Urban Lifestyle

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In the decades after the Civil War, the nation’s first black Army regiments guarded Yosemite and Sequoia national parks against poaching and timber thefts, a role that in hindsight made them America’s first park rangers. Now as the National Park Service prepares for its 100th anniversary in 2016, there is a move in Congress to formally recognize the role of these “Buffalo Soldiers.” The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco, allowing the study of a national historic trail between their home base at The Presidio in San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada. A similar bill is pending in the Senate. Supporters hope recognizing the soldiers leads to awareness of the role African-Americans played in formation of the national parks. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

In a recent Facebook post, former Republican congressman Allen West explained why he believes women do not belong in military units. West expressed his disapproval towards President Obama and the Defense Department for approving a policy allowing women to fill thousands of combat jobs in the military. The news was announced on the heels of the Congressional hearings on the increasing number of sexual assault cases in the military. West considers the debate “hypocritical,” arguing that the same individuals who “are up in arms” over the issue should not also believe women have a place in combat scenarios. “I find it completely hypocritical for everyone to be up in arms about military sexual assault, but then want to cast women into high stress small unit combat elements,” West writes in his post. West makes it clear that he does not believe women are capable of achieving the same physical strength as men to be able to defend themselves in combat. However, the policy — which will allow women to begin training as Army Rangers in 2015 — requires men and women to meet the same physical and mental standards to qualify for any front-line positions. Still, West goes on to write: “The objective is obvious: destroy the last bastions of American warrior culture all for the advancement of a misguided vision of fairness and equality. There is no equality in close combat. The goal is simple: you physically overpower the enemy and kill them. Don’t tell me about technology, war is about fighting and fighting is about killing, mano y mano.” Follow Lilly Workneh @Lilly_Works

*LoLo Jones has gone and pissed off some of her teammates on the Olympic bobsled team. With just eight months to go before the Winter Olympics, the two-time Olympic hurdler on Monday posted a Vine video jokingly complaining about her $741.84 check from the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, which decides pay based on performance results. “Several months with bobsled season. The whole season. That’s it. I’m going to be a little late on my rent this month,” Jones wrote. Fellow bobsledder Steven Holcomb called Jones’ comments “a slap in the face.” “It wasn’t taken very well,” he told USA Today. “People were really kind of insulted. You just made $741, more than most athletes in the sport. So what are you complaining about? The way it came across to a lot of the athletes here was kind of snobby because she’s one of the most well-known athletes in the world and she’s making pretty good money in endorsements. And to basically turn around and slap us in the face because you didn’t make any money this year in bobsledding while taking money from other’s athletes? She slapped pretty much every athlete in the U.S. federation in the face. That was the general consensus.” Jones attempted some damage control Monday night, explaining how the Vine was meant to draw attention to the larger issue at hand. “I didn’t want to offend anyone, and I’ve always wanted to help out my bobsled teammates,” a statement from Jones read. “Some of them have debt because they’ve given their life to the sport. My partner Jazmine [Fenlator] and I had to raise money for the bobsled to be funded just to finish the season, because only two of the three sleds are funded by the team. I can’t imagine halfway through my track season having to stop and raise money to finish. “The Vine of the paycheck is just showing the difference between track and bobsled, and to be honest bobsledders work more hours than track! The bottom line is that all Olympic athletes dedicate their lives to their sports and do not receive lucrative paychecks like athletes in mainstream professional sports. So hopefully this will make people appreciate just how hard Olympians work, often just for the love of the sport,” Jones concluded. While many bobsledders were still rankled by Jones’ comments, one of her teammates, Elana Meyers, was grateful that Jones put the issue out there. “thanks for bringing the issues to light! Bobsledders aren’t high paid pro athletes like you see on tv,” Meyers tweeted.

The 2013 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat have not only inspired players to play their best, but dress their best. The Heat in particular are known for being fashion forward and for taking some serious risks that sometimes pay off, any other times become punchlines (Wade’s Capri pants anyone?) Even if the Heat lose the Finals tonight in Game 6, they are winners when it comes to looking stylish before and after games. Check out some Heat fashion highlights from this year’s playoff run.

President Obama is unlikely to sign a major gun control bill during his presidency, as Republicans control enough seats to block expanded background checks or other legislation backed by gun control advocates in the near future. So why is the White House still talking about the issue, including Vice-President Biden giving a speech on the issue on Tuesday? One reason is that the administration promised gun control supporters, such as the families of the victims of the Newtown shooting, that it would persist on the issue. But another important reason is that gun control may be an issue like health care reform legislation, where the Democrats will need several election cycles to build a coalition to eventually pass a bill, and they are building that momentum now. Democrats called for universal health care for decades, but they only elected enough members of the House, Senate and a president who were committed to passing a bill in 2008. Gun control may have similar dynamics. White House officials said there are already signs that the politics of around gun issues, long dominated by conservatives, are moving left. In the past, even as a majority of Americans have long favored stricter gun laws, the intensity was all on one side: politicians who voted for gun control measures faced sharp criticism from the NRA and pro-gun advocates,  while there was little benefit to voting for gun control, or cost for opposing it. Now, some Republicans, particularly those in blue states like New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, have faced strong criticism for opposing the background check provision. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is running ads attacking the four Senate Democrats who opposed the gun control legislation. And there is little sign that Democrats like North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, who represents a red state, are facing any significant backlash for supporting the gun control legislation. These dynamics suggest that while Obama is unlikely to able to sign a major gun control provision into law, he could be laying the groundwork for a President Biden or Hillary Clinton to do so. Democrats are unlikely to win control of the House in 2014, as young and minority voters tend not to turn out in midterm elections. But if 2016 is a strong year for Democrats, they would win the White House and the House and keep control the Senate. And it’s likely that whatever candidate wins the Democratic presidential primary will be committed to adopting gun control legislation, as Obama has helped reshape the politics around the issue by coalescing Democrats around background checks and making the case that it is no longer political suicide for the party to call for greater gun control. A majority backing gun control in the House and Senate by 2016, with a president who would sign a bill, now seems possible.

The House of Representatives takes up debate on the Farm bill Tuesday, which in its current form cuts $20.5 billion from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. Twenty-six Democrats took the “food stamp challenge“—feeding themselves for a week on the $31.50 provided by the food stamp program—to highlight and speak out against the proposed cuts. Those cuts are already estimated to end benefits for about 2 million people who are already part of the program, but some of the amendments proposed by Republicans could make it harder for many more Americans to get access to the assistance they need. Drug testing for food stamps Many Republicans have pushed for a drug testing requirement for welfare recipients in recent years, and North Carolina Republican Richard Hudson is the lead co-sponsor on an amendment that would allow all states to create the same requirement for food stamp recipients as well. Fellow Republicans Doug LaMalfa of California and Ted Yoho of Florida also signed onto this amendment. In Florida, programs to drug test welfare recipients ultimately wasted $45-thousand in taxpayer money, because the cost of the testing surpassed the savings it created. New work requirements for food stamps Tim Huelskamp of Kansas is the lead sponsor of an amendment that would create additional work requirements for food stamp recipients. Although it creates a new hurdle for recipients, it would ultimately impact no more than about half of all people on the program now. As of 2010 28% of adult participants in the program were employed and another 24% were unemployed and looking for work. In fact, only 1 in 6 families on food stamps in 2010 was a nonworking family without kids or an elderly or disabled family member. Click here to read more.

*Chad Johnson said Tuesday in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” that spending seven days in jail has made an impact on him and he hopes he can still get another chance to play in the NFL. The 35-year-old former NFL wide receiver was released from jail Monday after apologizing to Broward County Judge Kathleen McHugh for slapping his attorney on the butt in court last week. McHugh had sentenced Johnson to 30 days in jail, rejecting his plea agreement for a probation violation after he tapped attorney Adam Swickle on the rear, prompting the courtroom to erupt in laughter. Chad Johnson’s 30-day jail term was cut to the seven days he already served. He also was ordered to perform 25 hours of community service and attend domestic violence counseling twice a week during probation, which was extended three months. “I’ve learned my lesson, especially over those past seven days,” he said. “I think everyone deserves a second chance. Many would say I might not deserve it. I would like to finish my career off the right way.” McHugh noted that in a previous hearing, Johnson put his arm around a female prosecutor’s shoulders, prompting her to tell him twice not to touch her. The judge also pointed out that when Johnson head-butted his then-wife, Evelyn Lozada of the reality TV show “Basketball Wives,” she suffered a three-inch gash on her head that required eight stitches. The judge called those injuries horrific. Johnson maintains that he wasn’t trying to disrespect the courtroom last week and when McHugh spotted him tapping his attorney on the rear it was the third time he had done so that day. He said it was “the way I’ve always interacted throughout life, just in general.” “I think that Judge McHugh was able to get me do something many people have tried to get me to do for a long time: slow down, just at life in general,” Johnson said. “She was able to get me to do that, maybe not in the best circumstances for those on the outside but I see being able to sit down and think about life and where I’m going from this point was probably on one of the best things that could happen to me right now.” McHugh ordered Johnson to perform 25 hours of community service and attend domestic violence counseling sessions twice a week during probation, and she extended his probation an extra three months through mid-October. “I think with me being Chad it kind of made the judge feel that I wasn’t being serious about the situation but, trust me, I understood exactly what I did,” Johnson said. “I lost two of the things in life that I love the most at the time. Football and my now beautiful, I did say beautiful, ex-wife.” Former Miami Dolphin and NFL star Chad Johnson waits for a hearing with Judge Kathleen McHugh, at Broward County Courthouse on June 17, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Swickle said Johnson will fully comply with all probation conditions and hopes to resurrect his NFL career. The six-time Pro Bowler was cut by the Miami Dolphins after his arrest for battery; he played most of his 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals along with one year with the New England Patriots. “I don’t want the last thing to be remembered you know, well, Chad was cut from the Dolphins for an incident he had with his wife,” Johnson said. “I would love to grace the football field one more time and to help some team. I’m not injured. There’s nothing wrong with me.”

Many moons ago, four boys from the jaws of ATL showed up on the Hip-Hop scene prescribing “Cell Therapy” and serving “Soul Food” for the masses.…

Rapper Lil Wayne is finding himself in some hot water. This time, it’s because of something that happened on a video set that some people…

*Amanda Bynes may be getting hip hop veteran Wyclef Jean behind the boards as she prepares to launch herself as a rapper. As previously reported, the troubled actress is close to finalizing a deal with Chinga Chang Records to release a rap album. Label head Daniel Herman is saying he is close to recruiting the former Fugees member to serve as producer. Herman claims Wyclef has been “receptive” to the idea and adds, “I think (a collaboration) would be perfect. Linking the two of them will be something major.” Herman is convinced that the project will prove all of her critics wrong: “This album is going to shock the world. She has such a great voice. Singers wish they could hit the notes that Amanda does.” Bynes’ string of legal troubles began last year. She was involved in two hit-and-run dramas and an arrest for driving under the influence. She has since relocated to New York, but is currently facing charges for marijuana possession after cops arrested her at her Manhattan apartment in May. She also faces allegations of reckless endangerment after reportedly throwing a bong out of the window as officers raided her home following reports she had been smoking weed in the building’s lobby.