Its Friday morning and I have a mere 24 hours before I return and head back to work.  Yesterday, after getting into the city I hit the ground running at the Unity conference and attended a few seminars.  But one of the best things about this conference is connecting and reconnecting with friends after the day's work is done.  Last night everyone was talking about going to an ESPN sponsored party.  It was at a club called Crobar and true to the hype it was ridiculously crowded!  When Maureen and I got there we tried to hook up with other co-workers and friends but the crowd was so thick we could not find everyone-- In fact i must have walked the place twice looking for Wisdom and never found him!  We did run into CNN's TJ Holmes who had a circle of girls "sharking" around him trying to meet him.  It was so funny, I thought-- his ego must be ginormous!  We also saw a few of our co-workers-- Gwen Tolbart, tape producer Michelle Dunham, and tape coordinator Brian Balbuena

The club ended up being just too much, meaning too many people- I began to feel claustrophobic so we left.  Oustide, Maureen and I ran into WRC's Miguel Almaguer and decided to go with him to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists after party.   After a quick cab ride across town we were at a restaurant/bar type place called the Alhambre.  This was more my speed-- live salsa music, spacious dance floor and the bar area was seprate from the dancing so you could actually hear a conversation.    We had a blast-- however it did make me miss my colleagues Raquel Amparo who remained in DC to produce the 10pm news for you, our viewers; and Javier DeDiego, our old 10pm producer who just abandoned us to go clinch a golden opportunity producing at CNN, and Roby Chavez.  I wished I could share the fun with them.  One highlight for me was seeing NBC's Ron Allen salsa dancing.  When I see him live in war-torn middle eastern cities he's always, understandably, so serious. So it was good to see him having a good time.

I am posting my pictures.  I will type more later! 

Parents and Concerned Park Goers:

It has been said that it's not a crime for this mystery man to take pictures of children in local parks.  Why not arm yourselves with your cameras whenever you visit the parks.  Start today taking pictures of this mystery man and his van and submit them to the news.  Afterall, it's not a crime .... but it certainly may PREVENT one.

July 21, 2008 | Issue 44•30

Israeli tanks move in to protect the country's dead settlers.

JERUSALEM—After decades of bitter conflict and the loss of thousands of innocent lives, Israeli and Palestinian forces clashed once again this week, with each side laying claim to a five-mile stretch of desperately needed cemetery space.

Fighting over the disputed territory, which is located on the easternmost border of the Gaza Strip, has thus far resulted in more than four dozen casualties. According to sources, the swath of cemetery space is being called the rightful burial home of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

"Israel has always been the deathplace of the Jews," said Moshe Abrahim, a religion professor at Bar-Ilan University. "My father was killed here, and his father and mother, and both of his uncles before him were killed here. To have this area occupied by Palestinian bodies is an insult to our great history."

Enlarge Image

An Israeli soldier looks out over a field of disputed holes.

Added Abrahim, "I'd sooner die than give up my God-given grave."

The first episodes of violence over the narrow strip of cemetery began early Monday morning when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself outside of a Jewish mausoleum, leaving one dead and outraging hundreds. In response, Israel launched a series of swift air strikes, destroying six Palestinian funeral homes and killing an estimated 15 pallbearers.

Unfazed by the counterattack, Islamic extremists vowed never to surrender, and said they would continue to perish "for as long as it takes."

"So many martyrs for almighty Allah and His blessed prophet Mohammed have sacrificed their lives so that we might someday lose ours," said Ali Akhtar, leader of the terrorist organization known as Islam's Undertakers. "Palestine will not rest until each and every one of its sons has a place beneath this glorious land. Our day of victory is at hand!"

Since Monday's attack, violence has erupted across the disputed region, with Islamic radicals throwing rocks and launching mortar fire at approaching Jewish hearses. Fearing that the prized graveyard would be lost to a surge of Palestinian bodies, Israel reportedly took action, sealing 500 soldiers inside military coffins and placing them in strategic tombs.

Israeli troops have been ordered to stand their ground and remain interred indefinitely.

In a press conference Wednesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the state of Israel was doing everything in its power to prevent Palestinians from being buried inside the cemetery, including setting up security checkpoints to inspect suspicious vehicles for shovels, tombstones, and embalming fluid.

Olmert, however, would not respond to questions about whether Israel had overstepped its boundaries during an incident earlier this week that saw four Palestinian octogenarians detained on suspicion of being "on the brink of death."

As is often the case in the region, innocent civilians from both sides have borne the brunt of the fighting. Asalaa Bahiya—a recently dead Palestinian woman—was repeatedly fired upon by Israeli soldiers after her body was spotted entering the disputed cemetery. In addition, a young Israeli cadaver was captured by Islamic militants, blindfolded, and dragged from a nearby Jerusalem morgue.

"How could God have allowed this to happen?" said Yitzchak Meltzer, a grieving Tel Aviv resident who watched helplessly as his firstborn son was driven from his grave by extremists. "To have to rebury your own child—it's a parent's worst nightmare come true."

Though some hold out hope for the day when Israeli and Palestinian citizens are buried side by side in peace and harmony, all attempts to bring the conflict to a close have so far failed. A United States–sponsored peace plan that proposed dividing the cemetery space directly in half was dismissed as unjust by both sides, with each claiming it was entitled to the entire graveyard. Likewise, a compromise solution to cremate all deceased citizens was rejected by Israel as "barbaric."

With bodies mounting on both sides, members of the ruling Hamas Party released a statement Monday suggesting that the violence could continue for years to come.

"As long as Israelis continue to age, decline in vigor and strength, and ultimately pass away, never will their nation know the meaning of peace," the statement read in part. "Either they stop dying at once, or prepare to suffer the consequences."

Well you may notice that some of your favorite FOX 5 personalities are missing this week.  Many of us flew the coop to head  to the Unity journalism convention in Chicago.  Unity is a convention that happens every 5 years that brings together all minority jousnalists.  It is a great opportunity to attend personal and professional development workshops and network.  I got in to Midway Airport around 7 this morning and hopped on the Chicago "L" train to head into downtown. The first thing I noticed about the train was that it was made in the style that WMATA officials say they want to convert Metro trains to-- hard seats, vinyl floors, no frills.  I guess it works, but its not at all aesthetically pleasing.  It feels very utilitarian.  I am posting some photos so you can see what it looks like.  After riding, i decided that I like my Metro and don't want it to change.

After a day on the convention foor I am tuckered out-- but we have a big night planned.  I met up with Maureen, Roz, Wisdom, Sherry Ly and WRC's Miguel Almaguer.  ESPN is throwing a party and a bunch of us plan to stop by.  Stay tuned for more details and more photos.

Allyson

links of interest:

www.unityjournslists.org

Chinese Factory Worker Can't Believe The Junk He Makes For Americans

June 15, 2005

FENGHUA, CHINA—Chen Hsien, an employee of Fenghua Ningbo Plastic Works Ltd., a plastics factory that manufactures lightweight household items for Western markets, expressed his disbelief Monday over the "sheer amount of junk Americans will buy."

"Often, when we're assigned a new order for, say, 'salad shooters,' I will say to myself, 'There's no way that anyone will ever buy these,'" Chen said during his lunch break in an open-air courtyard. "One month later, we will receive an order for the same product, but three times the quantity. How can anyone have a need for such useless junk?"

Chen, 23, who has worked as an injection-mold operator at the factory since it opened in 1996, said he frequently asks himself these questions during his workweek, which exceeds 60 hours and earns him the equivalent of $21.

"I hear that Americans can buy anything they want, and I believe it, judging from the things I've made for them," Chen said. "And I also hear that, when they no longer want an item, they simply throw it away. So wasteful and contemptible."

Among the items that Chen has helped create are plastic-bag dispensers, microwave omelet cookers, glow-in-the-dark page magnifiers, Christmas-themed file baskets, animal-shaped contact-lens cases, and adhesive-backed wall hooks.

"Sometimes, an item the factory produces resembles nothing I've ever seen," Chen said. "One time, we made something that looked like a ladle, but it had holes in its cup and a handle that bent down 90 degrees. The foreman told us that it was a soda-can holder for an automobile. If you are lucky enough to own a car, sit back and enjoy the journey. Save the soda beverage for later."

Chen added: "A cup holder is not a necessary thing to own."

Chen expressed similar confusion over the tens of thousands of pineapple corers, plastic eyeshades, toothpick dispensers, and dog pull-toys that he has helped manufacture.

"Why the demand for so many kitchen gadgets?" Chen said. "I can understand having a good wok, a rice cooker, a tea kettle, a hot plate, some utensils, good china, a teapot with a strainer, and maybe a thermos. But all these extra things—where do the Americans put them? How many times will you use a taco-shell holder? 'Oh, I really need this silverware-drawer sorter or I will have fits.' Shut up, stupid American."

Chen added that many of the items break after only a few uses. "None are built to last very long," Chen said. "That is probably so the Americans can return to buy more. Not even the badly translated assembly instructions deter them. If I bought a kitchen item that came with such poor Mandarin instructions, I would return the item immediately."

In the meantime, Chen continues to stew in bitterness. Though he dislikes his work, competition for manufacturing jobs in Fenghua is stiff and he must support his wife, mother, and 2-year-old son.

"My cousin Yuen is self-employed," Chen said. "He disassembles old computers that are acquired from overseas and extracts the traces of valuable gold and silver from the circuit boards. He asked me to join him. The work is very toxic, but at least I would not be looking at suction-cup razor holders and jumbo-dice keychains all day."

Chen added: "For now, I must refuse the job. Somehow, the only thing more depressing than making plastic junk for Americans is destroying the plastic junk they send back."

Being a black male born and raised in the Washington DC area there are a lot of things that play a role in crime in this city but the number one reason most crimes go unsolved I believe is the definition of SNITCHING or being labeled a SNITCH. 

We recently had a conversation in the barber shop with some young men and I brought up this topic.  I asked one of the young men what he considered a snitch and his definition was so vague that anyone in the barber shop could have fit the description.   

I asked them if they were sitting on a friends porch minding their business and a car came speeding around the corner and there was a child crossing the street and he hit the child and kept going and you saw the tag number would you tell.  His response was “No, cuz I ain’t no snitch”. 

Amazed I continued… even though I knew that the next questions had no chance but I asked it anyway.

So if you and some friends robbed a store or a bank and on your way out a woman parking her car saw you and wrote down the tag number and told the police what is she?  Of course his answer was the same “man that B is a snitch and she should have minded her own business” was his friend response which seemed to draw high fives and a few giggles.  

Okay if you are selling drugs in front of someone’s home and they call the police.  You guessed it again they consider that a snitch.

So I asked them one final question before I gave my definition

So if some shot, robbed, rapped, or murdered a family member and there were people who saw this crime take place and all your family member was doing was walking home from work minding their business would you want someone who saw the incident to come forward?  Not a word and that’s when it was very clear to me that these young men thought they knew what a snitch was.  I am from the same streets they are from and they are aware of this so I wasn’t worried about them thinking I was a snitch.  Some of these young guys looked up to me growing up so I know they will at least listen to what I am saying.

This is what I told them I considered being a snitch. 

If 4 people are in a car and they are out to commit a crime rather it be a misdemeanor or a felony crime and upon getting caught or getting away 1 of them 4 decides to tell… that is a snitch.

 Someone who agreed to be involved but decided to tell to save their own…. that is a snitch.

Someone who decided to sell drugs and upon getting caught tells on the person that gave him the drugs… that is a snitch

Law abiding citizens out to live and make a better way and witness a crime and decides to come forth does not give them the label of a snitch.  We argued for a bit but at the end most of the young men agreed that they did look anyone that gave information as a snitched but openly admitted that they do see a difference.  So it made me think what else do they think they know that they really don’t have a clue.  No of course I advised the young men to try to live a better life but that is a different topic.

Jay Millionaire

All day long we have been showing you ways you can save on the cost of living but we would like to hear what you are doing at home. Please share your ideas with us here on our blog so we can all benefit and save!  

Gather round....Praise the Lord, Our Saviour O B A M A is here to save America and the World !

This today from Germany:  We are all HIS children, HE, O B A M A is going to free us all...free ...FREE AT LAST.

O B A M A's preaching and remarks today in Germany are leading many (in this country and around the world) to believe this country may be putting a lunatic in our White House. 

Dreams of his

 Father: I cease to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.

I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race.

There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe.  And White.

It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.

I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak of my own.  It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBoise and Mandela.

From Audacity to Hope: I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.

Malcolm X and Louis Farakan pale in comparison to OBAMA.

We must not let OBAMA become President of the United States.

CommanderBill in Latino County (formally Prince William County)

Our company rec'd an e mail from United Parcel Service stating a package could not be delivered due to an incorrect address.  Print the invoice....... Your UPS

THIS IS NOT UPS.COM THIS IS A VIRUS! We have spent almost the entire day trying to get rid of this thing it has infected so far up to 16,000 files......

Prince George's County police say a Suitland man, 33-year-old Mark Antonio Humphries, suspected of raping at least nine women has died after shooting himself in the head yesterday while barricaded inside a Hyattsville apartment building. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Police had obtained an arrest warrant on Sunday in a July 14 attack and tracked Humphries to the Hyattsville apartment Wednesday.

They found the Humphries suffering from, what a source said, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

According to sources, the man is a suspect in a series of brutal rapes set up on Craigslist. Police first warned women back in February when they said at least six attacks had been arranged on the website.The victims had posted their information and had agreed to meet the suspect. Went to location, while at the location the suspect pulled a gun and raped them in a stairwell.

Look at ALL of the taxpayer we money saved here!! Sorry, but I love it. No actually, I am not sorry for anyone but his victims.

Whoop, there he is:

PG County Police have released surveillance photos of a man they say is a suspect in a series of residential break-ins in the Bowie area.
They believe the man in the photo could be to blame for as many as 20 burglaries in the past two weeks.

Most of the crimes happened in the daytime and early-morning hours, the burglar got into the homes through unlocked rear doors or by forcing open the doors. Police ask homeowners to lock all doors and windows. DUH!!!

Anyone with information is asked to call the Prince George's County Police Department at (301) 390-2101. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).  Please turn in this leech if you recognize him!

The Sterling Park community in Loudoun County is calling for change as, neighbors say, an influx of illegal immigrants, foreclosed homes, and crime are pulling down the quality of life.

Those who live in Sterling Park , Sterling, and Sugarland say crime, even violence, is the result of communities left to neglect and decay. 

"It's getting rundown, you know all the un-mowed grass and people's properties, the furniture being out on the lawn and houses not being taken care of and cars in the driveway and too many families in one home,"said resident Rosie Oberle. Let's make them boarding houses too....NOT!!

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office says it devotes more resources to these neighborhoods than any other with bike teams, a gang unit, and soon a sheriff's sub-station.
More legal citizen's tax dollars earmarked specifically for dealing with illegal aliens and the myriad of problems associated with their presence in ANY community.

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedmanis questioning whether Williamsburg, Va., is the best community for John Hinckley Jr. after testimony that the would-be presidential assassin has been rejected from several volunteer positions there. He is considering the mental hospital's request to lengthen Hinckley's periodic visits with his family in Virginia.

Hinckley's mother lives in Williamsburg. But Friedman says the District of Columbia is a more diverse community and may be more accepting of Hinckley over the long term as he is given greater freedom.

Yeah brother, he will fit right in with the rest of the DC criminal element. Next he will get his hands on another gun, and whoop, there it is........again!

This time it will be Britney or Miley, or some other poor girl that "makes him want to get their attention".

Hinckley has been committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington since he shot and wounded President Reagan in 1981. And he has almost come and gone as he pleased during that time. WE are the crazy ones for allowing this dolt to ever see the outside of Saint E's.

 A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband is not in bed.
She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him.
She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him.
He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall.
She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee.
What's the matter, dear?' she whispers as she steps into the room,
'Why are you down here at this time of night?
The husband looks up from his coffee, 'It's the
20th Anniversary of the day we met'.
She can't believe he has remembered and starts to tear up.
The husband continues, 'Do you remember 20 years ago
when we started dating? I was 18 and you were only 16,' he says solemnly.
Once again, the wife is touched to tears thinking that her
husband is so caring and sensitive.
Yes, I do' she replies.
The husband pauses. The words were not coming easily. 'Do you remember
when y our father caught us in the back seat of my car?'
'Yes, I remember' said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.
The husband continued. 'Do you remember when he shoved
the shotgun in myface and said, 'Either you marry my daughter or I will
send you to prison for 20 years?'
'I remember that, too' she replied softly.
He wiped another tear from hi s cheek and said I would have gotten out today.'

First he says HE WILL and then HE WON'T.   The he says I WILL and then passes on the next question !

Does anyone out there really know and understand just who OBAMA is ?

The general opinion I am hearing from people I've talk to is that both candidates ARE LOOSERS.

Democrats are moving over to the Republican ticket in hopes of keeping Obama out of the White House.  Republicans who can't stand their candidate are being twisted to vote for him to keep Obama out of the White House.

So, the registered voters of this Great Nation are faced with keeping WHO IS HE REALLY out of the White House.

I will admit, I should have done more background work on Obama when initially I push for him in his run for President.  I now however, find out that there is NO BACKGROUND on Obama !  He is a NOBODY that has been pushed into being SOMEBODY !

The media in our Great Nation love him.  They feel that it is their mandate to get him elected President come hell or high water, the first Black President.... and the media stress that point.

Black, no problem with me.  I hoped and prayed that Colin Powell would run for the Presidency.  He is a great American who was royally screwed by this Bush Administration.  This President has made it his duty to screw as many people as possible throughout his tenure.  He has permanently defaced this country with His Iraq War.

OBL is still out there.  He is no doubt laughing his butt off over the present financial situation this county finds itself in.   America now finds itself more vulnerable to a big OBL attack than ever.  And, a terrorist attack on what is left of our oil pipelines or commercial aircraft could just tip the scales to God Knows What !!

CommanderBill with his thinking cap on in Latino County (formally Prince William County)