Oprah Builds Own Network!

Mogul Oprah Winfrey is expanding her media network! She will launch OWN - the abbreviation for Oprah Winfrey Network - next year in a deal with the Discovery Channel which will beam programs into nearly 70 American million homes with cable and satellite. News of the deal was announced Tuesday, January 15. OWN will replace the existing Discovery Health network.

The announcement builds a media empire that already includes the top-rated TV talk show, a magazine, a satellite radio network, a Web site and TV movies made under her banner.

“This is an evolution of what I’ve been able to do every day,” Winfrey said. “I will now have the opportunity to do this 24 hours a day on a platform that goes on forever.”

Oprah will be chairwoman of the network, owned 50-50 by Discovery and her company, Harpo Productions Inc. In return for taking over a network already operated by Discovery, Winfrey gives half ownership of the Oprah.com Web site.

She envisions the programming dealing with issues such as money, health, weight, relationships and raising children. Some of the stable of in-house experts she uses on “Oprah” and the XM satellite radio station might be expected to contribute.

While Winfrey will be the face of the new network, she won’t have much of a presence, at least at first. She is under contract to continue on “Oprah” through May 2011, a deal which prohibits the use of reruns on her own network.

Discovery owns 13 networks in the United States, including Discovery, TLC and Animal Planet. Discovery Health is one of the least successful, and company President and CEO David Zaslav was looking for ideas about what to do with it when his wife handed him a copy of Oprah’s magazine.

He approached Winfrey about a partnership, coincidentally shortly after she had come upon an entry for her diary dated May 24, 1992, when she wrote about her idea for creating her own network.

Oprah is now weighing up the options whether to continue her daytime talk show on broadcast TV or do it for the cable network but is hoping to reach a deal to allow reruns on OWN. However, taking “Oprah” off broadcast TV could reduce its visibility and in turn make the cable network less valuable.

She now plans to consider her options and will soon decide whether to continue her syndicated show beyond 2011.

Posted by BlackMan at 14:11:34 on January 23rd, 2008 in Current

Man, Of Africa!

After extensive study, British scientists have concluded that all human beings originate from Africa. They made the announcement after studying 6,000 human skulls from academic collections around the globe.

The study apparently proves conclusively that humanity originated from a single point in Africa. This disproves the opposing theory that the roots of humanity began in different areas of the planet.

“We have combined our genetic data with new measurements of a large sample of skulls to show definitively that modern humans originated from a single area in Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Andrea Manica, a researcher from the University of Cambridge’s Zoology Department.

In her team’s article in the Nature journal, they claimed that their study showed a decrease in variations to a skull’s size and shape the further it got from that point in Africa.

Scientists agree that the team’s findings are important for in confirming the theory that humanity’s current diversity came from one source rather than multiple locations.

Furthermore, breeding with other early human groups like Neanderthals were found to be either non-existent or insignificant to affect the evolution of man.

The findings reflect that only a few number of our ancestors left Africa, effectively creating “bottlenecks” in diversity.

Posted by BlackMan at 02:47:09 on August 20th, 2007 in Current

Hurricane Dean Cometh!

The start of the Caribbean hurricane season brings the arrival of Hurricane Dean. Here, debris covers the John Compton Highway in Castries, St. Lucia, after Hurricane Dean passed, August 17, 2007.

Dean, which is gathering force and momentum and will probably be upgraded to a Category 5 storm, look set to do a repeat performce on Jamaica on Sunday, August 19, 2007.

A Category Five Hurricane, according to the The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, is the highest level bringing winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr).

Photo: Tim James/AP © 2007

Posted by BlackMan at 17:58:44 on August 19th, 2007 in Image

What Is BlackMag Blog?

What is this BlackMag Blog about? Well, just like BlackMag the cutting edge cultural focus news magazine, BlackMag Blog will focus on commenting, discussing and reviewing news and features of cultural, educational, historical, political and social interest to people of African descent and the wider world.

By African we mean people of dark complexion with roots particularly in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean and other parts of the world where the Diaspora has migrated to including Europe, America, etc.

Like Peter Tosh once said: “Don’t care where you come from as long as you’re a BlackMan, you’re an African…”

Our comments will also be of interest to non-Africans, especially those who interface with Africans in a professional, social, personal or other capacity and want to know more how to improve their understanding and relationships with Africans.

Posted by BlackMan at 04:44:53 on August 14th, 2007 in Voice

Tintin Comic Book Protest

A Congolese student has launched legal action in Belgium to have the comic book “Tintin in the Congo” declared racist and removed from bookstores.

The book portrays Africans as stereotypical black characters and shows whites as their colonial masters.

“I want to put an end to sales of this cartoon book in shops, both for children and for adults. It’s racist and it is filled with colonial-era propaganda,” said Mbutu Mondondo Bienvenu, who lives in Brussels.

Bienvenu is also seeking symbolic damages of one euro ($1.38) from Moulinsart, the publisher that owns the rights to Tintin.

A call by Britain’s Commission for Racial Equality earlier this year for bookstores to remove the Tintin edition from their shelves prompted one chain to move the book from its children’s section to the shelves for adult graphic stories.

Sales of Tintin In The Congo subsequently soared following protests over 3800 percent. The book, which first appeared in Belgian newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle as a comic strip in 1930-1931, is part of the series “The Adventures of Tintin” by the Belgian author and illustrator Herge.

In May, the centenary of the birth of Herge — real name Georges Remi — was marked with a set of stamps, a 20-euro coin and an exhibition in honour of the ageless reporter — one of the country’s most famous exports.

Posted by BlackMan at 04:17:03 on August 8th, 2007 in Image

Customer Service Blues

Most companies are proud to herald the brilliance of their shiny new equipment, the high tech gadgets which make them stand out among the crowd, the amount of money they’ve spent to achieve this and the huge network they manage to keep it all afloat.

They may even be very proud of boasting the number of well known brand names clients using their service and how many awards they have won in bringing these to the market.

But, does any of this matter if the customer service to back up these services is less than desirable? To the customer it matters not one iota. It’s like bragging about how big your tool/motor/boat is yet you don’t know how to use it/them properly.

I’ve noticed most progressive companies, mainly American actually, are really keen on pushing their service when you call for technical support. Something in the order of: you call because your server is down and they want to sell you a computer!

In one case I actually took exception to this because it felt like the company I was dealing with was not really interest in servicing its current obligations: just focussed on selling something new.

This to me is not good customer service. Good customer service is where the company places the customer at the forefront or heart of its operations and delivers its products and services around that customer.

When I find such a company I will let you know. If or if you know of one, let me know!

Posted by BlackMan at 07:42:29 on May 14th, 2007 in Technology

Africa Strikes Back The Empire!

Imagine the scene:-

The Queen, Prince Philip, Tony and Cherie Blair, John and Pauline Prescott, Gordon and Sarah Brown and the Archbishop of Canterbury, all sat in a prominent central London church service to commemorate the (alleged) end of slavery in the British Empire 200 years ago. Suddenly, the proceeding is interupted by an African man to protest the hypocrisy and sheer affrontry of it all!

Step forward that man: Toyin Agbetu of the African rights organisation Ligali, who was only a dozen feet from all of them, with apparently no security guards to block him.

It took seven guards and two ushers to evnetually accost Toyin and usher him out of the building.

“Let go of me!” Toyin yelled, raising his arms like a suspect confronted by armed police. “I have no weapon! I have no weapon!”

The Queen, on a raised platform and out of Toyin’s immediate reach, watched with pursed lips. The Duke of Edinburgh frowned. Neither seemed frightened for their safety. In the pews, Mr Blair watched with dismay as if already preparing a speech about this “regrettable incident”. Mr Brown, whose eyes had been sleepy, was jolted awake. Kwame Kwei-Armah, the actor and writer, dressed in a glittering golden African robe, watched with sorrow in his eyes.

The more that the security men tried to manhandle Toyin, the more he resisted. Suddenly the interruption turned serious. There were pushes and shoves, even punches. Twice Agbetu and several bodies went crashing into the knees of appalled guests, who were wearing their smartest suits and dresses. All the while Toyin’s bellowing was drowning out the now superfluous service, which had tried to resume.

By now many guests and journalists around me were on their feet, straining to look. There was a sense of danger and drama. It was clear Mr Agbetu would not go quietly. Possibly not without a fight.

After what seemed an eternity, Toyin was shuffled towards the quire, in the direction of the exit. But he pointed at the Queen and yelled: “You, the Queen, should be ashamed!” The monarch did her national duty by remaining icy calm.

Toyin was now directly beneath the prime minister. He turned to face him and Mr Blair glared back. The thousands of guests watched in hushed anticipation, wondering what would come next, wondering if Toyin might even leap on him. Instead the protester screamed: “You should say sorry!”

Toyin continued walking and shuffling, still resisting the hands being placed on him, still shouting his dissent. Hundreds more guests in the nave got to witness the spectacle. The abbey’s ushers still looked unsure quite how to handle him. Finally, outside the building, Toyin was not bundled away as might be expected. Instead, he gave an impromptu press conference.

“I had always planned to make this demonstration,” he said. “The Queen has to say sorry. It was Elizabeth I. She commanded John Hawkins to take his ship. The monarch and the government and the church are all in there patting themselves on the back.”

Finally, two police officers took him away for questioning. The service continued to the end but the sepulchral calm had gone. When the guests emerged they were not talking about William Wilberforce.

Posted by BlackMan at 02:06:43 on March 29th, 2007 in Current

Unsolved US Murder Cases To Reopen

The U.S. Justice Department said in Washington it is investigating the decades old killings of African-American men and women allegedly by white vigilantes.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller III said the Justice Department is teaming with civil rights groups to investigate 40 unsolved murder cases from the South, it has been reported.

The two officials said at a news conference February 27, 2007 that federal investigators decided to reopen the cases after multiple civil-rights-era killings were solved in recent years.

They said many of the killers are likely already dead.

“Many individuals have quite literally gotten away with murder,” Mueller said. However, he added a message for killers who are still living: “You’ve not gotten away with anything. We’re still on your trail.”

The cases referred to the Justice Department by the Southern Poverty Law Center include the 1954 beating death of Izell Henry, the 1958 castration and killing of Sylvester Maxwell, and the 1958 death of James Brazier, who was beaten to death in front of his family.

Posted by BlackMan at 21:46:21 on February 28th, 2007 in Current

Black Actors Shine At 79th Oscars

Black actors triumphed with two of the four main acting awards at the 79th Oscars which unfolded in Hollywood Sunday, February 25, 2007. But there were upsets too.

Topping the winners list was Forest Whitaker for his enthralling and charistic performance as Ugandan strongman Idi Amin. Former “American Idol” contestant Jennifer Hudson scored the best supporting actress award for her debut performance in the musical “Dreamgirls.”

“Receiving this honor tonight tells me that it’s possible, it is possible for a kid from East Texas, raised in South Central L.A. and Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and to have them happen,” Whitaker said as he accepted his award.

Eddie Murphy, co-star in “Dreamgirls”, was favoured to win, but lost out early to Alan Arkin (”Little Miss Sunshine”). Leading up to the Oscars, some speculated that the recent release of Murphy’s low-brow, cross-dressing comedy “Norbit” would injure his Oscar prospects. And various anti-Murhpy white-media led campaigns opposing his Oscar nominatin, did not help Murhy either.

Other best supporting actor nominees included Will Smith for his role in “Pursuit of Happyness” and Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond.”

Good Year

This year’s event has been hailed one of the best for Black actors. “It’s a wonderful year to be an African-American actor,” Beyonce Knowles (who co-starred with Murphy and Hudson in “Dreamgirls”) said on the red carpet before the ceremony.

After a long history of the Academy Awards being a largely all-white affair (Chris Rock once called the Oscars a “million white man march”) this was the third year where multiple Black actors won Oscars.

Denzel Washington (”Training Day”) and Halle Berry (”Monster’s Ball”) memorably shattered the Oscars’ racial ceiling in 2002, the first time Blacks won both lead-acting prizes. In 2005, Jamie Foxx (”Ray”) and Morgan Freeman (”Million Dollar Baby”) won Academy Awards, prompting Freeman to say: “It means that Hollywood is continuing to make history. We’re evolving with the rest of the world.”

Posted by BlackMan at 02:36:54 on February 26th, 2007 in Current

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Posted by BlackMan at 06:10:29 on January 31st, 2007 in Money