DAVID "POP" WINANS DIES IN NASHVILLE

Father of the Winans, BeBe and CeCe has passed away in Hospice of Nashville on April 8, 2009. He apparently suffered a heart attack and stroke in October of 2008 and was moved to hospice care in January.

Pop and Mom, "Delores" met while in the Lucille Lemon Choir conducted by James Cleveland. They have ten children together and are signed to their daughter CeCe's label PureSprings Gospel. They organized yearly Christmas concerts at Mercy Hall in which their ten children participated.

A statement from the Winans family indicated that Mr. Winans passed away quietly in Nashville with wife Delores, with whom he long made music under the name Mom and Pop Winans, at his bedside.

"The Winans Family wishes to thank everyone for their prayers and continued support, but would appreciate privacy at this time," the family's statement said.


Information on services for Mr. Winans is yet unavailable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCEDES

We celebrated Marcedes' birthday last night and had a great time. Bridgette was on time and that was shocking, but she had her new friend Randall with her and it all made sense. Randall was a good sport cuz you know we gave him the business and asked one thousand questions but, he held his own. He is definitely a nice person and a keeper.

In attendance was Marci, Tobias (her folks), Cilla, Tee Tee, Niece, friend, Michelle, Bridgette, Randall and of course, Me. We had good food and great fun. I hadn't been around most of them in a very long time, so it was nice to play catch up. It is so important to stay in touch with friends cuz life changes so fast. I meet this group of ladies while attending Tennessee State University, GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next big event coming up is Marcedes receiving a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Middle Tennessee State University in May of this year. Happy Birthday Marci and Congratulations.

Michelle Obama and Mom grace cover of Essence

Now, Mommy Robinson is being recognized as a key figure in the White House. Marian Shields Robinson, Michelle Obama's mom is sharing the April cover of Essence magazine with daughter, Michelle. They both look stunning and show that the Mom keeps herself up and supports her daughter and son in law, President Barack H. Obama. Mrs. Robinson, now 72 , retired from her job as a bank secretary to assist Michelle and Barack with the girls while he was on the campaign trail. She has since moved into the White House to help get the girls settled but, will be moving back into her own home some time in the future.

Robinson, now a widow, married Michelle and Craig's father, Frasier Robinson in 1960. She is the first live-in grandmother in the White House since Elivera Doud, in the Eisenhower administration. She has been dubbed, "the First Granny."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/marian-robinson-michelle_n_183970.html

TIGER GEARING UP FOR THE MASTERS

April 6th thru the 12th is the Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA. Amatuer golfer, Bobby Jones dominated the game in the 1920's and 30's. He made the game of golf exciting and fun to watch. One of my favorite movies is "The Legend of Bagger Vance." It also starred Matt Damon and Joel Gretsch as Bobby Jones.

The famous "Green Jacket" is presented to the winners and historically it was worn to identify past winners so that Club Members could easily spot them if they had questions. Tiger Woods won his first jacket in 1997 @ age, 21. But, on August 12, 2009, he is going for his fifth jacket win. Tiger Woods is a powerhouse and after that invigorating win at Bay Hill on March 29, 2009, I wait in much anticipation for the Masters Tournament.

Everyone is not happy about Tiger having a great swing at golf, in 2005, when he took the Masters title, fellow golfer Fuzzy Zoeller made some pretty racist remarks about Tiger. Although, Tiger didn't address these remarks, his caddy Steve Williams was called under fire recently about remarks he made about Phil Mikelson's "man boobs." Williams evidently doesn't like some of the attitude that is shown to Tiger and he lashed out.

Golf appears to be a very boring game, and it is at times, since he covers four days of tv time. But, things can get pretty intence too. I love the game and can't wait to sit back with some beef stew, cornbread and some ice cold lemonade.

Michelle Obama @ Madame Tussauds

WASHINGTON (CNN) — First lady Michelle Obama joins an elite group Tuesday.
She is to become the third U.S. presidential spouse with a lifelike wax figure on display at Madame Tussauds, a museum and tourist attraction.

Figures of Jacqueline Kennedy and Hillary Clinton stand in the museum alongside lookalikes of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Angelina Jolie and Will Smith.

Madame Tussauds touts its new addition as an "incredibly lifelike" figure in a sleeveless red dress based on the purple dress she wore when her husband claimed the Democratic nomination for president.

Read the rest of this entry »

NORTH CAROLINA TAKES NCAA TITLE

The North Carolina Tarheels won against Michigan last night for their 5th NCAA title.

In an article on the "Associated Press" by Aaron Beard:

"A lot of outside people were saying we have to win it all or it's going to be a failure," Hansbrough said. "Well, you know what? It's not a failure. We came back to win a championship. We did, and we got the job done. There was a lot of pressure, but no one's disappointed in this locker room."

The horn had barely sounded when the Tar Heels (34-4) ran to midcourt, mobbed each other and jumped around on the Final Four logo. Some fought back tears, others couldn't wait to grab those championship T-shirts. This was a title a year in the making, starting the day those four players came back and made the team everybody's preseason pick to win it all.

The Tar Heels were just too much for the Spartans, who were playing in front of a home-state crowd and hoping to be a diversion from the economic woes that plague the city.

It turned out the Tar Heels had plenty to play for, too.

"Having the cause for Detroit is one thing, giving up millions of dollars to come back to win a championship is a pretty good cause, too," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "That makes me feel good for them and our game."

Hansbrough finished with 18 points, the final game of a career in which he set the Atlantic Coast Conference's scoring record and the school's rebounding mark.

Lawson had 21 points and a championship game-record eight steals, while fellow junior Ellington scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half to help the Tar Heels take a commanding lead. Green, a senior, had just six points before fouling out with 1:41 to play.

Still, the stats didn't matter. Not to a group that had carried the Tar Heels to a regional championship game in 2007 and a Final Four last season, only to fall short each time.

Not this year.

They roared out of the gate to take a double-digit lead in the first 4 minutes and made enough plays near the end to thwart the Spartans' desperate, but ultimately futile, comeback attempts.

"No one tried to play over their head and try to do things they weren't able to do," junior Deon Thompson said.

The moment was particularly sweet for Hansbrough, who talked openly about how badly he wanted to win a championship from the moment he arrived in Chapel Hill in 2005. He became one of the few four-year stars seemingly left in the college game and the first returning AP national player of the year since Shaquille O'Neal in 1991.

Lawson, Ellington and Green all opted to enter the NBA draft so they could work out for teams. But coach Roy Williams said none had the guaranteed draft position they wanted — Ellington and Green didn't figure to be first-round picks — so they opted to come back for another push.

With their top six scorers back, the Tar Heels started the year as the unanimous pick to win the championship. They played through injuries and under the weight of impossibly high expectations, including questions of whether they would go unbeaten. Hansbrough — praised for his determination and gritty work ethic — was even criticized for his game not being what it was last season.

But it all paid off Monday night, when they completed a dominating run through the NCAA tournament in which they won every game by at least 12 points. They were the first team to win every game by double figures on the way to the title since Duke in 2001.

"We came back to accomplish something," Green said. "We had to make some sacrifices. We had to give up a lot of individual things to make this work. There were some times where we had some slip-ups, but for the most part, I think we did a great job of working with each other and leaning on each other — especially in March."

Congrats to North Carolina on their victory.

SHE DONE BEEN

She Done Been - Gerald Levert

Why you keep doing this, Eugene? Huh, I'm tired of playing games with you, when are you coming clean? This is the conversation I have had with him every week, it seems, lately. I am sick of him, I am trying to stay with him for the kids sake. But, my patience is getting very thin. And, I know he has a jump off chick on Crenshaw, he swear I don't know about her. I was going over Auntie's house and saw him leaning up against my damn car, all up in her grill. WHAT THE PHUCK? He got me messed up, I'm just waiting on my raise next month and I'm OUT OF HERE, PIMPIN!!! I would love to stay here, but I don't really want him to know where I live.
See, he didn't start off like that, he was all good. But, I guess its part of my fault, because I married him when I was preggo's with our first baby. Listening to him, telling me he wasn't gone cheat no more after I caught him with his other BABY MAMA... I have forgiven him time after time, trying to be a good wife to him. But, of course, he is taking my kindness for weakness. That's what I get for taking the challenge of being with him and thinking I could walk away from that Monster he was packing...Not He was the FREAK OF THE CENTURY, NOW I KNEW I WASN'T GONE BE ABLE TO JUST WALK AWAY FROM THAT... Didn't look for the other qualities my Mama taught me...See, again, my fault...Letting my "little girl", THINK for me...WRONG ANSWER!!!! See, he got sexing on lock boy...Cuz, that's all his simple bringing to the table right now, because he is definitely living above his means. He a pretty good Daddy, sometimes...He will take the boys to the football field for practice for me when I have to work late. Now, don't get me wrong, he ain't paid for the opportunity for them to play or the uniforms. I even have to give him gas money to take them, NOW WHAT KINDA MESS IS THAT?
I must have bumped my head hard, when he hit me in the bathroom. I fell on the side of the vanity, in the kids bathroom..See, that's what I'm talking bout, he has started hitting me when the kids are walking around. They haven't seen him yet, but they are going to eventually...He at least used to wait until they were asleep. I don't even have hope that he is going to stop laying his hands on me, anymore. He has promised that shit for the last 5 years. Every time I try to leave, I'm pregnant and hormones all out of wack. But, I love him and don't want to think about raising our kids alone. The kids love their Daddy, so I take all this mess he putting out. I didn't get married to get a divorce. I thought only uneducated women got abused, WRONG...But, he didn't start doing that until we got this big ass mortgage. I didn't want my credit messed up by just leaving, so I thought it would get better. I thought we were living the "American Dream", that our kids would have life better than we did growing up. But, he is just like his father, it seems. And, he has to be in complete control. So, since I make a six figure salary, he can't handle it and hits me.
But, its getting harder to hide the bruises from my family and co-workers. My administrator even called me into his office one day and asked me was anything he could do for me. You know I was too embarrassed to even look him in the face. So, I usually just deal with my clients and don't talk to the co-workers. But, thank God, it didn't keep me from making Partner at the firm. I am blessed that he went on my work ethic and not what I must be going through at home. But, once the judge, even asked to see me in her chambers to ask about my big bruised lip one day....Can you imagine how awful it is for me to have to go in court representing my clients looking all beat up? He used to only hit me where I could cover it up, but now he doesn't care. So, that further lets me know its time to GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION.
I mean, I did it right, I thought. Graduated second in my class from law school at Howard. I was on the fast track to greatness, or so that was the plan. Eugene was doing well too in his computer software company. But, he wants to be ALL FLY in the streets...So, he can't afford to be pushing a CL600 Coupe Mercedes, $3,000 suits and playing golf three times a week. That shit is not cheap, so I have to pay most of the bills at the house. Ain't that some shit, but that's okay, I'm out of here next month. I have to keep telling myself that, because that's the only thing keeping me sane right now. Cuz, if I think about my situation too long, I'm gone hurt that negro. That girl can have him, but I am selling this house we live in. She won't be laying up in MY HOUSE, NAW BABYGIRL...They must got me twisted, I know I haven't shown much spunk lately, but they won't enjoy this house. They will have to live in her section 8 with all them heathens she got ova there. Cuz, once I get my alimony and child support from him, it won't be much left for her and her kids. But, that's not my business, I have to worry about me and mine.
A little disclaimer right here for the noseys. I don't have a man, so no this is not a real story. It is totally fiction, I have never been smacked by a man in my life...

Nancy Green: Aunt Jemima icon

The A.B. Frost painting of Aunt Jemima, as she was in the early days.

Nancy Green (November 17, 1834 – September 23, 1923) was a storyteller, cook, activist, and the first African-American model hired to promote a corporate trademark as "Aunt Jemima".

She was not only one of the greatest advertising icons of all time, but Aunt Jemima was also the advertising world's first living trademark. And, as with any such icon, she's had her fair share of controversy. But did you know who the real Aunt Jemima was? Born into slavery in 1834, the woman who would become known to millions as Aunt Jemima was really named Nancy Green. She was a warm, friendly woman who also happened to be an excellent cook (though, interestingly enough, the famous Aunt Jemima pancake recipe wasn't hers. It belonged to a company called the Pearl Milling Company). And it was in 1893 that she was discovered in Chicago, at the age of 59, by one R.T. Davis.

Head of the R.T. Davis Milling Company, Davis bought the pancake formula from Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood when the Pearl Milling Company went bankrupt. And though it was Rutt and Underwood who came up with the name "Aunt Jemima," it was Davis who decided to use a living person to endorse it.

History was made that year at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the very first time Nancy Green went public. It was there that she, with her charming and animated personality, engaged the crowds and supplied them with thousands of pancakes. In fact, she was such a sensation that police had to be assigned to keep the crowds moving!The rest of the story made marketing history. Soon, Nancy Green signed a lifetime contract with Davis, and her image was on billboards and advertisements all over the world. Davis was up to his eyeballs in pancake orders, and flour sales skyrocketed. Even after the Davis Company had to sell years later, Nancy Green remained the "pancake queen." It wasn't until 1923 when her legacy as a living trademark ended - when she was tragically struck and killed by a car in downtown Chicago. Two years later, the Aunt Jemima Mills were purchased by the Quaker Oats Company.

The famous image of Aunt Jemima was based on the real image of Nancy Green, an original painting of which recently sold for $9,030 at MastroNet. This painting was rendered by A.B. Frost, now regarded as one of the great illustrators of the Golden Age of American Illustration.

Aunt Jemima's image, however, has been modified since the days of Nancy Green and A.B. Frost. As social climates started to change and the 20th century wore on, many became offended by Aunt Jemima's image and felt that it was an outdated and negative portrayal of an African-American woman. If you take a look at today's Aunt Jemima, you'll notice that her kerchief is gone and her hair is styled. She wears earrings, and appears slimmer and younger. She does, however, have the same warm and inviting smile that she's always had.

Check out the Scoop website, they have some cool facts...

TENNESSEE TITANS STILL ON TRACK

According, to Gary Estwick of the Tennessean newspaper, the Tennessee Titans are still holding their own with 90% renewal ratings of season ticket holders. That is a very good thing to hear at this time in our economy, because so many people are losing their houses and jobs. But, I say if you have to wiggle something else for what you love, go for it. As long as your kids and financial obligations are taken care of. We have to have some normalcy in our lives or we are going to explode.

I want to remember all the people who felt there was no way out and took their own lives or lives of loved one's. We need a big revival in America, and with Easter coming up is a good time to write down what you are thankful for. Sometimes when you put things on paper you get a better prospective.

May God Bless you and your families.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090401/SPORTS01/904010403

THIS IS WHAT THE ANGELS SOUNDED LIKE...

I had the pleasure to see Lacresia Campbell once a long time ago, and she came down the aisle and tore that church up...I love her voice, and had to just post this video of her with the Soul Children of Chicago. The choir is under the direction of Walt Whitman and he does an great job with their harmony.