Will This Woman Be the First Black African Woman to Reach the Top of Mt. Everest? [Video]

Even though a casual perusal of Billy Goat's Bluff Digest reveals that a whole lot of people seem to be scrambling to the top of Mt. Everest these days, climbing the tallest summit in the world is no easy feat, and certainly not something any Appalachian Trail hiker can accomplish. That's why if Helen Kinuthia successfully surmounts the mountain in 2014 as part of Expedition Everest, she would become the very first Kenyan ever to climb to the very top of the world.

According to some handy press materials, Expedition Everest is a New York-based initiative aimed at raising $500,000 for the Flying Kites Leadership Acadamey in Njambini, Kenya, an organization seeking "to raise the standards of care available to the world's poorest children" through education and advocacy. Kinuthia was selected for the 2014 climb from a pool of more than 150 certified adventurers after proving her mettle during an audition climb on Mt. Kenya, Africa's second-tallest mountain. When she was selected, Kinuthia explained how awesome it would feel to be not only to be the first Kenyan to the top of Everest, but the first black African woman to reach the top as well:

I am honored, excited and driven to represent my country atop Everest, especially for a campaign as important and meaningful as Expedition Everest. It is a true privilege to have the chance to climb for Kenya, and the opportunity to be the first black African woman on the summit.

Here's hoping John Cleese isn't in charge of the expedition — it'd be a shame to see Kinuthia and her imaginary twin tricked into a quixotic mission to build a bridge between the two peaks of Mt. Everest.

Expedition Everest

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Genius Black Bear Cures Chocolate Cravings With a Little Breaking and Entering [Video]

Aug 8, 2012 12:10 PM  

After finding an out-of-place chocolate tin and a little bit of dirt on the store's countertop, Jo Adams, owner of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise in Estes Park, Colorado, suspected that a squirrel had managed to get into her shop overnight. Upon viewing the security footage, however, Jo discovered that she was, in fact, dealing with something much, much bigger than a bushy-tailed tree rodent. The real culprit behind the few missing truffles was actually a fully-grown black bear who, using its genius bear brain, was able to break in and help itself to some chocolate treats. When reached for comment, the bear, who was found lounging in a sweatband and pair of legwarmers, offered a singular "AACK!" before lumbering deeper into its cave.

Bear With Sweet Tooth Breaks Into Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory In Estes Park [HuffPo]

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Black Couple Forced to Change Wedding Venue Thanks to Some Racist Churchgoers [Racism]

After setting a date and printing invitations for their July 21 wedding at the predominately white First Baptist Church in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson from nearby Jackson had what was probably a pretty awkward conversation with Pastor Stan Weatherford, who told the couple that some members of the congregation objected to their getting married in the church. In an effort to ensure that the Wilsons' wedding day wasn't ruined by a few racist ruiners, Weatherford performed the ceremony at another church.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church," Weatherford told local WLBT, "and I didn't want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te'Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day." According to the Clarion-Ledger, the Wilsons would have been the first black couple to be married in the First Baptist Church's 150-year history, which would have been a really cool thing to boast about to grandkids, but who needs that kind of controversy on an already super-stressful day?

Churchgoer Casey Kitchens was pretty embarrassed by the fact that some members of the congregation don't realize that it's now 2012 and this whole segregation thing is getting to be, quite frankly, a little tacky. "This is a small, small group of people who made a terrible decision," said Kitchens. "I'm just ashamed right now that my church would do that. I can't fathom why. How unfair. How unjust. It's just wrong."

For his part, Charles Wilson thinks someone ought to have stood up to the few recalcitrant bigots at the First Baptist Church, and though he understands that Weatherford was caught in a tough situation, he thinks that the pastor missed a good opportunity to, you know, do whatever it is pastors do when people aren't behaving the way their religion explicitly tells them to behave.

Predominately white baptist church in Mississippi closes door to black couple's wedding [Clarion-Ledger]

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'Black Women Who Look Like Me Aren't Lesbians' Politician Apologizes for Making Idiotic Generalization [Apologies]

Florida's now-infamous lieutenant governor, Jennifer Carroll, has apologized after suggesting last week that women who look the way she does, i.e. a conventionally attractive black woman who wears blazers and earrings, don't engage in lesbian relationships. More than a week after the ensuing internet cyclone of outrage, during which some commenters fairly criticized Carroll for equating sexuality with appearance while others unfairly criticized her for being less attractive than some of their own lesbian acquaintances, Carroll has deemed it necessary to rehabilitate her political persona. So, like a good repentant public figure, she wrote an apology to the Nadine Smith, the head of Equity Florida, a civil rights group that advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Floridians. In her letter, Carroll she explained how wrong it was to hurt other people with words.

It is wrong and inexcusable to make a comment that hurts people, and that was not my intention. As a Christian, my faith guides me to love and respect all people. The false charges that have been lodged against me are no excuse for what I have said that may have been hurtful to members of your organization and to other Floridians. Please know that I am committed to treating every person with the utmost courtesy, respect and dignity and I hope you will accept my heartfelt apology.

Smith graciously accepted Carroll's apology and now, hopefully, the world can keep turning for a little while until it's time for Florida to again fill its monthly quota of strange/upsetting/fantastical news.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll apologizes for anti-gay remark [Miami-Herald]

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LG Optimus Black Headed to a few U.S. Carriers

We have heard about the LG Optimus Black a few times and it should even be headed to U.S Cellular here sometime in 2011. A few already have the device over in Europe but it is about time we see it here in the states. It looks to be headed to multiple carriers here in the U.S. soon.

According to our friends over at PocketNow the Optimus Black has been passing through the FCC and we should be seeing it and that beautiful NOVA display soon. The Optimus Black will land on Virgin Mobile, and Alltel alongside US Cellular like mentioned above.

The Optimus Black has a 4″ NOVA Display as well as a 1 Ghz processor on board. Running Android 2.2 and shooting with a 5MP camera on the rear and a quality 2 MP camera on front for video chat, that should be better than most we have seen. Until we here more details regarding this handset we will just have to wait and see but it looks promising so far.

[via PocketNow]

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