL investigates an incident involving a woman reporter and members of the New York Jets, Redskins running back Clinton Portis sticks his mouth in the mess. Just as quickly, he apologizes."
He'll Be Back, But When?
He'll Be Back, But When?: "Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will play again this season. But no one knows when. News, notes, and quotes inside ..."
Varnette Honeywood
Little-Known Black History Fact: Varnette Honeywood
Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 5:50 am
By: Erica Taylor, The Tom Joyner Morning Show
By: Erica Taylor, The Tom Joyner Morning Show
Artist Varnette Honeywood is the subject of today's "Little-Known Black History Fact."
Behind the storylines of our favorite television shows like "The Cosby Show," "Amen" or "227" lie symbols that represent the artistry of our heritage, like the work of artist Varnette Honeywood. Her artwork was discovered by Bill and Camille Cosby in the early 1980s. Fans of "The Cosby Show" may remember a painting in the backdrop of the Huxtable home containing three women and one man looking the same direction. This was the work of Honeywood that would not only find its way to the set of "The Cosby Show," but would later be carried to the set of “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”
The Cosbys helped Honeywood build a lasting legacy by approving a mural in the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Academic Center that is now on display at the Spelman College Campus. Honeywood would partner with the Cosbys for many years, later being called to illustrate a series of 12 books named for the hit children’s show “Little Bill,” who, on the show, lived on Honeywood street.
A child of the Black Arts Movement, Honeywood drew upon her experiences of racial discrimination while living in Mississippi and Louisiana during the civil rights struggle. An art prodigy and the child of teachers, Honeywood tested out of her middle school classes and was sent to an art institute at age 12. Years later, she and her sister, a poet, began the first black greeting card business together. They would use their talents to put our faces on soulful cards and notes. It was this business that garnered the attention of philanthropist Camille Cosby, which led to many new opportunities for Honeywood.
Her use of African-based coloring techniques helped her to build a reputation of depicting the black family in a positive light in many of her paintings. Honeywood’s work not only brought the beauty of black art to primetime television, but she used her gift to give to those in need. She has donated work to Girls Inc., the National Association for Sickle Cell Disease, and the United States Labor Defense Fund, to name a few.
Honeywood passed away this past Sunday at the age of 59.
---
THE WORKS OF VARNETTE HONEYWOOD
Book illustrations
(With Brenda Joysmith) "Shake It to the One That You Love the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black Musical Traditions," Warner-Maddox, 1989.
"Black Reunion Family Cookbook," Fireside, 1991.
"Let's Get the Rhythm of the Band: A Child's Introduction to Music from African-American Culture With History and Song," JTG, 1993.
"The Best Way to Play," Scholastic, 1997.
"The Meanest Thing to Say," Scholastic, 1997.
"The Treasure Hunt," Scholastic, 1997.
"Money Troubles," Scholastic, 1998.
"Shipwreck Saturday," Scholastic, 1998.
"Super-Fine Valentine," Scholastic, 1998.
"The Day I Was Rich," Scholastic, 1999.
"Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors!" Scholastic, 1999.
"My Big Lie," Scholastic, 1999.
"One Dark and Scary Night," Scholastic, 1999.
"The Worst Day of My Life," Scholastic, 1999.
"The Day I Saw My Father Cry," Scholastic, 2000.
Exhibition catalogues
"Black Women: Achievement Against the Odds," Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1983.
"Traditions, She Who Learns Teaches: The Art of Varnette P. Honeywood," Spelman College, 1987.
"VH4 Decade: The Art of Varnette P. Honeywood," Spelman College, 1992.
Published artwork
Voices, National Conference of Artists, Michigan Chapter, 1997.
International Review of African American Art, Summer, 2001
Books
St. James Guide to Black Artists, St. James Press, 1997.
Online
"Kuumba: The African American Art of Varnette Honeywood," Bernard Hoyes.
Other
Additional information for this profile was obtained through an interview with Varnette P. Honeywood on July 29, 2005.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Horrifying crash
Horrifying crash of bus into bridge kills 4, dreams
Kevin Coffey, a Temple University sophomore, had never taken the double-decker Megabus from Philadelphia to Toronto.
Lee Veeraraghavan, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, had taken it at least 20 times.
On Friday, the strangers boarded the Toronto-bound bus together in Philadelphia about 10 p.m. along with 26 other passengers.
For Coffey, it was the last trip he ever took. For Veeraraghavan, it was the one she will never be able to forget.
About 2:30 a.m., the 13-foot-high bus they were riding in crashed into a railroad bridge 10 feet, 9 inches highin Salina, N.Y., just outside of Syracuse, shredding the top deck of the bus and toppling it on its side.
Among the four killed in the crash were Coffey, 19, a native of Kansas, and Deanna Armstrong, 18, from Voorhees, N.J., said Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy Herb Wiggins.
"Her [Armstrong's] parents were en route from New Jersey to Syracuse Saturday night to identify her but they got too distraught and had to turn back," he said.
Armstrong was identified last night through dental records, Wiggins said.
Five others were seriously injured and remained hospitalized last night, including Carl Kerr, 51, and Mabel Tabb, 79, both of Philadelphia; a King of Prussia woman, Lo Wah Chu, 55; and the bus driver, John Tomaszewski, 59, of Bordentown Township, N.J., police said.
From Coffey's parents' home in Manhattan, Kan., family friend Amy Boxer said that Coffey, who was only two weeks into his second year at Temple, had planned his one-man trip to Toronto this summer "just to see the city."
"He was so excited to explore," she said. "He loved to see new places and meet new people."
Coffey, who was an Eagle Scout and enjoyed rowing and running, was in the Honors Program at Temple and was majoring in international business.
Boxer said that Coffey, was "an exceptional, honest, kind, smart and genuine" young man who was loved by many and who loved Philadelphia.
"He had a bright future ahead of him there," she said.
Lee Veeraraghavan, 27, the second-year Penn student, said that talking has been helping her to cope with the horrors she saw.
Veeraraghavan, an ethnomusicology major from Toronto, travels home once a month, usually by the double-decker Megabus, to see her husband and parents.
She said that she always sits in the bottom of the bus, in the back row on the driver's side, where she was sleeping Saturday when the crash happened.
"I remember a bang, an impact and then I guess I slowly started to realize I was in pain and lying in a lot of broken glass," she said.
Veeraraghavan said that she found herself lying on her back, on top of asphalt and a broken window, a result of the bus tipping over on its side. She said a woman's legs were on top of her and that the woman was stuck, but conscious.
"As I started to process what happened, what really made me realize it was when I looked over my left shoulder and saw a severed leg an arm's length away," she said. "Then I realized how serious it was and that I was actually in a very good position."
Once she was free and escaped the wreckage, Veeraraghavan said that she never stopped to take in the sight of the mangled bus.
"When we crawled out, there was part of a corpse hanging from a door we had to go through," she said. "I didn't look at it and once we were passed, I didn't look back."
Veeraraghavan, who suffered a cut to her eyelid, said that she was taken to a hospital to be treated and was picked up later in the day by her husband.
She was scheduled to be on a bus back to Philadelphia last night but decided against it.
"The bus company has offered me a train ticket," Veeraraghavan said. "So I will probably take that in the middle of the week."
Don Carmichael, a senior vice president at Coach USA, which operates Megabus, said that the driver, John Tomaszewski, had driven the route regularly. Carmichael called the crash an "unfortunate, horrific accident."
Police said that Tomaszewski is not believed to have been intoxicated and may have made a wrong turn onto the unfamiliar roadway. Wiggins did say, though, that the bridge has many warning signs about its height, some of which are flashing.
Onondaga Sherriff Kevin Walsh told Syracuse television station YNN that, in police interviews, Tomaszewski said that he was following his GPS and did not see the signs or the bridge.
Wiggins said that the Sheriff's Department will issue a traffic infraction but that criminal charges, if warranted, would be handed down by the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office.
Tomaszewski's neighbors in Bordentown Township, Burlington County, said that his Groveville Road home had been in foreclosure for quite some time and that he appeared to have moved with his wife and children last week.
Neighbors said that he once owned a home-improvement company and weren't aware that he was driving a bus.
"He was a quiet guy," said Karen Oswald, a neighbor. "He didn't really socialize too much."
The other two passengers killed in the crash have been identified as Ashwani Mehta, 34, of India, and Benjamin Okorie, 35, of Malaysia.
Staff writer Jason Nark and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Scout.com 2011 Top 100
Scout.com 2011 Top 100: "When we hit the 'refresh button' on our rankings, Anthony Davis narrowly edged out a pool of candidates for the top spot including Quincy Miller and Austin Rivers."
Report: Harvin’s heart stopped
Report: Harvin’s heart stopped: "Percy Harvin’s heart stopped while in the hospital last month and he has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, according to NBC."
Ignorance....
Aussie ad slammed for insulting black U.S. players
Fox Sports
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An Australian TV commercial has been slammed for its portrayal of black American basketball players as bed-hopping womanizers, The Courier-Mail reported Saturday.
Team USA is in Turkey trying to win the FIBA World Championship for the first time since 1994.
The ad is set in the confines of a house, and begins with Australia national team guard Adam Gibson sliding across a breakfast table scattering bowls, while a chandelier is shattered by a ball.
It finishes with new Sydney Kings recruit Taj McCullough catching the ball and dishing off a pass as he lands between a white couple under the covers in bed.
He turns his back on the man and flashes an amorous glance at the woman.
"After what black American players have put into the league from the start in 1979, being stereotyped in that image is inappropriate and below the belt, pardon the pun," said former player Cal Bruton, a 1985 Brisbane Bullets title-winner who represented Australia after becoming naturalized.
"The only black American seen in the clip is hopping into bed with a white couple and what does that have to do with basketball?"
Brisbane Bullets legend Leroy Loggins said the bedroom image was a "sad" attempt at humor and sent a "poor message to young people."
The NBL removed a link to the ad from its official website Friday.
Former Sydney Kings player Bryant Matthews -- an American import -- spent time in jail for sexual assault when he was an unwanted third person in bed with a couple in Sydney in 2006.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Horror in the workplace
HORROR IN THE WORKPLACE
A FEMALE EMPLOYEE who was escorted out of the Kraft Foods building in the Northeast after being suspended last night returned within minutes with a .357 Magnum and began firing at fellow workers, police said.
She killed two female employees on the third floor and shot and critically wounded a male employee in a stairwell, police said. Sources identified her as Yvonne Hiller, whose address not immediately available.
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey told reporters that Hiller then went to the second floor and hid in an office.
She was unaware that in an adjoining office, seven employees were hiding. They called police and told them where she was.
As police approached her hiding place, Hiller fired a shot through the wall at them and at one point reloaded her weapon, Ramsey said. Hiller surrendered when SWAT team members entered the room about 9:30 p.m., he said.
The drama at the plant, on Byberry Road near Roosevelt Boulevard, began about 8:35 p.m., when Hiller was escorted from the building after being suspended from her job, Ramsey said. It wasn't clear why Hiller, a 15-year Kraft employee, had been suspended.
She got into her car and several minutes later drove through a barrier, jumped out with the high-powered handgun, ran into the building and began shooting.
Police, firefighters and emergency equipment swarmed around the building.
About 100 employees, who make Oreo cookies, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Oscar Mayer bacon, were evacuated, and busy Roosevelt Boulevard was temporarily shut down.
The wounded man was admitted to Aria Health's Torresdale hospital in critical condition.
Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan hailed the actions of a mechanic who encountered the woman on the third floor and followed her to the second, talking with police all the while on his cell phone and encouraging other employees to evacuate.
At one point, Hiller realized she was being followed, turned around and fired at the man. He sprained an ankle ducking the bullet and required hospital treatment, Sullivan said.
"His actions made a big difference to police," Sullivan said. "Inside that building is a labyrinth. Without his information, police would have had trouble making their way through the building."
Tanya Bussey, whose sister Valerie Johnson works in the building, got a scare when her sister called her after the shooting erupted.
"My sister called and said there was someone in the building who was shooting and that she was going to hide, and then her phone went dead," Bussey said.
She said that panic gripped her and that she and another relative raced to the building. Her sister finally called back and said she was safe and sound.
Andrew Wells said his father-in-law, who works for Kraft, phoned his own wife and said, "Someone came down the hallway. There's shooting in the bakery."
Earl Cooper, an electrician at Kraft, said he and a few other employees were working in a small lab when a supervisor entered and shouted, "Keep everybody back!"
"Then I heard a couple of gunshots," he said. "Kraft is like a big family. People were worried if their friends were all right."
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Future of Philadelphia schools
Ackerman focusing on the future in Philadelphia schools
THREE YEARS in as head of Philadelphia public schools and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has the battle scars to show for it.
Last school year, she faced harsh criticism for her handling of the beatings of dozens of Asian students at South Philadelphia High, which resulted in a student protest and boycott, a federal probe and the recent letter by the Department of Justice validating the students' complaints.
She also faced intense scrutiny over both her high salary and a hefty bonus.
But all that is in the past, she said during a recent interview at school district headquarters. Starting today, which marks the beginning of the 2010-11 academic year, Ackerman said she's looking ahead.
"I'm going to focus on my work and make sure my staff focuses on the work of making sure these young people leave this school system prepared to go on to college and the world of work," she said.
She said highlights of the coming year includes rolling out the second round of the "Renaissance Schools" initiative, the district's plan to turn around failing schools by converting them into charters or schools run by a team handpicked by Ackerman. The selected schools offer Saturday instruction and enrichment programs and enhanced foreign-language training.
"We're about to start another round of Renaissance schools . . . we're committed to turning around our lowest performing schools as we move forward," she said.
Among her chief concerns under her five-year "Imagine 2014" school-reform plan, in its second stage of implementation, is revamping the truancy and school-safety programs in the district's persistently dangerous schools, she said. Twenty of the district's 265 schools made the state's list this year, said a district official.
Working alongside one of her newest hires, the district's new safety chief, Chief Inspector Myron Patterson, Ackerman will implement programs in schools addressing safety, discipline and truancy, she said. She will announce details of the initiative next week, said a district spokesman.
"We're going to monitor which kids are truant, which kids tend to have chronic disciplinary issues and . . . we want to make sure we focus on those as an integrated process," she said.
Districtwide, students and parents will also learn about conflict resolution, or "safe talk," and other lessons as part of a new districtwide anti-bullying program.
Another initiative she said that parents and students ought to look forward to is that every student within the district will get textbooks - at least during school hours, she said.
"We are working hard to make sure that that's the going to be the norm as opposed to the exception," she said.
A district spokesman did not immediately provide the amount the district has spent to purchase textbooks for every student.
Also over the next year, more focus will be allocated to school libraries that have been in need of repair and additional resources, Ackerman said. "We want every school to have a library," she said.
One of her newest initiatives to combat the dropout crisis and have students graduate in four years is adding a third graduation date. Students who are a few credits short of completing their diploma can now graduate in January, she said.
"That way, they don't have to return for an entire school year, but go right into the next step in their life," she said.
Regional office facilities, which generally served as buffers between schools and the central office, will reopen this week as parent- and family-resource centers designed to provide support services for parents.
In addition, the district will also open welcome centers in neighborhoods with a significant immigrant population.
Ackerman also said to expect more construction projects as part of the district's five-year master facilities plan, which will include renovations, constructing new buildings and consolidating buildings.
When will all the hatred stop? It is 2010 and we still have fools on the loose.
Read this...
Read this...
NBCPhiladelphia.com
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Atlantic City Police want to know who’s responsible for hateful graffiti discovered Labor Day on a boardwalk pavilion.
Swastikas and racial slurs were found Monday morning on several columns in the pavilion, which provides shade and benches for people on the boardwalk. It is located at Columbia Avenue in the resort’s Chelsea section.
Detectives took photos of the vandalism. Police were notifying the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office about the incident.
It’s not clear if the graffiti was intended to target anyone in particular. Public Works employees were expected to paint over the markings later in the day.
Monday, September 6, 2010
I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The days of me blogging have returned...I plan on providing you with quality information and stimulating thoughts for those seeking worthwhile information.
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