SIMEON HS FINALLY GETS THEIR #1

It came 24 years late but Simeon high school located on the south side of Chicago got what they deserved. A major weight lifted from their shoulders. Twenty four years ago Ben Wilson was destined to be the number one draft pick - maybe. We'll never really know that for sure in that Benji was murdered down the street from his school 24 years ago...it's been that long huh? Simeon has always turned out wonderful hoopers and that isn't easy for me to say since I am a Chicago Vocational man myself.

Derrick Rose is going to be fine folks, stop worrying. I've heard some go as far as to say that the Bulls are doomed for picking him. That is crazy people talk and his talent will soon become a wonderful piece to a ever changing puzzle. I hope they give the kid a chance but this isn't so much about "Pooh". This piece is about the people who attend Simeon and the people who live in "the wood" Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.

They deserve a huge break and hopefully today they finally know what having a weight lifted from your collective shoulders feels like. I know it's basketball. I know DR is going to make a zillion dollars. I know that "the wood" will still have it's share of setbacks. But maybe the kid from "the wood" who attended "the meon" will be that guy for those people, his people from his part of this great city.

GUESS WHAT?

WHPK the radio station that I've called home for the last 7 years (this August) was named the Best College Radio Station by the CHICAGO READER. This is big news because we work really hard to do really good. With that in mind I present to you todays edition of NEWS FROM the SERVICE ENTRANCE here. Once again thank you for listening to the show and the station...enjoy the show. By the way - Scoop now I want BULLS tickets!!! Next weeks show we will feature the music of STEVIE WONDER...all day nothing but Stevie...that will be fun.


YOU CAN LISTEN TO NEWS FROM THE SERVICE ENTRANCE EVERY THURSDAY NOW AT 1:30PM (CENTRAL) ON whpk.org. THANKS TO KIMBERLY BROWN AND ANNE HICKEY FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS.

SO WHAT? NO FLYING CARS EITHER?!

Those wacky elected officials in Congress truly have it out for you and I. With the future of our "energy crisis" hanging in the balance, the Senate - the Demoncratic Senate decided to vote down a bill that has great potential. Check this out (this comes courtesy of Biofuels Digest.com)By a vote of 50-44, the US Senate failed to invoke cloture and end Republican opposition to a $120 billion bill that extends the research and development credit and incentives for wind, solar, biodiesel, and clean-coal. Senate Republicans said they opposed a $1.6 billion tax break for trial lawyers in the bill, plus an unfinanced provision for the alternative minimum tax. With debate not closed, the bill cannot proceed to a floor vote in the Senate although Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus of Montana said that he expected to have enough votes within ten days to invoke cloture and send the bill to the Senate for a vote.

You've seen the wind farms right? Those are having a positive impact in some communities in this country as we speak. They make traditional energy sources pale in comparison giving some rural towns a golden opprotunity to live the "future" right now. The REPUBLICRATS said no no no no no no no no no to something as simple as a tax credit. While many of you are paying almost $5 a gallon for gas and who knows how much for electricity, the powers that be who run Congress don't get down like that. So we are hoping that Senator Max Baucus can elicit enough moxy to get the ten votes needed to make this a go.

You may be asking yourself - why should I care about this? When there is so much other crap going on in the world, why should I care about the future? That's why because it's the future we are hoping to be around for! This is the future. Right now. Again from Biofuels Digest:Last week, observers said that a bill introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Judd Gregg, (R-NH), to reduce the ethanol tariff from 54 cents to 45 cents is doomed. The bill, which is now in the Senate Finance Committee, is opposed by both committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and ranking Republican Chuck Grassley (D-IA). Aides said that the Finance Committee, in addition, does not typically fast-track bills proposed by Senators outside of the committee, and there is not enough time on the normal legislative clock to pass major new energy legislation this year. There isn't enough time?! WTF?! When will there be a better time?! Our climate is spiraling out of control and nobody gives a crap.

My friends, Agri-business is the true wave of the so called "future". The way we drive our autos now and light our homes and power our cities, that is where the real money is. Well now wait a second. I'm sure that our Presidential candidates have something to add to this discussion...here is the Cliff Notes version which can be found in full at barackobama.com: Invest $150 Billion over 10 Years in Clean Energy: Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe.

Well how about that? Sounds like there is a plan afoot right? Well what about McCain? Where does he stand? (Courtesy of johnmccain.com) John McCain will establish a market-based system to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mobilize innovative technologies, and strengthen the economy. He will work with our international partners to secure our energy future, to create opportunities for American industry, and to leave a better future for our children. There is more of this kind of rhetoric on his website. Well that makes me feel warm and fuzzy...more of the same from a "Real American Hero"

God in Heaven, please make it stop...This is yet another example of politicians saying the same thing but one has a dollar amount and the other well...sounds "Bushy" to me. Call your Senator and ask them to please pass the following bill: H.R. 6049 (Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 ) so that we can truly start thinking forward on how we plan on maximizing our resources in what they call the future which really is NOW!

GEORGE CARLIN

Be well everyone, George Carlin has moved on...

CH CH CH CH CHANGES

Mahogany Chicago is trying/tweaking a new layout. Please let me know what you think. Adding some news widgets and the like so you can do all of your searching from here. Plus it makes things smoother for you and hopefully more enjoyable. The never ending quest t be different - ya dig?!

THE RETURN OF SOUL TRAIN!

From the didn't see that coming file Don Cornelius the creator and impressario of the Soul Train franchise (yes it's a franchise go to Japan if you think I'm joking) sold his baby to a company called MadVision. This from Paid Content : The iconic franchise, founded in 1970 by Cornelius, includes the brand and the production rights for the weekly Soul Train series (not in production anymore), along with a catalog of about 1,100 hours of archival footage spanning the shows long 37-year run. The short term plans for the show are to start producing new shows and continuing to broadcast the "classic" Soul Train episodes. For sooooo many years Don Cornelius (WVON radio alumnus) didn't want you or I to see an episode, look at it on You Tube, buy it on DVD or any media. This could be excellent news or with the music scene being what it is, it could be the worst TV show on Earth. I think it'll be okay though considering the "New" ST could still rely on it's brand to get credible artists to be on the show.

Some more background on ST from Wikipedia: Soul Train premiered on WCIU-TV in Chicago on August 17, 1970 as a daily program. Its success attracted the attention of two Chicago-based companies -- the Johnson Products Company (manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair-care products), and Sears, Roebuck and Co. -- who agreed to sponsor the program's expansion into syndication. Soul Train began airing in selected cities across the United States, on a weekly basis, on October 2, 1971.


Let's hope that everything is good with this national treasure - that's right I said it! Soul Train means a lot to a lot of people. Hopefully it will be in better hands than it's been.

NEWS FROM the SERVICE ENTRANCE THE PODCAST

Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you a golden ticket to this past weeks show. You can download this bad boy and listen to it while you are running or riding your bike or working out or at the library...where it's real quiet. Please enjoy! Oh by the way, the show begins at 1:30pm (Central) but the Podcast will remain 2hrs long...

PLAYLIST

1. Dr. Carter - LIL WAYNE
2. Ms. Fatbooty - MOS DEF
3. Dayride - RETURN TO FOREVER
4. Soulful Strut - YOUNG HOLT UNLIMITED

INTERVIEW with THUMP DADDY

5. Can This Be Real - NATURAL FOUR

INTERVIEW with WINNONA HAUTER - foodandwaterwatch.org

THE JAMES BROWN SONG OF THE DAY
MOTHER POPCORN

6. Alright - LEDISI

Special thanks to THUMP DADDY and Winnona Hauter for being on the show...we had a record number of online listeners and more calls than I can remember...not enough online folks so SPREAD THE WORD the show airs every THURSDAY from 1:30pm - 4:00pm (Central) on WHPK.ORG - l8r

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME

In Chicago this weekend the Chicago Police were admittedly busy doing has to be a difficult job. I am not beyond knowing how hard a job it has to be. The word on the street is that this summer unlike most summers, the rate of violence (hood issues) will be higher than ever and that blood will flow in our streets. Not to be outdone - the POLICE are doing the shooting and don't care about the summer aspect of it. Three shootings over the weekend by the police. One man killed by the police...talk about hood issues - this from the Chicago Tribune - "We do know that there was a weapon recovered, but we don't have any other details about what happened," said David Banks (Chicago Police spokesman), who added the department may put out a statement later Monday morning. Mark Payne, the IPRA's spokesman, said his office launched an investigation but was trying to gather information Monday morning.

The IPRA - The Independent Police Review Authority has been recently established to investigate crimes against the people by the police, crimes like this. This organization is ran by Ilana Rosenzweig. Ilana is from Los Angeles. She was in charge of keeping the peace between the police and the citizens and I am not a member of the Los Angeles community but it doesn't look like she did a good job. From the LA Times - “In L.A., our approach of looking at the conduct of the officers is not just when they pulled the trigger, but everything that preceded it and came after it,” Rosenzweig said.

Well let's see how that's working out shall we? During the past ten months the Chicago Police have (according to the LA Times) an officer used a Taser on an 82-year-old woman in her home, a federal jury awarded $4 million to a man who said he was sodomized by an officer with a screwdriver during a search, and the Police Board overrode recommendations to fire an officer who was seen on a security tape beating a suspect handcuffed in a wheelchair – and who later lied about his actions. “

Aaron Harrison was shot in his back by the police...an off duty cop beat up a bartender...a group of policemen beat up some businessmen outside a bar in Downtown Chicago. The city is doing everything it can to keep this news as quiet as possible because the city DESPERATELY wants to host the Olympics in 2016. (However I imagine if China can host an Olympic games anyone can.)

For it to be made story number one like the R. Kely story was Chicago could cause mighty problems for the Mayor and his duo of outsiders Mrs. Rosenzweig and newly appointed Police Superintendent Jody Weis...this from CNN - Between 2002 and 2004, for example, more than 10,000 complaints -- many of them involving brutality and assault -- were filed against Chicago police officers. Yet only 18 of them resulted in any meaningful disciplinary action, according to Craig Futterman, a lawyer who uncovered these statistics while researching a client's claim. That was the reason Mayor Daley went outside of the city to get help. Oh I see the outsiders would be able to clean things up...no bias. It isn't working AT ALL. White folks, Black folks, Latinos, Asians even a fucking COUGAR - are getting served by the Chicago Police and not in the "Officer Friendly" fashion.

Three shootings in Chicago this weekend. Not enough staff to handle all of the complaints. Two outsiders who since their arrival have watched these number spike instaed of fall. The people are fearful of the summer and the Mayor is Olympic freakin' happy and hopes it rains so the blood can be washed easily into the sewer. That way no one will see it.


UPDATE: POLICE SHELL OUT MILLIONS DUE TO STUPIDITY :

WHO USES VHS IN 2008?

So the six year odyssey has finally come to an end. Robert Kelly was acquitted on all 14 counts and then the real shit started.

Let's look at this from the perspective of Robert Kelly or at least try to. Six years ago you make a song with Sparkle, her career folds into itself, his career couldn't be going any better, you get accused of having a sexual tryst and peeing on your "goddaughter"by Sparkle, you get arrested in Miami and your camera gets confiscated, EVERYBODY BUT ME HAS SEEN THE TAPE, you start churning out new music, Dave Chappelle got with you on his show, the trial gets delayed 50 times (I know I'm skipping stuff), your appendix bursts, you can't leave Chicago, you and Jay-Z have a falling out, the trial starts and the biggest piece of evidence that the prosecution has is...a vhs tape.

This from the Chicago Tribune: Many jurors believed Kelly was the man in the tape, but they couldn't be sure that his goddaughter was the female. Without her testimony, the panel relied on a low-quality VHS tape and still photographs to determine the two participants' identities.

VHS tape and still photographs? So that was the great evidence that was supposed to put him away huh? The prosecution never had a case. Not for one second and they knew it.

So what happens now? Well on every radio station in every major city around the world, station managers ran around in tiny circles wetting themselves celebrating that R. remained free. His record label immediately went into conference rooms trying to figure out when to release his next album. Wal-Mart sold a bunch of his shit and the beat goes on.

I said on my show yesterday that the state had to prove its case and they couldn't without one very important thing - the testimony of the now 23 year old woman "in the video". You can't make lemonade with grapes son...you can't have an accused pisser go to jail without the "vic" testifying against you. I don't feel a second of pleasure or remorse that Robert Kelly didn't go to jail. Too much other stuff in the world of far greater importance. However I do think it's important to know that whether he peed on that girl (if it was her) or not, Robert Kelly needs to step back and rethink his whole deal. Reboot if you will...he has been given a straight up second chance and it would be in the best interest of all parties if he toned it down some...I mean c'mon now. Robert is 41 years old and has according to the Chicago Sun-Times - ...to settle lawsuits brought by three other underage girls. Are there not enough "aged girls" for Robert Kelly? Damn I hope so because there won't be a tape next time and "underaged" for a 41 year old man is kinda Chester the Molester-ish.

Finally - what about the mystery man and fourteen year old on the "tape" who are they and where are they? Is this the guy on the tape? What about the cameraman? I haven't viewed the tape but was there a third or possibly fourth party in the room? See now I'm doing it. Just remember folks...update your technology. You don't want to film a sexy party unless you can see it in HD.

A REALLY BIG SHOW

Hey now! I have Thursdays show right here and this post is a combo! Special thanks to Semaj Salinas from the Inka Internet Station and Brig Feltus for calling us...

PLAYLIST

1. Car Wash - ROSE ROYCE
(Interview with Brig Feltus)

2. Gotta Get Up (Another Day) - JILL SCOTT

THE JAMES BROWN SONG of the DAY PT.1
HOT PANTS

Interview with Semaj Selinas from "INKA INTERNET STATION"

3. Nipple to the Bottle - GRACE JONES
4. Make Me the Man My Daddy Was - CHI-LITES
5. Moody - ESG
6. Flashing Lights - KANYE WEST
7. When You Come Down To ItSWAMPHOUSE
8. -THE ASSOCIATION

THE JAMES BROWN SONG of the DAY pt 2
COLD SWEAT

9. Soldier - ERYKAH BADU
10. I've Got Six - SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK
11. Color Him Father - THE WINSTONS

AAAAAAAAAAND END SCENE

I live in OBAMAVILLE and the only place I could think of to watch history be made was where Barack and I get cut up...his barbershop. There were a few folks there. Two guys who work there, a young brother in the chair, my man GQ - an up and coming rap artist who has unreal savvy when it comes to politics, a little girl and yours truly. I wanted to be where I felt the closest to the candidate. I don't usually catch him at the barber - I almost always miss him or on the occasion I arrive early he's leaving...I wanted to go to the one place where Senator Obama can be the cat from Hyde Park. The distinguished gentleman from Illinois. The older brother with a nice jumper, Brother Barack.

Listening to his speech I realized in that place that this would be my "where was I moment". Ex; where were you the morning of 9/11? Where were you when Bartman became famous? You get the idea...Barack Obama is probably the most popular politician on the planet right now and his swagger is immense. “Tonight, I can stand here before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the president of the United States of America.” Even in this holy place the barbershop he casts a shadow over everything. This is his home away from everyone other than the magicians who serve as the ambassadors of cool for the people.

In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the false labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again. On that we will see and I say that knowing that this country is extremely troubled and divided. I do believe that the time is perfect for a different look. Not the change that comes in Washington - that is unrealistic. The change comes from the people, you and I. We are the change. Changing our attitudes toward our world view, our neighborhoods, our people, our children. Not expecting Obama to be a Saviour and give us "salvation". Not expecting government cheese either. This election will demand that we make a choice based on what we know not what we wish for.

Barack Obama is not Santa Claus, he is a man. He is on the verge of being America's first president of African descent and that within itself is important. What really matters is the moment and if we let this moment pass us by based on what we think and not what we know, we can blame no one but ourselves.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder and more just.

And so it must be for us.

So it happened and "Part 1 of 2" became reality. Hillary Clinton gave up...kinda and after her not so subtle attempt at "conceding", Barack Hussein Obama became the designated driver of the Democratic party bus. The campaign for the Democratic nod is ovah and now the real game begins. John Wayne McCain (no joke that is his name...imagine the fun) is not equipped to be the man with the steelcase at hand. Check the records of both men...numbers do not lie.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder and more just.

And so it must be for us.

As Obama rapped up his speech I looked at the people who were in the barbershop and especially that little girl. She couldn't have been older than 8 or 9. I asked her if she knew what was going on and she said she did. I have trouble finding the exact words for what I saw in her eyes but it filled me up man...unreal. This historic moment and the kid who has the world in her path. It humbles me and makes me want to protect all of 'em ya know?

The barbershop will be buzzing tomorrow with TV cameras and reporters wanting to get any new angle they can on the nominee. He might even make an appearance although he looked like he got a nice cut already. The price of one of those haircuts just went way up...good work fellas.

I said goodnight to the unofficial victory party. I said goodbye to that kid. She smiled and I a very special thing in her smile. Within her smile there is hope. It isn't forced. It means life and progress and seeing that I smiled, and went on my way.