Please welcome Talk is Costley’s first contributor and male advice columnist, Adonis Black. He will periodically (whenever HE wants) drop some knowledge for all of you lames out there in Lamelan (i’m copyrighting that now). Get it Boobtube=TV/Lamelan=internet.

But back to Adonis who plans to lend his self-proclaimed savvy with women and all things male to you. He recently graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in African-American studies. He has modeled, acted and is best known for his “Lets Get Random” explosions of philosophy on Facebook and staunch representation of the Get It Poppin Coalition. Roll out the red carpet…

The Hilltop Policy Board, which serves as the newspaper’s board of directors, voted yesterday to continue printing The Hilltop as a daily publication. All but two members of the policy board, Director of Student Activities Lennon Jackson and Dean of Student Activities Tonya Guillory, voted to keep the newspaper printing five days a week for the 2008-2009 calendar year based on a pledge by The Hilltop’s management to generate more ad revenue, according to Howard University student leaders. New members of the policy board, who represent all of Howard’s schools and colleges and the different sectors of Howard community at are, were also welcomed to the board yesterday

The Hilltop was forced to stop publication, a decision made by Jackson and Guillory and approved by policy board chairman Nicholas Owen. The decision was met by widespread disapproval by current and former Howard students and different community activists, including Dick Gregory.

Courtney Eiland, a former sports and managing editor for The Hilltop, was on the staff when the newspaper began printing daily on February 28, 2005 and said the decision was risky at the time.

“But we ended up making history as the only black collegiate paper to print daily and its comforting to see that the legacy continues,” Eiland said.

Thousands of Howard University alum expressed concern over the decision and a willingness to donate directly to The Hilltop instead of donating to the school. Several alum said they did not want to donate the money to Howard University’s administration but to The Hilltop privately and separately to ensure that the paper received the funds.

The news of the decision to stop publication was first broken on BisonRoundup, a forum for Howard University alum where many initially expressed willingness to donate.

“I was surprised to hear that printing stop because I read the Hilltop online regularly,” said Kristina Thomas, a Howard alum and graduate film student at University of Southern California. “So when I got to campus and heard what happened, I was really upset. This should never happen in the first place because the newspaper and the yearbook are important for keeping record of what happens at Howard.

The Hilltop broke the news about the policy board’s decision between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. yesterday on their website, The Hilltop Online.

“I am so pleased by the advisory board to not allow this historic publication go less than daily. This is a call of faith in the new Hilltop staff, which includes the Editor in Chief, Vanessa Rozier, and those who manage the business and financial operations of the paper, to take advantage of the “second chance” given to them and not only do it right but do it well. This is also a call to the Howard Alumni, especially those who own businesses, to support the paper through advertisement. I look forward to new beginnings at the Hilltop for 2008-2009!” said one regular reader of The Hilltop Online, Veronica Carter, in a comment on the story.

Nearly 100 college students, mostly students at San Diego State University were arrested Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Two kilograms of cocaine, 35 ecstacy pills, marijuana, mushrooms, hash oil, crystal meth, prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities told AP.

Of the 96 students, 75 were students at the Southern California school. Some students arrested were about to graduate from the school and members of campus fraternities were implicated in the drug bust.

The operation, named “Operation Sudden Fall”, was started after a May 2007 cocaine overdose of a SDSU student.

A member of Theta Chi sent text messages to “faithful customers”, according to the DEA, which became the most helpful component in bringing the drug ring to an end.

I wonder what will happen to the numbers for enrollment of next year’s class at San Diego State and the application for 2012-2013 because of this drug bust. Thoughts???

Interactions in face for infinity.

Looks like Washington may have gotten the last word in the Jay-Z/Lebron “Bron Bron” James v. Soulja Boy/DeShawn Stevenson beef.  The NBA has become an interesting cross section for the hip-hop game, basketball and the black community.  D.C. rappers (Tabi Booney, Wale, Mambo Sauce) are about to put the Chocolate City on the map in 2008 and this track in response to  Jay-Z’s Washington Wizard diss record by Proverb.  The Cleveland/Washington rivalry is undeniable at this point and game 6 tomorrow in Washington is going to be exciting.  I might be going.  I’ll post pictures if I go…

Snaps to Silqy Smooth for the tip.

Ok…here is the track that LeBron James and his yesman Damon Jones dropped at Washington’s hometown Love on Friday, when I left to march halfway across town because Wu-Tang wasn’t performing.  Caron Butler was there with his wife, according to The Washington Post’s Mike Wise.  Caron told Wise he felt disrespected and he left after hearing Jones talk trash and Jay-Z diss his teammate.  LeBron said that there is no rivalry or beef, but it seems that him and my favorite rapper J-Hova are stirring the pot.

Should Jay-Z have gotten involved in this beef?  Is LeBron really showing himself to be above this beef?  I don’t think so…you guys?

Editors Note:  Express Ya’Self features a piece of creative writing relevant to social issues that are taking precedence today.  Feel free to submit your pieces to dccostley@hotmail.com for review and possible posting.

There have been several times in the past year that I have been walking home and felt like someone was going to rob me, but saw the person back off from tailing me after we walked past D.C.’s newest growing family: young white urban professionals.

I was walking down the street one day. About three deep in a bottle of beer…

When I felt this dark presence, lumbering and laundering near

A spring dense traveled in our past. Silent hae and yellow shades

Told me to put my phone away…

And on the other end of the path, was an ominous glow, briskly passing by the

Tense dense and shooting through arid synapses

And it re-opened a green world with more shades

Than pink and salmon…

Thank you Mr. White Man

For reminding the bum behind me why

I should keep the change in my pocket

For foreclosing on the dreck’s scheme

Because any set dream

Isn’t settled enough for thee

All the centavos en la tierra can’t save you soul

When the untold are beheld as gold

For safety and convenience you let go of your lenience

More pain so you squeeze out one more vacation

But not in the snow

Because that makes them complacent…

Thank you Mr. White Man

For setting up this society

and shove us in at the bottom

So the bum would turn around and rob me, but praise you

Tabi Booney might be doing this for D.C. but this video is off the chain for the whole DMV region.  Shouts to Pure Nightclub and Lounge, Wale Folarin, Garfield Park Terrace, Ben’s Chili Bowl, The West Towers and of course HU, you know!

2008 is the Year of D.C. Rap!!!

The Washington Redskins already receive a B for having eight draft picks going into this weekends lackluster NFL draft.  But they bolstered the offense for what is going to be a crazy year in 2008 - 2009 in the NFC East. With Pacman coming to Dallas and the way New York’s secondary came together at the end of last year, the Skins are going to have expand their arsenal.  They did just that by adding college football’s top tight end (Fred Davis/USC) and two top receivers (Malcolm Kelly/Oklahoma and Devin Thomas/Mich. St.).  And they did it without spending first round money.

They didn’t really address their needs on either line, but have some solid lineman barring any injuries (my fingers, toes and eyes crossed).  My favorite pick of the day, though, was that the Skins also drafted the nation’s best punter in 2007 (Durant Brooks/Georgia Tech) and did so in the sixth round, which is typical for punters but with all of the field position wars in 2007 I’m surprised he didn’t go early.  The NFC East is the toughest division in the NFL’s history and isn’t any different these days, so a coffin corner punter would be great, and Brooks is just that.

It’ll be interesting how both of our defensive back picks pan out in our beleaguered secondary.

Who do you think had the best draft?  Who do you think had the worst? Which division do you think is the toughest in the NFL?

Was I the only person that saw Barack Obama on trial at last  night’s debate?  Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous (who came to prominence during the first Clinton years) engaged Obama in multiple debates on his associations with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and a member of some radical organization that was active when Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD.  Oh yeah, I’m sure Barack was rigging bombs from Indonesia…

Those reaches by ABC and Hillary Clinton’s refusal to let go of those issues and move on show a deep disrespect for the debate process and the electoral process.  Clinton could have advocated for moving on to actual issues, which Obama has done in the past, but she just kept on, demanding answers about issues her husband has even had a hand in manipulating.  It is sad that FOX News has set an example of trying to heavily influence presidential elections and broadcast journalists need to stand against this form of test administration.

What happened to the days when some actual news would be broken during a debate because the moderator asked a cold blooded question that the candidate couldn’t dance around?  My government teachers, parents and historians have reflected on moments when a candidacy was captured or lost at a primary debate or a journalist stepped out and took the opportunity of being in front of a live televised audience to ask a stunner….I haven’t seen anything close to that with this year’s moderators and don’t expect to…I’m not in the same position that these guys are (Wolf Blitzer, Brian Williams, Charles Gibson) but please grow some before the general elections start so you can ask real and relevant questions while your counterparts on evening and morning news chase McHeadlines.

Sidenote:  ABC News took over 40 minutes to pose a question of substance about the issues concerning PA voters most: the economy and the Iraq war.

Have the Miller boys grown to men?

ESPN’s Sportscenter reported earlier this week that Romeo Miller b.k.a. Lil’ Romeo will be on the bench rather than in the booth next school year. The son of Percy Miller is scoring 13.9 points and 5.6 assists per game as a senior point guard at Beverly Hills High School in Los Angeles, CA. And Monday he signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Southern California, he and future teammate Demar DeRozan announced at a very lush press conference on Monday. DeRozan is a senior at Compton High School in LA and one of the highest touted HS prospects this year.

Miller follows in the footsteps of his father, Percy Romeo Miller, Sr. b.k.a. Master P, who tried out for the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in 1998 and 1999, but was cut from both teams. But the junior Miller hopes that his fans (does he have anymore fans, anymore?) take a lesson from his decision and follow his example.

“This is the most important thing I’ve had to do, and hopefully it sends a message to kids across the country that education is more important than money,” said Romeo at the press conference. “Getting a college scholarship is more important than winning an American Music Award, and I plan to be the best student-athlete I can be at USC.”

Meanwhile his father Percy Miller is on a nationwide speaking tour, promoting the end of the usage of derogatory lyrics in hip-hop. In early October, Miller apologized before Congress for his usage of derogatory language. “If I can do anything to change this,” he said. “I’m going to take a stand and do that.” He also apologized to women for his music. “I was honestly wrong.”

I hope that the Miller’s family example trickles down to a lot of rappers coming out of the south. He is the great uncle of hip-hop in the South (after Scarface, the grandfather and OutKast, the godfathers) and I am sure he inspired many to make the music they do. Hopefully he can inspire them to eventually change their philosophy on hip-hop music and remain positive images in their children’s lives. You see it worked with Percy and his son, Romeo.