The Bulldogs are now ranked ninth in the Sports Network’s FCS poll, an improvement over the team’s No. 10 ranking.

S.C. State continues to be ranked at No. 1 in all three major HBCU football polls.

Former Gov. Jim Hodges gave $1,000 to mayoral candidate Steve Benjamin’s campaign, according to third quarter fundraising documents.

Read about it here:

Here’s the IOC’s full voting tally, according to WLS-TV Chicago:

First round:
Chicago – 18
Tokyo – 22
Rio 26
Madrid 28

Second round
Rio 46
Madrid 29
Tokyo 20

Final round
Rio 66
Madrid 32

APF/Getty Images (courtesy CNN)

…and the “agony of defeat”…

Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune

… just look at Rio de Janeiro and Chicago today.

Rio was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games over Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid Friday at the International Olympic Committee’s meeting in Denmark. With the victory, Rio will host South America’s first Olympiad.

Obviously, this isn’t a great day for Chicago. But to add insult to injury, the “Windy City” was stunningly voted out of the first round, adding a level of embarrassment for some residents, politicians and especially the 2016 bid committee.

Here’s national coverage from CNN, and local coverage from the Chicago Tribune.

I can only imagine what Letterman’s wife is thinking and how his family will move on after this shocking news.

Read more about it here.

That’s right. The world’s largest, most famous and most visited themed resort complex opened its doors on this day back in 1971.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney wasn’t there to open his Central Florida resort. He died Dec. 15, 1966, just months before construction began. His brother and business partner, Roy, did the honors.

He died Dec. 20, 1971, only two months after the resort opened.

Here’s a history lesson for you: Have you ever wondered how Disney was able to buy so much land for its East Coast empire? Gather ’round, kids, and I’ll tell you the story…

In 1964, Disney secretly began purchasing land southwest of Orlando, Fla. for Disney World, then known as “Project X” to company officials.

The company bought the land under many corporate disguises, such as the Ayefour Corporation (a play of words on Interstate 4, or I-4, which runs through the property), the Latin-American Development and Management Corporation and the Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation.  Using these fake names meant that Walt could buy all the land he wanted at a cheaper price. Plus, Walt knew the charges would skyrocket once Central Florida officials realized that his company was buying land there.

By 1965, though, Disney’s jig was finally up, thanks to Orlando Sentinel Reporter Emily Bavar. She figured the secret out with help from Walt himself at a press event for Disneyland’s 10th birthday. That’s where Bavar asked Walt if he was buying land in Central Florida.

Bavar said the question stunned Walt enough to make her think Disney was buying land in Florida.

“He said, ‘No, I’m not buying any property out there…that would be no place to put a park,’” Bavar said in a 1981 special on Disney World’s 10th anniversary. “He said, ‘Your average main rainfall was..’ whatever the number was, he knew. And he called Orlando ‘Central Florida,’ which was unusual because nobody at the time had really ever heard of Orlando, and he knew exactly where it was.

“He wasn’t a very good liar,” Bavar added.

After the press conference, the Orlando Sentinel ran stories on the possibility of Disney buying land near the city. Realizing their secret was leaking, Disney officials finally admitted that they were the “mystery buyer.” By that time, the company had bought more than 27,000 acres, twice the size of Manhattan.

If you have time on your hands, check out this video of what Disney first had mind for its new property. It was first shown in 1967 to Florida journalists.

This is an important film in Disney history.  It was the company’s first public showing of their plans (Epcot was originally going to be a futuristic city, by the way) and because it was filmed less than two months before Walt’s death, it would be the last time he would speak publicly about his greatest dream.

YouTube video courtesy: tikigirl

Link to Emily Bavar interview (fast forward to 3:36): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zgLfdnWII

This year, think about volunteering your time with a charity, such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure or giving money to the American Cancer Society.

Let’s all work together to find a cure for this disease that kills millions of women and men (yes, men) every year.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

American Cancer Society

These days, when there’s a tragedy, such as a death or a big news event, people flock to Twitter to write or read about it. This was no different when the beating death of Chicago teen Derrion Albert was first reported.

Although users showed the understandable rage over Albert’s death, there was a different kind of rage over comments about the situation.

One Twitter user, whose name I’ll keep hidden to protect the guilty, wrote tweets that were not only insulting to Albert, but to African-Americans, too.

Here’s a taste of what she wrote last night:

“it looks like #DarrionAlbert is a one hit wonder just like @souljaboytellem. Get it? God I’m so smart and witty. Love my girlies. <3″

“and we have this foolishness because of black people. sorry someone had to say it.”

“Isn’t it funny the dark kind only come out in herds when something happens to one of them then they bring up race? Pathetic!”

“Since when is racism bad? I am confused.”

Thousands of offended African-Americans bombarded this user with angry tweets (But I can’t write their messages here because of the foul language. Sorry.)

What I can write is that I understand their pain and anger, even if the profanity was probably unnecessary.

This Twitter incident is a clear example of why over 40 years later, we still haven’t achieved Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of total equality in our society.

Sure we have an African-American president, that’s great. Blacks can vote, and aren’t being called the “N-word” (at least, not regularly). But didn’t King say he had a dream on a nation ”where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”?

I think we’ve lost sight of that.

And actually, I believe that the first step to finally achieving equality in this nation is to stop labeling people by race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. Don’t understand? I’ll show you. ::ahem::

“Why is that black dude doing (fill in the blank)”

“Dude, look at that white guy (fill in the blank)”

“Why are those gays (fill in the blank)?”

“Look at that Jew. She’s (fill in the blank).”

“Man, that Mexican is (fill in the blank).”

The last time I checked, I thought we had first and last names, such as Bob, Jasmine or Whitney. See, in order to solve some of the problems in society, we shouldn’t complain to the government, the media or even write statuses on Facebook.

The first step in solving problems in society is to start treating others as we would want to treat ourselves (that is, unless you treat yourself like garbage). Reach across the aisle and help others who may not have the means or money to help themselves.

Put your biases aside and talk to others who aren’t like you, who don’t buy the same clothes or have the same perks as you do.  Help others and treat others as you would treat your best friend.

And maybe we can start a path to fixing our nation’s problems, and finally live in equality.

Imagine having to plan your child’s funeral.

Think about it. Let’s say you were the parent of a 16-year-old and his name was Derrion Albert. Let’s say this child was an honors student at his South Side Chicago neighborhood and was going places in life.

And let’s also say that he was a well-behaved teenager. His family adores him and they even said he stayed out of trouble.

Have all that in mind? Good.

Now, picture your child walking home from school. He’s an innocent bystander to what looks like a gang fight on his way back home and, all of a sudden, he becomes the punching bag of the neighborhood.

He’s stomped on.

Beaten on without mercy.

And, let’s imagine that these same ruthless, young adults have the nerve the knock your child upside the head with 2-by-4s. Repeatedly.

Now, you, the parent, get word that your wonderful child, the honors student, is dead. A promising future is gone. He could have been a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist or even a teacher. Not anymore.

If you can picture this in your mind, congratulations. You’ve done something that, apparently, most of Chicago’s politicians haven’t.

Instead, you watch the 9 p.m. news, only to see Mayor Richard M. Daley and friends partying it up in Copenhagen, Denmark. That’s where they’ll find out if Chicago will host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Yep, that’s right. Instead of confronting the sad fact that six teenagers, including Albert, were murdered in a four-day period, according to RedEye, and teenagers make up 30 percent of Chicago’s homicide victims in September (so far), Daley and friends are busy trying to secure a two-week sporting event.

To paraphrase a line from Marvin Gaye’s famous song, “Inner City Blues,” it makes you want to holler and throw up both your hands.

When will Daley and other community leaders address, in a serious fashion, this issue? It shouldn’t take a Ku Klux Klan-style beating death, to do something besides the usual “Chicago Police are stepping up efforts to address these crimes” press conference routine.

When are we going to see action from not only politicians and police, but also from parents and guardians? They’re your children, so why are you afraid to ask who their friends are, where they hang out, where they’re going, or, how about this, why they’re out at night when they should be doing their homework? (And if it’s during the summer, “parents,” ask why your child is out past Chicago’s mandatory 10 p.m. curfew for them).

To our children: Why are you all afraid of snitching on someone who just shot or beat someone to death? What’s more important: keeping your friends out of trouble or providing closure and justice to a family who just lost their child?

And despite what some bigots and racists may say, this isn’t a low-income, Black community problem. It’s everyone’s problem, from politicians and parents, to friends and neighbors.

After all, if something like this can happen in Albert’s neighborhood, it can happen anywhere.

Racism won’t solve anything, especially when… Oops! Sorry.

More on that tomorrow.

Here’s more from The Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/28safire.html?_r=1&hp