Daily News Feed 6.29.2010/Vocab: Yaw

How Russell Simmons Out-Lobbied Big Banks
It was surely the only time that lawmakers hammering out the financial regulation bill were lobbied by a man wearing a hoodie and New York Yankees baseball hat. That’s how Russell Simmons showed up on Capitol Hill earlier this month to fight a proposal to cap the fees retailers pay banks to process debit-card payments.

Simmons, best known for his Phat Farm clothing line and Def Jam music label, is also the owner of UniRush, a Cincinnati company that sells a prepaid Visa (V) debit card called RushCard, with about 2.5 million users. Simmons has persuaded lawmakers to exempt his business from a measure that would shift more of the cost of debit-card processing from retailers to the banks. (Continue Reading…)

One Million Fans Love Being Black
LOS ANGELES – More than one million Facebook fans love being black and they are causing a web-frenzy over a popular Facebook page. On Sunday, June 27, the fans hit the one million mark.

The ilovebeingblack fan page on Facebook has reignited the Black is Beautiful movement like a virtual firestorm, taking its message of empowerment to the web. The site is devoted to cultural awareness through fashion, capturing the hearts of 1,001,010 Facebook fans worldwide. With its I love being Black apparel line, the company brings a fresh meaning to James Brown’s I’m Black and I’m Proud anthem for a post-Civil Rights generation. The company’s positive motif is part of a larger movement to inspire and uplift the Black community.

Become a fan at Facebook.com/lovebeingblack or log onto ilovebeingblack.com for more information. (Continue Reading…)

Oprah tops Forbes celebrity “power list”
WASHINGTON — Superstar US talkshow host Oprah Winfrey regained the title of the world’s most powerful celebrity in her fourth appearance in the top spot, said a survey published by Forbes magazine.

With 315 million dollars in earnings, Winfrey, 56, who next year is set to launch her own television channel, ousted Angelina Jolie as the top power player with the actress slipping from last year’s number one to the 18th spot.

In second place to the enduring talkshow diva, popular singer Beyonce Knowles jumped two positions with earnings of 87 million dollars, following a profitable year for her growing entertainment and fashion empire. (Continue Reading…)

The Emancipation Proclamation leaves the Oval Office
Joseph Jackson ends bid for estate stipend
Method Man pleads guilty to NYC tax-evasion charge
Child trafficking discovered at South African border
Sean Bell Cop counter-sues for injury