California Lawmaker Resigns Over Taped Sex Talk

Mike Duvall, a Republican assemblyman from Yorba Linda, issued a statement announcing his resignation. the 54-year-old Duvall, who is married with two adult children, "received a 100 percent rating from a conservative advocacy group for his votes on legislation considered pro-family."

It has been reported that he was bragging about his sexual exploits while sitting near an open mike in a hearing room. Sources have stated that the two women to whom he referred worked as lobbyists.

Duvall used considerable graphic language and talks about his affair with a woman "19 years younger." The OC reported that the woman was a lobbyist for Sempra Energy. Duvall was vice chair of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce.

This is obviously a teachable moment for all current or future politicians.

Milton Milan of Camden Sentenced to 7 Years

Milan became Camden's first Hispanic mayor on July 1, 1997, a relative political newcomer who convinced voters he could turn the city around. His sentencing comes with the city still in a financial crisis and the state considering a takeover of government operations.

During his first term as mayor, he was indicted on a 19-count corruption case, and convicted on 14 of those counts, among them:

*laundered $65,000 in drug money
*staged a break-in with his former business partner to collect insurance money illegally
*accepted $30,000 to $50,000 in bribes from the Mafia
*used campaign money to pay for a vacation to Puerto Rico
*received two vehicles and thousands of dollars in free work on his home from city contractors
*authorized the shakedown of a $5,000 political contribution from the city's public defender

Politicians of color are in a position to make a difference even if it is small, and this opportunity should never be squandered because of personal interest that can ultimately remove them from office. In the case of Milan, one has to think about the decisions they make before they even go into politics since they can come back to bite them.

Louisiana Congressman Convicted In Freezer Cash Case

A jury in suburban Washington has convicted a former Louisiana congressman on 11 of 16 counts including bribery in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer.

Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans, was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. He was convicted of charges including bribery, racketeering, and money laundering.

The defense argued that Jefferson was acting as a private business consultant in brokering the deals and that his actions did not constitute bribery under federal law.

Politicians of color are in a position to make a difference even if it is small, and this opportunity should never be squandered because of personal interest that can ultimately remove them from office.

Obama Not Supporting Public Option?

The U.S. Senate is preparing a vote on health care reform which includes a public option. It is being reported that President Obama is not supporting the public option which is strange because he is on record saying that the public option is the best way to bring competition to the health care insurance industry and ultimately lower costs for Americans.

It has been reported that the Obama administration is concerned the votes are not available for the bill with a public option. They are instead quietly pushing for a trigger that would include a public option only if the industry does not meet specific targets.

The intellectual father of the public option, Yale Professor Jacob Hacker, told Huffington Post that the trigger proposal is a betrayal.

"The trigger is an inside-the-beltway sleight of hand that would protect private insurers from the real competition that a strong public health insurance option would create," he said in an e-mail. "It is unworkable in the current Senate bills, unwise as public policy, and unwanted by the substantial majority of Americans who say they want a straight-up public option."

Brothers Connected members and family would benefit greatly from lower health insurance costs as well as more access. The public option would go a long way in dealing with the health care disparities faced by people of color when compared to white Americans.

Rape Victim Denied Health Insurance

Christina Turner was drugged and raped by two men in 2002. After taking anti-HIV drugs prescribed by her doctor as a preventative measure, Turner was denied health insurance. The HIV drugs, Turner was told, raised too many health questions for her insurer.

As health insurance reform nears passage, it's stories like this that remind us why we need health care insurance reform in America. The executives and managers of this industry have brought it upon themselves with their practices which never have been accepted in a Developed Society like America.

Only Black Family On The Titanic

Eighty-eight years after the biggest ship disaster in history, and three years after release of the Titanic movie, the story of the only Black man to perish in the 1912 disaster is being revealed, thanks to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, host to the largest Titanic exhibit ever, and the Titanic Historical Society.

Laroche, who was born in Cap Haiten, Haiti, on May 26, 1889, came from a powerful family--Laroche's uncle, Dessalines M. Cincinnatus Leconte, was president of Haiti. The Laroches had been prosperous since the 17th century when a French captain named Laroche (in Haiti on military duty) married a young Haitian girl.

At the age of 15, Laroche left Haiti to study engineering in Beauvais, France. Several years later, while visiting nearby Villejuif, he met Juliette Lafargue, the 22-year-old daughter of a local wine seller. Although impressed by the handsome young Laroche, Lafargue's father, a widower, did not allow Laroche to marry his daughter until 1908, after he received his engineering degree.

A long way from his privileged lifestyle of Haiti, Laroche found France to be bleak and oppressive. Although Laroche was a cultured gentleman who spoke English and French fluently, and had an engineering degree, he couldn't find a job because of his color. "It was a great disappointment to him that having earned his engineering degree in France he could not find employment there," Geller says. "No matter how qualified he was, the blackness of his skin kept him from securing a position that paid his worth."

Laroche's family was growing and there were no opportunities for him to support them. The couple's first daughter, Simonne, was born a year into the marriage, and their second daughter, Louise, was prematurely the following year and was sickly. They were living in Lafargue's home, and the mounting medical bills for baby Louise were draining the wine seller's profits.

Laroche, a proud and hardworking man, grew tired of having to rely on his father-in-law's generosity and decided to return to Haiti, where he would be guaranteed work in engineering. Juliette Laroche was initially skeptical about abandoning her elderly father, but soon decided the move would be best for the family, especially for their ailing daughter. The family's plan to travel to Haiti was hastened, however, by the news that Juliette Laroche was pregnant once again.

According to historian Geller, Laroche's mother was so overwhelmed that her son was coming home with his new family that she purchased tickets on the French liner La France as a homecoming gift. When the couple realized that their children would not be permitted to dine with them on the liner, they exchanged their La France tickets for second-class reservations on the Titanic, which was the largest and most lavish ship built prior to that date. The style of the decor on the vessel ranged from Italian Renaissance to Georgian, and the cost of a first-class parlor suite was $4,350, equivalent to $50,000 today.

The Laroche family boarded the "palace of the sea" on Wednesday, April 10, 1912, at Cherbourg, France, for the scheduled five-day crossing to New York.

Never before had the richest people in the world flaunted their wealth so prominently. The first-class passengers constituted the creme de la creme of Anglo-American society. Collectively they were worth over $500 million, with the richest man on board, John Jacob Astor, having a net worth of $30 million alone. The second-class passengers were the middle-class business leaders and managers of the community; and third-class passengers (or steerage as they were called) were primarily English, Irish and Middle Eastern immigrants in search of a better life in America.

New Years Eve Watch Night Services

Many of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of "Watch Night Services," the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year's Eve.

The service usually begins anywhere from 7 p.m. To 10 p.m. And ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year's Eve event. Like many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service -- made a bit more Afro centric because that's what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with the Black Church. Still, it seemed that predominately White Christian churches did not include Watch Night services on their calendars, but focused instead on Christmas Eve programs.
In fact, there were instances where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New Year's Eve.

However, there is a reason for the importance of New Year's Eve services in African American congregations.
The Watch Night Services in Black communities that we celebrate today can be traced back to gatherings on December 31, 1862, also known as "Freedom's Eve." On that night, Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law. Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free .

When the news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God. Black folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year.

It's been more than 100 years since that first Freedom's Eve and many of us were never taught the African American history of Watch Night, but tradition still brings many of us together at this time every year.

Fourteen Year Old Develops New Surgery Procedure

An African American teenager named Tony Hansberry II is only in ninth grade, and he has developed a new technique for sewing up hysterectomy patients. The technique for patients after hysterectomies stands to reduce the risk of complications and simplify the tricky procedure for less-seasoned surgeons. - Read Story

From Foster Care To A Million Plus In Scholarships

Derrius Quarles is an example of how we can overcome adversity and not allow our personal story to impact us negatively. It is possible to become more than your circumstances dictate if you desire more from life. As long as people are willing to work hard, study hard, play hard, and not allow temporary setbacks to become long term obstacles, people will have a very good chance to have the best life possible.

CBS did a story on this young man and they reported that he received $1,150,000 in college scholarship money to be exact. Quarles is a graduate of Kenwood High School who was offered $755,000 from nearly a dozen colleges, which he turned down. He accepted $355,000 in scholarships and will now attend Morehouse College. He earned all of this while being a ward of the state.

"My father was killed in this city when I was four years old and I was taken away from my mother shortly after that. My mother had a drug problem," he said.

To say he has succeeded against huge odds is almost an understatement. Quarles credits his success to his determination to go to college, his ability to accept his past, and not use it as an excuse. - Read Story


In life, there will always be exceptions from the norm. How to make this kind of story the norm instead of the exception is what Brothers Connected and its community is determined to figure out.

People of Color Denied Refinancing At Higher Rates

New federal data shows that last year blacks were nearly twice as likely to be denied when applying to refinance a home mortgage as whites. About 61 percent of refinance applications from black borrowers were denied, an eight percent increase from 2007. Less than a third of whites were denied.

About half of all refinance applications from Hispanic borrowers were denied, a slight increase from last year. Whites, on the other hand, saw their denial rates drop two percent, federal data gleaned from lenders under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act shows.

Credit scores are being targeted as the main culprit as well as other factors. Everyone should keep in mind that many minorities were also given subprime mortgage loans which are typically for people with below average credit histories even when they had pretty good credit histories and could have qualified for prime mortgages.

The goal is to determine how minorities can live from year to year in a way that allows them to have credit scores and credit histories that qualifies them for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and other loans without having to pay more than other Americans.

America's Economic Transformation

What changed in the early 1970s to reverse the great postwar income convergence? Charles Hugh Smith writes a great article explaining how a number of factors come into play, some more important than others. Three factors stand out: globalization, the emergence of a financial economy, and changes in government policy. He goes into each one of the three factors in very clear detail. - Read The Story

Middle Class Under Assault?

While the wealthy in America have increased their wealth over the years, the middle class have experienced stagnant wages along with big increases in expenses. It is easy to find people who are on both sides of this argument, but many indicators appear to point to the fact that the middle class is barely managing instead of thriving.

According to Charles Hugh Smith, here is how Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel that is monitoring the TARP bailout funds given to banks, jumped into the debate on the topic. In an interview with The Washington Post, she said: "I believe that the middle class is under terrific assault."An astute political player, she added: "And I don't want to play this as a capitalism issue." Actually, capitalism has quite a bit to do with the squeezing of the middle class -- but so do other factors, including government policy and deep structural changes in the global economy.

Here is more of Warren's statement on the subject, which provides a good sense of where middle class families stand today.

When we compare middle class families today with their parents a generation ago, we have basically flat earnings -- a fully employed male today earns on average about $800 less, adjusted for inflation, than a fully employed male earned a generation ago. The only way that families could increase their household income was to put a second earner into the workforce, and, of course that's now flattened out because there aren't any more people to put into the workforce. So you've got, effectively, flat income in this time period, with rising core expenses: housing; health insurance; child care; transportation, now that it takes two cars to get everywhere, two jobs to support; and taxes . . . families are spending a lot more on what you describe as the basic expenses.

Wall Street Is On Fire Again

The folks on Wall Street know how to make money even after showing the world that they can also lose money. Thanks to the Federal Reserve, Federal Government, and the U.S. Taxpayer, Wall Street has been able to socialize losses and privatize profits.

Wall Strret and Big banks have received the bulk of the bailout money. A short while ago, people were wondering if the end to Wall Street as we know was near. Firms like Goldman Sachs are now preparing to pay bonuses of approximately 23 billion at the end of the year. Other firms are showing profits that are bigger than ever.

Charles Hugh Smith reports that The 1970s saw the first beginnings of a loosening of financial regulations and the growth of credit and financial "innovations," such as securitization and derivatives. Capital increasingly fled real production for finance, which became the key profit-center of corporate America. GM didn't make money manufacturing autos; they made money selling loans to buy their cars. General Electric made more with its GECC finance arm than it did selling light bulbs and generators.

As a result, where finance and banking once generated a mere six percent of total U.S. corporate profits, by the height of the housing bubble in 2006 it was churning out 45 percent of all corporate profits. Indeed, U.S. "financial services and innovations" were the most heralded exports of the nation.

45 percent makes sense when one tries to understand why big banks and the top Wall Street firms are considered too big to fail.

Will The U.S. Recession End?

According to Mike Whitney, working people are not being crushed by accident, but according to plan. It is the way the system is supposed to work. Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke knows that sustained demand requires higher wages and a vital middle class.

A careful reading of the FRBSF’s Economic Letter shows why the economy will not bounce back. It is mathematically impossible. We’ve reached peak credit; consumers have to deleverage and patch their balance sheets. Household wealth has slipped $14 trillion since the crisis began. Home equity has dropped to 41% (a new low) and joblessness is on the rise. By 2011, Duetsche Bank AG predicts that 48 percent of all homeowners with a mortgage will be underwater. As the equity position of homeowners deteriorates, banks will further tighten credit and foreclosures will mushroom.

Going forward, it seems probable that many U.S. households will reduce their debt. If accomplished through increased saving, the deleveraging process could result in a substantial and prolonged slowdown in consumer spending relative to pre-recession growth rates.” (”U.S. Household Deleveraging and Future Consumption Growth, by Reuven Glick and Kevin J. Lansing, FRBSF Economic Letter”)

The executive board of the IMF does not share Wall Street’s rosy view of the future, which is why it issued a memo that stated:
“Directors observed that the crisis will have important implications for the role of the United States in the global economy. The U.S. consumer is unlikely to play the role of global “buyer of last resort”— other regions will need to play an increased role in supporting global growth.”

Here’s an excerpt from a recent Don Monkerud article that sums it all up:
“During eight years of the Bush Administration, the 400 richest Americans, who now own more than the bottom 150 million Americans, increased their net worth by $700 billion. In 2005, the top one percent claimed 22 percent of the national income, while the top ten percent took half of the total income, the largest share since 1928
Over 40 percent of GNP comes from Fortune 500 companies. According to the World Institute for Development Economics Research, the 500 largest conglomerates in the U.S. “control over two-thirds of the business resources, employ two-thirds of the industrial workers, account for 60 percent of the sales, and collect over 70 percent of the profits.”
… In 1955, IRS records indicated the 400 richest people in the country were worth an average $12.6 million, adjusted for inflation. In 2006, the 400 richest increased their average to $263 million, representing an epochal shift of wealth upward in the U.S.” “Wealth Inequality destroys US Ideals”

One In Five At School Are Homeless

The Daily news has reported that 1 out of every 5 students at PS 636 located in Brooklyn, NY are homeless. Fortunately, the school was able to hold on to a grant from the Federal government that allows some students to attend an after school program until 6 PM. This is fortunate because they obviously need the after school program and many schools are being asked to scale back on these programs due to the deep recession the country is experiencing. - Read Story

The real issue is why are these kind of stories typically written about minority students one decade after another decade. What changes need to take place in the communities and within the families for these poor students so that they do not become adults that are reading about students of color in the same situation 25 years from today?

Sometimes it really seems as though the more things change, the more they stay the same. For example, not many people would have imagined that is 2005, the United States would have an African American President if they were asked 25 years ago; however, African Americans and Latinos were at the bottom of the economic ladder in this country in 1984 as well as 2009.

Big Baby Denied Health Care

Rocky Mountain Health Plans denied the family of baby, Alex Lange health care because the the child is too fat. This is a baby that is only feeding on breast milk. This is a true story. - Read More

Reversing Credit Card Fees

It is very easy to pay a whopping $50 to 75 a month for missing a credit card payment or being even one day late with the payment. It is difficult to justify sending a company one's hard earned money for these reasons. This is simply giving money away that most people need for other monthly expenses.

The late fee and finance charges can really add up quickly if one does not pay attention. There is one way to have these fees reversed at times. If you have not received your credit card statement in the mail for whatever reason, the credit card company cannot expect you to make the payment on time.

They want their money so they are willing to send out another statement that was not received. This situation is typically one of the best opportunities to ask and receive a reversal of late fees and finance charges from a customer service representative.

Christian Coalition Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

In early 2002, The Christian Coalition settled a racial discrimination lawsuit. A federal court sealed terms of the lawsuit settlement, but The Washington Times reported Jan. 3 that "sources involved in the negotiations" said the African-American employees who brought the suit will receive $325,000 and in return agree not to talk about the case publicly.

Twelve black employees sued the Coalition last February, charging a pattern of racial discrimination at the organization's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The workers said they were told to use the back door, excluded from weekly prayer meetings, denied health care, overtime pay, and made to eat lunch in a segregated, substandard facility it has been reported.

This was a very powerful social and political group during the years when President Clinton was in office. It has also been reported that the organization has lost much of its power over the years.

Hoosier Lottery Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

In May 2009, The Hoosier Lottery settled a lawsuit filed by 8 fired African American employees. The settlement was 2.75 million dollars. The settlement will be paid with lottery proceeds. - Read Story

Racial Discrimination Obviously Goes Both Ways

Governor Patterson of New York was sued by a Senate photographer who claimed that he lost his job so an African American can be hired. The state settled the case for 300k. - Read Story

Many people will say that this should not be an issue and the lawsuit should have been thrown out because this kind of situation has been happening to Blacks and other people of color in this country for too long. The truth is that the law is the law and what is right from wrong is very clear.

Kodak Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

Kodak agreed in July 2009 that they will pay more than $21 million to settle a pair of racial discrimination lawsuits filed by current and former African-American employees. The lawsuits were filed in 2004 and 2007 by an African-American group of Kodak workers accusing Kodak of discriminating against African-American workers when it came to job hiring, pay and promotions. - Read Story

Cop Beats Special Education Student

An Illinois cop was caught on tape beating a special education student. This incident started because the student did not have his shirt tucked in his pants. - See Video

This video clearly shows the abuse of power that takes place at times. Fortunately for this student, there is video to back up his claims of abuse at the hands of the officer.

Subprime Mortgages Can Be Very Risky

Subprime mortgages became very one of the main reasons that America has experienced a real estate crisis. Subprime lending (near-prime, non-prime, or second-chance lending) in finance means making loans that are in the riskiest category of consumer loans. These loans can dramatically increase in how much a borrower has to pay monthly to a lender. These increases can easily become difficult for a borrower to handle and the borrower could place himself at risk of losing their home (if it is a subprime mortgage loan).

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2006 that 61% of all borrowers receiving subprime mortgages had credit scores high enough to qualify for prime conventional loans. During the current real estate crisis, too many people of color (African Americans and Latinos) received these very expensive subprime loans when they qualified for lower cost conventional mortgage and auto loans. This group of Americans also lead the rest of Americans in losing their home through foreclosure.

Subprime borrowers show data on their credit reports associated with higher default rates, including limited debt experience, excessive debt, a history of missed payments, failures to pay debts, and recorded bankruptcies. How does a person know when they qualify for a lower cost prime loan when the loan officer makes more money selling subprime loans to clients and the officer is all about the money. Too many of these loan officers were more concerned with the money they made and did not care about finding the best, lowest cost loan for their clients.

This is one of those areas where government regulation is needed. However, if the government in charge decides to look the other way or simply give the regulators limited authority and funding to regulate, many people can be bamboozled into accepting higher cost subprime loans. This is exactly what happened which helped create one of the greatest real estate and financial meltdowns in the history of America.

Prime loans go to borrowers with a credit score above 620 (credit scores are between 350 and 850 in the US). Since brothers typically do not own the banks and lending companies making loans, there should be a way for brothers connected to at a minimum share information about how the loan business works. This could assist many brothers and their families when receiving loans that are the best for them giving their credit history and financial situation.