The Frugal Lifestyle of Michael Vick: Massive Debt Still Looms Heavy

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University Scholarship in Action 

Oh what a tangled web we weave with our choices. A man with one of the most tangled financial webs in America is Mr. Michael Vick. Vick has re-positioned himself as one of the leading quarterbacks in the NFL, and I’m sure a massive financial offer is forthcoming at some point. But don’t expect Michael to be rolling pretty for quite a while, since I haven’t seen this many financial problems since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Where do we begin? Let’s start with Vick’s stellar salary with the Philadelphia Eagles. Michael brings home a cool $4.1 million, which might seem like a lot of money for a man who didn’t just file bankruptcy while serving time in prison. A condition of the bankruptcy is that Vick doesn’t get to spend nearly any of the money he earns for anything other than absolute necessities. So, that means no Cristal at the club, no ‘blingin, flossin', shinin' or stuntin’ allowed, which seems to be the mandatory calling for far too many African American athletes.

 

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Tiger Woods Mistress Says She Was Paid Not to Release Sex Tape

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Devon James is both a porn star and yet another woman who claimed that she slept with Tiger Woods. She is also a person who may be delusional, at least if you ask some of her friends. While it might be old news by now that Tiger likes to spend quality time with porn stars, the not-so-old news is that James claims that Tiger paid her a significant sum of money in order to avoid releasing their sex tape. By the way, she is also the one saying that she and Tiger have a love child.
James and her husband have been selling pre-orders for the tape for $19.99 through a website. The orders were to be shipped on December 1 of this year, but never arrived. There were also no explanations regarding why the tapes were never shipped. James says it's because she and her hubby were waiting for a settlement to come through from Woods' team, and that the settlement finally arrived (perhaps Tiger, like Obama, wanted to make sure that those in need received their benefits before Christmas).

 

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Derrion Albert Trial: 15-Yr Old to Be Sent to Prison for His Death

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The jury didn't deliberate for more than half an hour, but in that time, a 15-year old boy was convicted in the beating death of 16-year old honor student Derrion Albert.The boy was convicted of first-degree murder when it was determined that he laid a punch to the face of Albert as he tried to stand up. The jury decided that the punch played a significant role in Albert's death.

"I am pleased. Justice was served," Norman Golliday, Albert's grandfather told the Associated Press. "The facts were there from the start, they stared you right in the face. The jury saw that."

The teen's lawyer, Richard Kloak, admitted that his client punched Albert, but said that the crime was not as serious as the conviction.

 

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The Democrats Get Angry at President Obama

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

President Barack Obama is at a unique point in his presidency. This is a place where no one thought he'd be, but then again, no presidency ever turns out the way we would expect. The president is finding that in addition to the burden of dealing with unrelenting Republicans, many of whom can't stand seeing a black man in power, he now has to deal with Democrats who are angry at him for compromising on the latest tax agreement.

I admit that I was shocked to see such strong Democratic opposition to Obama's tax deal with the Republicans. Effectively, the Republicans were holding the nation's unemployed hostage in exchange for having Bush tax cuts extended for the rich. This was a prime opportunity for the Democrats, given that the Republicans were revealing themselves to be working on behalf of the wealthy, at the expense of middle class Americans. Additionally, their push to give tax cuts to those who needed them the least was in stark contrast to their proclaimed objective of embracing fiscal discipline as it pertains to the federal debt.

 

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Eddie Long Wants to Avoid a Public Trial: Why Is That?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

I was up working one night when someone reached out to me on Facebookmessenger.
The brother was asking me why Bishop Eddie Long chose mediation in his sexual coercion suit, rather than aiming for a public trial. In case you've been buried under a rock, Bishop Eddie Long has been in the media quite a bit these days, after being accused of using his authority to coerce four young men in to having sex with him.
Long has vowed to fight the charges, but he never really said much about whether he was guilty or innocent. Actually, he simply said that he is "not a perfect man." That could easily translate to Long admitting that there are a few things about his personal life that he wouldn't want to see on the 6 o'clock news.

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Star Wide Receiver for U. Iowa Arrested for Selling Dope

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is the star wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Well, he was the star receiver until this weekend. Iowa City police just arrested Johnson-Koulianos on a long list of drug charges, including: possession of a controlled substance, keeping a drug house and unlawful possession of prescription drugs. Police allegedly found cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs in his home, along with $3,000 in cash.
Johnson-Koulianos is currently in the Johnson County Jail in Iowa City, being held on $8,000 bail. His first court appearance was set to occur Wednesday morning. Clearly, the city and coaching staff are in shock over recent events.

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Trial Begins for Derrion Albert, 16-Yr Old Honor Student Who was Killed

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The trial is about to begin for a 14-year old boy who was one of five suspects accused of beating Derrion Albert, a 16-year old honor student, to death last year. The beating occurred in September 2009 as Albert was on his way home from school. It was captured on cell phone video and seen around the world.
The teen on trial isn't being identified because he is a juvenile. But there are four other suspects awaiting trial as adults. The prosecutor portrays the young men as part of a mob who attacked Albert and eventually killed him. The video shows the men kicking and punching Albert and eventually slamming a board onto his head. He died from the injuries to his skull.
The defense attorney for the boy claims that the suspect was caught up in a fight that he didn't initiate. He did acknowledge that the boy hit Albert when he stood up, but says that his client didn't cause Albert's death.

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James Mtume and Stanley Crouch Debate the Legacy of Miles Davis

Part 1

 

 

Part 2

Mark Anthony Neal and Marc Lamont Hill Discuss Black Public Scholarship

 

Mark Anthony Neal of Duke University and Dr. Marc Lamont Hill discuss black public scholarship.

 

 

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LeBron Gets Taunted by Cleveland Browns Fans Who Call Him a “Traitor”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

LeBron James was in Miami, eating at a restaurant with his best friend, Maverick Carter. Inside the restaurant there were roughly 30 Cleveland Browns fans who decided to taunt James during dinner. The group started chanting the word "traitor" over and over again at James until they were asked to leave. After they left the restaurant, the group even waited outside for James to leave with his friend. Using wise judgment, James left out a side entrance to avoid a confrontation.
I'm not sure why LeBron's case has stood out so readily for Cleveland sports fans. He's not the first player to leave a team to take another deal. He's also the guy who gave seven years of his heart to the city of Cleveland. To some extent, Cavs fans are reminding LeBron of his greatness when they cling onto him like a long lost parent. If he were a mediocre player, they wouldn't be nearly this emotional.

The NCAA is Racial Segregation at It’s Finest

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

 

If you were to go to most college campuses around the country and ask them to make an investment in students or faculty, their excuses would start with the economy. They would drone on and on about how little wiggle room they have to make financial investments, primarily because the economic downturn has strained their finances beyond measure.

If you are one of the thousands of black families sending your son or daughter to the NCAA to build their multi-billion dollar coffers, they would tell you that paying the athletes or their families is simply impossible. They would convince you that in spite of the fact that the athletes and their families are the most important part of their revenue-generating process, universities simply cannot afford to share their money. Even if you are homeless and your child can’t buy groceries, you must stand to the side as others earn millions from your child’s athletic labor.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Al Sharpton Discuss the black unemployment Crisis – 12/7/10

 

Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the black unemployment crisis in America.

 

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Black Athletes Not Graduating at Same Rate as Whites

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in sport issued a report this week claiming that the gap in graduation rates between white and black college athletes has grown. Among the 70 teams playing in bowl games this month, graduation rate for black athletes grew slightly, from 58 percent to 60 percent. For white players, the rate went from 77 percent to 80 percent. Therefore, the gap in graduation rates between white and black players is 20 percent.
"That the gap increased rather than decreased is particularly disappointing," said Richard Lapchick, who conducted the study. "The fact that the disparity is bigger now than 2009 is cause for trying to figure out what we eed to do to narrow the gap."
Lapchick argues that much of the gap in graduation rates between white and black players can be attributed to many of them coming from underfunded inner city schools. He found that roughly one-quarter of all schools participating in bowl games graduated less than half their African American players, and that one-fifth of the schools have graduation rates for black players that are at least 30 percentage points lower than the rate for white players.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Jesse Jackson Discuss Black Unemployment

 

 

 

 

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A Strange Black Man on a Burger King Commercial: What’s the Implication?

Does this Burger King remind you of the brother on the downlow syndrome?

 

Burger King Commercial: Very strange Black Man

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Does this commercial remind you of black women dating black men on the downlow? ;

Fox News Commentator Says Extending Unemployment Benefits Undermines Values

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Fox News commentator Juan Williams made news again this week by stating that extending unemployment benefits for America's jobless would weaken their value systems. In Williams' words:
"Because employers, potential employers, will look and see that gee, they've been out forever, it doesn't make sense. And I think that's partly playing in to this cycle. And at some point then it becomes a matter of you lose your work ethic, your values are impacted, you know, getting up, showing up, dressing well, all that good stuff. So I don't know that that's smart."
I would say that Williams' comments are shocking, but they are certainly to be expected from the man who publicly sold himself to the most racist television network in the history of our country. I'm not sure why Williams felt the need to jump in on this issue in such an insensitive way, but it appears that he's working hard to earn the two million that Fox is paying him.

 

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Juan Williams Says that Extending Jobless Benefits Hurts People's Values

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Fox News commentator Juan Williams says that extending jobless benefits hurts American values. ;

Singer Jermaine Jackson Loses Drivers License Over Back Child Support Payments

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Jermaine Jackson, brother of the late Michael Jackson, is having his driver's license confiscated due to his inability to pay back child support. Jackson allegedly owes his ex-wife, Alejandra Jackson, over $91,921 in child support payments.
According to court documents filed in the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department, Jackson won't be allowed to drive again until the child support is paid in full.
Back in September, Jackson told the courts that he can no longer afford to pay $3,000 per month in child support for his two sons, Jaafar and Jermajesty. He has asked the judge to cut his payments down to $215 per month, arguing that his ex-wife makes more money than he does.
Currently, Jackson lives with his mother, rent free. He married Alejandra in 1995 and divorced her in 2004.

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Antoine Walker Gets Sued for Taking Another Man’s Woman: Can you do that?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Former NBA star Antoine Walker is being sued for $5 million dollars by a man who claims that Walker stole his fiancee. Kevin Jenkins says that he caught Walker and his fiancee in an "intimate moment," and confronted Walker about it. He said that Walker laughed in his face to deliberately cause him emotional distress.
Jenkins then says that he became so emotionally distressed that he thought about killing himself.
To date, I haven't heard of anyone being sued for cheating with another person's fiancee. However, I do know that in some states, you can be sued for cheating with someone else's spouse. These "alienation of affection" lawsuits are legal in several states: Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.

Click to read. 

 

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Is This Cavs Coach Cursing at LeBron?

 

Some are saying that this Cavs assistant coach is telling LeBron James to “shut the f*ck up.”  What do you think?

Black Unemployment Keeps Going Up

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Today's release of November unemployment data is not good news for President Obama. Unemployment rose nationally to 9.8 percent, after holding steady at 9.6 percent for the previous three months. The jobless rate jumped for nearly every racial/gender demographic. White women still have the lowest unemployment rate of both genders, when comparing African Americans and whites. Black males have the highest.

Black unemployment rose again from 15.7 percent to 16 percent. This number is slightly lower than the high of 16.3 percent experienced back in August. When scaled with the white unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, the black unemployment rate is 79.8 percent higher than that of white Americans.

 

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Former College Coach Says that New Coach was Hired Because He’s a Black Man

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Jon Embree is a former tight end for The University of Colorado. He is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins. The rumor mill has it that Embree may soon take the next step of becoming head coach at his alma mater.
Typically, such a bold move by a university to give an African American coach a chance might be applauded. In this case, heads are turning because of confusing remarks made by former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.
McCartney, who was one of three finalists for the job as of Wednesday night, shut down speculation by stating that the university had informally offered the job to Embree. He also went as far as stating that Embree was offered the job because he is African American.
"It was never about me doing it again," McCartney told the Denver Post. "It was about setting the table for a black man to come in (as head coach). And he (athletic director Mike Bohn) hired one. Now, give him a chance."

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins - How Sports Marginalizes Black Men from Society

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

 

I was driving out of Atlanta the other day, speaking to my baby sister.  She listens to me ramble, and that’s why I love her.  Our topic for the day was black men and sports.  I mentioned how I turned on ESPN in my hotel room (all 10 million channels) and saw nothing but brothers on every channel. If there wasn’t a court full of black men dribbling a basketball, there were black men in pads banging each other up on the football field.

The presence of Americanized Apartheid was evident by noting that while the men doing the work were black, the men on the sidelines getting paid millions of dollars were white, as were the fans in the stands enjoying the entertainment.

 

Click to read.

Dr. Boyce Watkins on TheLoop21.com - 12/2/10

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• Cyber Monday Isn't Shopping, It's Mind Control

  Thu, 12/02/2010 - 01:00

  Black Friday, Valentine's Day and 'Sweetest Day' are all contrived to empty your wallet ...

  Read More

• Four Loko and the Crazy Money-Making Machine

  Mon, 11/29/2010 - 09:46

  The dangers of the caffeinated alcohol in a can are a perfect example of why we need consumer protection ...

  Read More

• Will Your Parents' Golden Years Be Paid By Plastic?

  Thu, 11/25/2010 - 23:14

  More retired Americans are relying on credit cards to live out the end of their life ...

  Read More

• Getting rich and giving back, the Magic Johnson model

  Fri, 11/19/2010 - 17:40

  Johnson has become a glowing model of black entrepreneurial success ...

  Read More

• Michael Vick re-emerges as the greatest quarterback in the NFL

  Fri, 11/19/2010 - 10:48

  Vick is proving himself to be an exceptional player, but he's still seen as a financial risk ...

  Read More

  MORE STORIES

Baby Killed In His Car Seat

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Rashad Walker Jr. was just 20 months old when he died. The young child was killed in the back of his mother's minivan in Syracuse, NY. when he was shot by up to 10 bullets that hit the vehicle at 4:30 pm this past Sunday. The child was asleep at the time, according to the Syracuse Post Standard.
Walker died at 6:45 pm, in the hospital and he was not the intended target. His mother was holding him when paramedics arrived on the scene.
The story of Rashad Walker is clearly one of the most tragic incidents we've read about all year. It takes us back to the police shooting of Aiyana Jones, the 7-year old in Detroit who was shot while sleeping during a police raid. This story is also personal to me because I live in Syracuse, a city that (like so many others) continues to be plagued by gun violence.

Click to read.

Rev. Al Sharpton’ s Finances in Question by New York Daily News

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

It's not easy fighting for civil rights and running organizations that stand up for the freedoms of the oppressed. If you're good at what you do, your enemies will try anything to take you down. On top of that, many of the people you are fighting for, via self-hatred, may be skeptical of your efforts and willing to partner with oppressive forces to undermine your work. Even worse, your constituents may not have the means to help you face the massive financial responsibility that comes with serving your community. Freedom damn sure ain't free, and most leaders have the receipts to prove it.
I don't get as many calls for help as Rev. Al Sharpton, but I get my fair share. The most difficult thing about receiving these requests is that you want to help everyone, but are constantly struggling to find the resources to get the job done. If you ask for help to pay the cost of the trip, people think you're somehow trying to swindle them or earn an unnecessary profit from the work you do. The truth is that everybody's got bills to pay and the bigger your name, the more people think you're made of money.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins Talks about Paying College Athletes

 

Transcript for an interview with Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University about whether or not college athletes should be paid.

 

- What, in your opinion, are the benefits of paying collegiate 
athletes, especially those from low-income backgrounds?

I don't necessarily care if college athletes are paid.  I just think they should have labor rights.  That means that they can negotiate a fair market salary, as well as make their own endorsement deals, rather than allowing universities to make deals for them and keep all the money.  The benefit is that the athletes in poverty would be able to use their prodigious human capital to make a living for their families.

- Would you be in support of paying all college athletes, or simply the 
ones from the major revenue sports like basketball and football?

I believe that any athlete in any sport that generates revenue should have access to the free market.  We are not a socialist country, so the idea of paying everyone the same doesn't make much sense.  So, if a tennis player is going to draw a crowd and can negotiate compensation, fundamental American labor rights say that he should be given the right to do so.

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1/3 of South African Men Admit to Committing Rape

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

A study commissioned by the Medical Research Foundation, a group funded by the South African government, has wielded some disturbing findings about violence against women. According to the study, more than 1-in-3 men of Johannesburg have committed rape at some point in their lives. Roughly seven percent of the men sampled admitted to participating in a gang rape.
The study also found that over 51 percent of the 511 women surveyed had been victims of violence from men. Also, 78 percent of men admitted to committing a violent act against a woman. One fourth of the women in the survey said that they'd been raped, but only about four percent of these rapes are reported to police.
These findings are similar to a 2008 study that found that 28 percent of the men in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces had committed rape against a woman or girl. Also, one-third of the men said they did not feel guilty for what they'd done. Two-thirds of the men claimed to have committed rape out of a sense of entitlement, and others raped out of boredom or a desire to punish women who'd rejected them.

Click to read.

Barack Obama Gets Busted in the Mouth Playing Basketball

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

It's hard to imagine the deep national security implications of being the man who elbowed President Barack Obama in the face on the basketball court. But that's what Ray Decerega will be talking about for the rest of his life. Decerega is the Director of Programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and also the man who issued a public statement after it was determined that he was the one who busted the president's mouth wide open.
"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport. I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon," Decerega said.
The men had gathered to play five games of five-on-five when the incident took place. The games reportedly included Obama's nephew Avery Robinson, his assistant Reggie Love and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Obama's Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had this to say:

 

Click to read.