ATLANTA LOSES 4 YOUNG BLACK MALES TO DRIVERS RUNNING RED LIGHTS (RACIAL CONSPIRACY?)

ATLANTA LOSES 4 YOUNG BLACK MALES TO DRIVERS RUNNING RED LIGHTS (RACIAL CONSPIRACY?):

BLACK TEENS & YOUNG ADULT BLACK MEN TARGETED BY DRIVERS INTENTIONALLY RUNNING RED LIGHTS.

IS THIS ANOTHER CONSPIRACY TO KILL MORE BLACK MALES IN THE USA?

Sources: Atlanta Journal Constitution, WSB-TV, Youtube


**** 4 teens killed in south Fulton crash ID’d

Officials have identified four teenagers killed Monday in a crash between an SUV and tractor-trailer in south Fulton County.

The teens, identified late Tuesday by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office, were Isaiah Gregory, 15, Cameron Jones, 16, Ke’Ariy Lopez 14, and Octavious Rhodes, 16.

Isaiah, Ke’Ariy and Octavious were freshmen at Langston Hughes High School, Fulton County Schools spokeswoman Susan Hale said Wednesday morning. Cameron, she said, was new to the school, having transferred from another district about two months ago. He withdrew from Langston Hughes less than two weeks ago, Hale said.

A family member released the name and photo of the student who survived the crash.
Sophomore Lexus Todd was in the back of the Lincoln Navigator involved in Monday’s deadly collision, Lexus’ grandmother told Channel 2 Action News.

Her legs were crushed, and she suffered bleeding of the brain, the television station reported.
Fulton police said the preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the SUV ran a red light, causing the collision.
The accident happened about 1:17 p.m. at Ga. 92 and Butner Road, Fulton police Cpl. Maureen Smith said.
Three of the teens were trapped inside the SUV and had to be extricated, Fulton fire Deputy Chief Charles Stubb said. The driver was ejected.
Lexus was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. She was still there Wednesday morning, Hale said.
“Lexus is expected to recover from her injuries,” Hale said.
The tractor-trailer driver was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The school system has a counseling team at Langston Hughes to help students and staff, Hale said.
Channel 2 spoke to parent Anissa Williams about the mood inside the school.
“It’s very quiet,” she said. “I've never gone into any school where there's hundreds of children and heard the silence I heard today. And I can truly say it was birthed out of pain.”


****** Questions persist in wreck that killed four Fulton County students

As hundreds of students returned to Langston Hughes High School in South Fulton County on Tuesday in the wake of four classmates killed Monday in a vehicle collision, questions surrounded the circumstances that led to the teens being off campus.

Fulton County Schools spokeswoman Susan Hale said she cannot confirm whether the students were supposed to be on campus during the crash until all are positively identified.

Fulton County Schools officials said Tuesday they could not answer many questions related to the students until all were identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Langston Hughes High students killed in the crash were identified late Tuesday by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Isaiah Gregory, 15, Cameron Jones, 16, Ke’Ariy Lopez 14, and Octavious Rhodes, 16.
"As you can imagine it's so sorrowful," said Shannon Flounnory, the district's executive director for safety and security. "Essentially, our students have lost members of their family."
Grief counselors were on hand as students returned to school the day after the fatal accident.
Isabel Ramirez, who said her daughter knew one of the teens who apparently died in the crash, said something must be done to avoid administrators and school police from turning a blind eye as students freely enter and exit the campus, tucked away from Hwy 92 on Hall Road in Fairburn.
"They let the students come and go ... as if it's WalMart," she said.
***** 4 Langston Hughes High students killed in tractor-trailer crash
Four teenagers were killed and another was injured Monday in a crash involving a tractor-trailer and a Lincoln Navigator, Fulton County police said.
The teens were confirmed to be students at Langston Hughes High School, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The school system will have a counseling team at Langston Hughes on Tuesday to help students and staff, Fulton County Schools spokeswoman Susan Hale said.
It was also a bad day for Cobb County schools as two Lassiter High teenagers died in an afternoon crash.
The crash happened around 1:17 p.m. at Campbellton Fairburn and Butner roads in south Fulton, police said.
Five teens, four boys and a girl, were inside the SUV when the crash happened, Fulton police Cpl. Maureen Smith said. Three of the teens were trapped inside the car and had to be extricated, Fulton fire Deputy Chief Charles Stubb said. The driver was ejected.
The girl, who was pulled from the back seat, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with injuries. Her condition was not released.
The tractor-trailer driver was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Fulton police said the preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the SUV ran a red light, causing the collision.
Police did not release the identities of the teens pending notification of next of kin.
No other details were released.

Nelson Mandela's Granddaughter Zenani Killed In Car Crash

Mandela Relative Killed After World Cup Concert


It should have been a moment of triumph—Nelson Mandela, basking in the cheers as Africa’s first World Cup opened.

nstead, South Africa’s beloved anti-apartheid icon stayed at home with his family Friday in northern Johannesburg during the opening ceremony and game, mourning his 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani, who died in a car crash on the way home from a tournament-eve concert in Soweto.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the tragedy “made it inappropriate” for the former president, who is 91, to attend the opening ceremony in Johannesburg.

“We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in solidarity with Mr. Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this tragedy,” the foundation said, adding that Mandela “will be there with you in spirit today.”

Johannesburg Metro police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said the driver of the car had been arrested and charged with drunk driving. Mamonyane said the driver, whom police didn’t identify, could also face homicide charges.

“The Metro police found that he was drunk,” Mamonyane said. “He lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a barricade.”

Police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo, who earlier said the driver would appear in court for a preliminary hearing Friday, said that had been postponed for further investigations, and that the driver was not being held. Mariemuthoo said that was not unusual.

“It’s a decision of the prosecutor,” he said.

The Mandela foundation denied reports that the former president’s ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was in the car, but said she was treated in a hospital for shock after being told of the fatal accident. She was discharged after a few hours.

She was on the VIP list for the opening ceremony, and a press box official confirmed she was at Soccer City, but the foundation said later that Madikizela-Mandela did not attend.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who was in South Africa to lead his country’s delegation to the opening ceremony, were among those who offered condolences.

South African President Jacob Zuma, calling Mandela by his clan name Madiba — a term of affection—referred to the death in the Mandela family in an address to the crowd before the Mexico-South Africa game started.

He said Mandela had wanted to be there, “but unfortunately there was a tragedy in the Mandela family.”

“But he said the game must start. You must enjoy the game,” Zuma added.

Mandela has achieved glory as a politician and human rights campaigner, but suffered many personal tragedies.

In 1969, three years after arriving on Robben Island to serve a life sentence for sabotage, Mandela received a telegram from his younger son, Makgatho, informing him that his eldest son, Madiba Thembekile, died in a car crash.

Prison authorities refused to allow Mandela to attend the funeral.

“I do not have words to express the sorrow, or the loss I felt,” Mandela wrote in his autobiography. “It left a hole in my heart that can never be filled.”

Thirty-six years later, Makgatho died. Mandela announced his last surviving son died of AIDS-related complications, saying the only way to fight the disease’s stigma was to speak openly.

Mandela’s family life suffered during years devoted to politics, as an underground anti-apartheid fighter and in prison. Two marriages fell apart, the second to Winnie. He began his 27-year imprisonment only four years after marrying her.

Mandela was freed in 1990. Four years later, his lifelong battle over apartheid won, he became South Africa’s first black president. He served just one term, then devoted himself to international causes, including fighting AIDS.

He has announced his retirement and desire to devote time to his family several times. Increasingly, those close to him and other South Africans have said the reward for all he has done for his country should now be freedom from the public’s demands.

On his 80th birthday July 18, 1998, he married Graca Machel, a veteran of the anti-colonial struggle in her native Mozambique, former education minister, noted international child rights advocate and widow of Mozambique’s first president, Samora Machel.

Graca Machel once told a television interviewer she helped Mandela reconnect with his family. Family photos released by his foundation Friday showed a relaxed and smiling Mandela with Zenani and other great-grandchildren.

Zenani was one of the anti-apartheid icon’s nine great-grandchildren.


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Sources: Yahoo News, Google Maps

Steve Benjamin Involved In Terrible Car Wreck Hours After Election

Mayor-Elect Steve Benjamin In wreck; Woman In Critical Condition


S.C. Authorities are investigating Wednesday’s car crash involving Columbia Mayor-elect Steve Benjamin and a hotel restaurant worker, who was hospitalized after the accident.

Benjamin’s automobile collided about 5:40 a.m. with a car driven by Columbia resident Deborah Rubens at the intersection of Gervais and Pickens streets.

Columbia Police responded to the crash involving Benjamin, who just hours earlier had been elected Mayor over City Councilman Kirkman Finlay.

Benjamin’s Mercedes sport utility vehicle was heading east on Gervais when the collision occurred, Columbia police said in a morning news release. A Toyota Tercel was heading north on Pickens Street when the crash occurred, police said. The Tercel car was making a right turn, Columbia police said.

Rubens, whose age was not immediately unavailable, was driving the Tercel and also was the only occupant in her car, according to reports from police and from her employers. She was taken to Palmetto Health Richland, according to Richland County EMS spokesman George Rice.

Rubens, who went to high school in the Columbia area, is an "excellent" employee of 10 years at the Clarion Hotel on Gervais Street, said general manager Bill Ellen. She is a server in the Clarion restaurant and a popular employee, he said.

Ellen said he went to the hospital to check on her but was unable to see her. He said she had to be cut out of the car and was in critical condition.

Michael Wukela said Benjamin was headed to early-morning media interviews in his Mercedes sport utility vehicle when the collision occurred. The Columbia Police Department said Benjamin was driving and was the only person in the car.

Wukela said Benjamin is OK, that he is "cooperating fully with police and his primary concern right now is that the woman in the other car is OK."

Wukela said Benjamin was driving to an interview at WLTX TV when the crash occurred.

Steve Benjamin was elected Columbia’s first African-American Mayor Tuesday night after a fierce campaign with Finlay.


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Sources: The State, Google Maps

11+ People Killed In Kentucky Highway Crash Pile Up

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At least 11 People killed In Kentucky Highway Crash



At least 11 people were killed in a crash involving a tractor-trailer and a church van in Kentucky Friday, NBC reported.

The accident happened on I-65 near Cave City, north of Bowling Green, at about 5:17 a.m. central time on the northbound lane.

A department of transportation official said a southbound semi-truck crossed the median and crashed head-on into an 18-passenger van, NBC said. At least one of the vehicles was said to have burst into flames.

The driver of the truck was killed, along with multiple passengers in the van, NBC said.

Other passengers in the van were transported to the hospital. They were Mennonites travelling in what is thought to be a church vehicle, NBC said.

Coroners from other counties were on the way to the scene to assist the Hart County Coroner.

I-65 was closed in both directions at the Cave City exit and NBC said it could remain so for up to eight hours. Detours were in place.

State troopers and police from Elizabethtown and Bowling Green were assisting at the scene.


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Sources: MSNBC, Google Maps

Damage To Toyota's Image Permanent, Electronics The Problem

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Tough Hearings Leave Dents In Toyota’s Image


It can take decades to build a reputation and just months to watch it collapse. Just ask Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who found himself sitting in the hot seat Wednesday, facing skeptical members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Barely a year ago, when the executive was appointed to run the company his grandfather founded, the Japanese automotive giant seemed to be on top of the world. True, it was running a rare loss, losing more than $4 billion in its latest fiscal year, but it had just nudged past its long-time archrival, General Motors, to become the world’s largest automaker.

The cornerstones of that growth were safety, quality and reliability. In the United States, Toyota’s largest market, the maker also scored points with its aggressive expansion of facilities. With billions invested in North American assembly, design and engineering operations that employ tens of thousands, Toyota has taken pains to promote itself as much an American company as its competitors in Detroit.

But the hearings on Capitol Hill have torn asunder Toyota’s carefully cultivated image, leaving observers to wonder whether it was ever more than a Potemkin village.

In prepared remarks, CEO Toyoda, 53, conceded to the committee, "We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization," adding that, "I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced."

The humble tone is one that both Toyoda and Toyota have sounded repeatedly in recent months, starting with last October’s recall of 3.8 million cars, crossovers and trucks for problems with “carpet entrapment.” Things got worse in January, when millions more vehicles were recalled due to potentially sticky accelerators. In recent weeks the situation has spun seemingly out of control, with still more recalls and investigations launched for matters ranging from faulty steering to intermittent brakes.

Toyota has tried to balance its corporate mea culpa with pledges — aired on TV and in full-page newspaper ads — aimed at convincing consumers it has the situation under control. Yes, there are problems, but Toyota officials know how to fix them.

But that spin lost momentum in two tough days of testimony on Capitol Hill.

Members of Congress initially were polite, praising Toyoda for agreeing to step into a lion's den. But he and a top deputy drew heavy fire from both Democrats and Republicans for the company's slowness in dealing with safety defects in its vehicles.

"I sincerely regret that some people actually encountered accidents in their vehicles," said Toyoda, who gave his opening remarks in heavily accented English but chose to respond to questions in Japanese with a translator.

Toyoda pledged his company would change the way it handles consumer complaints, including seeking greater input from drivers and outside safety experts when considering recalls. Toyota managers will also drive cars under investigation to experience potential problems first hand, he said.

A previous hearing Tuesday before a House Energy and Commerce panel did not go well for the company.

Jim Lentz, Toyota’s top U.S. executive, declared he was confident “the solutions we have developed are both effective and durable.” He went on to dismiss critics who contend faulty electronic control systems might be at the root of some problems on Toyota vehicles.

Both assertions now seem questionable. In his testimony Lentz eventually conceded that as many as 70 percent of the complaints over so-called “unintended acceleration” are not necessarily covered by the two related recalls now under way.

(Other Toyota officials have separately confirmed that the recall for faulty brakes on the 2010 Prius may be only a partial solution since it now appears there is a similar issue with earlier versions of the high-profile hybrid.)

Making matters worse, lawmakers heard testimony from David W. Gilbert, a professor of automotive technology at Southern Illinois University, who countered Toyota’s long-standing assertion that its electronics are well-designed and well-tested. Gilbert said testing showed that Toyota's electronic throttle control could malfunction which, in turn, could lead to unintended acceleration.

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At least one member of the panel raised questions about the testing because it was partly funded by attorneys who are involved in litigation against Toyota.

By the end of the first day of hearings, Lentz’s own confidence in Toyota’s ability to identify and fix the problems with its vehicles seemed to have been shaken, as seen in this exchange between Lentz and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif:

WAXMAN: Do you believe that the recall on the ... carpet changes and the recall on the sticky pedal will solve the problem of sudden, unintended acceleration?

LENTZ: Not totally.

WAXMAN: OK, what do you need to do?

LENTZ: We need to continue to be vigilant and continue to investigate all of the complaints that we get from consumers, that we have done a relatively poor job of doing in the past.

Lentz also said he was "embarrassed" to hear testimony from a driver who said her nearly new Lexus ES350 suddenly accelerated up to 100 mph in 2006 before she was able to bring it under control.

One can only wonder where that leaves the millions of people driving Camry sedans, Tundra pickups and Prius hybrids.

Perhaps feeling a bit snookered by a well-oiled machine that made plenty of promises during the good times but which now appears to be imploding. Consider the way Toyota has been billing itself as an “American” company, in recent years, devoting a fair chunk of its marketing budget to talk about its U.S. plants and people. The problem is that the company has been exposed as more of a modern-day trading post, doing business with the native population.

The hearings have revealed that virtually all key decisions, other than how to market and sell Toyota products, are made in Japan. The flow of information, particularly on safety matters, is one-way, from the California headquarters of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., to corporate headquarters in Japan.

Lentz conceded that his corporate superiors didn’t share information about global recalls with him — or, for that matter, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And that leaves the door open to potentially serious problems.

The automaker has received a subpoena from U.S. District Court, which has empowered a grand jury criminal investigation, along with another subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is looking into possible disclosure issues and securities fraud.

While most of the action this week is taking place on Capitol Hill, the problems for Toyota seem to be coming from every angle. A new report, released Wednesday, provides still more reason for concern. The 2010 Customer Service Index, compiled by quality gurus J.D. Power and Associates, notes that the Toyota brand ranked well below average in terms of how its dealers handle customers.

With those dealers reportedly racing to fix as many as 50,000 recalled vehicles daily, that could be a significant source of friction. For some nervous motorists, it will take weeks to get a service appointment scheduled. To drive away angry — and uncertain the fix will work — is not a recipe for renewed loyalty.

If Toyoda truly believes that the company his grandfather founded has grown too fast for itself, he may have that problem solved for him. Toyota owners are, in fact, among the industry’s most loyal, but the steady drumbeat of bad news, compounded by lingering concerns about the safety of its vehicles, will likely stall the company’s momentum. Whether it can ever rebuild its tattered image and regain the trust of the public can’t be answered after two days of testimony.


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Sources: MSNBC, Toyota, Google Maps

Ray Lahood Defends NHTSA Cover Up, Toyota Chief Testifies

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Sorry Won’t Be Enough From Toyota’s Top Boss


Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda came to Washington to publicly apologize to Congress Wednesday for safety lapses that led to widespread recalls for accelerator and breaking failures and for a corporate culture that may have made things worse. A House committee chairman said blame must be shared by both Toyota and U.S. safety regulators.

Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) failed to follow through aggressively on thousands of complaints dating back a decade about sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

NHTSA , which is part of the Transportation Department, "failed the taxpayers and Toyota failed their customers," Towns declared ahead of eagerly awaited testimony by the company's chief executive.

"Thousands of complaints, multiple investigations, and serial recalls are bad enough. But we now have 39 deaths attributed to sudden acceleration in Toyotas," Towns said. "To give that horrifying number perspective, there were 27 deaths attributed to the famous (Ford) Pinto exploding gas tank of the 1970s."

Toyoda, the 53-year-old scion of the Toyoto empire, readied testimony apologizing for the problem and acknowledging that the world's largest automaker grew too fast to keep up with safety controls

"We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization," he said. "I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced."

Towns asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood a question on behalf all of those Toyota owners and drivers: Are the cars safe to drive?

"We have listed every Toyota that's up for recall" on the Transportation Department Web site, LaHood said. "I want anybody who has one of those cars to take it to the dealer and make sure it gets fixed."

LaHood said those vehicles on the recall list posted on his department's Website, http://www.dot.gov, "are not safe."

David Strickland, the new head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, had been on the list of witnesses but was removed right before the hearing started.

Republicans pressed LaHood about why Strickland was dropped from the hearing witness list, saying they may call him for another hearing. LaHood said Strickland has held his post for only a short time and that LaHood would answer for the safety agency.

"I am not going have our NHTSA administrator, who has been on the job 40 days, appear. I am taking responsibility for this," LaHood said.

Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce Committee requested an investigation by the Transportation Department's inspector general of NHTSA's handling of the Toyota recalls. The committee wants the IG to expand the review to include industry-wide complaints and reports collected by the agency on unintended acceleartion or brake failure, compliance with recent auto safety laws and government ethics at NHTSA.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the leading Republican on the House oversight panel, waved a gas pedal before LaHood and complained that Toyota knew about problems of sticking gas pedals and improperly placed floor mats years ago and made some fixes on models sold in Japan but delayed addressing the problems on other cars, including some of its most popular models sold in the U.S., until just recently.

Toyoda was to be the second witness to appear before the panel and was not in the room during opening statements by members and LaHood's testimony.

An apology may not be enough for the feisty panel of lawmakers on the committee in a year in which every one faces re-election. Nor will any culture gap; Japanese CEOs typically serve symbolic roles akin to figureheads without much power to control operations.

Toyoda's appearance comes as Japan opened its own investigation into unintended acceleration with Toyota and other vehicles in that country.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a member of the committee, said an apology alone will not suffice. "He's going to have to say more than that," the Pennsylvania Democrat said. "We all have questions for him."

In harmony-loving Japan, company chiefs are usually picked to cheerlead the rank and file. As the grandson of the company's founder, Toyoda was groomed to play that role — and even dubbed "the prince" of the auto empire for a time.

Still, Toyoda is familiar with the United States and its corporate culture. He received his MBA in 1982 at Babson College in Massachusetts and spent time in California as vice president of a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors Corp.

"We do not seek the spotlight," the casual Toyoda was quoted as saying in his first interview. "We try always to be low-key, not to be outspoken."

A dozen years later, the blood from dozens of claims over fatal crashes staining the family dynasty, Toyoda has no choice. A significant chunk of Washington's lobbying industry and some part of the struggling American economy hang on his appearance as it's broadcast around the world.

Japan's national Asahi newspaper said in an editorial that Toyoda's testimony "not only determines Toyota's fate, but may affect all Japanese companies and consumer confidence in their products. President Toyoda has a heavy load on his shoulders."

Toyoda, who speaks halting English, planned to appear with a translator by his side, as well as Yoshimi Inaba, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America Inc., who is fluent in English.

Also scheduled to appear was the mother of an off-duty California highway patrolmen killed with three family members in a runaway Lexus on a San Diego highway in August.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, in an op-ed editorial in Wednesday's editions of The Washington Post, said, "I hope Congress will resist the temptation to attack Toyota simply to advance the interests of American competitors." The U.S. government owns a majority stake in General Motors and a smaller stake in Chrysler as a result of last year's bailouts.

Toyoda's three-page statement departs somewhat from his native formality. In it, Toyoda emphasizes that he personally test-drives Toyotas. And he makes a personal appeal for credibility.

"My name is on every car," he says.


Sources: MSNBC

Farewell Teddy Pendergrass, Dead At 59 (Classic Videos)

Teddy Pendergrass Dies In Pa. at 59


Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."

He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal chord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.

Pendergrass gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes on songs including "If You Don't Know Me by Now," but it was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as "Love T.K.O.," "Close the Door" and "I Don't Love You Anymore," he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.

His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.

"Turn Off the Lights" was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass — tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.

Pendergrass made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.



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Sources: AP, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

2 Men Linked To Najibullah Zazi Arrested In NYC

Adis Medunjanin, Zarein Ahmedzay, Tied To Zazi Bomb-Plot Terror Probe, To Be Arraigned Friday


Two Queens men are expected to be arraigned Friday in connection with an Al Qaeda terror plot to bomb New York City.

Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay were busted as part of an FBI task force investigation into a suspected Al Qaeda cell, Special Agent Richard Kolko said.

Medunjanin, 25, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after he crashed his car on the Whitestone Expressway while the feds tailed him, sources said.

Ahmedzay, a 24-year-old cabbie, was grabbed in Greenwich Village about 10 p.m. Thursday, the sources said.

Both men are believed to have ties to Najibullah Zazi, 24,, a Colorado airport driver the feds say is the mastermind of an Al Qaeda plot to attack New York.

All three men attended Flushing High School in Queens.

Ahmedzay and Zazi are natives of Afghanistan; Medunjanin's parents are from Bosnia. Asked if Medunjanin and Ahmedzay posed a serious threat, a law enforcement source told the Daily News,

"You don't put that kind of surveillance on small pieces of the puzzle." Zazi has pleaded not guilty to charges of getting Al Qaeda training to build homemade bombs to attack city targets.

Investigators raided Medunjanin's apartment earlier Thursday and had a warrant to seize his passport as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, the suspect's attorney, Robert Gottlieb, said.

Medunjanin handed over the passport and was allowed to leave, sources said.

But he soon realized he was being followed and called 911. "He's driving erratically, then he speeds up and rams into a car in front of him," the law enforcement source said.

Medunjanin was treated for minor bumps and bruises at New York Hospital Queens in Flushing before he was taken into custody by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The feds were also following Ahmedzay and waited for him to be free of fares before they pounced, sources said. His mystified mother, who declined to give her name, said she doesn't understand why the feds are holding him.

"He's a good man," she said. "He's innocent. I don't know where he is."

Both men have been watched by the feds since September, when investigators arrested Zazi and raided his friends' apartments in Queens - including Medunjanin's pad.

Those raids turned up bomb-making equipment, and Zazi was charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.

Medunjanin graduated last year from Queens College with a degree in economics. He and Ahmedzay are believed to have accompanied Zazi to an Al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan in 2008, sources said.

Zazi told the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force after he was arrested that he had received Al Qaeda training in weapons and explosives in Pakistan but denied any plot to bomb New York.



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Sources: NY Daily News, NY Post, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Did Tiger Woods Have Plastic Surgery After Fight With Elin? (Reports)

Tiger Woods' Plastic Surgery, Escape To Arizona, And Much More, Letter Claims


Furman Bisher, a retired sportswriter who used to pen a column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, posted a letter on his blog that -- if true -- provides in-depth background on the events that led to Tiger Woods' post-Thanksgiving car crash.

The letter, which Bisher says is from "a trustworthy journalist I have known for years," is written by someone who claims to have sources in Woods' neighborhood and at his talent agency, IMG.

According to the letter, Woods' wife Elin Nordegren confronted him on Thanksgiving night after she discovered "incriminating evidence," including but not limited to a text message, on his phone.

Woods refused to admit to anything, and shortly thereafter Nordegren attacked him with a 9-iron golf club. The strike caused "a huge gash in the right side of his face... virtually knocking two of his upper teeth out." Woods fled the scene and attempted to leave the property in his Escalade, but his wife smashed the windows before he crashed the vehicle.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the letter is its claim that Woods never went home after being released from the hospital. Instead, he and his agent Mark Steinberg flew in his private jet to Phoenix to receive emergency plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry since there was "not much [the Florida doctors could] do to repair the teeth and the gash." This would explain why Woods never spoke with police following the accident, and also traces the golfer to Arizona, where he is rumored to be attending rehab. A previous report claiming he sought treatment for "sexual compulsion" and Vicodin and Ambien use also linked him to Arizona.

The letter also says that while his wife has retained a divorce attorney, she has "no intention" of divorcing her husband. The author writes that the pair is engaged in "intense marriage counseling sessions of up to 6 to 7 hours a day." Read the full letter for more details.




Furman Bisher: Updated Inside Story on Tiger Woods



The following is a legitimate message I received from a trustworthy journalist I have known for years. It’s the Tiger-Elin incident finally put into reliable form, and I send along for no purpose other than to present the picture in its clearest form. —Furman Bisher

Forwarded story:

I have a Member who lives 10 houses down from Tiger in Isleworth. As we know Tiger’s agent is Mark Steinberg. My Member plays golf and is real good friends with another IMG Agent; who is very good friends with Steinberg and they share the same office. This information came from the other IMG Agent to my Member, and then to me today, and according to them is up to date as yesterday when my Member left Orlando.

On Thanksgiving Day, after he and Elin and the family had turkey dinner, he spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching football and texting Rachel. After each received and sent text message he would clear his message box to rid himself of the evidence. Sometime in between there, one of his Orlando buds called him to see if he wanted to get together at the Clubhouse to play poker with the guys, to which Tiger said yes. Tiger left the house around 7:30 to go play poker, and left behind his cell phone….and one message he had forgot to delete from Rachel.

When Tiger returned home around 11:30 -12 that night, Elin confronted him about the text message in the phone, and the started a heated discussion to its regards. According to what I was told, there was more “incriminating evidence” than just the text message (i.e. photos). Tiger tried to play it off to Elin by telling her she was reading too much in to it, and did not know the story, etc. Tiger went upstairs to change into his gym shorts and t – shirt, came back down, and Elin confronted him again; to which Tiger gave the same story. Tiger sat down in a chair in the living room, and Elin sat across from him urging Tiger to just come clean. Tiger stayed to his guns and denied everything.

At one point Tiger turned away to look at the TV, and as he turned back, Elin hit him on the right side of the face with the head of a 9 – iron. When she struck Tiger, she put a huge gash in the right side of his face next to his nose (causing his nose to bruise some), and virtually knocking two of his upper teeth out, and breaking the bone on the upper right side.

Tiger ran scared as hell out of the house (which is why he had on no shoes) with Elin swinging the golf club throughout the hallway to the garage (i.e. causing the severe damage which has been reported). Tiger hoped in the Escalade and tried to leave; and as we know Elin knocked out the windows in the Escalade. When Tiger crashed, Elin panicked and was not sure what to tell the police (which is why there are two conflicting stories from her). When this happened, Elin immediately called Mark Steinberg to tell him what happened, and Mark told Elin to tell him what hospital they were going to, and he would meet them there.

Tiger is transported to the hospital with Elin in the ambulance, and as they arrive Mark is there waiting for them. The people from the hospital and the doctors take Tiger in for X-Rays etc to check out the damage caused. The doctors tell Mark there is not much they can do to repair the teeth and the gash, but the doctor knows a cosmetic dentist and plastic surgeon in Phoenix who will make Tiger look as if nothing happened. Tiger tells Mark to get the jet ready and let’s head to Phoenix to get this done. Friday after Tiger is released from the hospital, he does not return home; he and Mark board the plane for Phoenix.

If you remember FHP kept showing up at Isleworth to talk to Tiger, and was told by another FL attorney (who Tiger hired for PR reasons) Tiger was not ready to talk. Well now we know why, he was in Phoenix, and did not arrive back in Orlando until either late last Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

The surgeries were more intense than what they had originally planned, which meant Tiger was in PHX longer than he should have been. Upon arriving back in Orlando, Tiger and Elin have been in intense marriage counseling sessions (up to 6 to 7 hours a day) every day! Both Tiger and Elin have told the counselors they love each other, and want to make the marriage work. The reports you are reading on TMZ and RadarOnline are about 30% accurate at best according to Mark.

In regards to Tiger’s boat being in Palm Beach this week, along with Rachel; that part is true. However, Tiger is not on the boat, and is not in Palm Beach; and Rachel is not on the boat. Her parents live 6 blocks from where the boat is, but that is it. Tiger has not returned to his house at Isleworth since the day of the accident except for the therapy sessions.

IMG has enlisted the assistance of one of its most recognized sports figures, and Tiger has taken up residence in his neighborhood, Bay Hill. IMG contacted Arnold Palmer because of the high regard in which Tiger holds Arnold. Arnold has agreed, and IMG has said if anyone can get through to Tiger, Arnold may be the only person who can, based on his public persona when he was at the height of his game as well. The moving trucks being shown on TMZ and RadarOnline are moving out pictures and furniture which was damaged during their Thanksgiving Day argument; not of her moving out.

Yes, Elin has retained a divorce attorney, but has not filed any papers, and as of yesterday had no intention on doing so. Tiger has not made any public appearances or statements due to the surgery and plastic surgery he had in PHX. It will be about another month if not more before he gets in front of a camera. Yes, Tiger is hitting golf balls late at night at Bay Hill out of their teaching center (which is equipped with lights).

That is as up to date as I have……..



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Sources: AP, Bisher Unleashed, Huffington Post, Youtube, Google Maps

Will Elin Woods Come Forth About Tiger's "Transgressions"?

Will Tiger Woods’ wife break her silence? As more and more women come forward in the Tiger Woods scandal, one woman who is ducking the spotlight is the golfer’s wife, Elin Nordegren. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Can Tiger Woods’ marriage be saved? Psychiatrist Gail Saltz and psychologist Jeff Gardere talk to TODAY’s Hoda Kotb about whether they think the golfer can salvage his marriage.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Sources: MSNBC, NY Daily News, Facebook, Google Maps

Tiger Woods Tried To OD??...Pray For Tiger

FHP interviews Tiger's neighbor Jarius Adams about the accident scene.






Tiger Woods was admitted to hospital as a "suspected overdose"


Woods, who has faced a barrage of publicity concerning his private life since he crashed his car outside his family home in Florida less than two weeks ago, was reportedly admitted to Health Central Hospital under the alias William Smith.

According to sources in the hospital, Woods' admission chart listed "OD" and the golfer was having trouble breathing. Celebrity website TMZ said the fifth floor of the hospital was put on lockdown when he arrived with his wife Erin Nordegren.

The website claims that doctors used a breathing tube to assist Woods' respiration, while hospital officials later changed his alias over fears people would find out he was there. It also claims Ms Nordegren gave police officers two prescription pill bottles - for Ambien, a muscle relaxant, and Vicodin, a painkiller - at the scene of Woods' car crash.

Previously it was reported that Woods' neighbour Jarius Adams found the golfer lying in the road "snoring" after his crash.

Since Woods' early morning car crash and speculation arose about his marriage, seven women have been named as alleged mistresses of the world's top golfer.

The latest is Holly Sampson, a 36-year-old porn star, who joins Jamie Jungers, a 26-year-old Las Vegas aspiring model, Mindy Lawton, a restaurant waitress in Florida, and Cori Rist, a 31-year-old New York socialite.

He has also allegedly had an affair with New York nightclub promoter Rachel Uchitel, a claim she has denied; as well as Las Vegas nightclub executive Kalika Moquin and Jaimee Grubbs, a Los Angeles cocktail waitress.

Last week Woods, whose squeaky-clean family man image has taken a battering, issued a statement on his website apologising for the "transgressions" that "let his family down".



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Sources: Telegraph.co.uk, TMZ, FHP, AP, Youtube, Google Maps

Oprah Reaches Out To Tiger Woods Amid Embarrassing Sex Scandals

Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey extends invite to Tiger Woods amid sex scandal


Oprah to the rescue!

The talk-show queen has called Tiger Woods to offer him advice - and a chance to tell his side of the story.

While everyone is clamoring to woo Tiger into their television lairs, "only Lady O has personally reached out," according to Rob Shuter of the celebrity Web site PopEater.com.

Image experts said it was time Tiger took the story by the tail.

"If he were my client I would counsel him to say as much as he can say to come clean," said Barbara Laskin, president of Laskin Media.

Michael Gordon, CEO of Group Gordon Strategic Communications, said that Oprah's show should be a "friendly forum" for Woods.

"He needs to apologize to the public so he can get on with his life - and we can get on with ours," he said.




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Sources: NY Daily News, The Daily Beast, US Weekly Mag., Zazzle, Google Maps

Tiger's Alleged Groupie Scorecard: 6 (Sex Addict)...How Many More?

Yankees' Manager Joe Giraldi says "nothing today is private". Tiger is a Public Figure who sold his private life for a Billion Dollars. Thus he has very little privacy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So far Tiger's endorsements are safe despite the fallout and gossip over his extramarital affairs.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tiger Woods' accident was recreated in a Taiwanese, grand theft auto type animation.

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Three more transgressions, Tiger? Golfer's list of 'conquests' rises to six


Tiger Woods's scorecard of extramarital affairs rose to a total of six last night after three more women were claimed to have shared his bed.

A Florida waitress and a Las Vegas model told over the weekend of their torrid relationships with the billionaire golfer.

A blonde Manhattan nightclubber, Cori Rist, 31, was added last night to the list of those with whom the married father of two had 'transgressed'.

And it seems unlikely to stop there.

Even as they digested the latest claims yesterday, Woods and his team of advisers were bracing themselves for yet more revelations from as yet unidentified women.

There were strong rumours last night of a dalliance with a seventh woman, a porn star, and there has even been speculation that the trail of shame will lead to this side of the Atlantic with claims of a fling with a British TV presenter.

Miss Rist declined to comment last night on claims by the New York Daily News that she has been secretly seeing Woods since they met last year at a Manhattan club. But the two other alleged mistresses to emerge over the weekend showed no such reticence.

Waitress Mindy Lawton, 33, spoke out to describe how she conducted a torrid affair with the golfer under his wife's nose.

And the former boyfriend of blonde model Jamie Jungers, 26, said she had slept with Woods repeatedly over a two-year period.

Both women described tawdry affairs in which they were used for sex - and then discarded.

Their revelations further damage Woods's carefully-constructed image as a dedicated - even boring - professional sportsman and family man.

Representatives of his numerous sponsors - which include Nike, Gillette and Pepsi - have contacted the star to demand he act to extinguish the flames of bad publicity.

But Woods himself appears to be stunned into inaction: he has reportedly fled the family home in Orlando, Florida, to escape the media glare. His representatives refuse to comment.

The explosion of sexual revelations was sparked just over a week ago when Woods crashed his car outside his home in the early hours of the morning.

At first the golfer denied allegations that he had rowed with his Swedish wife, Elin, 29. But when details about an affair with glamorous New York party organiser Rachel Uchitel, 34, started to emerge, he made a limited public apology.

While he refrained from explicitly admitting infidelity, he did confess to 'personal sins' and said: 'I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.'

Two more women - cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs, 24, and Las Vegas club promoter Kalika Moquin, 27, then told how they too had affairs with Woods.

As well as revealing Woods's predatory modus operandi, Mindy Lawton's testimony also gave an indication of how his alleged philandering was kept secret for so long.

It has been claimed that an American tabloid magazine, having gathered irrefutable evidence of his affair with Miss Lawton, was persuaded not to print by Woods's management team, who in exchange granted an exclusive interview with the golfer to the tabloid's sister magazine.

And last week it was claimed that Woods's management offered Rachel Uchitel $1million to cancel a press conference she had planned to give on the topic, claims which surfaced again yesterday.

Yesterday another, as yet unnamed, girlfriend tried to explain Woods's action, telling the Mail on Sunday: 'His big problem is, ironically, insecurity. He has never felt particularly attractive.

'From the age of four or five he was destined to be a golfing legend but no one told him how to be a man.

'He married the dream girl, had the perfect family, but couldn't feel satisfied with that. He's not a happy man.'

She added: 'He was caught once and got away with it. He thought he could get away with it for ever.'

Woods married Elin Nordegren in 2004 after they were introduced by the Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair.

Parnevik has said: 'I really feel sorry for Elin - since me and my wife were at fault for hooking her up with him. We probably thought he was a better guy than he is.'

Elin is reported to have been offered £50million to stand by her husband and help salvage his tattered image. She could expect a £200million settlement if they divorce.

Mindy Lawton, 33, was almost outed as Tiger Woods mistress two years ago.

But the relationship between the £5-an-hour waitress and the billionaire golfer was covered up as part of a deal between 'Team Tiger' and the U.S. magazine Men's Fitness.

It agreed to keep the lid on the alleged affair in return for an exclusive interview with Woods.

Yesterday, however, all the salacious details of Woods's supposed fling with Miss Lawton appeared in Sunday newspapers.

Unlike the other women identified as part of Woods's harem, who hailed from Las Vegas and New York, Miss Lawton lived much closer to home in Orlando, Florida.

She claimed to have had sex with Woods at his mansion and while the golfer's wife was pregnant. 'Sometimes I looked like a rag doll after we'd made love,' she was quoted as saying by the News of the World. 'He really did like it quite rough.

'He wanted to spank me and loved pulling my hair as we had sex. He also liked me to talk dirty to him, but hair-pulling was what really turned him on.

'I realise now that all he wanted me for was sex. The only time he would call was when he wanted it. Tiger just used me as his sex toy. I thought I meant something to him, but all he cared about was lust. He is a selfish, heartless man.'

Despite his enormous wealth, she said Woods was not generous. 'He did not buy me anything, not even a meal.'

She also claimed his marriage was unhappy. 'I did not ask him about her, but I got the impression that he was not happy and the marriage was sexless.'

She added that Woods stopped calling after his wife gave birth to their first child, who is now two. The couple also now have a ten-month-old baby.

The blonde clubber

Cori Rist, 31, was remaining tight-lipped last night on claims that she was secretly involved with the golfer.

A source told the New York Daily News that Woods flew the blonde beauty to meet up with him at tournaments.

They reportedly met at Manhattan's trendy Butter club last year.

'They went on to another party,' a source told the Daily News. 'One thing led to another and, pretty soon, Tiger was flying her to hook up with him on tour.

'Tiger would typically get a large suite at a hotel. Someone would book Cori an adjacent room, so she would-n't be seen coming into his room. He would get a presidential suite. It was the ultimate in luxury. The trouble is, he never wanted to leave the room. He didn't want to risk anyone seeing them together.'

Miss Rist eventually grew tired of the deception.

'After about six months of this, she started to get tired of being cooped up,' said the source. 'She felt like a bird in a gilded cage.'

The paper also quotes a friend of Woods who recalled being introduced to Miss Rist. 'I remember she was quite attractive,' he said.

Confronted with the allegations over the weekend, Miss Rist replied: 'No comment. Not at this time.'

The model engaged to a Woods fanatic

Jamie Jungers, 26, was allegedly seduced by Woods nine months after his marriage to Elin Nordegren.

The golfer reportedly picked up the model at a party in Las Vegas and conducted an on-off relationship with her lasting 18 months.

The blonde, who bears a striking resemblance to Woods's wife, was herself engaged to be married at the time she was meeting the golfer for sex.

Miss Jungers did not personally admit the affair in a Sunday newspaper, which quoted her former fiancé, businessman Derek Schmidt, a golf fan who used to idolise Woods.

But according to the well-connected RadarOnline website in the U.S., the model was behind the bid to profit from her story by hawking it to the highest bidder.

'She did not want to be quoted directly but was directly involved in making it public,' said the site.

Her relationship with Woods is said to have begun when he sent a message to ask her to join him and his entourage at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas in July 2005.

'He immediately started hitting on her and telling her she was beautiful,' said Mr Schmidt, 28.

Miss Jungers is said to have been flattered enough by Woods's attentions to go back to his £3,000-a-night suite at the MGM Grand Mansion hotel where they had 'passionate sex', said the newspaper.

Mr Schmidt said that over the following months, his fiancee made a number of trips to California to see the golfer.

'I was a massive Tiger Woods fan. I had Tiger Woods memorabilia all over my house and even collected Tiger Woods videos.

'On the night Jamie met him for the first time, I had just bought the new Tiger Woods computer game. She showed me Tiger's number and we both called it. I still remember his answer machine message. It said, "You've called the right person at the wrong time. Please leave a message".'

Mr Schmidt added: 'I think Tiger is a great competitor on the golf course, but away from it he is a horrible person.'

And is there a British connection to come out of the woodwork?

As the number of women linked to Tiger Woods's infidelities continues to grow, rumours are increasing that it will lead to a British connection.

Although the women named so far are all American, it is strongly expected that the list of lovers will increase.

And since he has been a regular visitor to Britain because of his busy playing schedule, it seemed a strong possibility that someone on this side of the Atlantic had fallen for his charms.

According to the Sun, there are claims that Woods had enjoyed a fling with a well-known female British television presenter.

It quoted a source as saying: 'He would hook up with her when he went to the UK. She's really sexy and very well known. A good friend of mine told me about it years ago.'

The source, said to be a sports marketing executive who had known Woods for years, added: 'Both will be hoping this one doesn't come out. It will take the scandal to a new level.'

The claim was furiously denied yesterday by the woman in question, who insisted there was no truth in what was being claimed.

Woods has been visiting Britain for the Open championship since 1995. He first won it in 2000, and triumphed again in 2005 and 2006.

He had played in 13 consecutive Opens when he was forced to pull out through injury in 2008.

Woods was again here earlier this year for the tournament at Turnberry, where he failed to make the cut for the first time.

He has also played in the World Match Play Championship, held at Wentworth.

Woods also played in the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry in Warwickshire as well as visiting the UK for commercial purposes.



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Sources: Daily Mail, MSNBC, NY Daily News, US Weekly, Reuters, News of the World, Taiwan News, Google Maps