Sherman Hemsley of 'The Jeffersons' dies at 74

Source: blackthespian.com

Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the character George Jefferson famous in "The Jeffersons," has died. Hemsley first became famous during his appearances on the hit show "All in the Family" in the early 1970's. Two years later, Hemsley got his own spin-off series, "The Jeffersons." The show was hugely successful, enjoying a run of 11 seasons through 1985.

 After its cancellation, Helmsley joined the cast of the TV show, "Amen." 

 

Most of his later TV work consisted of guest-starring roles, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and  House of Payne in which he reenacted the character of George Jefferson.  Hemsley was not married and had no children. His cause of death has not been released. Source: ktla

 

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Batman Movie Massacre: 12 Dead in Shooting

Source: CBS/University of Colorado, Denver: James Holmes

A heavily armed gunman attacked an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, tossing tear gas before opening fire on the terrified audience and killing 12 and wounding 59, authorities said. The theater was showing the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."

 The shooting  started inside a darkened theater packed with Batman fans, some in costume for the movie's premiere. Screaming, panicked moviegoers scrambled to escape from the black-clad gunman, who wore a gas mask and randomly shot as he walked up the theater's steps, witnesses said

The suspect in the shooting rampage has been identified as James Holmes, 24, described by law enforcement sources as a loner. Holmes is a PhD student who recently withdrew from his neuroscience studies at the University of Colorado.There was no immediate word of any motive.

Police say Holmes, dressed head-to-toe in protective tactical gear, set off two devices of some kind before spraying the theater with bullets from an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber handguns police recovered at the scene.

Police arrested the man shortly after the shooting ended in a rear parking lot of the theater, "He did not resist. He did not put up a fight," a police spokesman said.

More than 20 SWAT team members were gingerly searching Holmes’ apartment on Paris Street, a process that could take hours or even days because the apartment appeared to be booby-trapped with explosives, Aurora police Chief Dan Oates told reporters.

 Holmes is scheduled to appear in an Arapahoe County, Colorado, courtroom on Monday morning, Rob McCallum, spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department, said Friday. The court file was sealed, according to a court order. Source: cnn

NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood president passes away

Willis Edwards, the longtime president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP, has died at the age of 66.  

Edwards was very instrumental in launching the NAACP Image Awards on national TV and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa considered him to be a  partner with the City of Los Angeles in the "struggle for equality and justice for all people,"

The cause of Edwards' death has not been released.

San Bernardino declares emergency, Jason Kidd DUI, and The President admitting he underestimate the White House

Employees in the Inland Empire are bracing  for budget cuts as the San Bernardino city council is due to declare a fiscal emergency.

Now last week the council voted to authorize its attorneys to seek bankruptcy protection but under California law they must wait 60 days. By declaring a fiscal emergency it will help make a case so that the city will be exempt from that waiting period.

Basketball star Jason Kidd was arrested in New York on charges of driving while intoxicated after crashing his car into a telephone pole. 

He was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries, then he was transferred to the police station for booking, TMZ reports, and later released on his own recognizance. 

And President Barack Obama says Washington "feels as broken as it did four years ago."

While on the “CBS This Morning” show, the president said he was frustrated that he had failed to change the toxic political atmosphere in Washington after he was elected in 2008.

President Obama repeated that if he wins a second term his focus will remain on growing the middle class. 

No Signs of Foul Play in Sylvester Stallone's Son's Death

 Source: abcnews.com

 There were no signs of foul play in connection with the death of Sage Stallone, the 36-year-old son of Sylvester Stallone, authorities said. Sage Stallone was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment by authorities and a housekeeper Friday after worried loved ones sensed trouble. His cause of death remains undetermined.

Authorities said there were no signs of forced entry and no suicide note. But there were prescription drugs found. Sylvester Stallone's publicist Michelle Bega told the Associated Press that the actor is "devastated and grief-stricken over the sudden loss of his son."Source:abc

Frank Ocean, Michael Jackson and George Zimmerman make headlines

Source: frankocean.tumblr.com

Rising R&B star, Frank Ocean’s manager, Christian Clancy apologized to the Target this week for implying they were prejudice.  With Frank Ocean announcing his same sex orientation only a week ago and days later Target refusing to sell his new album, The Color Orange, his manager found reason to incriminate the brand. The R&B star’s manager tweeted a message that made it seem that Target's choice was due to the singer's sexual orientation. However, at the end of this week, Clancy apologized and clarified that Target refused, because the album went digital on iTunes first.

Source: www.carltonjordan.com

In the case of George Zimmerman, the issue of race as a motive in killing 17-year-old Trayon Martin is in question. Many across the United States beleive Zimmerman was a racist, and beleive that it was a motive in him killing the  young African American. Recent stories reveal that the young victim’s family attorney, says that Zimmerman's attitude on race, is NOT the issue. A Sanford, Florida homicide investigator told federal agents the same thing, but added that Zimmerman had "a little hero complex."

 Source: Wikipedia

Spike Lee talks a Michael Jackson documentary. The movie director and friend of the late pop icon says that he has learned a lot looking through personal footage intended for a documentary on the album, “Bad.” 

"We have footage in this documentary that no one’s ever seen stuff that Michael shot himself.," states Lee. "We had complete access to the vault of Michael Jackson. He wrote 60 demos for the bad record, only 11 made it." The director adds that it's a, "treasure chest of findings."

New California Laws

List of New California Laws July 2012

California Gay Bullying Law (Seth's Law)


Combats bullying of gay and lesbian students in public schools by requiring school districts to have a uniform process for dealing with gay bullying complaints. Mandates that school personnel intervene if they witness gay bullying.  Law effective July 1, 2012. 


Mandatory Commercial Recycling Law


The new California Commercial Recycling Law requires businesses statewide to recycle their waste. 


AB 341 requires that businesses statewide arrange for recycling services in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting commercial solid waste from landfills to recycling.


Mandatory commercial recycling aims to help create green jobs by expanding recycling to all multi-family dwellings and commercial businesses statewide.   Law effective July 1, 2012. 


National Database Check for Vehicle Sales Law

AB 1215 requires all vehicles for sale in California to be checked against the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System database to reveal past vehicle damage, like flooding or severe collisions. Dealers must mark vehicles with bright red warning stickers if they are listed as junk, salvaged or flooded.  


New vehicle dealers statewide will also transmit information electronically to the DMV for faster delivery of vehicle registration papers and license plates to consumers.  Dealers also raise the fee they can charge for titles and registrations from $55 to $80.  New law effective July 1, 2012. 


Other New Laws Effective July 2012

• Schools must update their anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies and programs to include sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, disability and religion.
• School employees will get training in the prevention of bullying, while victims get priority for transfers to a different school district. The definition of bullying is expanded to include posting material on an online social media website.
• Tattoo artists, piercing artists and permanent cosmetics artists must register every year with a local government and must now meet minimum statewide standards.
• California health care insurers must provide coverage for behavioral treatment of autism for children and young adults.
• Individual and group health insurance providers in California must cover maternity services.
• California counties can use the Social Security Administration benefits database to find low income individuals over age 60 who may be eligible to participate in the CalFresh food stamps nutrition program.
• It is now illegal in California to produce or sell foie gras (fatty liver) which is made by force-feeding ducks or geese. 

And be aware ....


Internet Sales Tax Law  ("Amazon Tax Law")


Governor Brown signed into law that out-of-state Internet retailers must collect California sales tax on transactions if the retailer has a presence in the state.  Law effective September 1, 2012.


Source: www.californiality.com