Baron Pikes, a 21-year-old Louisiana man who died — cuffed and in police custody — after being tasered nine times, is not the first black man to die in police custody from excessive Taser use. He won't be the last. And then there are countless others who are shot with police Tasers — read: electrocuted — excessively and unnecessarily.

Police love Tasers because they are supposedly non-lethal weapons that keep police officers safe from unruly detainees without actually killing said detainees. One catch, of course, is that some policemen irresponsibly and sometimes sadistically overuse their Tasers… like on unarmed women who are 8-months pregnant during routine traffic stops. However, the biggest catch of all is that Tasers are only non-lethal some of the time.

How many people — and let's face it, we're talking mostly black people, here — have to die before these devices are banned? How many police officers have to be caught using them when they're not supposed to before they get snatched away?

CONTINUED »

• This story about Jay-Z requesting a watermelon carving of Beyonce's breasts (with cherries as nipples!) would be really disturbing if it seemed like it was remotely true. [MN]

• By the time something that's not supposed to be life threatening kills 300 people, should we discontinue its use? [BV]

• Kumbaya, America. [N&V]

• Sanaa Lathana and Nia Long have been added to the cast of the new Family Guy spin off, Cleveland. [EUR]

• Rihanna. Gucci. UNICEF. Ads. [SR]

• Thanks for making sure we know who you are from the back when you're shirtless, Vince Young. [Jossip]

• A University of Memphis football player was fatally shot on campus yesterday, and, even though police believe the shooter left campus after the incident, classes were canceled today. Happy first semester. [AP]

• Who doesn't love a celebrity plastic surgery quiz? [BV]

• It took a white kid getting tasered to shed some light on a pretty messed up police practice. [NAM]

• Another one that should always wear a hat. [C&D]