In this image taken from video, the ailing anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is filmed Monday April 29, 2013, more than three weeks after being released from hospital. South African President Jacob Zuma visited the former leader on Monday, but Mandela does not appear to speak during the televised portion of the visit.

JOHANNESBURG –  The African National Congress responds to a barrage of criticism over broadcasting video of a visibly frail Nelson Mandela by saying it wanted to share the anti-apartheid icon with South Africans and the world.

Spokesman Jackson Mthembu says it doesn’t make sense to say South Africa’s governing party was using the occasion as an electioneering tool as it gears up for elections next year.

Social media and talk radio shows buzzed with angry comments Tuesday that the party had been disrespectful by showing footage of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon looking vacant, grey-skinned and unsmiling.

Mthembu says the party would also have been criticized if it had not broadcast the video.

Mandela was hospitalized last month for the third time in five months for a recurring lung infection.

Nelson Mandela

Widely regarded as the father of the South African nation for leading the struggle against apartheid, Nelson Mandela, 94, spent 18 days in hospital in December undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.

On march 28, Mandela was again Hospitalized at mid-night.  A presidential spokesman told the BBC that Mr Mandela was conscious and was receiving the best possible medical treatment.

“I think we need to be clear that the doctors are attending to Madiba [Mr Mandela] on a continuous basis,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

“They prefer to act on the side of caution, and the moment they felt there was a recurrence of the lung infection, they felt that it warranted immediate hospitalization given his age and given his history.”

However, the BBC’s Andrew Harding in South Africa says the abrupt nature of Mr Mandela’s late-night admission is likely to raise concerns.

“South Africans are keeping him and his family in their prayers”

For a full bio on Mandela click on Melanian Champions above or follow link (scroll down to his bio)

Harmony J. Blue

Article source: http://www.ksnt.com/news/local/story/Amber-Alert-Issued-for-Missing-1-year-old-from/uxpO5NRvoECUKPnxlvNabQ.cspx

MARCH 2, 2013
Harmony J. Blue

EMERGENCY! ACTIVE AMBER ALERT! PLEASE SHARE IMMEDIATELY!
Where: Springfield, Missouri
Issued: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Why: Child believed to be in immediate danger of death or great bodily harm
Circumstances: Child in stolen car

Details from police: A child is still missing and an Amber Alert has been issued after a women stole a car from Save-A-Lot in north Springfield.

Springfield Police Lt. Brian Phillips tells KOLR10 that a white female with blond hair jumped into the victims car and drove away.

Inside the 2002 light gray Nissan Maxima were the victims two children, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. The car has Missouri plates YG6K5R

The 4-year-old was later dropped off by the suspect in the 800 block of S. Newton Avenue in West Springfield.

The Amber Alert is issued for the missing 1-year-old girl, Harmony J. Blue.

Harmony is African-American with brown eyes, approximately 21 lbs, wearing blue one-piece sleeper.

http://bit.ly/13wCZYR

Amber Alert Website:  http://www.amberalert.com/en/alerts/state/?type=missouri

The Process of Criminal Pardon

What is a Pardon?

A pardon refers to the act of a head of state, such as a governor or the President in the U.S., excusing a crime that was committed. When one is granted, it treats the matter as if the crime never happened. The intended effect of a pardon is to restore a rehabilitated person to their original status before the crime happened through restoring rights and removing some of the negativity involved with the crime. Pardons are a rare occurrence, but when the situation is appropriate and all other options have been exhausted, it can never hurt to try.

A lapse in judgment or an adolescent indiscretion can create a criminal for life. Outstanding achievements and stellar performances for good causes can lead to a governor’s pardon.  Pardons wipe away crimes, reinstating persons civil rights, as if the crimes had never happened. States have similar procedures but check your state for differences.

Federal Criminal Convictions:

Under the Constitution, only federal criminal convictions, such as those adjudicated in the United States District Courts, may be pardoned by the President. In addition, the President’s pardon power extends to convictions adjudicated in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and military court-martial proceedings. However, the President cannot pardon a state criminal offense. Accordingly, if you are seeking clemency for a state criminal conviction, you should not complete and submit this petition. Instead, you should contact the Governor or other appropriate authorities of the state where you reside or where the conviction occurred (such as the state board of pardons and paroles) to determine whether any relief is available to you under state law. If you have a federal conviction, information about the conviction may be obtained from the clerk of the federal court where you were convicted.

How to write a Pardon Letter:

Tips & Warnings

How to apply for a Criminal Pardon:  Please visit http://www.justice.gov/pardon/ for full details.  Notice:  Do not rush through this process take your time make sure you have all requirements in order before submission.

Pardon Process Instructions:

1

Obtain a copy of your criminal record from the state’s crime information center. The crime information center will have a record of all your arrests and any convictions. Check for inaccuracies.

2

Check for other pending charges. You’re not a candidate for a pardon if you’re waiting for a hearing on a crime.

3

Ask for a form at each agency that you were arrested, including sheriffs, police departments, state bureau of investigations, etc. The forms are free, but you may have a cost associated with filing. Present required identification.

4

Complete all the forms and then make copies of completed forms.

5

Mail the forms to the designated office indicated for your particular state. The police or sheriff’s office can direct you. The Pardon Advisory Board will send you a return letter in the mail advising you of the day and time to appear before the board.

6

Defend your case. The Pardon Advisory Board will ask you many questions, giving you a chance to speak on your behalf and allowing you to present reasons why you request a pardon. The Pardon Advisory Board takes a vote and passes on their recommendation to the governor. The governor reviews the board’s recommendation, and then notifies the applicant by mail of the decision. It’s not customary for the governor to meet with applicants.

More details:

Five-year waiting period required

Under the Department’s rules governing petitions for executive clemency, 28 C.F.R. §§ 1.1 et seq., an applicant must satisfy a minimum waiting period of five years before he becomes eligible to apply for a presidential pardon of his federal conviction. The waiting period, which is designed to afford the petitioner a reasonable period of time in which to demonstrate an ability to lead a responsible, productive and law-abiding life, begins on the date of the petitioner’s release from confinement. Alternatively, if the conviction resulted in a sentence that did not include any form of confinement, including community or home confinement, the waiting period begins on the date of sentencing. In addition, the petitioner should have fully satisfied the penalty imposed, including all probation, parole, or supervised release before applying for clemency. Moreover, the waiting period begins upon release from confinement for your most recent conviction, whether or not this is the offense for which pardon is sought. You may make a written request for a waiver of this requirement. However, waiver of any portion of the waiting period is rarely granted and then only in the most exceptional circumstances. In order to request a waiver, you must complete the pardon application form and submit it with a cover letter explaining why you believe the waiting period should be waived in your case.

 Reason for seeking pardon

State the specific purpose for which you are seeking pardon and, if applicable, attach any relevant documentary evidence that indicates how a pardon will help you accomplish that purpose (such as citations to applicable provisions of state constitutions, statutes, or regulations, or copies of letters from appropriate officials of administrative agencies, professional associations, licensing authorities, etc.). In addition, you should bear in mind that a presidential pardon is ordinarily a sign of forgiveness and is granted in recognition of the applicant’s acceptance of responsibility for the crime and established good conduct for a significant period of time after conviction or release from confinement. A pardon is not a sign of vindication and does not connote or establish innocence. For that reason, when considering the merits of a pardon petition, pardon officials take into account the petitioner’s acceptance of responsibility, remorse, and atonement for the offense.

5. Multiple federal convictions

If you have more than one federal conviction, the most recent conviction should be shown in response to question 2 of the petition and the form completed as to that conviction. For all other federal convictions, including convictions by military courts-martial, the information requested in questions 2 through 6 of the petition should be provided on an attachment. Any federal charges not resulting in conviction should be reported in the space provided for prior and subsequent criminal record (question 7).

6. Pardon of a military offense

If you are requesting pardon of a court-martial conviction only, you should submit your completed petition directly to the Secretary of the military department that had original jurisdiction in your case, and listing in your responses to questions 2 through 6 and question 15 of the petition form all pertinent information concerning your court-martial trial and conviction. The addresses for submitting a request for a pardon of a court-martial conviction can be found at http://www.Justice.gov/pardon/

IMPORTANT NOTICE
To Applicants for Pardon:  http://www.justice.gov/pardon/privacy_statement_pardon.htm

Forms Required for Pardon Application: http://www.justice.gov/pardon/forms/pardon_form.pdf

- You must have Adobe Acrobat version 7 or higher to view this form. Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

YOU DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT CONTRACEPTIONS!  (from BlackGenocide.org)

What is missing from this very informative video is the link between the effects of birth control (tricking the body into thinking it is pregnant) and Breast Cancer (milk ducts on and off production).

This is the epitome of why I wrote the book:  Memoirs of an EX-BLACK WOMAN

Stephen A Smith’s response is priceless and sooo on point.

Riddance is due to the “Black” mentality of Rob Parker!  Congrats ESPN!

Rob Parker will not be back on the air at ESPN, the network announced on Tuesday.

Parker, while appearing on ESPN’s “First Take,” asked whether Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III was “a brother or a cornball brother.”

Parker’s statements drew criticism from all corners of the media world, resulting in what was first an indefinite suspension, and later a 30-day suspension. You can see his original comments Above.

Ex-Black Woman

1898 – 2013

A 114-year-old South Carolina woman who was the oldest living U.S. citizen has died, two of her daughters said Saturday.

Mamie Rearden of Edgefield, born September 7, 1898, held the title as the country’s oldest person for about two weeks, died Wednesday in a Augusta, Ga. hospital, after a fall that broke her hip about three weeks ago.

Mamie was married to her husband Oacy for 59 years until his death in 1979, she raised 11 children, 10 of whom  are living. She lived in the family homestead with a son and a daughter on land that had been in the family since her father’s accumulation of acreage made him one of the area’s largest black landowners.

Gerontology Research Group, the company which verifies age information for Guinness World Records, listed Mamie Rearden as the oldest living American after the passing of 115-year-old Dina Manfredini of Iowa on December 21, 2012

Rearden was a year younger than Jiroemon Kimura of Japan who became the world’s oldest personon December 28, 2012 at115-year-old.

Dina Manfredini
1897 – 2012

Jiroemon Kimura 115

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 16,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Keep on visiting!  And Please follow us this year to stay informed and inspired!

Reblogged from Esoteric Study Group: