Lisa Raye

Lisa Raye

LisaRaye's publicist has denied rampant reports across the black blogosphere that the actress is dating Rev. Al Sharpton. The rumors started flying after the two were photographed holding hands at various events over the past several days. Gossip site Media Take Out on Tuesday said they were spotted looking "cozy" at Roland Martin’s Congressional Black Caucus party in Washington D.C. They were also photographed walking through an airport and at Sharpton's Monday appearance on "WWE Raw."

But the outings were strictly business, according to Jeter. The two are involved in the Obama administration's vision of educational innovation and are promoting a tour that will take them through various cites that serve as solid examples of school reform. "LisaRaye is involved in the White House Education Tour with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former GOP House speaker Newt Gingrich and Rev. Al Sharpton because she has a foundation, Radiant Jewels, that gives scholarships to young girls," Jeter explained to EURweb exclusively. "So [the White House Education Tour] is a direct tie-in to what she's already been doing."

The Education Tour kicked off yesterday (Sept. 29) in Philadelphia, with stops booked in New Orleans on Nov. 3 and Baltimore on Nov. 13. And just to be clear, Jeter says that her client and Rev. Al are not an item, Sharpton never counseled LisaRaye through her divorce with Michael Misick as previously reported, and he has never served as her spiritual advisor. "Every time you see LisaRaye with some person, don't assume that she's dating them," Jeter said. "There's a bigger picture to what she's doing."

Google Wave invite

Google Wave invite

Haven’t received your Google Wave invite yet? You’re not alone. Thousands of users around the world are still awaiting their invitation to Google’s new communication platform. At this point, it’s not clear whether demand far exceeds supply or Google (Google) is simply still waiting to open the flood gates, but if you really can’t wait, at least one invite has already found its way to eBay.

The item has already attracted 19 bids, pushing the price up to $70 (there are two days left on the auction). Mind you, for the moment it’s the only Wave invite auction on eBay, a far cry from the mini-industry that emerged around Gmail (Gmail) invites back in 2004. Nonetheless, the fact that a free web service can still attract any significant interest in an auction does show the enormous level of hype that’s been built up for Wave.

Whether or not users will continue to be allowed to sell invites is unclear though, as Google Wave’s (Google Wave) terms say that users are prohibited from “Sell, trade, resell or otherwise exploit the Service for any unauthorized commercial purpose,” though a number of Google Voice (Google Voice) invites can also be found on the auction service. Have you received your Wave invite yet? Moreover, would you be willing to pay for one? Let us know in the comments.

Toyota Recall

Toyota Recall

Following on from the breaking news yesterday that Toyota are issuing their biggest recall in the U.S over problems with floor mats, we have an article for you to read now which compares Toyota’s recall to other recalls that have happened this year. Over at CarGurus, they have played down the seriousness of the floormat issue, saying that it is just a ‘minor’ problem and can be solved simply by removing the sidemat from affected vehicles.

Then they have compared this recall with other incidents that have caused companies to recall vehicles. These include General Motor’s recall of 1.5 million autos in April over the possibility of electrical fires. Then they have highlighted Chrysler’s recall of 13,350 minivans in February, again due to the risk of fire due to faulty electrical circuits. Personally we don’t agree with CarGurus’ admission that this latest Toyota Recall is a ‘minor’ problem. Its good to finally see Toyota willing to address the issue.

Toyota is forecasting a 450 billion yen ($5.0 billion) loss for the fiscal year through March 2010, although hopes surfaced have lately that the worst may be over, with sales recovering enough to allow Toyota to project a narrower loss. The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350. I agree with the analysts–a floor mat recall isn’t a deal killer for Toyota. However, it does open the door for other companies (Honda? Hyundai?) to market their superior quality in an attempt to lure in concerned carbuyers.