Lee Boyd Malvo, the 17-year-old teenager who was convicted of arbitrarily shooting 10 people in the Washington D.C. area, now wants to change his name. Now 26 years-old, the triggerman claims his name has made him a target for assaults by his fellow inmates. According to reports, the notorious shooter filed a motion to change his name to Joseph Lee Ostrierre. Reportedly, that request was rejected by Wise County Circuit Court Judge Tammy Mc Elyea who said he had not had any incidents of assault in seven years therefore his claim was unmerited.
Malvo who made national headlines when he was arrested with partner John Allen Muhammad for the October 2002 crime spree that resulted in the murder of 10 people was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the heinous assassinations of innocent individuals.
Muhammad was executed.
See ‘The Help’
Perhaps, the last of the summer releases will spark dialogue about the intricacies of hiring a stranger to run a household. The book, “The Help” had already created a buzz and now with the release of the film more than a few family dialogues seem to be convening about the condition faced by nannies, maids and household domestics. The movie, starring Emma Stone, Academy Award winner Viola Davis and featuring a stellar cast including Cicely Tyson, spotlights some of the injustices faced by helpers in the south (Mississippi) during the 1960s.
Although racism factored, pervasive discrimination against menial workers shamed white, married women who treated their babysitters, gardeners, maids, and hires as if they were slaves to the trade and not human beings, it is the apathy displayed by others that seem most offensive to this shame. At times depressing, the storyline delves into aspects of the Civil Rights movement when NAACP worker Medgar Evers was brutally murdered by racists in the region. The plight of then less-than-minimum wage earners steals the spotlight from catty, white women whose self-esteem seem to elevate when they inflict the worst atrocities on individuals they perceive to b below their station. In the book and movie, only a single white woman sought help for the right reason. She is an outcast, considered “white trash” and learns from a rejected and black-listed maid who teaches her to become a better housekeeper.For all the right reasons, check out “The Help.”
Garvey Day commemorated here & there
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jamaica’s first national hero received a number of birthday celebrations on his special Aug. 17 day of birth.
His contribution to enhancing African culture in the USA and the Caribbean was not forgotten by thousands who attended events here and there.
In Jamaica, the island’s ministry of sports, youth and culture teamed with IRIE-FM, the 24-hour, all reggae radio station to feature an all-day regalia held on Aug. 14 that began with a four-hour, live, broadcast from their facility. Starting at 6 a.m. the Sunday, “Running Africa” cultural presentation featured discussions by Dr. Ronuko Rashidi, a Pan-Africanist, acclaimed Garvey scholar and Egyptologist. Poet Mutabrauka, a local choir and Bongo Herman was also invited to the special celebration.
Performances by reggae stalwarts – Sizzla, Ernie Smith, I-Wayne, Mikey General, Chuck Fenda and others marked the occasion.
In southern California, reggae veterans The Mighty Diamonds and Zimbabwe’s popular recorder Thomas Mapfuno were billed at the World Beat center on the actual birth date. A second tribute also invited The Wailers and other lesser known acts for a day-long celebration commemorating Marcus Garvey Day in the USA.
Catch You On The Inside!
