Lamya Cammon, 7, was sitting quietly in her first grade class absentmindedly twirling her braids. The little girl’s teacher, whose name is being withheld, grew tired of seeing the little girl play with her dozen or so braids, so she called Lamya up to the front of the classroom.

The first graders watched in disbelief as their teacher took out a large pair of scissors and cut off one of Lamya’s braids. Amid the snickers of her students, the Milwaukee teacher threw the braid in the garbage, sent the crying youngster back to her seat, then said, "Now what you gonna go home and tell your momma?"

Lamya claims that she was not twirling her hair loudly nor was she being disruptive. When the child told her mother, Helen Cunningham, what had happened, she immediately went to the school to confront the teacher.

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This statement was released by the publicist for Charlie Murphy, brother of Eddie Murphy:

“Tisha Taylor Murphy, wife of comedian and actor Charlie Murphy, passed away peacefully on Sunday, with family at her side after facing the challenges of cancer for the past two years. The Murphy Family appreciates all the support they have received from friends and fans and requests privacy during this very difficult time.”

A 31-year-old former janitor turned fitness trainer has been charged with sending dozens of lewd texts to the mother of Grammy-winning singer Ashanti.
Devar Hurd, of Griffith, Indiana, is awaiting trial at Rikers Island prison in New York on stalking and other charges.
He allegedly bombarded the Grammy Award winning former chart-topper’s mother, Tina Douglas, with crude text messages about her, including with his comments graphic photos and a picture of their family home.
According to the Associated Press, the messages gushed lewdly about Ashanti’s performances and jealously lamented her relationship with the rapper Nelly, court papers stated.

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Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 43 other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

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Looks like ya boy Tiger got a lot roaring about him these days.  Read this:

During romps with his various mistresses, Tiger Woods "was taking Ambien and drinking," an insider tells Life & Style. After sex, "he definitely went to sleep with these girls," the insider continues. "He must be freaking out about what else could be out there." Celebrity biographer Ian Halperin tells Life & Style, "Two years ago, a woman approached me with an audio file supposedly of Tiger Woods having phone sex. She wanted me to do a story on it. It sounded like him, but I had no proof." If one of Tiger’s women does have footage, she could get millions. "A Tiger sex tape could be worth $5 million, possibly as high as $10 million," Steven Hirsch, founder and co-chairman of adult-video company Vivid Entertainment, tells Life & Style.

Tiger Woods is all over the TV, but his ads haven’t been.

According to media tracker Nielsen, the last time a commercial featuring Tiger Woods appeared on television was Nov. 29. The 30-second Gillette ad aired during NBC’s "Football Night in America," the pre-game show that broadcast prior to the Sunday night football game between the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots.

The ad featured Woods, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Spanish basketball phenom Ricky Rubio and an announcer who says, "Here’s to confidence," and aired eight times during November, according to Aaron Lewis, a spokesman for Nielsen.

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Keisha Jones, 38, a mother of four, is married to Anthony, who has been involved with another woman for the past three years. Monique Hunter, 25, is the other woman and didn’t have a clue that her lover was a married man. Hunter became pregnant with Anthony’s baby, and the plot that ensues unravels like a Lifetime movie.

When Jones found out about Hunter’s pregnancy, she devised a diabolical plan to get rid of the young woman’s baby. She started by calling her husband’s mistress, pretending to be a health care worker from Hunter’s doctor’s office. Jones explained to the young pregnant woman that she needed to take some medication that would prevent her from having a child with Down syndrome. The drug that Jones recommended was Cytotec, which can ripen a woman’s cervix and induce labor.

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Watch this hilarious Saturday Night Live Video with Rihanna and Adam Sandberg!

Of many unexpected admissions and omissions in last night’s Grammy nominee announcement, few are as surprising as the total absence of Whitney Houston on the ballot. Granted, her August release I Look to You was not her finest hour, and it yielded few commercial singles; her often uneven performances to promote it didn’t help.

But she’s also the stuff these shows are made of (26-time Grammy nominee, seven-time winner); her label even moved the release of her album up a day to make sure it was eligible, and Look’s redemption tales seemed calibrated to hit Academy voters right in the solar plexus—and the voting-finger.  And yet, not a single nod for the chest-thumping title track or slinky “Million Dollar Bill,” penned by Grammy darling Alicia Keys. So is it the notes Houston hit (or didn’t) that kept her out?

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by Dr Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

It seems that NBA star Shaquille O’neal, like many other athletes, has a personal life that no one knows about. The YBF.com has released exclusive text messages between Shaquille and his mistress, Latosha Lee. I am noticing a trend here: People are starting to find out that athletes are not always one-woman people. But are you actually surprised? In fact, do you ever wonder why anyone would consider marrying an athlete in the first place? But then again, we also know that not every athlete is going to be unfaithful and not every unfaithful man is an athlete. Either way, both Shaquille O’neal and Tiger Woods are in the middle of major marital drama.

In the text messages, Shaq’s personal life is put on blast.

The messages are long and drawn out, with an awkward reading from bottom to top. During the conversation, the two lovers describe their travel arrangements and Latosha’s relationship with NBA baller Damien Wilkins (nephew of Dominique Wilkins). They also have an argument about a purse that Latosha wants from Shaq, but that he is not willing to buy her. If you like drama, then you can find it here.

But above and beyond the drama (remember, I analyze and find teachable moments in everything), there are some other thoughts that went through my mind:

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