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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Nelson Mandela was hospitalized Saturday with an undisclosed stomach ailment, prompting concern about the health of the much beloved 93-year-old icon.

Mandela’s African National Congress, South Africa’s governing party, said his hospital visit was not an emergency and that Mandela was in good health.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, has officially retired and last appeared in public in July 2010. The Nobel peace laureate became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term.

Mandela “has had a long-standing abdominal complaint and doctors feel it needs proper specialist medical attention,” President Jacob Zuma said, asking that Mandela’s privacy be respected.

Zuma’s statement did not say at which hospital Mandela was being treated, apparently to protect his privacy, but that did not stop journalists from camping out at a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria, on the chance he might be there. In 2011, Mandela spent a few days in a private Johannesburg hospital with an acute respiratory infection.

Mac Maharaj, Zuma’s spokesman, said he could not immediately elaborate but that he would be issuing regular updates. The South African military, which took charge of Mandela’s health care after he was hospitalized last year, and a spokesman for Mandela’s office said they would have no statement Saturday.

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said Zuma’s office had reassured ANC officials.

Mandela “just had abdominal pains for some time now and the doctors decided a while ago that perhaps they should admit him, with a view to check those abdominal pains, so it wasn’t an emergency admission,” Khoza told reporters. “He’s fine, he’s in good health.”

Well-wishers like Derek Kemper, a 47-year-old emergency services consultant, said they hoped Mandela would soon recover.

Kemper said he fought the ANC as a soldier for the apartheid state. On Saturday, Kemper was touring Soweto, the famed Johannesburg township set aside for blacks under apartheid and still largely black and poor, with a group of other whites. Kemper marveled at how far the country had come, and credited Mandela.

“He had the wisdom to try to reunite the country.” Kemper said, speaking in front of a Soweto home where Mandela once lived that has been turned into a museum celebrating Mandela’s life.

Kemper said he believed that even though Mandela has largely retired from public life, he has a moderating influence on younger black South Africans who may be impatient with the pace of change in a country where the black majority remains poor. Kemper said he worried about whether the commitment to reconciliation would outlive Mandela.

But Kefiloe Molepo, a 19-year-old student who grew up just around the corner from Mandela’s home, said there was little cause for concern. Molepo, walking home from church, said he was raised on stories about Mandela, who he said was a friend of his great-grandfather.

“When he was set free, he didn’t think of vengeance,” Molepo said. “He wanted peace for the nation.”

In 1993, after white extremists killed Chris Hani, a black leader who at the time was second only to Mandela in popularity, Mandela went on national television to call for calm. Mandela wrote later that he was among those who feared Hani’s death would spark a race war, and his measured words were credited with averting further violence.

Today, white extremists have been largely sidelined. And black militants like Julius Malema, head of the ANC’s youth wing, grab headlines but struggle to draw crowds.

Christian Bohm, a 32-year-old Swedish telecommunications company employee who was visiting the Mandela museum Saturday, said Mandela had set an example for the world for how leaders can pursue justice.

“South Africa is very privileged to have had such a leader,” said Bohm, comparing Mandela to India’s Mahatma Gandhi.

Hassan Burma was visiting Soweto from South Sudan, Africa’s newest nation.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan last year, and its leaders must now cope with the devastation of decades of civil war. Burma said Mandela has shown Africa has different possibilities.

“What he did wasn’t just for South Africa,” Burma said. “It is for all the African nations.”

Mandela’s public appearances have become increasingly rare, though he did appear at the closing ceremony of the World Cup in July 2010. Mandela also held a private meeting with Michelle Obama when the U.S. first lady traveled to South Africa with her daughters last year.

Mandela has taken up permanent residence at his home in Qunu, in the southwestern region of South Africa where he was raised. Earlier this year, Mandela came to his Johannesburg home for what Zuma’s office said would be a brief stay while maintenance was done at his Qunu home. Zuma’s office said then that Mandela was in good health.

Mandela’s last surviving sibling, a sister, died last month near Qunu. Makhulu Nothusile Bhulehluthi was 82. Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, their father, had several wives and 31 children.

Lauren Casselberry/The Jersey Journal, NJ.COM

Jersey City, NJ - A shooting that took place Friday night in Jersey City, may not have been an accident, according to new details that have emerged from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

“The manner of death has not been established,” Prosecutor Edward J. De Fazio said this morning . “It could be an accident, but at this point that has not been established.” – NJ.Com

On Friday night, the 12-year-old boy was shot with a semi-automatic pistol which belonged to Shaara Green-Sims, a Hudson County Corrections Officer, at the officer’s home on Randolph Avenue.

Hudson County Prosecutor said the boy was shot once in the chest inside Green-Sims home, however was found outside on the sidewalk.

“It appears that somebody removed the victim to that location,” De Fazio said, adding that the boy was likely still alive when he was moved. “That, of course, is a very critical part of the investigation.”

Source

Lauren Casselberry/The Jersey Journal, NJ.COM

Jersey City, NJ – A boy playing with his parent’s gun accidentally shot his 12-year-old friend in Jersey City, reports NJ.com.

A law enforcement source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the gun belonged to a corrections officer.

It is not confirmed whether or not this was an accident or homicide.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio confirmed the shooting death but said details are pending further investigation. “We’re not sure at this point whether it’s an accident or a homicide,” – NJ.com

Story is developing …

Source: theybf.com

As fans are still mourning the untimely death of Whitney Houston, it brings great solace that you will get to see and hear her sing in her final movie, “Sparkle”. Check out this footage of Whitney Houston as she talks with Entertainment Tonight and sneak peeks of the movie. You can tell Whitney had put on a little weight, she looked healthy, and might I add – good. “Sparkle” plans to be released in August 2012.

News of the lavish burial attire was publicized after the National Enquirer plastered a photo of Houston lying in her coffin. However, Wingham Funeral Home CEO denied the claim Whitney was buried in so much lavish jewelry.

The photo drew wide criticism.

Since Houston’s burial, there had been swarm’s of onlookers causing overwhelming traffic, resulting in the cemetery closing down indefinitely. Despite the decision, the cemetery will not be closed to individuals who already have family members buried there.

“There is a very genuine fear that her coffin will be targeted by grave robbers. It would be hard for them to actually dig her casket up, but that won’t stop psychotic fans or people who think it could make them money. The fact she was buried with such valuable jewelry is just an invitation to sickos. It’s ironic that Whitney, who was most famous for ‘The Bodyguard’ movie when she was alive, has to have bodyguards even in death.”

Whitney Houston, 48, died earlier this month at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. There has been no official cause of death as autopsy results are pending.

Artist: Moruf
Title: Rest.Well
Description: Song from New Jersey rapper Moruf produced by Like of Pac Div
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“The Newark Police Department was not involved in joint operations with the New York Police Department as was described in the disclosed NYPD report,” Mayor Cory Booker said Wednesday, referring to a leaked internal New York police document that allegedly detailed police surveillance of Muslim-owned business and mosques across the city.

“I strongly believe that we must be vigilant in protecting our citizens from crime and terrorism, but to put large segments of a religious community under surveillance with no legitimate cause or provocation clearly crosses a line,” he said.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also called the development “disturbing” and has asked the state’s attorney general to investigate.

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Brandon White

A third suspect has been arrested for the savage beaten of a young man in Atlanta. Brandon White was beaten more than two weeks ago by a group of thugs who video recorded the incident and then posted the footage on the internet & various blogs. Police quickly arrested two suspects, and on Thursday, FBI arrested a third suspect who was captured in Pennsylvania.

Darael Damare Williams, 17, surrendered to authorities in Erie, P.A. without incident, and arraigned on state fugitive from justice charges. Authorities said Williams fled to Pennsylvania to stay with family members. Williams is currently being held in Erie County Prison on a $250,000 bond waiting extradition.

Anonymous tips led to the arrest of Williams co-conspirators Christopher Cain, 19, while Dorian Moragne, 17, turned himself in to police. The trio are said to be members of the “Jack City 1029” street gang.

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Artist: POL Arida
Title: Land Of The Free
Location: UK
Genre: POP/Rock Indie
Description: “This Country built from the bricks of multiple nations blood and tears` Download the song here http://www.cultx.com/Land_of_the_free.html Arida tackles the attitudes to immigration and wealth inequality in Western nations, with the video focusing on US icons, asking the question `Who are we now` For much more POL Arida go to http://POLArida.com
Social Presence: http://POLArida.com

RED BANK, NJ- Two River Theater Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, continues its season with the world premiere of In This House, a new musical by Mike Reid (composer, co-bookwriter), a Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter and musical theater composer, Sarah Schlesinger (lyricist, co-bookwriter), and Jonathan Bernstein (co-bookwriter). The music director is James Sampliner and the director is May Adrales. Performances will begin in Two River’s Marion Huber Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, on Sunday, March 4 and
continue through Sunday, April 8, which includes a two-week extension due to audience demand. The press performance is Saturday, March 17 at 8pm.

Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org. Single ticket prices start at $45. Discounts are available for groups, seniors, students, and patrons aged 30 and under. In This House is sponsored by Rumson-Fair Haven Bank.

This intimate chamber musical has been developed at Two River Theater over the past year through a workshop and writers’ retreat. Orchestrated for piano, cello, violin, and reeds, it tells the story of two couples-one at the beginning, the other at the end of their time together-who meet accidentally and spend an evening together in a deserted house on New Year’s Eve. The company includes Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper (now starring at Two River as Becker in August Wilson’s Jitney, Broadway’s The Life) and Brenda Pressley (the original Broadway cast of Dreamgirls, Nicky Silver’s The Lyons) as the older couple, Henry and Luisa. Jeff Kready (Broadway’s Billy Elliott and Les Misérables) and Margo Seibert (the world premiere of Orestes: A Tragic Romp at Two River Theater, Mary Zimmerman’s production of Candide) play the younger couple, Johnny and Annie.

Says Artistic Director John Dias, “In This House includes what I think are some of the most beautiful and uniquely American songs written for the contemporary musical theater. This show is the fourth collaboration between Mike Reid and Sarah Schlesinger, two artists I have known for many years. I’m thrilled to have them, and their co-writer Jonathan Bernstein, in Red Bank to develop and premiere it. Director May Adrales has assembled an exquisite cast and a fantastic design team, who will bring our audiences inside the intimacy of this generations-spanning story.”

Mike Reid (Composer, Co-Bookwriter) and Sarah Schlesinger (Lyricist, Co-Bookwriter) wrote The Ballad of Little Jo, which was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago as its first musical and was subsequently produced at the Bridewell Theatre in
London. They have written the score for Casanova Returns, a new musical based on the life of Casanova, which won the Global Search for New Musicals. The team’s opera Different Fields was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Guild and has recently been on tour in Australia.

Reid is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter with more than 30 Top-Ten pop and country hits recorded by many artists including Bonnie Raitt (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”), Anita Baker, Bette Midler, Prince, George Michael, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Joe Cocker, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, and Tim McGraw. He has been the recipient of ASCAP’s “Songwriter of the Year” Award and received his Grammy for “Stranger in My House,” recorded by Ronnie Milsap. In 2005, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Reid and Schlesinger have received the Kleban Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award, the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, and Chicago’s Jeff Award for best original musical. Schlesinger is the Chair of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Co-bookwriter Jonathan Bernstein’s plays and musicals have been produced all over the country. He is the Artistic Director of The Performing Arts Project, a theater training intensive that works with students from all over the world.

Music Director James Sampliner has served as music director for Broadway productions including The Wedding Singer and Legally Blonde. Most recently, he has been involved in the development and first two productions of Sleeping Beauty Wakes, at McCarter Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse.

Director May Adrales has directed the world premieres of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them at Actors Theater of Louisville; Mary at the Goodman Theatre; Our Lot by W. David Hancock and Kristin Newbom at Clubbed Thumb; and other plays. Her other recent credits include Yellowman at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. The recipient of numerous
awards and fellowships, she has served as an Artistic Associate at The Public Theater.

The creative team includes scenic designer Lee Savage, costume designer Camille Assaf, lighting designer Gina Scherr, and sound designer Nevin Steinberg. The orchestrations are by Danny Larsen, the casting is by Tara Rubin Casting, and the stage manager is Whitney McAnally.

The musicians for In This House, who will perform live and on stage,are Marisol Espada (cello), Henry Hernandez (reeds), Jens Kramer (violin), and James Sampliner (piano).

J. Bernard Calloway

J. Bernard Calloway, starring in Jitney and Broadway’s Memphis: Talks about theater to students at Asbury Park High School

ASBURY PARK – Actor J. Bernard Calloway currently starring in the play Jitney, at Two River Theater in Red Bank, concedes that theater found him and he did not find it. The actor, who is also on leave from the Tony Award winning musical Memphis, will address students at Asbury Park High School, on Friday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.

Calloway is a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and attended Alabama State University on a football scholarship. With the stature of an NFL linebacker, Calloway was an accounting major at ASU until he discovered his true love, acting, while singing on campus and was asked to audition for a part in a play. He auditioned and got a principle role and the rest is history.

“My dad wasn’t, too, happy when I told him I was changing my major from accounting to theater,” said Calloway. His passionate decision proved to be a winning ticket. Enthralled by the hand-picked, first-rate cast of actors in Jitney, Calloway pretty much begged his agent to get him an audition with the play’s director, Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Once finding out that he got the part in Jitney, Calloway took a leave from Memphis. He plays the estranged son, Booster, whose dad, Jim Becker is the owner of the Jitney Cab station. Most recently, Calloway made a guest appearance on the television show “Person of Interest.”

Calloway will share his own personal story from football to theater with the students. He is the founder, along with his wife, Carmen, of Creative Couple Productions, Inc. Calloway takes tremendous pride in honoring the legacy of Jitney’s two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, August Wilson, by being a part of this acclaimed production. By popular demand, Jitney was extended at Two River Theater and closes on Feb. 25.

This year’s honorees are: Michelle Burrell, founder of the Asbury Park Technical School of Dance; the Rev. Tommy D. Miles, Macedonia Baptist Church, Neptune; Denise M. Lowe, Asbury Park Schools superintendent; David Mooij, Neptune Schools superintendent; June West, New Jersey Orators, and the Affordable Housing Alliance of Monmouth County.

The Hall of Fame inductees are: Howard West, Sr., Thomas and Maxine Daniels, Sam Jones, Superior Court Judge Lawrence Lawson, Celestine Overbey, James Williams, Donald C. Smith, Ermon Jones and the Rev. Vernon McGowan.

Tickets are $65. For information please, contact asburyneptnaacp@aol.com