By RAVI NESSMAN

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey" and won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday, an aide said. He was 90.

 

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome for years, died at 1:30 a.m. in his adopted home of Sri Lanka after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

The 1968 story "2001: A Space Odyssey" — written simultaneously as a novel and screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick — was a frightening prophesy of artificial intelligence run amok.

One year after it made Clarke a household name in fiction, the scientist entered the homes of millions of Americans alongside Walter Cronkite anchoring television coverage of the Apollo mission to the moon.

Please continue to Full Story

You are a beautiful individual. I remember speaking to you on the phone wondering what good we could do for the schools in Washington DC. We laughed about what we were going to wear for the White Attire Affair.

We giggled at each other at the Ummah Foundation Meetings. We kept in contact all year round even when the summer events were over. I can say that I miss you brother and I love you. I some how wished I could have been there in greater force to help you.

Good bless you.

It is with great sadness I announce, that one of our community more well known members have expired.  For those of you, who haven't heard, Serapis K-ROCK has passed, as of this writing two nights ago in Atlanta, GA. The cause is still not known. However, we will celebrate his life no matter what was the cause.

GBMNews, will be posting a memorial article on his brief life and legacy this coming week.

IF you are in the Atlanta area or near the Atlanta area and would like to attend the memorial services, the information is provided below.

Memorial services will be held this Friday, which is also his birthday, at 1 p.m in Atlanta, Ga. The services will be held at
 
Tabernacle Baptist Church
475 Boulevard NE Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: 404-876-3777

Because of his statue in the community, it is recommended that individuals come early to get a seat. Tabernacle Baptist can hold up to 2000 people. For more information please contact a representative at this number (404) 688 - 7940

The gruesome murder of 19 year-old Rashawn Brazell on February 17th 2005 remains unsolved and the killer lurks amongst us. Rashawn, a young black gay man and aspiring web designer's body parts were found stuffed in garbage bags at three different locations throughout Brooklyn. This case garnered very little media attention but did include a national piece on the television crime show "America's Most Wanted". Homophobia on the media's part? Perhaps.

Three years later, on the eve of Rashawn's murder anniversary, I can't help but wonder how much more exposure this case would have received had it been a white woman whose dismembered parts had been found in a similar fashion. In the same year on May 30th, a young white woman disappeared during a school trip to Aruba. Three years later, the case still garners considerable media attention on national and perhaps even some global news outlets. I remember Natalee's name, not because I knew her, but because the media makes sure that I don't forget her and that I (and everyone else) helps provide tips to locate her killer. But what's worse is our own community's apathy surrounding this case. I mean, there is a killer out there who has murdered a black gay man! Though this case has not been officially deemed a hate crime, it has all the makings of one... chopped up body parts to start. Hopefully the killer will be found and brought to justice.

This year I'm honoring Rashawn's memory by running the series of photos from last year's candle light vigil.

I remember Rashawn, and will never forget...

Nostrand Avenue Train Station, Brooklyn. One of the places where parts of Rashawn's dismembered body were found.




Volunteers hand out leaflets to the community.




Desire Brazell, Rashawn's mom speaks to the crowd.



The Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
.


Friends embrace.




Rashawn's father.

Please continue to Full Story

By Paul Bass

He was the ultimate political survivor.

Charles H. “Chuck” Allen III

Kidney cancer finally claimed Charles H. “Chuck” Allen III Sunday evening at the age of 55, ending the life of a native New Havener who helped shape public policy — and just as often dissented from it — from the mid-1970s into the 1990s.

Allen represented Newhallville on the Board of Aldermen from 1976 to 1988. Sometimes he was an ally of City Hall in crafting legislation or deciding ward-level issues. Other times he was the board’s most outspoken and informed critic of City Hall’s complex downtown development deals or neighborhood housing plans. An accountant by training, he provided a level of independent scrutiny rare to this day on New Haven’s legislative body.

During that time Allen survived a series of controversies and primary challenges. Several times his career was declared dead, only to have him reemerge as a state senator in the early ’90s, then a mayoral aide to the DeStefano administration. He served on a myriad of volunteer boards.

Please continue to Full Story

By David Hinckley

Roy Scheider, who survived the shark in "Jaws" and brutally graphic open-heart surgery in "All That Jazz," died Sunday in Little Rock, Ark. He was 75.

Scheider's wife, Brenda, said he died of a staph infection, brought on by complications of the multiple myeloma with which he was diagnosed in 2004.

A classically trained actor who appeared in more than 70 films, his signature role was Martin Brody, the conflicted sheriff in Steven Spielberg's breakthrough 1975 "Jaws."

Brody's droll remark "You're gonna need a bigger boat," which Scheider ad-libbed, turned into a defining line of the film that became the unlikeliest of cinema classics - igniting the career of Spielberg and ushering in the era of summer blockbusters.

Unlike Spielberg or his co-stars Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, Scheider agreed to return for the sequel, "Jaws 2." He had the good sense to skip the next two installments.

Please continue to Full Story

Mrs. York, age 68, of Charlotte, died January 28, 2008 at Presbyterian Hospital. Funeral services will be at 11:00 AM, Thursday in the chapel of Forest Lawn Funeral Home, Dr. Mike Wall officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service (10AM-11AM) at the funeral home.

Interment will follow in Forest Lawn West Cemetery.Mrs. York was born February 14, 1939 in Mecklenburg County, daughter of the late Robert Franklin and Pauline McCorkle Grubb. She was a member of Southview Church in Pineville, NC, was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the monthly Bridge Club.

Surviving are her husband of 46 years, Claude York; daughter, Paula Evans and husband, Keith, and a son, Brett York, all of Charlotte; grandchildren: Bryan York, Corey York and wife, Jennifer, Shasta Hancock and husband, Chaz, Julian Miesbauer, Harrison Miesbauer, and McCartney Evans; great-grandchildren, Trinity Helms and Charles Hancock, Jr. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Todd York.

Memorials may be made to: Harris Hospice, Presbyterian Hospital Foundation, PO Box 33549, Charlotte, NC 28233. Arrangements by Forest Lawn Funeral and Cremation Service, 4601 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC (704) 395-0055.

Brett York is Graphics Editor for GBMNews

The 28 year old Australian-born actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday by his housekeeper and a massage therapist lying naked and face-down on his bed, police said. The prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety pills were found in bottles in Ledger's bedroom and bathroom, and police suspected that his death was caused by overdosing on drugs and quickly ruled out a suicide.

Fans left pictures, flowers and candles outside his apartment in New York on Wednesday. News of the death surprised and stunned everyone Ledger knew.

Several of his friends, family and colleagues had only nice things to say about the vibrant actor.

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," said Ang Lee, who directed Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain."

"He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined -- a thirst for life, for love and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Lee Daniels, who produced the critically acclaimed "Monster's Ball" in which Ledger starred, strongly disputed any notion that Ledger had a drug problem.

"The definition of substance abuse is really up to one's perspective," Daniels said. "I didn't see him as a drug addict. I saw him as someone who enjoyed life. I know drug addicts, he was not a drug addict."

He said he saw Ledger a couple months ago and that he was in great spirits.

"He was in a good mood, he was in a great place ... he was excited about living in New York."

Please continue to Full Story

R&B star USHER is in mourning following the death of his father on Friday (18Jan08).

The Confessions singer - full name Usher Raymond IV - is reported to have been by his father Usher Raymond III's side when he passed away at an Atlanta, Georgia hospital. The cause of death is currently unknown.

The star was joined by his wife Tameka and his mother Jonetta Patton at Raymond Snr.'s bedside, according to MediaTakeOut.com. Patton split from Raymond Snr. shortly after Usher was born.

Raymond Snr. struggled with a long-running addiction to crack cocaine, but managed to keep in touch with the singer throughout his personal troubles.

The remaining members of Black Health Alert are mourning the loss of our leader, friend and colleague
Earnest Edward Hite, Jr.

Ernie made his transition on Monday evening and as the day set on his final hours here on earth the heavens opened to greet its newest deserving soul. We are in such sorrow and pain today we know that to fulfill his purpose we must move forward on the issues that his leadership has brought us.

He was a radical for change with purpose of community empowerment and education. He is missed so much today, that we will never let him to be forgotten. He would be the claim in the storm. He would save us as he provided clarity to confusion.

He was a gentleman our protector and navigator through various forms of wilderness. It's going to take us a minute to map our next steps and we will do so deliberately and appropriately. Until that time if you pray, pray for us all as you pray for yourself during this time. The Lord is leading on and victory is assured.

State senator and civil rights activist Gwendolyn T. Britt died on January 12th after being taken to Doctor's Community Hospital in Lanham, according to a spokeswoman for Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. She was 66.

"The passing of Senator Britt is a tremendous loss not only to her family, but to our family in the state Senate, her constituents in Prince George's County, and to the state of Maryland," Miller said in a statement. "Her dedication to public service, leadership on issues such as education, health care, and civil rights was unmatched, and her reputation as a consensus-builder will be greatly missed." Britt was first elected in 2002 after retiring as a human resources manager for Giant Food. Last year, she was elected chairwoman of the Prince George's County delegation; she also served as assistant deputy majority leader.

The five-year Democratic senator was expected to introduce legislation this year that would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, and she had become a "hero" to the gay community, wrote Dan Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland.

"Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Marylanders and their families only knew Senator Britt by name, and yet this name truly meant everything to them," he wrote.

Britt's political career began as a student activist at Howard University. In June 1960, Britt, then known as Gwendolyn Greene, walked into Montgomery County's then-segregated Glen Echo Park with several students and tried to ride the merry-go-round.

Former U.S. figure skating champion and Olympian Christopher Bowman died of a "possible overdose," according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Coroner.

He was 40.

Christopher Bowman competes for the United States in the men's figure skating event at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Bowman was pronounced dead Thursday, at a motel in North Hills. (Chris Cole / Getty Images)

"If I had to pick the three most talented skaters of all time, I would pick Christopher as one," Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic champion, told the Chicago Tribune, after learning of his death. "He had natural charisma, natural athleticism, he could turn on a crowd in a matter of seconds and he always seemed so relaxed about it."

Bowman's body was found in a hotel room in the North Hills section of Los Angeles, and he was pronounced dead at 12:06 p.m. (3:06 p.m. ET) Thursday, the statement said.

"He just passed away in his sleep," Bowman's mother, Joyce, told the Detroit Free Press, which first reported details of his death, according to The Associated Press. "His friend told me that he was fine. He just went to bed and didn't wake up."

The cause of death was under investigation, said Lt. Joe Bale, adding that a full examination should take place this weekend. However, signs pointed to a "possible overdose," Bale said.

At age 56, Thomas Morgan III had a fatal heart attack while visiting family in Southampton, Massachusetts.

Morgan was born May 17th, 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1973, he graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor's degree in journalism. Morgan served as an information officer in the United States Air Force and worked as a social aide to Presidents Nixon and Ford. He went on to hold positions at the Miami Herald, the Washington Post and the New York Times, where he worked as a reporter, editor and business manager.

In 1983, Morgan came on board with the National Association of Black Journalists as its Treasurer. From 1989 to 1991, Morgan served as the first openly gay president of the NABJ. Morgan was worried that he might lose the faith of the NABJ's supporters or staff. During the election to become the president of NABJ Morgan said, "I struggled with how to represent NABJ without embarrassing the organization but while also being true to myself." Many members of the NABJ had mixed feelings about having an openly gay president. When opposition openly doubted that he would be able to keep the good standing of the NABJ, Morgan stated, "I was elected as a black journalist, not a gay one."

By Will Friedwald

Oscar Peterson, one of the great jazz musicians and among the most celebrated virtuoso pianists of all time, died on Sunday of kidney failure in Toronto. He was 82. In an interview with The New York Sun last year, the contemporary jazz pianist Bill Charlap described Oscar Peterson as "one of the most profoundly important pianists in the history of the music. He straddles the entire history of jazz piano. Everything everyone says is true!" Peterson's praises were also sung by virtually every major pianist of the second half of the 20th century, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and André Previn.

For nearly 60 years in the world of jazz and pop music, the name Peterson was synonymous with a keyboard technique that was so prodigious it was nearly overwhelming: He played more notes than any other pianist, more intense chords, and faster rhythms, yet without ever descending into a quagmire of pure skill and speed. He also played with a supreme melodic logic: every one of the eighty-zillion notes he played in every song was saturated with both feeling and swing.

As he said in a 2001 interview with radio host Michael Anthony of WHPC Long Island, "Swing is the root of jazz. If you can't swing then you're not playing jazz. That is the impetus that drives the whole medium and has driven it throughout all these years. Swing is the infectious part of [jazz], the emotional end of it. … If you don't have the swing element, than you're not operating in the jazz medium."

Recently, we lost a great friend and a strong advocate for gay rights and a great family man. R. Vinnie (not his real name) was a feature writer for us (GBMNEWS : Comfortable & Closeted / DL for over 30 years) . He was also a great advocate for dl brothers, although he wrote only 3 articles, they sparked much debate. He and I would have our disagreements, but we remain friends till the end.

Allow me to briefly tell you all how we met. We met in a chat room that was popular at the time and one day I was hit up by him and it went from there. Eventually, we exchange numbers and eventually met. At the time he was recently divorce with 2 young sons and a very young daughter, I think 3 at the time. And I had just moved back to AL from NY, which is where he was originally from. As our friendship grew we would talk more about things concerning politics to homosexuality to the church. And what it was like being a divorcee and down low with children and I of course would talk about what it was like being an out black gay man and how the two would often conflict.

Now to bring you up to date...

News agencies are reporting that an estimated 6,000 people from the Kurdish Iranian town of Paveh – almost the entire population – attended the funeral of Makwan Moloudzadeh.

Makwan was executed by Iran for aledged gay sex when he was13 years old.

It's been about 2 years and I still think about us and how we tried to make it happen but couldn't because God needed you more than me I miss you Man and will always love you

Well Spiritually we can be one, Mentally we can make it. Physically we can look good together. Emotionally we can work together. Financially we can go places   "Rodney Houston"

Leon Khan was a beautiful man and now a beautiful angel

I loved my friend. He went away from me, There's nothing more to say. The poem ends, Soft as it began, I loved my friend. Langston Hughes

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of a member of the tribe and ardent supporter of our community. Neil Alexander, Chief Administrative Judge for Washington DC's Human Rights Commission responsible for enforcing all human rights for the city, friend, supporter of the dc boys of leather, Centaurs and Highwaymen TNT. Neil had been recently diagnosed with cancer, had undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his spine. He was responding well to treatment and had a good prognosis, but the cause of death is unconfirmed at this time. He was a good friend to my family and he will be surely missed. Rest in Peace In love and leather, baby boy justin

By JACOB ADELMAN

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Donda West, mother of Kanye West and former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department, has died, a spokesman for the rapper said. She was 58.

Donda West died Saturday night in Los Angeles, said the spokesman, who asked for anonymity because not all family members had been notified.

"The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief," the spokesman said.

A cause of death has not been released.

Donda West was known for the strong bond she shared with her son, by whose side she was often seen at parties and award shows.

Kanye West, 30, often spoke of his close relationship with his mother, who raised him alone after her husband left when Kanye was 3.

She was the inspiration for the song, "Hey Mama," on Kanye West's 2005 album "Late Registration," in which he sings: "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you ... I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me."