National Broadcasting Commission Bans Wande Coal’s New “Go Low” Music Video

Barely a week and two days since Wande Coal‘s “Go Low” video premiered, the National Broadcasting Commission has given it the proverbial boot as the video has officially been banned.

Obama Declares Nigeria As World's Next Major Economic Giant

The President of the United States of America, Senator Barrack Obama has declared Nigeria as the world's next economic success story, stressing that the discovery was one of the major reasons why his government is committed to helping the country build strong democratic institutions and as well remove constraints to trade and investment through the African Growth and Opportunity.

Empire State Building shootings kill 2 and wound 8, police say

A recently laid-off store worker shot a former colleague to death Friday morning outside New York's iconic Empire State Building before being killed by police, police said. Nine others were hit by gunfire in the confrontation, but police said all were expected to survive.

Romney makes birth certificate joke, media freaks out

Remember when all the journalists laughed and laughed at President Obama’s birth certificate jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner?

Several people shot outside Empire State Building

The scene from above the Empire State Building this morning

New York City officials say several people have been shot outside the Empire State Building and that the gunman is dead.

Fear Of A Black President

The Atlantic:

As a candidate, Barack Obama said we needed to reckon with race and with America's original sin, slavery. But as our first black president, he has avoided mention of race almost entirely. In having to be "twice as good" and "half as black," Obama reveals the false promise and double standard of integration.

World’s Biggest Ankara Festival To Hold In Los Angeles This September

The Ankara craze is definitely in vogue as more and more fashion designers and fashionistas in Africa and beyond have embraced the fabric.

Romney says Obama 'just trying to hang onto power'

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

WASHINGTON—Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney said U.S. President Barack Obama is running a campaign driven by “division and attack and hatred” and called on him Wednesday to lift the tone of political discourse.

In a close and increasingly acrimonious race, Romney went on national television to say he thinks Obama is “running just to hang onto power, and I think he would do anything in his power” to remain in office.

They were some of Romney’s harshest words yet against the president. He was interviewed on “CBS This Morning” from the battleground state of Ohio, one of less than 10 key states that will help decide the November election. Obama campaign spokesman Jennifer Psaki said Romney’s comments seemed “unhinged.”

Three dead, including gunman, in Texas university shooting: Police

A gunman and a law enforcement officer were among three people killed Monday in a shooting near a Texas university campus, police said.

A male civilian also was killed, while two other officers and a woman were injured in the shooting near Texas A&M University at College Station, said Bryan Police Department spokesman Jon Agnew. Bryan police are assisting nearby College Station in the investigation. Assistant College Station Police Chief Scott McCollum earlier identified the law enforcement officer killed as Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann.

Agnew said officers had established a perimeter around the area shortly after the shooting just east of campus, but they do not believe a second suspect was involved. He said police don’t know if the shooter was a student at Texas A&M.

The school had issued an alert on its website just before 12:30 p.m. warning of an active shooter near the campus football stadium, Kyle Field.

The gunman fired shots from inside a home about two blocks from the campus, according to the university’s alert. “We have been told to stay put,” said Keith Randall, a Texas A&M employee who was in his office. “They just asked us to stay where we are.” The alert warned residents and students to avoid the area, and was later updated with the shooter taken into custody.

Texas A&M spokeswoman Sherylon Carroll could not confirm details about the shooting, but said most students were not on campus Monday. The fall semester does not begin until Aug. 27. “It appeared to be fairly quiet,” Carroll said of campus. “It didn’t appear to be a lot of people out and about at that particular time.”

College Station is about 145 kilometres northwest of Houston. Texas A&M is home to more than 50,000 students, according to its website.

With files from Star wire services

London 2012 basketball: U.S. beats Spain for gold in thrilling game

Team U.S.A. with their gold medals after defeating Spain in the mens basketball final at the  London 2012 Olympics

LONDON—Kevin Durant scored 30 points, LeBron James added 19 and the U.S. men's basketball team defended its Olympic title, holding off stubborn Spain 107-100 on Sunday for the gold medal — just as the Americans did in 2008.

Kobe Bryant added 17 for the U.S., which only led by one point after three quarters and was ahead just 97-91 when James drove the lane for a thunderous dunk and followed a miss by Spain with a three-pointer.

In the final minute, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski, in his final international game, took out his top stars who came to London determined to keep American basketball on top. When the final horn sounded, Krzyzewski locked James in a tight embrace as Bruce Springsteen's “Born In The USA” rocked the arena.

Pau Gasol scored 24 and Juan-Carlos Navarro had 21 for Spain, which had to settle for silver in the second straight Olympics.

Dwight Howard to Lakers: Superman Reportedly Heading to LA in 4-Team Trade

A blockbuster, four-team deal sending Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakersis reportedly complete.

ESPN.com news services had this to say about this earth-shattering situation:

A four-team trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers is complete, multiple sources told ESPN on Thursday night.

Per the ESPN report, "A source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Marc Stein the Lakers will receive Howard, the Denver Nuggets will acquire Andre Iguodala, the 76ers will receive Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, and the Magicwill get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one protected future first-round pick from each of the other three teams."

On top of that, Orlando is supposed to receive 76ers first-round selection Moe Harkless.

This is a power move by the Lakers, who refuse to let Kobe Bryant live in frustration for the remainder of his career. With Dwight Howard manning the post, Bryant would see more open shots for the first time since Shaquille O'Neil was dominating the paint. Hanging on to All-Star power forward Pau Gasol only sweetens the pot.

With Howard, Bryant, Gasol and Steve Nash teaming up in LA, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder can kiss their dynastic dreams goodbye. Bryant is still a top-three talent in the game and Howard would only prolong the future Hall of Famer's career, essentially ensuring multiple trips to the NBA Finals for the next three to five years.

The Magic, who are essentially an afterthought in the NBA now, can finally rid themselves of the mind games and "Dwightmare" that has plagued the franchise for what feels like a damn millennium at this point.

Howard may have taken them to the NBA Finals against the Lakers a few years ago, but it has been an awful downfall ever since. The Magic Kingdom may have lost a superstar, but the franchise will be able to sleep easy knowing they received a viable asset in return.

Fans may resent Howard for how he handled his last remaining year in Orlando, but he'll have no regret about his waffling when he steps on the court with the Black Mamba. Now in one of the world's premier markets, playing for the NBA's premier franchise, Howard will truly feel like Superman.

Howard is a megastar that commands the bright lights with his sheer size and natural charisma. For the Lakers, this would be the second coming of Shaq. Now, it's Howard's turn to tear apart the NBA landscape in the Purple and Gold.

This deal rids the Magic of a major headache and makes Kobe Bryant a very happy player.

Are the Lakers the Favorites in the NBA with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant?

NASA receives first image from newly landed Mars rover Curiosity today

The Mars science rover Curiosity beamed back its first images from the Martian surface moments after a make-or-break landing to begin a two-year search for evidence that the Red Planet once harbored the ingredients necessary for life to evolve.

early hours of Monday,August 6 NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has touch down on the surface of the Red Planet, completing a 354-million-mile journey, and marking the beginning of a new era in planetary exploration.

But landing on Mars was not easy. NASA engineers have actually come to refer to the entry, descent and landing (EDL) of the spacecraft as "seven minutes of terror."

"I can't believe this. This is unbelievable," said Allen Chen, the deputy leader of the rover's descent and landing team, as the first three pictures of the rocky terrain, one of them showing a wheel of the vehicle, arrived at mission control.

Team USA Basketball Vs. Nigeria: Preview.

The Team USA Men's Basketball team look to continue their unbeaten run in the 2012 Olympics this afternoon when they face Nigeria at 5:15pm eastern time on NBC Sports Network. The US are overwhelming 42 point favorites in the game.

The Nigerians are the 21st ranked team in the world according to FIBA while the US is #1, but that doesn't even fully illustrate the gap between the two. The US has complied 852 points in the FIBA ranking system while Nigeria has just 67.6. The Americans are coming off a game against Tunisia in which they won by 47, yet failed to cover the spread. In fact, Tunisia even took the lead on 3 separate occasions.

Predominately White Church Refuses to Marry Black Couple the Day Before Their Wedding

For Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson, it was the church that had cold feet.

The Mississippi couple, scheduled to marry at the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, was informed the day before their wedding that they’d need to relocate their nuptials due to complaints from church members.

Imagine the devastation felt by bride-to-be Te’Andrea Wilson, who’d attended the church for over a year. For Te’Andrea, the church was an important part of her family, as her father also attended church services and her uncle worked a custodian there.

Obama: Such evil is senseless

At a campaign event in Florida, President Obama comments on the deadly movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

Colorado theatre shooting: 14 dead after gunman opens fire on ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ audience

AURORA, COLO.—A gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theatre on the opening night of the latest Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.

The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theatre and fired into the crowd about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a theatre at a multiplex theatre in a mall in Aurora.

“Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire,” Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference.

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said.

Officers found the gunman near a car behind the theatre.

Police have identified the suspect as James Holmes, 24. There was no immediate word of any motive.

When the suspect was arrested, police recovered one rifle, one handgun and a gas mask. A third gun is still inside the theatre, police said in a statement.

The suspect spoke of “possible explosives in his residence,” Oates said. Police used a crane to hoist themselves up to an apartment window on the third floor at the top of the brick complex and break in.

He said police also checked for explosives in the parking lot and at the Century 16 theatre and secured those areas.

Police spokesman Frank Fania said the suspect was carrying a knife, a rifle and a handgun when arrested, and one other gun is still in the theatre. The gunman was also wearing a bulletproof vest.

“He did not resist, he did not put up a fight,” Fania said. The suspect's apartment building has been evacuated.

Salina Jordan, 19, was in Theater 8 and saw people hit in her theatre. She told the Denver Post one girl was struck in the cheek, others in the stomach, including a girl who looked to be around 9 years old.

Jordan said it sounded like firecrackers until someone ran into Theater 8 yelling “they're shooting out here!”

The police came running in, telling people to run out. Some police were carrying or dragging bodies, she said.

Witness Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theater 16 and heard several shots.

“Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming,” he told the station.

Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw “people hunched over leaving theatre.”

Moviegoers didn't know what was happening and some thought the attack was part of the show. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke at the front of the theatre near the screen, pointing a gun at the crowd.

“I told my friend 'we've got to get out of here,' but then he shot people trying to go out the exits,” Jennifer Seeger told NBC's “Today.” She said the shooter made his way up the aisle, shooting as he went, saying nothing.

Another witness told CNN: “We heard anywhere from 10 to 20 shots and little explosions going on. Shortly after that we heard people screaming. Then they came on PA system and said everyone needed to get out.

“As soon as we got out, there were people running around and screaming.”

Another witness said the gunman opened fire during a shoot-out scene in the movie, leading to confusion. The theatre also filled with thick smoke, he said.

The police chief said 10 victims died at the theatre and two at area hospitals.

Two people in critical condition were rushed to nearby Swedish Medical Center, spokeswoman Nicole Williams said.

She said emergency crews told her staff to prepare for several more patients from the shooting scene.

Nine people were in critical condition at University Hospital, TV station KCNC reported. Many were in surgery.

Eleven people were being treated at the Medical Center of Aurora for gunshots and ranged from minor to critical condition. Two others walked in to be treated for tear gas contamination.

Denver Health had seven victims — one in critical and the rest in fair condition.

The youngest victim reported was a 6-year-old being treated at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims were taken. Their condition wasn’t known.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he was “shocked and saddened” by the massacre.

“We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family,” Obama said in a statement.

Aurora is located on the southeast outskirts of Denver, about 16 kilometres from downtown.

With files from Reuters

Video: Witness recalls the theatre shooting:

A Boeing 727-200 Home Project

An option to a new $200K stick home:  A used multimillion dollar aerospace quality home.

Bruce Campbell of Portland, Oregon,USA has converted a Boeing 727 Jet to a home. Paying $100,000 to Olympic Airways in Greece.He acquired the jet at the end of its flying life from Olympic Airways in Greece, had it flown from Athens to Oregon, and finally towed to his land. (The average home in the USA costs $186,000-so $100,000 doesnt seem too bad).

Jeremy Lin joins Houston Rockets after New York Knicks decline to match contract offer

According to the New York Times, the New York Knicks have finally decided to let Jeremy Lin sign with the Houston Rockets.

Just a month ago the Knicks fought tooth and nail to win an arbitration case that granted the team “Early Bird” rights for Jeremy Lin, which would allow them to go over the cap and match other team’s offers for him. It would also allow them to use Mid-Level Exception to add further pieces to the roster.

Now the Knicks decide to not match the three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet. Lin was initially expected to sign a four-year deal worth close to $30 million, however Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey decided to tweak the offer-sheet so he had a better chance of getting Lin. The final year of the new deal at $14.9 million is designed to cost the Knicks at least $35 million or more in luxury-tax payments had they matched the deal.

It appears that James Dolan’s Knicks have decided to let him go for purely financial reasons, which is a little surprising considering that they are the second most valuable franchise in the league. This is the same franchise that had the highest operating income in the league.

If it weren’t for Jeremy Lin’s improbable breakout last season, the Knicks would be an afterthought and no one would be talking about them. He saved their season last season and became one of the most popular players in the league.

Now they go into next season with an inferior point guard in Raymond Felton, who like Lin, had success under Mike D’Antoni. He was terrible last season in Portland and was severely out of shape.  Backing him up are two over the hill point guards in Jason Kidd, who obviously didn’t take the Felton trade that well, and Pablo Prigioni, a 35 year old rookie from Argentina.

Keep in mind that this is also the same franchise that paid millions in luxury tax penalties after shelling out a combined $90 million to both Eddy Curry and Jerome James. Why they chose to decline this time is certainly perplexing, especially for someone like Lin that actually helps generate revenue and value to the franchise, but then again, it is the New York Knicks.