Nicole Paultre-Bell, the young woman who lost her unarmed, would-be husband Sean Bell on the day before their nuptials nearly four years ago in an out-of-control hail of police bullets, is mulling over possibly running for the position of Queens City Council member.

A judge has ruled that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) faction led by the Rev. Sylvia Tucker is the winner in the legal fight over who controls the moribund civil rights group based in Atlanta.

But the legal wrangling will likely continue.

The loser in the fight, the Rev. Curtis Harris, has said he will appeal the ruling of a Fulton County Superior Court judge that took control of the civil rights group from Harris, treasurer Spiver Gordon and chairman Raleigh Trammell.

I've never understood the attraction of the Greek lifestyle for college students.

I've heard all the reasons from my best friends, girlfriends and others why pledging Q-Dog, Kappa or Alpha would have been a smart move during my college days. They talk about the sense of brotherhood, the lifetime friendships and the community service that pledging a frat can spawn.

I can't argue with any of the that. I guess that for some students, especially those who feel alienated and alone on their campuses, the sense of belonging provided by a brotherhood or sisterhood is a wonderful thing.

But one question I have never had answered to my satisfaction by fraternity supporters is why do you have to go through a beat down to join. If it's all about unity, why do you show it with hostility?

African-American males in Detroit between the ages of 15 and 24 are dying at a rate that is roughly seven times higher than the rest of the Detroit population. If they were dying at the same rate as everyone else, there would be one death every three weeks. Instead, there are two black men dying every single week.

This has set off alarm bells within the Detroit Police Department, which has taken heavy criticism for its policing of the black community. Their most recent embarrassment was the shooting of 7-year old Aiyana Jones during a police raid. But the Chief of Police, Ralph Godbee Jr., is concerned about black men killing one another.

In an announcement that should surprise no one, Nation of Islam Leader Min. Louis Farrakhan voiced support for a planned mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, even though public opinion polls continue to show a majority of New Yorkers oppose the plan.

The $100-million project has been roundly criticized by a majority of New Yorkers who see building a mosque so close to where Muslim extremist terrorists killed more than 1,500 people in the World Trade Center attacks as disrespectful to families of the survivors.

But Farrakhan, who was joined by a group of black Muslim at a press conference, said Ground Zero also represents a hallowed place for Muslims who also suffered in the 9/11 attacks.

Multiplatinum rapper T.I.'s stars were perfectly aligned: He had finally sealed the deal with his long-time lady love Tameka "Tiny" Cottle by getting married in July; he was basking in the glow of his box-office smash "Takers"; and he was in the throes of wrapping up a new album and had completed taping a VH-1 music special. Until Wednesday night.

T.I. and Tiny were crusing in West Hollywood when they were pulled over for a routine traffic stop. When police officers got wind, literally, of what was wafting throughout their luxe vehicle's cabin, it was curtains for the celeb duo. The vehicle was searched, ecstasy and other drugs were found, and the couple was arrested and booked on felony possession of a controlled substance charge.

It was more than 10 years ago, but when I think hard about my own near-death experience, it feels like it happened yesterday.

While driving on the New Jersey Turnpike to my parents home in Teaneck, an unmarked construction barrier in the center lane caused traffic to go from about 60 mph to around 20.

The car in front of me swerved in to the slow lane, but it was too late for me. I jammed on my brakes, narrowly missing the barrier. I did a 360 degree spin around the barrier, missed a Shop Rite truck but a few feet and came to a stop in the middle lane - facing oncoming traffic.

Talk about saying some prayers that night before going to sleep.

That experience makes me quite sensitive to the story of the woman who is suing American Airlines for giving her a near-death experience of her own when a jet she was traveling on slid off a runway.

Longtime music executive Francesca Spero, 51 (pictured below, middle), is suing former employer Sean "Diddy" Combs for $12 million, claiming she was put out to pasture for being disabled and old.

I hope former Alaska governor Sarah Palin does run for President. First of all, I think she'd get clobbered.

Secondly, if this country is crazy enough to elect her, then we'll deserve whatever punishment, er, I mean policies, she dishes out during her four short years in office. Why four? She probably wouldn't get a second term.

In fact, many people believe that she'd likely overtake George W. Bush for title of worst president ever.

But in reality, I think Palin, in announcing plans to visit Iowa, usually the domain of presidential hopefuls, has learned how to work the media money machine and is just trying to make as much money as possible before her star falls.

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