EUR This N That | Urban Black News Blog

Autism Study Called Off

 Researchers and scientists are scrambling for a cure that would help families that are grappling with the debilitating effects of autism.  The developmental disorder has an unknown cause, but some believe it is caused by immunizations in small children.  Celebrities such as Holly Robinson Pete, Toni Braxton, and Jenny McCarthy have tried to bring light to the disorder through sharing the difficulty in their own families.  But now, the government must be so strapped for cash that this is yet another study that will get scrapped.  The National Institutes of Health is pulling the plug.  See the disappointing details here.

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Alaska Shows Palin How They Really Feel

 CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and no other media outlet is celebrating, oops, reporting the “Alaska Women Reject Palin” demonstration that the people of Anchorage, AK, put together.  Daily Kos has shared the event, pics and video of the entire demonstration.  They reported that the gathering was put together by a couple of women.  A right wing radio show host took their numbers from a press release regarding the rally and they received harassing calls for the rest of the afternoon.  In fact, there were several others that tried to sabotage the day’s event, but to no avail, they had a successful turnout of nearly 1,500 which several reported as one of the biggest, if not biggest, events in Anchorage history.  They even have a rockin’ number by Cyndi Lauper called “Shine” that is a musical video essay of the day.   Get a little of the momentum below and peruse the site for all the details.

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Mortgage Rescuers Prey On Families

Everyone should realize at this point that we are in the most serious economical crisis this country has faced since the Great Depression.  If you are not aware, don’t let the more informed, deliver the bad news through a proposal of bailout via a mortgage “loan” that involves you signing over the deed “temporarily.”  Some of us have fallen into a predicament that is so urgent that these predators’ empty promises of “your house for cash” sounds more than good.  Ultimately, the homeowner won’t lose their home to the bank, but to a swindler that has guaranteed your home’s safety and money to pay other bills.  MSNBC even reports about a former stripper that was able to cipher 35 million out of residents in the D.C. area through a similar scam that stripped homeowners of the equity they had in their homes.  For a guide to all the tricks that are victimizing those in risk of foreclosure or just in debt, read the report here so that you can be ready for them.

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Evangelene L. Kimber Leaves A Legacy for the U.S.

 The education system of America is failing miserably…even under its “No Child Left Behind” Act.  Apparently, many children are being left behind through under funding, lack of schools and/or deplorable school conditions and in some schools, lack of security.  The dropout rates in most urban centers in America are unbelievably staggering.  But, the most alarming aspect of the deteriorating classroom is the decreasing amount of inspiring teachers and/or administrators in the schools today.  For a lot of people, their teacher is their role model, their mother, their father, their priest, their social worker, you name it.  The job runs the gamut of support to its students.  But the society has lost all hope when its teachers are no longer passionate about teaching and inspiring the children to do their very best.

But fortunately, there was one last beacon of hope on the horizon and her name is Evangelene L. Kimber.  She was the Principal of Harrisburg High School, John Harris campus.  Ms. Kimber left this life on Monday, September 15, 2008 and she is survived by 1,502 children; her two children, Xavier and Shannon Kimber and the students of Harrisburg High. Her homegoing service rivaled that of a federal official with more than 3,000 mourners viewing and/or attending her service. 

Ms. Kimber was affectionately known as “Sis” and she demanded excellence in her school and for herself.  Her high standards helped her to turn around a school that appeared to be a lost cause.  As her obituary describes, she “oversaw the reform of a high school that had deteriorated into a chaotic and unsafe environment.” During her seven year tenure, the school’s graduation rate “more than doubled and college admission rates improved by 383 percent.”  She is a 1974 graduate of the school, so it was very near and dear to her heart.  She knew all 1,500 of her students by name and she was remembered as being “tough, but fair.”  The homegoing service for her was truly a celebration with representatives from the mayor’s office, the state’s house of representatives and senate, and numerous clergy speaking in remembrance of this remarkable woman.  Her service was held in the school’s gymnasium.  Even the school’s appearance, under her leadership, is state of the art.  The football field, where many had fond memories of her attending each and every game, is comparable to a college football field. 

One of her former students and her son’s best friend, David Archer, brought the crowd to their feet when he pleaded with the administration in attendance to continue to let the school run under her guidance, so that the students could continue to soar.  He described himself as a young man going in the wrong direction that she had saved and he knew there were plenty more just like him coming behind him and they need what Ms. Kimber put in place to keep them on the straight and narrow.   Evangelene Kimber is a model of excellence for not only Pennsylvania, but the U.S. school system.  With Barack Obama at the helm and her as his Secretary of Education we would have been privy to distinct “change.”  Read more about the educational phenom here.

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Mbeki Calls It Quits

Africa has enough problems and now South Africa has emerged as its frontrunner of troubles.  Two men, the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, and the President of the African National Congress (ANC) have been in a bitter power struggle over the country’s government.  They’ve made the country witness a very bad foreign folk rendition of “The Country Is Mine.”  The two have been embroiled in a “You go to jail! No, you go to jail!” type of back and forth for some time.  But after Mbeki fought so hard for the presidency, it seems a little strange that he’s decided to step down without a fight at all.  Some believe that Mbeki used his “pull” or position to put pressure on the prosecution over Zuma’s racketeering and fraud case.  The President is appalled at the mere idea that he would do such a thing.  Read about the saga here and decide for yourself.

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Texting Caused Train Wreck?

 Last week, we saw a horrific train wreck outside Los Angeles where 25 people were killed, including the conductor of the Metrolink commuter train when it collided with a Union Pacific freight train.  The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that stop lights were working properly and the brakes were not applied during the incident.  Was someone distracted?  So far, investigators have established that the conductor had been texting while on the job, but they are not sure if it was just prior to the accident.  Some very serious accidents have occurred because of the texting epidemic.  Teenagers killed in car accidents, a man texting in Utah killed two other men.  Some states prohibit the use of a cell phone without a headset, but what do you do about texting?  The Salt Lake Tribune reported that approximately a dozen states are trying to ban text messaging behind the wheel.  Read all about the investigation here.

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