Spring Time in Newark

Subprime Fiasco, Ironic?

This video was posted LAST OCTOBER on YouTube. In retrospect it is quite prophetic, and unfortunately, painfully FUNNY today. If only the finance gurus knew what the comics knew back then. They even mention Bear Stearns by name.

Stuff White People Like

Humorous website (and true)! Read the text!!

Another AMUSING list: STUFF WHITE PEOPLE HATE

The "Race Card"
Affirmative Action
Tawana Brawley
Big butts
Aging
The Truth
Losing/Not Being Number One
Being Called Racist
Black History Month
Wiggers
Loud people
Non-elected Black Leaders*
Jeremiah Wright
Black Men with Good-looking White Women
Talking about the present day effects of Slavery and Segregation
Post-Bad Michael Jackson
Jewelry on Men
Black Sitcoms
Isaiah Washington
Star Jones
Explicit Hip-Hop Lyrics

*(Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson)

Stolen and amalgamated (with edits) from: Undercover Black Man

CNN Poll:Bush's popularity hits new low

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Five years after he green-lighted the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush faced strikingly low approval ratings as he reaffirmed his commitment to "accept no outcome but victory" in the war.

A poll out Wednesday finds that 67 percent of those surveyed disapprove of President Bush.

Just 31 percent of Americans approve of how President Bush is handling his job, according to a poll released Wednesday, the anniversary of the start of the conflict in 2003.

Sixty-seven percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey disapprove of the president's performance.

The 31 percent approval number is a new low for Bush in CNN polling and is 40 points lower than the president's number at the start of the Iraq war.

"Bush's approval rating five years ago, at the start of the Iraq war, was 71 percent, and that 40-point drop is almost identical to the drop President Lyndon Johnson faced during the Vietnam War," CNN polling director Keating Holland said.

"Johnson's approval rating was 74 percent just before Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, which effectively authorized the Vietnam War. Four years later, his approval was down to 35 percent, a 39-point drop that is statistically identical to what Bush has faced so far over the length of the Iraq war," he said.

But there was no sign that the conflict would end soon.

Picture: Bader Mahmood Al-Obaidei, who had multiple wounds, died on the operating table after a power failure in a Iraq hospital. (Photo: Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times)

Barack Obama’s Speech on Race

BO has has every opportunity to participate in divisive politics that has been at the forefront of presidential campaigns for the past twenty years, but he doesn't. He's sticking to his message of unity. A very acessible speech. If you have the time, I'd recommend reading it, in its entirety.

1) Passage of unity building.

"I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story."

2) The most moving passage in the speech.

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love."

3) Reviving the good, old fashion notion of self-help. It reminded me a little of Reagan's message.

"For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who's been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny. Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change."

4) The excerpt the media will pick-up most for today's spin, but will fade with time.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies. We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

I think I drank the kool-aid...

Obama Speech: 'A More Perfect Union'

Barack Obama speaks in Philadelphia, PA at Constitution Center, on matters not just of race and recent remarks but of the fundamental path by which America can work together to pursue a better future.

An Evening with Wong Kar-wai

Time to leave my apartment. I've been back in the states for over a month now and have done absolutely nothing, mostly because of the cold weather. Which is not much of an excuse, but after three months of summer weather in South America returning to the north was a bit of a shock, but for Wong Kar-wai I make an exception and venture into the city.

Wong Kar-wai the Hong Kong director known for stylized cosmopolitan romances including In the Mood for Love, 2046, and Chungking Express, will discuss his career in an evening of conversation and clips from many of his films. One of the most influential contemporary directors, Wong makes impressionistic, evocative movies that capture the fleeting nature of time and love. The evening will include scenes from Wong’s latest film, My Blueberry Nights, an English-language romance set in New York City, starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman. The program will be moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz. At The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, Manhattan. Thursday, April 3, 7:00 p.m.

My $ Vote for JJ

I just purchased the new Janet Jackson “Feedback” at MP3 convenience store (a.k.a. iTunes). And it wasn’t a drunken impulse, unlike most of my other iTunes purchases. I actually gave it a bit of thought, especially since I'm not a huge Janet Jackson fan. Then again, there aren’t many people who can whisper through an entire album and still be a superstar.

Anyway, I always felt a little bad for her and the whole Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction fiasco a few years back. I think 2004 to be exact. The media portrayed her as a publicity seeking, “has-been" superstar looking to jumpstart her waning career. JT, her culprit in the fiasco, distance himself like the plague and left her hanging. But the bottom line was it just wasn’t a big deal. Repressed America needs to see a little stylish boobie every once in a while.

What I also admire about JJ is that gives back to her peeps, especially her dancers, hence the PSA below. She doesn’t have to do that. Anyway she got my minuscule $9.99 vote. Here’s to the album remaining at #1 on Billboard for a few more weeks.

LOGO's Lawrence King PSA

Janet Jackson is at the end.

Amazon.com Hip Hops

These things are so random, yet I was able to purchased all of them on Amazon.com

• JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds - White
• Baggu Reusable Shopping Tote - 3-Pack - Smoke
• Sweet Dreams Contoured Sleep Mask with Earplugs and Travel Pouch – Black
• 3 Pairs Coolmax Running/cycling Socks – Mostly White

It saves so much time. No more trips to the mall. No more mall parking lots, mall crowds, waiting in checkout lines, dealing with incompetent sales clerks, etc.

I must admit however, back in the day, 10 years ago or so, I didn’t think Amazon was going to succeed. I thought barriers-to-entry were too low in their business model and that they’d have numerous competitors chasing their heels. I was wrong. Contrary my expectations they did an excellent job of developing an infrastructure and staying in front of the technology curve. Now they regain supreme, at least in my book (and I buy a lot of books from them).

Slumism

Another intriguing NYT article Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism?

I read many of the comments linked to the article. The comments are certainly mixed. And while I visited a lot of slums and rural villages around the world - I really not sure how I feel about the concept.

Most of the time, it doesn't bother me, mostly because there is an element associated with most visits that hints of tourism, not voyeurism. Like when visiting a African village in Tanzania, the inhabitants run behind their huts change out of their jeans and put on their native dress. And prior to the tour group's departure they present a credit card machine and indicate they will accept the entrance fee in cash or credit.

But there was one time in Laos when that wasn't the case. It was true voyeurism. It was when we participated in a two day hike and overnight stay. The big difference was that this village was newly introduced to the "tourism" concept, and seemed somewhat oblivious as to why tourist would to pay to visit their village. It was a bit unsettling, very voyeuristic.

Obama speaks about GLBT and christianity.

ALL Americans should be treated equal!

I'll take it one step further, ALL people in the WORLD should be treated equal!

Springtime!!

It's sunny and 62° F (17° C) and the widows are open. The stale, coffee-laden, winter air escapes. Warm fresh air, finally. At least for a few hours.