RACISM ON THE SOCCER FIELD

 

By Eva Lodde, Mike Glindmeier, Jens Todt. 

Mired in betting scandals, riven by infighting and alarmed by recent poor performances on the pitch, German soccer needs anything but more controversy in the few months remaining before it hosts the World Cup. But some recent cases of blatant racism are doing further damage to its image. It started with a Hitler salute. Two eastern German soccer teams in the fourth division, FC Sachsen Leipzig and Hallesche FC, had just drawn 2-2 on March 25 in Halle, and the fans weren't happy. Leipzig's Nigerian midfielder Adebowale Ogungbure was walking off the pitch when hooligans ran up to him, spat at him and called him "Dirty Nigger," "Shit Nigger" and "Ape." He ignored it and walked on. Then, when he passed the main stand and heard fans making whooping monkey noises at him, he decided he'd had enough. He put two fingers above his mouth to symbolise a Hitler moustache and stuck out his right arm in a Nazi salute to the crowd.Given their behavior, one might think they would have appreciated the gesture and even returned it. But a Halle supporter attacked him from behind with a corner flag and another grabbed him in a stranglehold. Ogungbure pushed them away as a teammate intervened and dragged him towards the tunnel, to the safety of the changing rooms.

WHY DID GOP MAJORITY LEADER TOM DELAY RESIGN

 

DeLay implicated in Florida gangland hit of casino boats owner. Former GOP Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s surprise announcement that he will resign from Congress in a few weeks and not stand for re-election after winning the GOP primary in his Houston area district came after a bombshell was dropped in the Broward County, Florida trial of former John Gotti hit man Anthony “Big Tony” Moscatiello for the February 2001 gangland slaying of Sun Cruz casino boat owner Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis. Moscatiello is on trial with Anthony “Little Tony” Ferrari and James “Pudgy” Fiorillo in the murder of Boulis.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

Its been talked about for years, in discussions for ages…"The Simpsons Movie" is finally being set for a July 27, 2007 release. 20th Century Fox snuck copies of a 25-second teaser trailer in front of "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" this past weekend and also showed it during commercials on last night's "Simpsons" episode. The promo spot advertises the movie for a release next year. USA Today reveals that the movie will most likely be rated PG-13 for language "coarser" than TV. Albert Brooks, Minnie Driver and the real-life Erin Brockovich have also been announced as guest stars. The plot still remains to be a secret but it's been revealed that nearly all the Simpsons characters will make an appearance. Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John wartzwelder, Mike Scully,  James Brooks and Jon Vitti are penning the screenplay. David Silverman, series co-producer and animation director, will be directing the feature.

O.J ALL DAY

O.J is getting Old.

THREE 6 MAFIA HONORED

Three 6 Mafia was honored in their City of Memphis with a Memphis Music Salute hosted by the Rock and Soul Museum on April 1st.

DIDDY @ NYSE

Sean "Diddy" Combs rings the bell to begin trading on Monday at the New York Stock Exchange.

DAVID CHASE’S VIEW OF GANGSTA RAP’S MAFIA INFATUATION

Episode 69 of the Sopranos has viewers calling it the best episode this season and one of the best in recent memory. The episode injected some real life politics as Tony had political discussions about religion and dinosaurs with evangelical right wing Christians and Creator David Chase's also firing shots at Gangsta rap's infatuation with Italian Crime families. The April 3rd Premiere entitled: THE FLESHY PART OF THE THIGH was a reference to a deal made by Bobby Bacala played By Steven R. Schirripa and Treach of Naughty By Nature to agree to shoot the rapper in the fleshy part of the thigh to get his street credibility up in exchange for 8,000 dollars.

A.J. CALLOWAY SPEAK OUT AGAINST DEMONIC RAP

ORANGEBURG, S.C.- The former co-host of BET's popular 106 & Park video countdown show blasted this week what he called the destructive messages of many of the show's most popular music videos. A.J. Calloway co-hosted the show for five years with Free, whose given name is Marie Wright. Both left the show in July. "I couldn't watch my own show with my niece on my lap," Calloway told an audience Wednesday at South Carolina State University as part of the "Black Student Today" panel. The discussion focused on the impact of hip-hop music.