EUR This N That | Urban Black News Blog

Now we may have to confirm this with one of you because we simply can’t believe this could possibly be the truth.  Some of the blogs out there are reporting a mishap with the NBA couple, the Christies.  Supposedly, NBA star Doug Christie and his wife were out eating and he choked on a chicken bone.  His wife, Jackie, calls for help, yet when she gets the attention of a female physician, she doesn’t allow her to help him and begins to pelt the woman with her purse.

 The Christie’s have long been a “controversial” couple.  Several years ago, the New York Times printed a story on their relationship and delved into the “pact” the two share.  For instance, the story details how she attended almost all of his games when he was with the Toronto Raptors, that they re-marry every year, and that he chooses not to look at other women. 

At the conclusion of the choking incident, Doug Christie was quoted saying, “Although I am glad to be alive, I’m equally glad that my wife spared me the indignity of having another woman give me the Heimlich,” he continued. “That would’ve been catastrophic…”  Can this be real?  If it be merely for the entertainment of its readers, the hands down favorite quote from this unbelievable tale comes from the “male” medical student that saved him, Sanjay Mehta.  “I am extremely surprised that this man’s wife did not allow Miss Jordan to save his life,” said Mehta. “If another minute had gone by, he would surely be dead. In my country, this mad woman would have her hands cut off and her vagina sewn shut.”  You read the story and get back to us.  We’ll understand if you need a drink before responding.

There’s a new book out that blows the skirt up on those who are online right now pretending to take care of business but are really cruising and perusing the Internet for a hook-up.  The author, Mark Bauerlein, of “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future”, argues that the present generation is undeniably mediocre in their approach to advancing the advertising world.

The Chicago Sun Times printed a review of the book that describes it as a “well argued” book.  And in case readers wanted to discount the author’s opinion, there’s a poll that the author added to show that he didn’t just pull his ideas out of the sky.  The poll of 1,300 students at the University of Illinois-Chicago turned up results that their #1 place to be is on Facebook, then MySpace with only 5 percent checking for politics, economics, law or politics.  Read the full story here.

If you’re asking yourself, “What’s in a name?”  You may want to examine Barack Hussein Obama’s.  Because for some strange reason, the American people have gotten the idea that because his name sounds like an Arab’s, looks like an Arab’s, he must be a Muslim.  (Are all Arabs Muslim?) The man has turned himself inside out to prove that he is a christian, but it appears while doing so, he has offended some Muslims along the way.

You may remember Keith Ellison (D-Rep.), the first Muslim elected to Congress.  He is an Obama supporter, yet he has felt a bit pushed aside by his campaign as well.  He doesn’t blame Obama for, what appears to be, a slight when it comes to his support of the Muslim community.  He’s pointing the finger at Obama’s aides in his camp.  The New York Times reports that an aide came to “visit” Ellison regarding him speaking on Obama’s behalf at a rally being held at a mosque and they asked him to “cancel the trip”.   Sounds like mafioso style muscle right?  It gets better.  Ellison said the aide said to him, “We have a very tightly wrapped message.”

We just discussed in a recent story how campaign volunteers told two young Muslim women that they could not be seated behind the stage where they could be televised wearing hijabs.  They were told there were no head scarves or hats permissible behind the stage.  The New York Times gives a full report on Obama’s alleged snubbing to the Arab community.  Read it here.

The Internet is all abuzz about a video, “Y’all Should All Get Lynched”, being circulated on YouTube regarding the present condition of African Americans in the U.S. and in the Hip-Hop world.   This video is not edited on YouTube, but according to Richard Prince’s report  it was supposed to launch on BET in a “milder” form.  In his report, the person who constructed the video, NYOIL, talks about BET’S inability to launch the video due to the channel’s platform or support for the piece not being in place.  You definitely need ”something” to put this video in context. 

Without further ado, check out the video, there’s really NOTHING we could tell you that will prepare you for what you’re about to see.  And as Prince states in his article, you may not have any problem with everything you will see.  Take a look:

We were always told to own something rather than rent, but now that our economy is in an upheaval and everyone is struggling just to swim in their debt, renting has become more appealing.  Minorities and those with lower incomes are believed to be the hardest hit with the sub-prime mortgages focused in their direction.  Sub-prime meaning “bait and switch.”  So many people took the mortgage dream that Bush set on the table, but are now suffering from the fine print.

According to the New York Times between now and 2005, just as many people who decided not to buy a house have begun to rent.  A major influx of 1.5 million renters from 2005 to 2007 alone.  You might say, no big deal to the numbers, but when you weigh that information against the fact that Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies predicted an increase of 1.8 million renters between 2007 and 2015…that’s right 2015, it sets off some alarms.

Other information in the New York Times story states that almost three million minority families were able to get mortgages between 2002 and the first quarter of this year.  But, then they make up the largest amount of foreclosures which then will prevent them from being able to rent something in a decent neighborhood or at all.  Credit checks tend to pick up foreclosures and things like that when you’re trying to find a place to stay.  Yes, next, we will be weighing the amount of families that are homeless.  To read the full story, go here. 

 What in the fabric of all God’s creation has gone awry in the American Constitution when you think you can pack up your paints and go in a building and put Barack Obama’s children on the wall and title your piece ”Nappy Headed Hos”?!  Not to mention, that is only the beginning of the “display.”  The first amendment only goes so far, especially when you’re talking about someone who could very well be our next President.

A 27-year old, Yazmany Arboleda, thought it would be a good idea to put up an exhibition entitled, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/  The Assassination of Barack Obama” in midtown Manhattan across the street from the New York Times.  Obviously, he was interested in grabbing the attention of the paper (and he certainly did).  But the attention he garnered ran a lot deeper than the NY-Times, in walks  NYPD and the Secret Service.  Play time officially OVER! 

Arboleda is under the impression that his exhibition is “art.” He told the NY-Times, “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination – about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.”  Well it wasn’t media putting the paper on the window covering the title, it was the LAW!

If you’d like to see the exhibit, make sure there’s no young one’s near you when you visit.  It gets a little, shall we say, graphic.  If you’d like a play-by-play of what happened that day as well as have access to links that take you to elaborate sites on Obama and Clinton that were put up by the “artist”, read the NY-Times story.