The bedtime story is one of the most sacred of childhood rituals. We curl up on our parents’ laps, snuggle up with our blankets and velveteen bunnies, as we listen, follow along with our fingertips, and eventually sound out the words of our favorite stories.

A famous publisher and author of children’s books, Emilie Buchwald, said that “children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” We know this to be true, because for generations, this is how we learned and taught our own children to read. When it was illegal to teach Black people how to read in this country, our forefathers and foremothers got their hands on books, by any means necessary, so that their children might learn to read and have a better life. How will the next and future generations adapt to this world of iPads, electronic media, and, yes, even blogs like the one you’re reading?

A while back, I was doing a reading at a library in Alexandria, VA. The parents were really into my reading, I thought was doing a pretty good job, it seemed as if I’d engaged the children. But not long after I finished, a fifth grader ran up to me and said, “Ms. Charisse, your books are cool and all, but can I get them on my iPhone?!” Children don’t know a world without the Internet. Their brains are changing to keep up with the times, and the times are changing fast.

E-books are not going away. Earlier this month, Amazon announced a hard but not surprising fact – eBook are outselling hard cover books. Days later industry experts confirmed the same stats from major publishers. Electronic publishing brings up a lot of interesting considerations and possible changes: how will media change the way children learn? How will children change the way adults publish and produce new technologies? What does all this mean for the future of children’s books, which currently aren’t even available on the Kindle? Once the technology catches up with itself and with our needs, what about the costs? Will everyone be able to afford a Kindle? Will everyone be able to afford the e-books, or will they be available for free, just like at the public library? And, what will happen to the libraries? Will the digital divide grow wider at the same rate as the technology, leaving those who cannot afford to keep up in the dust? Will the book, as we know it, become obsolete?

We are just beginning to explore these newfound technologies, assessing their capabilities and challenging their limitations as well as our own. Our classrooms have gone from chalkboards, to dry erase boards, to smart boards, in order to help our children keep up with the speed of our own technological evolution. As a parent, anything that furthers my children’s education, increasing their imagination and chances of future success is something to which I can happily subscribe. As an author of children’s books, however, I cannot help but wonder about the fate of my own imagination and future successes.

I think, what matters now, is that we remember the words of Frederick Douglass: “once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Whether we teach or learn on a paper page or multi-pixel screen, the lessons are what really matters.

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In our continued effort to improve this site for our readers, we at News One want to know what you feel the site can improve on and what you already like.

We also want to thank you for commenting on these daily News One discussions. We have received great feedback on them.

Have a great weekend.

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As a kid growing up, my favorite sport to watch on Saturday mornings and Monday nights was wrestling. If it wasn’t WWF, it was WCW. If it was neither of those, I’d have to sneak in ECW late night on low volume so my parents wouldn’t hear me up so late.

In elementary school, everyone had their favorite wrestlers and most of them were white. We all had white favorites because they seemed to be the only ones on top (not because of color). The Black and Latino wrestlers always seemed to be middle of the road and were portrayed in a very stereotypical light. Think of the Godfather being a Pimp. Faarooq being the leader of a Black Panther esque group in the Nation of Domination. Kamala being portrayed as a man who couldn’t speak and was made to seem as if all Africans were like him.

All this continued until The Rock came along. At first, he was Rocky Maivia and just a regular wrestler who was on the undercard most times. But things changed in year three or four of his career when he became the first African-American star to grab the title of #1 wrestler in the world. He had charisma, the ladies loved him, and his finishing moves were popular. Many will claim that he isn’t Black or that being light skin helped him out (the latter I won’t deny), but on a grand scale, he helped pave the way for other Black wrestlers to receive their necessary shine. For these wrestling federations to give a Black wrestler a shot at being the face of their brands was huge

In saying all this, I thought I would dedicate some time to a list of (in my opinion and in no particular order) the “Top 10 Greatest Black Wrestlers Of All-Time.”

Feel free to disagree with me or add any people you think I may have forgotten.

#1 Booker T

I remember Booker T when he was with Harlem Heat in the mid 1990’s. He has come a long way to become a world champion in the WWE numerous times. I remember when he called Hulk Hogan the n-word by mistake with Mean Gene Okerlund interviewing him. Classic stuff!

Clip: Booker T calls Hulk Hogan the N-Word

#2 Koko B Ware

If there is one wrestler Black folk love to remember and make fun of it’s Koko B Ware. Not only was his getup a bit strange, but he also carried a parrot around. God did the WWE and other wrestling federations try to make us look bad.

All in all, FLAP THOSE WINGS!

Clip: WWE Hall Of Fame video of Koko

#3 Junkyard Dog

I wasn’t old enough to see Junkyard Dog, but I remember seeing clips of him body-slamming the sports biggest stars. He is said to be one of the toughest and strongest wrestlers to ever compete period. He walked with a metal chain around his neck and crawled on the floor like a dog.

May he rest in peace.

Clip: Tribute to Junkyard Dog

#4 Ice Train

If there is one thing you can say about Ice Train, was that he was as hard as a block of ice and rarely ever melted.

Clip: Giant vs Ice Train

#5 The Rock

“Do you smellllllll…what The Rock…is cooking?”

That was The Rock’s catchphrase every time he ended an interview or a match. The Rock was by far my favorite wrestler of all-time and the funniest ever in my opinion. I mean, can you really top the People’s Elbow?

Clip: The Rock making fun of Lilian Garcia

#6 Godfather

Three words: “Pimpin Aint Easy!”

Clip: Godfather vs Golddust

#7 Farooq

The former football player for the Univ of Miami became a wrestler and a damn good one. He headed up the Nation of Domination and also played plenty of different characters.

Clip: Faarooq disbands Nation of Domination

#8 Mark Henry

The world’s strongest man. Big Mark Henry went from being a bad guy with the Nation to “Sexual Chocolate” with the ladies.

Clip: Mark Henry vs Goldberg

#9 Kamala

We all knew him for never being able to talk and tapping his tummy all the time. He had a series of classic matches with the Undertaker.

Clip: Kamala vs Undertaker

#10 Mr. T

The man who many believe was the first to make the jump from wrestling to the mainstream. He went from the mat to Hollywood red carpets and big screens.

Clip: Roddy Piper confronts Mr. T

Welcome to the daily Newsone Discussion.

Today we are asking you a stomach pleasing question: “What is your favorite Black restaurant in your respective city or the country?

As I’m based out of New York City, it’s a close tie between Amy Ruth’s and Melba’s in Harlem. Those are two great restaurants that provide you with a classic soul food experience. I’ve also been to chicken and waffle places in Indianapolis and Roscoe’s in LA and liked them as well.  But I haven’t been to many other states to eat some good Black food. I’m eager to hear what people in places like Memphis, Alabama, South Carolina and New Orleans amongst others have to say.

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From NYTimes.com:

The swastika now shows up so often as a generic symbol of hatred that the Anti-Defamation League, in its annual tally of hate crimes against Jews, will no longer automatically count its appearance as an act of anti-Semitism.

“The swastika has morphed into a universal symbol of hate,” said Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization. “Today it’s used as an epithet against African-Americans, Hispanics and gays, as well as Jews, because it is a symbol which frightens.”

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

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From MSNBC

LONDON — A mother broke down in tears as she was reunited with her baby girl six months after the earthquake that devastated Haiti.

“I had thought Landina was dead and when I heard she was alive I was in shock,” the eight-month-old infant’s mother, Marie Miracle Seignon, told Britain’s Channel 4 News. “This is very emotional for me.”

Doctors said the January earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in the Caribbean island nation actually saved Landina’s life.

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With the SB 1070 immigration bill going into effect tomorrow, we at NewsOne wanted to ask you our readers if you agree or disagree with this bill.

While I believe immigration is a huge issue that needs to be addressed in this country, I feel the law signed by Governor Brewer is unjust.

Currently, the state of Arizona has over 400,00o undocumented immigrants. They have dealt with many issues like increased crime from illegals and drug/human trafficking. But racially profiling people isn’t how you’re going to solve this problem. When this law goes into effect tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how law enforcement handles their new objective. If the cops in the state of Arizona took a real hard approach with this law, the economic impact on this state would be devastating. You also have to take into account the many families who would be broken up by this law.

But the blame for all of this shouldn’t just sit at the head of Brewer, but with our Federal Government. For decades, the Feds have waffled on creating comprehensive immigration reform. Even the current administration, which received close to 70 percent of the Latino vote, has paid this issue lip service. If immigration reform doesn’t come soon, you will see similar laws passed in other states.

In final, this isn’t about President Obama signing a law so Latinos support Democrats in the midterms and him in 2012. This is about confronting an issue head on that previous presidents have cowerd in the face of and doing the right thing. Not only for the undocumented immigrants currently here, but most importantly, for our country as a whole.

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Bakari Kitwana speaks with Lisa Fager Bediako about the absence of African Americans in mainstream prime time positions as anchors and hosts on cable and network television. Reflecting on the recent provocative CNN Reliable Sources segment, Bediako takes us inside the industry that she’s both worked in and monitored for years. From recent telecommunications legislation and new trends, she describes where things have gone wrong, reflects of what the dearth of representation means for the Black community and suggests ways for moving forward.

Media justice activist Lisa Fager Bediako is the co-founder and president of Industry Ears (industryears.com), a watchdog group that focuses on the impact that the media has on communities of color.

 Bakari Kitwana is CEO of Rap Sessions, Editor at Large of Newsone.com and author of the forthcoming Hip-Hop Activism in the Obama Era. (Third World Press, 2010)

 See CNN story on the dearth of black television anchors

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The eight days I spent on the island of Haiti were truly incredible in every sense of the word. My heart broke countless times — not only for the country as a whole, but for the individual lives I saw and had an opportunity to impact in some small way.

Driving through downtown Port-au-Prince, my senses were overloaded. Every where I looked I saw scenes and pictures reminiscent of something on CNN in the days immediately following the quake. But here it was, in front of my own eyes, even more moving and powerful than I could have imagined.

Nothing truly prepares you to see and experience a third world country, let alone the poorest country in the western hemisphere after the most devastating natural disaster in the last few hundred years. My 2006 trip to Rwanda didn’t prepare me. Everything I’d seen on TV didn’t prepare me. All my imagination and mental images didn’t prepare me. Nothing prepares you for Haiti. Nothing.

After an incredible seven day experience (most of which I’m still processing and concocting into various other blogs — don’t worry, you’ll hear about them), it was time to come home. But I wasn’t ready to go. During the last three missions trips I’ve been on (Mexico, Rwanda, and the Philippines), there comes a point when you’re enjoying the work, yet, you’re ready to get back to the creature comforts of the states. That point never came in Haiti. I didn’t want to leave. And now that I’m home, I want — and can’t wait — to go back.

I left a piece of my heart in Haiti.

Driving through downtown Port-au-Prince Saturday morning on the way to the airport was truly bittersweet. Something about this country just wouldn’t let me leave. As I glanced out the window of the plane, through perfectly clear skies, I could see the desolated cities, as well as the infamous tent cities scattered across the countryside. Flying over the mountains, back toward Miami, I couldn’t help but marvel at the country’s beauty, wishing people could see those images instead of the more popular ones of poverty and destruction; I wish people could see Haiti for it’s beauty and magnificence.

(NOTE: All photos used in this post are courtesy and property of Esther Julee Photography Inc. For more information and pictures from Haiti, check out her website and Facebook. Thanks for the beautiful shots!)

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his all NEW personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]

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Bryant Terry interacts with his food, and he wants you to do the same. His cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen mixes fresh, local ingredients with a blend of traditional Southern cooking and flavours inspired by travel and experimentation. The result is a surprising departure from the usual fatty meat-heavy soul food. In its place is a comforting blend of fresh, nurturing ingredients, and satisfying vegan fats.

In what Bryant calls a combination of “life, recipes and historical notes on Afro-Diasporic cuisine”, he promotes local, seasonal cooking without meat, dairy products or eggs. Most ingredients are as unprocessed as possible, meaning beans are cooked from scratch and real peanuts are ground into sauces.

A Soundtrack for Each Recipe

The style of this book is relaxed, low-key and personable. Bryant even provides a soundtrack for his recipes; many of which connect food to the history of African-American culture. His uncle even penned a song that appears in the book.

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