Dr. Rapp: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: Put Facts before Fear

*The fear of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever has gone worldwide and understandably so. There have been at least 319 deaths in Guinea,, 224 deaths in Sierra Leone, and 129 deaths in Liberia as of July 31^st.

The U.S. placed its second Ebola patient in an isolation ward at Atlanta’s Emory University hospital yesterday.  Spain is treating a priest with symptoms.   A man with symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever who flew to Saudi Arabia 3 days ago from Sierra Leone has died today. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control have issued warnings to avoid nonessential travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Lastly, the International Civil Aviation Organization is considering passenger screenings.

Let us give attention to some facts before fear.

Venus Williams Takes Down Serena in Montreal

*Venus Williams has just claimed the biggest scalp on in women’s tennis by taking down her sister in Montreal.

On Saturday in a Rogers Cup semifinal, Venus played not only her little sister, but the WTA’s current world no. 1 and the tournament’s defending champion, Serena Williams, winning the match in three hard fought sets at 6-7,6-2,6-3.

It was a thoroughly entertaining match that could’ve gone either way.

Mark Zuckerberg May Become ‘World’s Richest Person’

*Let’s hope you don’t have a problem with social media mogul Mark Zuckerberg, after all, according to an article in the Huffington Post, you’re helping make him the ‘World’s Richest Person.’

With a surge in Facebook’s stock on Thursday  to $76 a share from $71, the net worth of the chairman and CEO of Facebook jumped about $2 billion before he had even finished breakfast. This, only one day after the company announced it had made roughly one entire buttload of money in the previous three months.

Deitrick Haddon: ‘Preachers of LA’ are Learning to Agree to Disagree

Deitrick Haddon acknowledged the pastors had some intense moments on “Preachers of LA.”

But he confirmed the preachers are coming to terms with it and are learning how to agree to disagree.

He dished to Sister 2 Sister about the relationships among the preachers and how they are quickly working through their differences.

“I’m the type of guy that once I get it off my chest and get it out, we can go hang out and go play pool. We can go out to dinner. I can be fussing and be upset about something. An hour later, we can go chill. We can take a family vacation,” Haddon said.

Deitrick Haddon, Michelle Williams Talk ‘Fix My Choir’

*With “Preachers of L.A.” a ratings hit for Oxygen, the network borrows show standout Deitrick Haddon to double down on its black church programming with yet another religious-themed reality series – this one involving dysfunctional gospel choirs.

Debuting this fall, “Fix My Choir” has Hatton and former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams mentoring struggling choirs at a different community, school or church each week. As Oxygen puts it, the duo will help the singers “find perfect harmony both within their music – and their members.”

“I remember when I signed up for the show, I thought it was just going to be me giving performance tips, how to wear your hair and makeup and what outfit to wear depending on what song you’re singing. But we actually began to be life coaches,” Williams said.

Added Haddon: “It went way beyond the music.”

Winnie Mandela Contesting Nelson Mandela’s Will

Winnie Mandela attends an African National Congress (ANC) led alliance send off ceremony for former South African President Nelson Mandela at Waterkloof military airbase on December 14, 2013 in Pretoria, South Africa.

*Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is contesting the will of the late anti-apartheid hero in a bid to claim the country estate where he is buried.

Relatives of the South African political icon have been bickering over his estate since his death in December, and Mandela’s second wife is now insisting ownership of his country home should pass to her family.

Madikizela-Mandela, who married the civil rights activist in 1958 and divorced him in 1996, claims the property in Qunu should belong to her and her children because she bought it in 1989, during her then husband’s imprisonment on Robben Island.

Her lawyer has addressed her claim in a letter to South Africa’s Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke.

Madikizela-Mandela was left nothing in her ex-husband’s will and his $4.1 million estate is to be split between his family, the African National Congress party, former staff and a number of schools.

Boko Haram Chief butcher paraded

            Chief Butcher Zakari Mohammed Ardo

The Chief Butcher of the Boko Haram sect, Zakari Mohammed Ardo, yesterday, gave a chilling description of how the terrorist group used to slaughter people they capture, saying it only takes him two minutes to butcher victims and enemies condemned to death.

Ardo, who had been reported in some media as having escaped from Police custody, said the group’s butchering committee was made up of five persons of which he is the chairman, pointing out that the other members will hold down the already tired victim while he cuts off the head.