Errol, the word I heard was "disinvited" which has a far more disturbing connotation. And apparently he was a big financial backer of Coretta's causes.

The makeup of those on the podium was also interesting. For example, Jesse and Al were not there, they sat in the "gallery".

Piper, what is the word on the street in Atlanta about all this ?

Re: Patois. It seems to me that patois has been doing just fine for generations without any official help in our bawn lan. Nobody taught me patois and aside from the occasional small farmer from Hanover or St. Elizabeth I had to deal with when I worked in the Ministry of Agriculture, I had no problems speaking or understanding it, all without any "official" help. Why the intellectuals at Mona now want to "save it" by teaching it, is beyond me. If they want to teach something they may want to teach poor people's children the language they use in their intellectual discourses and research. In short, the language that got them where they are.

Now the situation with the offspring of the diaspora is different. It certainly behooves us all to make sure that our children know from whence they came. We all do the best we can. And not just all about patois, but patty, pattoo, peenie waalie, pocomania, puppalick and poppy-show. Not tomention: "I am increasingly developing a strong distaste for Obama's brand of politics. There is a name for it that escapes my mind at this time. Can anyone help??" I think the word you are looking for is 'pyaa pyaa'.

Dine, I think Bowie will remain where it is because the white flight is well underway already.