Kanye's new album

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Ok. So people either love or hate Kanye's new album "808's and Heartbreak". It got a butchered and praised by various music critics. But a lot of people seem to like it because it's topping the U.S. charts.

Detroit news music critic Adam Graham writes:

“"No plush bear. No collegiate theme. No fun. "808s & Heartbreak" is a stark departure for rapper-producer Kanye West, who since emerging with his 2004 debut, " The College Dropout," has grown into the decade's most transfixing music star, hip-hop or otherwise.”

I'd ask Graham to take it for what it is. Seriously. There should be no debate here. This album is a train wreck of emotional baggage backed by electronic beats. The thing is called "808s and Heartbreak" and that's all it is.No one should be disappointed. The title says it all. You want to hear what 808 drums and heartbreak sound like together on a CD? Get the album. You don't? Don't get the album. It's as simple as that.

Are you EMO? Yeah, you'll like it. Are you mad at or hurt by your recent ex ? You'll love it. Are you sick and tired of T-pain like auto tones? Then you'll hate it.

That's the word.

~HAH.

REAL TALK

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“People across the nation are acting like the auto bailout will save the auto industry. If statistics are correct, they spend about $600 billion a year on parts alone. What was $14 billion going to do? Let's face it. It's over. It's been over. But change is hope. Let's start using our human brain that separates us from other animals and develop new technology.”

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Racial tension still prominent in post-election America

In the post election glow of voting in a black president, it’s a little easier to forget that racial tension is still prominent. Especially when you surround yourself with one race at a time. But when observing mixed groups of people, the tensions between races show. While more people are talking about race now, it’s still an awkward topic that is hard to address and makes many feel uncomfortable.

On the night after thanksgiving I was invited to Berkley Michigan, a predominantly white suburb of Detroit to visit a friend from high school. Over the past year I’ve spent so much time the city of Detroit, I almost forgot how it was to be on the other side of Eight Mile Road in the suburbs where people aren’t as aware of crime. Many don’t lock their cars and when stepping away from their seat at the bar they leave their belongings assuming no one else will steal them.

But perhaps a larger difference was the racial demographic. Except for three black people in the corner, everyone at the bar I was invited to was white. I noticed this instantly, because in Detroit it’s often the other way around. I also noticed a heavyset man playing pool in a black T-shirt with a confederate flag across his chest.

No one in my group said anything about it, though I thought it was very visible, so I brought it up. I asked my friends (who are all white) if that shirt bothered anyone. They were quick to call the man a racist who was “probably in the KKK” but quickly changed the topic.

I couldn’t let it end there. I approached one of the three black people in the bar. I asked a young man (who was playing pool at a table next to man with the flag on his chest) if the confederate symbol bothered him. He said it did, but that he didn’t want to get into a fight “around here”.

There was no reason to start a fight. After all, it was just a T-shirt and I hadn’t talked to the guy wearing it yet. So I decided to do just that. I approached the man in the flag with a smile and asked how he was doing. He stopped and stared looking surprised and rather speechless. I went on to compliment his shirt.

The surprised look on his face turned to fright and h stepped back two paces. “It’s not mine,” he said quickly as if I were threatening him. “My friend gave it to me. I’m not a rebel.”

I laughed and said I was just curious about it because I had a similar T-shirt, in fact, with an even bigger flag on it (because I do). The man looked like he wanted to run. His pool partner just stared on with a grimace but didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t buy it. It’s not mine,” the man in the flag continued.

His face was getting red. I’m not sure if it was out of embarrassment or frustration, so I decided to leave him alone. I shook his hand and wished him a good night.

Within five minutes he and his friend left the bar.

Later that evening one of the three black people in the bar, a girl about my age got on stage to do some karaoke. I overheard one of my white friends say to the other, “She’s so black” in a scornful tone. What exactly did he mean by that? That she had dark skin? My other friend responded, "She’s ghetto." I leaned in to ask what they meant by that but when they noticed I was listening in they changed the topic and avoided eye contact with me for a couple minutes as if ashamed.

What baffled me was that these were the people who minutes before were condemn the man wearing the flag for being a racist. Furthermore, these are people who voted for Barack Obama and agreed with his message of unity among races.

The tension and mocking goes both ways. When I went back to talk to the black people in the bar one of them asked in a critical tone if I always hung out with so many white people. I was beginning to see that that my attempts to ease the tension were not doing much.

Maybe I forgot the level of tension that's created when there’s a mixed group in a room. When I got back home to Detroit, I wondered: Was it always like this, or has living in Detroit made me more sensitive to racial issues? It could be that I, like many others, assumed that with Obama's presidency people must be over petty racial differences. Obviously not.

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Public v Private transit duke it out for favor in legislature

Currently there are two proposals for a light rail transit system on Woodward Ave. One proposal is sponsored by the city of Detroit, the other by private investors.

Right now, the two proposals are still being discussed by all parties including state and city officials as
well as business leaders, according to Dan Cherrin, spokesperson for interim Detroit Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr.

The public transit proposal includes the $371 million, 8-mile-long Light Rail Transit up Woodward Avenue that
was approved by SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments) in July. When the proposal
was first approved, DDOT estimated construction would begin in 2011 with a 2013 completion. Cherrin said he didn't know if these goals were reasonable or not. At the moment he said the main focus is to take the best parts of each of the private and public proposals and create one plan that will benefit the city most.

"Each proposal has merits each proposal has issues that need to be worked out," Cherrin said. "We’re working on constructing a solid regional transportation system."


The private line proposed is called the Woodward Transit Catalyst Project and calls for a $103 million light rail line that serves a 3.4-mile stretch in the downtown and Wayne State areas according to Crain’s Detroit Business. This is considerably shorter than the DDOT proposed line, but it is part of a larger plan to keep building the rail up to Eight Mile Road.

This proposal is backed by Detroit business billionaires such as Quickens Loans founder Dan Gilbert, Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos and Penske corperation CEO Rodger Penske according to Cherrin.

“Right now we are working to unify those two proposals … that will help us get federal funding,”
Cherrin, said. With the private and public proposals merging into one public one as part of DDOT, both federal and private funding will be an option. “[With] any plan you’ll see a combination of private and public funding,” Cherrin said. “All parties are in dicussions.”

PAlin Gets A PRANK (seriously)

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On a prank call, Sarah Palin thinks she's talking to the prime minister of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, but she is really talking to a comedian on a radio show in Montreal, Canada. HERE'S THE AUDIO thanks to Huffingtonpost.com. The part about this that I find funny is that she actually that the Prime Minister of France wants to talk to her about her fake porn with countless references to American pop culture. This is prickly.

Sarah Palin Gets "Handled" Why isn't she Livid?!

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When the news broke that Sen. John McCain chose Sarah Palin—the unknown governor of Alaska—to be his running mate the nation balked for a couple of reasons. First of all, the GOP is not exactly known for being a proponent of affirmative action, and that’s exactly what this pick was all about. Let’s face it: If McCain was not running against the likes of Barack Obama—a very popular progressive man of African descent— there would be no McCain/Palin ticket. Second of all, McCain himself is not very woman friendly in his thinking or his voting record. For instance he strongly opposed the bill that called for equal pay of women in the work force because it would lead to too many lawsuits.

Now here is Sarah Palin, plucked from the obscurity of the Alaskan political scene and swept into a presidential race that will take up page after page in history books for centuries to come. During the race she will be shredded in interviews with national media outlets because she is not prepared.

She will be being treated like a delicate flower by the McCain campaign. In fact she will have “handlers” as if she were an animal. She will be rigorously coached so she can give educated answers to questions aboutthe constitutional role of the Vice President andThe Bush Doctrine. A school girl getting told where to sit, what to say.

If you asked her, of course, she would say she felt like a victim of sexism. She’s right about that. But she won't list the reasons I just listed above because her handlers would not approve. She hasn't even shown any outrage at news stations casually reporting that there are now stripper contests for Palin look a likes in Las Vegas. There is absolutely a lack of respect for Palin because she is attractive. The Internet is flooded with doctored photos of Palin in Bikinis, ”mini skirts, sometimes naked in compromising position with McCain. If she was outraged, we wouldn't know. The GOP can't have this pretty Chrisitan, belle in a skirt and heels getting an opinion of her own or voicing her anger... or any emotion, really, except fear of terrorists.

Why aren’t more women outraged? Maybe it’s because this is a display of a very old and ongoing double standard. Consider this: Obama is an attractive guy. Why aren’t there doctored photos in him in his skivvies online? Where are the Obama stripper look-a-like contests? These are the degrading sexist marks that every woman, including Palin have to face. The question is, how does each woman handle it?

Palin knows she is a victim, though. In fact, that's part of her role in this race. To be a victim. McCain can now take the existence of sexism and work it in his favor. When people imply that she shouldn’t run for VP because she has to take care of her kids, the McCain camp and scream "Sexism!". When reports come out about Palins wardrobe nad how much her makup costs, they can screams "sexism!" And all rightfully so. But there's one little problem: You can't really make an airtight argument against sexism when you, yourself are sexist.

Perhaps the very worst part of all of this is that Sarah Palin is not a feminist. If she were, she would have a problem with being “handled” and she certainly would not allow McCain to speak for her. She would be livid at the way her looks seems to be a dominating facet of her character.

So Palin is right when she says she is a victim of sexism. But it’s a hard argument to make if you, yourself, don’t become the aggressor and continue playing victim. To become the powerful woman whose voice and opinions are fully respected you have to first stop being a puppet. She should know. Running for governor as a woman in a conservative state like Alaska is no walk in the park.

Hillary Clinton was a victim of sexism as well. But how did she handle it? As the Huffington Post'sBen Smith writes:

Hillary Clinton always walked a very careful line on portraying herself as a victim, attempting never to let that get in the way of her perceived strength as she built a commander-in-chief persona. The McCain campaign is dwelling on Palin's victimhood, a new chapter in the short history of women in presidential politics.

We have to face the facts: Palin is a puppet for the GOP. Palin is not in control in this campaign. Her voice is muffled by men (and women) all around her who are going to make sure she knows her place as a woman: In heels and a skirt being told what to do and when to do it. And when she does ANYTHING on her own without the approval of her “handlers” it’s to the shock and awe of media. I haven’t heard anything about Joe Biden “breaking away” from his handlers.

The fact is, while any other candidate has advisors, Palin has handler. Palin has become known for her looks and her years as a beauty queen. That’s not the role model women need. It’s not Palin’s fault that she's being treated this way.

What is her fault is that she's not standing up and taking on the challenges that every career woman must face: Male dominance and the objectification of women. Instead she has become a weakened victim who makes world news when she actually speaks for herself. Why aren’t more people, including Palin, outraged?

What's going on

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Detroit Mayor Cockrel’s closet: Late disclosure of campaign contributions; $42,000 in fines.

Even though the campaign season for Mayor of Detroit has not officially started, mud is already being stirred around interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. The Detroit News ran a story this morning revealing Cockrel’s outstanding debt to Wayne County: $42,000 in fines.

Who was digging around in Cockrel's dirty laundry to find out about these late disclosures? None other than one of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's biggest fans, Adolf Mongo. Mongo has been in Kwame's camp for a while and, as we all know, Cockrel has been one of Kilpatrick's biggest critics.

So the disclosure of this info is definitely political, but that doesn't mean it doesn't warrant investigation. The public has a right to now all the information available to become a truly informed voter..

As part of filing petitions to submit their name as a candidate for mayor, all hopefulls had to sign an affidavit stating that they are following campaign finance laws, and that they have no outstanding fees.

Cockrel signed that affidavit on Oct. 14th, but now all the contributions he waited to disclose until after he secured his spot as city council president are coming back to haunt him.

The Detroit news reports that Cockrel didn't disclose nearly $50,000 in late contributions until after the elections in 2001 and 2005.

Why would he wait and risk getting fined? The list of contributors may have turned off voters: Cockrel got $3,000 from Karl Kado, a West Bloomfield businessman who had held exclusive and lucrative contracts at Cobo Center and was recently charged with filing false income tax returns. He also got $8,500 from a political action committee connected to Anthony Soave, whose company has a contract to provide cab service at Detroit Metro Airport, according to the Detroit News.


Right now Cockrel’s 14 Mayoral opponents in the upcoming special election are probably taking notes for future negative adds. This mayoral election season in Detroit is so packed with candidates it’s bound to get ugly. No doubt that this bit of information on Cockrel’s outstanding debts will resurface in campaign rhetoric. That's assuming, of course that Cockrel can work out his debt with the Wayne County Clerk's office and keep his name on the ballot.


Cockrel’s spokesperson Daniel Cherrin told the Detroit news that Cockrel sent a letter to the County Clerk’s office asking for a waiver. So far no letter has been produced.

OK SOMEONE HAS WAAAY TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS:

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CHECK THIS OUT! [The link.]

The last presidential debate is tonight!

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It's gonna be the same old same old! I'd rather watch Project Runway.

McCain/ Palin ... 'Tradition'?

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OK. This is just funny if nothing else. But is there something kinda irresistible about it or is it just me? Hank is singin' it! He's not that bad... (except for the fact that McCain/ Palin can hardly be a tradition since they haven't even known each other for three months yet. Also, he implies that Obama hangs out with radicals and the Dems are to blame for the financial crisis). Huh?

Hope in the Sadness:

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This video is edited so well! I thought I'd pass it on.

Laugh Out Loud FUNNY!!

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WATCH THE WHOLE VP DEBATE

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Young Turk and MichiganMessenger.com

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As some of you may know, this story about foreclosures and voting started on MichiganMessenger.com and now the Young Turk is talking about it:

Brand new Obama ad on Economy:

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Obama on the economy:

Help me replace stolen camera

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MY Amazon Honors account is HERE

We're crumbling here at home.

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I got robbed in Detroit this weekend. I wasn't hurt, but as you can imagine I felt incredibly violated. Some of my belongings were stolen because they happened to be at the bottom of a bag full of groceries that was in my car: Someone robbed me because they saw lettuce sticking out of a plastic bag in my car.



And while my first emotion was anger, it quickly turned into sadness as I looked up and down the street and saw the desperocity it takes to smash a car window in broad daylight reflected in the crumbling infrastructure. I was on Gratiot and McDougall surrounded by abandoned factories with broken glass and charred houses. Without moving a step, the only operating businesses I could see were KFC, a liquor store, a church, two gas stations a Coney Island and a pawn shop. It was pouring rain, and I was soaking in the apocalyptic scene that has overwhelmed large parts of Detroit.



I know other U.S cities suffer poverty and decay as well and if I lived there I'd be reporting that, too. But I live in Detroit and it's not just one section of the city that's rotting. It's all over. Except for a few pockets of wealth in communities like Sherwood Forest, Indian Village and Downtown.

When I turn on the news I don't want to hear my future presidents bickering over rhetoric. I want to know what they're going to do about the future of this great county that I am a citizen of. While the media obsess over "lipstick" comments and who said what, a major U.S. city is crumbling into the earth, abandoned in the wake of a crashing auto industry. I see these images driving to and from home every day.



The worst part is seeing kids living in it. All I can do when I see a kid playing on the corner by the liquor store is that I hope they make it to adulthood OK.

It's almost taboo to show these images from Detroit or bring up this disparity at all. Especially for GOP presidential pick Sen. John McCain who has yet to visit Detroit on any of his campaign stumps in Michigan. Detroit is the biggest city in the state, didn't he say he wanted to win Michigan? What is he scared of? If he really wants to put country first, then why isn't he showing that? Detroit is part of our beautiful country.

By the same token, if Sen. Barack Obama really wants to "change" the game in Washington, he has to prove it in his campaign. I don't want to know who to vote against. I want to know who to vote for. Last week when Obama did well when he pointed this out:

"These are serious times and they call for a serious debate about where we need to take the nation. [...] We keep on spending $10 billion a month in Iraq at a time when our own infrastructure here at home in crumbling. Spare me the phony outrage."

After living in an impoverished neighborhood in Detroit for a year now, this has never been clearer: When every other house, block after block, is either burnt to charcoal, abandoned, or has all the siding and shingles stripped off, there's a grave problem. When crime becomes part of the culture of a city, there's a grave problem.

Now I am confident that the robbery I experienced this weekend is just a symptom of a larger problem that is so painful to address that many, including me, try to ignore it. But when you are directly affected by the raw, harsh reality of poverty and you're looking at the broken glass of hunger and abandonment, it's a little harder to turn your head.

The situation is so bad in some of these neglected neighborhoods it seems almost surreal that a 15 minute drive north will take me to one of the most wealthy suburbs in the United States. I wish I were exaggerating.

These images not pretty to look at, but they're here. I didn't have to look hard to get these photographs. I hope that the politicians in Lansing and in Washington who are supposed to be representing us see these scenes. Maybe then it'll be a little harder to turn to ignore.





Despite the hardships I see and the crime I was a victim of, I want this to be clear: I'm staying in Detroit. I'm staying in Detroit because I love my neighbors, and my little community. I'm here to help. Almost everyone who gets a college degree takes the first ride out of here and it shows. Over time I will get another camera and continue to use it to rub these images in the face of a government that doesn't seem as outraged at what is happening to their own country as I am.




Sen. Barck Obama also said in his acceptance speech at the DNC:

"In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own."

I would like John McCain to visit Detroit and look residents in the eyes and tell them why they should vote for him. Promise them he'll help. Maybe he could change my mind about him. I'm a very forgiving person. But since he has nothing to offer this certain demographic of voters, maybe his party feels they have to cheat to win.

Grow a Pair! (SNL)

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Hillary Clinton/ Sarah Palin SNL

VERY OFTEN

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"I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's."
~ Mark Twain in Eruption


THAT IS ALL.

Obama's cool in the face of Palin's attack

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Obama: “I anticipated this last Thursday in my acceptance speech. This is what they do. They haven’t offered a single concrete idea. They spent an entire two nights attacking me (or extolling John McCain’s biography). By the way, I’ve been called worse on the basketball court. It’s not that big of a deal."


In other words: [Those bitches ain't shit!]

Palin's baby licker (Hilarious)

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In the middle of Sarah Palin's acceptance speech, cameras cut to Palin's seven-year-old daughter who was holding her baby son, Trig. Well, the girl decided to lick her hand and then paste the infant's hair down in front of national media. It's not really polical fodder, but good for a cheap laugh, no?

Bill Clinton is sexy

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Why is Bill Clinton so sexy? Well, he's just really really good at what he does (when he's in the right mood). Here are my favorite quotes from last night's speech, ones that really shredded the republicans and lifted Obama in ways that only Bill Clinton can articulate.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the speech. Watch the video for yourself HERE.


Finally republicans gained control of Congress and the White House and "LOOK WHAT HAPPENED."



"I love Joe Biden."

Hillary said she will do everything she can to get Obama elected. Bill: "That makes two of us. Actually, that makes 18 million of us."

"Everything I learned [as president] has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job."

"Obama's first decision was selecting a running mate [and] he hit it out of the park."


"Barack Obama is on the right side of history."

Bill Clinton to John McCain and the republicans: "Thanks but no thanks."

Obama Picks Joe Biden

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It's official. After all the speculation, I get a text at 3:09 a.m. saying Joe Biden is indeed Obama's pick for a running mate. Fine. Great! The mad guessing game is over!!!!

McCain gets clowned on the Today show

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Video via TheYoungTurks.com. Very funny:

Obama fights back

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Wow.No more Mr. Nice guy. Obama pointed out that McCain said you have to have at least $5 million to be considered 'rich'. Maaan, I have a long way to go. That means if I make 4 million I'm just, er, middle class? Check out the video, HERE

GIVE BOLT A BREAK! (Oh, wait, he's not American)

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A CNN story quoted the International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge (of Belgium) saying Olympic runner Ussain Bolt is disrespectful when he wins and "showboats" across the finish line without regard for his competitiors. Yeah. Michael Phelps would, too, if he was a runner. He does his own version of showing off, and he should. No one has a problem w. Phelps. If they did, it wouldn't be on CNN, you betcha!

No we McCain't

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In an interview on Politico.com, John McCain was asked how many houses he and his wife own. The answer? Er...ahhhh....he'll have his staff get back with you on that. LMAO!!!


Then the Obama camp immediatly decided to have some fun with this new ad: posted HERE on utube.

Eye for an Eye. Let's get it, Dems!

Detroit Hippies

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There's no hippie like a Detroit hippie, I'll tell ya. As much as I've always leaned a bit towards the hippie side, I always thought the only true hippies left were people like my parents, who were hippies and still are, now they're just old hippies. And since the 60's my two sets of parents have a. left the country b. became a part of the American working class c. have random friends from their hippie past pop up now and then.

But Detroit still has a very strong hippie population and its claimed some of my generation. I think that's pretty AWESOME!

ARE JOURNALISTS STUPID?

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So as we all know, it's getting close to the time when McCain and Obama are going to pick their 'veeps' for the general election. And I think every single major media outlet (and not-so-major ones, too) are going on this wild goose chase to see if they can guess who each candidate will pick. It's like McCain/Lieberman ticket? Obama Biden? Huh? Maybe? Yes? No? Huh?

My thing is: Unless we're SERIOUSLY going to influence this choice by writing and reporting about it, then WHO CARES? They'll pick who they pick, and then we can say, Oh! He picked so and so and then write about that. Not spend days, weeks, months, trying to figure out who it will be. That's a waste of energy. Once it's announced, sure, I want to be the first to know! But before then even if I did guess right...a few hours after they announce it, it won't matter who was right. If it does, then that's just stupid, Journalistis.

McCain says media love Obama. REALLY?

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This would be on the news 24 hours a day if this was Obama. If Obama can't beat this guy, then Americans are stupid, or Obama needs to run a better campaign.

John McCain jokes about rape

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Seriously? What if Obama and his campaign said this!

n,mnm,

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http://www.sendspace.com/file/adht5m

If I were a drug lord I wouldn't hire Lil' Wayne. Here's why:

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[Just for fun}

When I was considering Lil' Wayne for the position of Subcomandante Drogas I took a couple things into consideration.

First of all, he gets most of his money from being a rapper these days and is arguably a great one, so I'd have a really hard time scheduling him in.

And then I started thinking, well, he's in the spotlight far too much. If he was working for me and he got mauled by the paparazzi, then what?

So after further deliberations I thought I could have him work an international cartel from somewhere where he would not be recognized. Um... No. That wouldn't work out either. He's way too into himself. When he woke up and realized that his neighbors had no idea that he was the 'best rapper alive' or had any way to gauge his talent, he might shrivel up and die.

So, needless to say, he didn't get a call back. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings.

Anyway, we can still have heroin boiling parties in your glass house, right Mr. Carter?

~MMF

Meghan McCain's political blog

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Get this: Yesterday, John McCain held a press conference at the Big Rock (very fancy steak house in Birmingham, MI) during which he encouraged attendees to visit his daughter's blog, as she was covering her life on the trail. So I decided to check it out after I got an e-mail from my co-worker Ed Brayton that included a link to a blog that points out how much Meghan's blog coverage sucks.

I laughed so hard, I thought I'd share. But don't take my or Nick Gillespie's opinion for it. Check out Meghan's blog and get your own opinion, HERE.

Notice how 'awesome' the photo captions are. They go something like 'Check out this kid's tie' and 'How cute is this little girl'.

Complete with glamor shots of Meghan!

[Also notice that "Jay", the "Straight Talk Express" bus driver, is the only black person in a crowd of 3,000.]

Here's what Meg was most proud of this week:

And the main entry right now on the blog: oday began with one of the most memorable and unique town halls of Dad's campaign, held at the Toyota Arena in York, Pennsylvania. For the first time, Jay drove the "Straight Talk" right into the middle of the packed hall and Dad, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman and former Governor Tom Ridge exited the bus into the cheering crowd of more than 3,000 people to start the town hall. It was such a cool entrance and an amazing event! I had a great time watching it unfold from the front seat of the bus. It was also fun spending most of the day with Senator Lieberman, one of the nicest and most genuine people I've ever met. Tomorrow we head to Michigan...>

I can sum all that up in one sentence: "Dear diary, I had so much fun on the bus with Dad today. Love, Meghan.

I assume this blog is geared at young people. But, as a young peron, I have to say, it misses the mark. It insults my intelligence ... and hers.

DPS FAILS

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Discovering DDOT

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People, not plants

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Just like the blossoms are disappearing from the spring trees, I'd like to go incognito. Maybe I'd be stuck to the wheel of a car or the bottom of a shoe, like a petal. Then, I wouldn't have to respond to anything, anything at all. I wouldn't have to write stories about things and wonder if they matter in the long run.

I'd like to write about plants, not people. But it's people that need to be written about; people that need to be kept aware of their their own nature. For now, I need to write about people because if I am the flower I think I am, then I will have my time to shine, my time to be a novelty, then disappear.

Flower Day

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On a day full of brisk wind and spotted with the occasional rain shower, gardeners from all over Michigan came out to be a part of annual "Flower Day" at Eastern Market in Detroit. Hundreds of vendors were there selling everything from petunias to plam trees. Organizers expected about 150,000 people to attended throughout the day on Sunday. The 42nd Annual Flower Day is one of the biggest flower shows in the country, taking up more than 15 acres of space with vendors, live music, and visual entertainment. The turn out was stellar this year, despite the unpredictable weather. If spring was ever in the air, it was at Eastern Market on Sunday. Here are some views of the colorful event:

Mike Huckabee jokes about Obama getting shot

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Mike Huckabee, speaking at an NRA program, was interrupted by a loud noise. He joked:

'That was Barack Obama," Huckabee said. 'He just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak and someone pointed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.'"

Obama visits Macomb: a look at the press. Plus: Edwards Edorsement

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I woke up at 6:15a.m. this morning because I had a press check-in at 9 a.m. in Macomb and I had to figure out how to get there, and also how to get a rose thorn out of my foot ... but I digress. The Obama event that was announced last night around 5:00. I've never been to one of these national press things and I learned a lot, if nothing else, about how the press works. I got a weird feeling early on, when I saw about ten TV trucks outside and press busses and all the rather gittery people they contained descending upon this little community college student center. It was very competitive.



I mean, just before Obama went on stage, the press pounced at the sight of a hijab on a muslim woman. Why? Were they thinking: "Here's our chance to know what the muslims think!?!" I have a feeling I'm on the right track. I felt like a vulture and made sure not to follow suit and attack the muslim couple and their kids with questions and shove cameras in their face. The whole press thing kinda creeped me out, it was like a bunch of hungry, informational hyenas circling for scraps of information thrown down by the lions (in this case, BO and his campaign).

In fairness, it was a very controlled environment. I could tell people that came, aside from the press ,were big Obama fans and that that may not have been such a coincidence. This way, the message that will be broadcasted will be "Macomb Loves Obama" and I'm sure they do. I'm sure they do, but, almost everyone?

Either way, my point was that the press pick apart an event like a carcass and descend upon certain people just to follow a set of silly requirements:"Talk to the muslim people, talk to the white people, we wanna know, we wanna know what they think!" For instance the people who got to ask Obama questions during the event got mauled by press seconds after Obama left the stage. And of course, they're all gonna say the same thing to each news person, so why would everyone want to get the same thing? One woman there, Susan Watson of Canton, said she refuses talk to the News Or the Freep. Good for her. She talked to me, though.

I found myself smiling a lot to compensate for feeling like a jerk when I asked people questions and if they were receptive I made it more conversational. I think I spent too long with certain people and didn't get as good a sampling of the crowd as I could have, but there is something lost and gained from that. I just know I didn't like the "annoying reporter" technique where they just pick at you until you say something--anything.

Early on, I met a girl named Christina, who worked for the Detroit News, and she was very nice, but seemed a little disgruntled about a lot of things--like how her job made her wake up early and get to the place before anything even stated happening, about how the News website sucks because she has to write three different versions of the story (on for web, and a couple for the paper). She also was saying how they told her to wear her running shoes because she might be chasing down people for comments. She was asking me questions, like "How many black people would you say are here" or "Who are those people sitting behind Obama?" I was happy to help, lol. They also had asked her to ID people she was interviewing and how reporters have to take pitures now and that's not what she went to school for...ikes. Also, how annoying they guy from the Freep was (competition). Somebody doesn't like their job much? Maybe it was a bad morning.



The other thing I noticed was that "The Press" means white people. Of the 50 press people there I think there was one asian, and thee blacks--one was me and the others were this guy from MTV with dreadlocks, and this other guy wearing a tigers cap who was behind one of the fox 2 cameras....And, oh yeah, Al Allen who was standing around looking a little dazed and confused, but does he count?

Good Old, old Al Allen, a looking a bit tired

One more thing: I overheard a guy from The New York Times interviewing Isaac Robinson the political director for the Mich. Teamsters Union. He was a really twitchy little guy who insisted on chewing gum a mile a minute and had some admirable skills in writing shorthand. But when he got the chance to speak with Robinson about the event what did he ask? "Why isn't Obama Wearing a flag pin? Does it bother you? Do you think it'll matter to people in the gen. election?" REALLY? Really, little twittery NYT guy? Aren't you, like, the standard other journalists wish they held themselves up to? UM, I'm a little confused.

Oh yeah, I ALMOST FORGOT. This press guy with scraggly brown hair to his shoulders got my attention and some other people's, too, when he literally was walking so fast he ran into a metal TV pole really hard and stumble backwards with his hand to his head. We were like "Are you all right?" And he wandered forward looking a bit bewildered. "Physically, I'm ok. Mentally, NO." was the answer he gave before being swallowed somewhere in the crowd of other mentally strained press. I got the feeling a lot of them were on speed and really really stressed out. I wanted to be like relax. Seriously. Stop being robots, we're all people.
One reporter who was there kept signing loudly during Obama's speech. He obviously didn't like the whole Obama thing, but he's neutral, right? UM YEAHRIGHT. So am I. But it's OK! How is anyone supposed to be neutral, we're people!

This other reporter for a Warren daily was there with his little personal camera and admitted he was gonna try and get some "personal shots to show m friends" Obama fan? I think.

And One thing I noticed is that the crowd in front of us press could clap and on the other side of the ropes, silence. At first my hands automatically started coming together but when I saw the stone faces of the press I caught myself. I did laugh at Obama's Viagra joke, though, I couldn't help it. Viagra's just always good for a funny, especially when you're talking about drug companies and health care ... it lightens the mood.



So anyway, no one was talking about Clinton today, that's for sure. I felt like she's almost a joke now. People there were democrats. They were working class people I'd say. All of them were either "on the fence" or for Obama. Even those "on the fence" said they felt like Obama was gonna be it seeing as Clinton is losing. I mean, John Edwards endorsed Obama this evening in Grand Rapids. So, anyway, things are looking very good for BO. Obama is very charismatic, funny, relational. Edwards, a running mate? Maybe.

National Police Week, Anyone?

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NATIONAL POLICE WEEK ACTIVITIES continue throughout the Detroit community ... like this one, where kids get to play basketball with real live cops!!

On Thursday, May 15, 2008,
Central District (7310 Woodward) – From 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., Central District officers and teens will play in a basketball game called, “Playing with a Purpose”. This activity offers an opportunity for officers and youth to build healthier relationships by interacting through sports. The game will be held at Consortium College Preparatory High School located at 1250 Rosa Parks Blvd.


WHY NOT EVERY DAY? One jolly day of basketball will make a difference, will it??? Cops could have an after school athletic program on a weekly or monthly basis. Could is the key word there. Hmm I should be in charge of something. Or maybe I could just sit here and talk about it.

The Detroit Police Department’s Office of Public Information will provide media with daily information on activities taking place in the six police districts for the duration of 2008’s National Police Week.



Northeastern District (5100 E. Nevada) – Beginning at 10:00 a.m., officers will provide students a tour of the district station and lunch followed by a presentation from a Registered Nurse who works at the Detroit Receiving Hospital’s in the emergency trauma unit. This event ends at 1:15 p.m. "Oh no, this is what happens when you play with guns?!!!" I'm curious as to what this 'presentation' will feature. I think I'm gonna check it out...maybe.


Western District (1441 W. 7 Mile) – At 7:00 p.m., Western District hosts a candlelight vigil service and will release balloons in memory of fallen officers. During this ceremony, Western District’s Explorers will perform a marching drill. Members from the Buffalo Soldiers organization will have their motorcycles on display and Radio One station - 102.7 will distribute free tee-shirts. [AWESOME hot 102.7 will be there!!! Gottta get my free T!!!]


Eastern District (11187 Gratiot) The United States Post Office will be available to assist with completing pass port applications. At noon, students from Osborn High School will participate in a Mock Trial with Circuit Court Judge Deborah Thomas. The day will end at 5:00 p.m. with a memorial service and the releasing of balloons in honor of fallen officers.
Northwestern District (11450 Warwick) – Beginning 9:45 a.m., officers will discuss with Community High School students the opportunities in law enforcement career as well as the importance of community service and driving responsibly. This event will end at 2:00 p.m. [this is kinda cool. Hope the kids enjoy it and learn. Persuasive skills are what get you ahead in life.]

From a northern perspective....

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Somethin' New

Global Climate Change Isn't Just Warming

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this is devastating to hear about. I wonder if it has to do with global climate change?

AP: Dem leader switches from Clinton to Obama

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AP---
Bill Clinton appointed Andrew chairman of the DNC in 1999, and he led the party through the disputed 2000 presidential race before stepping down in 2001. Andrew endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton last year on the day she declared her candidacy for the White House.


In a lengthy letter explaining his decision, Andrew said he is switching his support because "a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists (Republican) John McCain."

"The ship is taking on water right now," Andrew said at the news conference. "We need to patch those holes, heal the rift and go forward to beat John McCain."

Asked for a response to Andrew's decision, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said, "We support that Democratic process and think that every American should be able to weigh in and support the candidate of his or her own choosing."

'Mettle under fire'
Andrew said the Obama campaign never asked him to switch his support, but he decided to do so after watching Obama's handling of two issues in recent days. He said Obama took the principled stand in opposing a summer gas tax holiday that both Clinton and McCain supported, even though it would have been easier politically to back it. And he said he was impressed with Obama's handling of the controversy surrounding his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.


Superdelegate sampling
Here's a look at some of the Democratic Convention's 796 superdelegates.
Wright's outspoken criticisms of the United States have threatened Obama's candidacy. Obama initially refused to denounce his former pastor, but he did so this week after Wright suggested that Obama secretly agrees with him.

"He has shown such mettle under fire," Andrew said in the interview. "The Jeremiah Wright controversy just reconfirmed for me, just as the gas tax controversy confirmed for me, that he is the right candidate for our party."

Andrew's decision puts Obama closer to closing Clinton's superdelegate lead. Clinton had a big advantage among superdelegates, many of whom like Andrew have ties to the Clintons and backed her candidacy early on. But most of the superdelegates taking sides recently have gone for Obama, who has won more state contests.

Oh, no.

Posted by Minni |1 comments

I'm sad. Poor Obama. I forgot, why is this a huge issue again? Why isn't the national debate about the fact that our economy is swirling down the crapper and how to fix it? I'm guilty of playing into this, now I feel bad. Sry, barack. Wow. This is SO sad.

Rev. Wright: "..., BUT WE CAN MAKE IT."

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It was a strange and rather refreshing feeling to see CNN braodcasting live from progressive black paster Jeremiah Wright with a big tag on the screen "Wright: I've been running for jesus a long, long time." This is hilarious and ironic and I think this is history in the making.

The fact is, I went to church Sunday and it was all black. I’m sure a lot of whites went to churches that were nearly all white. Now I know that they mean when they say 11 a.m on Sunday us the most segregated hour in the country. And we all worshipped the same god (mostly), just under different cultural contexts. The content of Wright’s speech attempts to bridge those divides in ways we rarely hear.


I hate to say it, but if there was not a black man about to be president there would not be a bunch of white people watching Morning Joe discuss a black paster's address to the NAACP. How many of those people ever attended a black church, be it the Church of Christ or a Baptist service, or any for that matter? This is groundbreaking for many and I hope it isn't taken out of context again. Remember, Dr. Wright was standing in front of the NAACP at a dinner called FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. This is the context of this speech. For those who say hes racist, maybe they forgot that this is country heaviliy divided racially and though we've come a long way, it was only 40 years ago that segreagation was legal. Remember that. An now this is history in the making as whites tune into black culture (black religious culture at that). Many don't realize Dr. Wrght has ben the #1 black preacher in America since the early eighties. This is nothing new. The only diference is we're all tuning in, and it's wonderful. Let's use this chance to talk about race, about accepting people, rather than griping over whether it was racist, becasue it was not. Speaking of racist ..., um, nevermind.

I think a lot of the problem is white guilt, and the feeling of whites having to defend themselves, of feeling all catagorized as being racist or suffering from stereotyping becuase of things their forefathers did. But just because their forefathers admitted to being racist, and they cant doesn't mean racisim no longer exists. Worse, it thrives behind closed doors and closed mouths and festers in the minds of people because if they bring it up, they'll be labelled a racist. Many people, including black people are prejudiced against black people. Just because people listen to hip-hop and identify with bits and scraps of hip-hop's popular culture does not mean they are not racist. Even today, the issue of biracial families if taboo. I have heard my white and black friend say. "My parents aren't raist but they just would kick me out if I started dating black guy." or "My parent's aren't racist they just would disown me if i dated a white girl. UM... let's all get over our PC cleanliness and admit we're all a little racist. Once we admitt it, we can start trying to change. Until then it will be a game of "not I, said the chicken"

Speak UP

Posted by Minni |1 comments

Wanna see the whole speech?
Check it: HERE

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I turned on the news this morning, and thought, 'oh, no, not again'! It seems we've encountered another round of nasty little sound bytes and TV shout-fests. This time political analysts are being even more finicky. Yesterday Barack Obama's former paster, Rev. Wright, spoke publicly for the first time since the controversy broke out over sound bytes from one of his sermons. In an interview on "Bill Moyers Journal" that will air on PBS tonight at 9:00 p.m., Rev. Wright defended himself against the harsh criticism of his sermon and was asked how he felt when Obama distanced himself from him in a speech following the controversy.

His answer was an honest one: He wasn't offended or surprised at Obama's actions but said, "He's a politician, I'm a pastor, we speak to two different audiences." This shouldn't be debatable, as every politician must remember that in order to succeed they have to appeal to a wide variety of voters and avoid controversy when possible. But political analysts are saying that Wright's statements were as good as throwing Obama under the bus at a crucial time, and that Obama's campaign is "pulling their hair out" at the remarks. Well, yeah, now they are, thanks to those who have "analyzed" these statements and interpreted them as bad for Obama.

After watching a bit of the interview that leaked onto the Internet, I thought it was clear Rev. Wright was not using the word politician to carry negative connotations. He was very soft-spoken throughout the interview, and it seemed as though he was trying to explain why he didn't take Obama's speech it personally because it was a political move. But it seems it doesn't matter what he meant, rather what they interpret it to mean. This is getting very tiring. I have a feeling Rev. Wrights recent comments are going to be splashed all around by Obama's opposition and the vicious cylce will start all over again not because of what Rev. Wright said, but the fact that he said anything at all. No matter what he said it was bound to be spun every which way. Maybe it would have been better if he avoided the limelight for a while longer just for those reasons alone.But in case it's not clear already, Obama is a politician, just like Clinton and McCain, and has to pay attention to his words and acts at all times, especially these days. If Obama did not in some way remove himself from those statements he would have been cornered, as a politician. And so he what he had to do, because in fact, as Rev. Wright was quick to say in the very same interview, he never associated himself with those statements in the first place.

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cereal mascots: where are they now?

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X,Y,Z, ... . But everything is going to be all right.

Hmm...

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I wish that I could either fly, or be invisible.

Happy Spring

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It's Springtime! The happiest season.

Discovering the Beauty Supply I

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It was so cold outside, the bones in my fingers hurt. Even under three layers of thick clothing, my body became rigid with an inescapable chill and my breath turned white in front of my face. Keep in mind, this occurred in the short few steps that spanned from my door to my car. It was nearing the end of January, the thick of winter.

My sister and I stepped out of the door on a Sunday evening in search of a hair conditioner that would better suit my dry, unruly hair.

And from my new apartment on the East side of Detroit (to which I have yet to secure my bearings) we had a lot of exploring to do.

Having spent my early teens and beyond in the suburbs, the concept of a one way street was still rather foreign. And beyond the familiar suburban habits of frequent CVS and Rite Aid, I had no experience. I was at a loss. Where did one get products for their hair in these parts? Needless to say I had, and still have, a lot to learn. What was more, beyond the common offerings of John Frieda, Pantene Pro V, I was most helplessly unfamiliar.

We drove to the end of the block, turned off of Forest onto Mt. Elliot and hoped that something would catch our eyes, perhaps a pharmacy: Walgreen’s, Rite Aid, or so on. And before long we came to the end of the road at Gratiot. There, I made a right turn, because those are the easiest, and not even a block in my sister pointed suddenly and enthusiastically: “There! It says beauty supply!”

Indeed, Just what we needed. It was like the sign was made for us. We had beauty, we needed supplies: perfect.
Out from the car we rushed across the icy parking lot under an opaque winter sky, heads tucked down into our scarves, hands pushed down into our pockets, straight for the door of Sophie’s Beauty Supply. With a tug of a frigid hand, the door opened and the sounds of a cheery wind chime rocking too and fro above the door alerted the staff of our presence. With a hard step of the boot we knocked the ice and snow from our feet, and felt our face tingle at the contact with warm air. I didn’t need a mirror to tell me my nose was pink.

Inside, we were greeted by the doorman who sat on a stool just left o the entrance wearing jeans and a very colorful hoodie and looking rather bored, but very kind and approachable.

For a moment, I paused to take in my surroundings. It was, well, not what I had expected, though rather lovely in its variety. On one wall I eyed a very large earring collection and on another wall, toiletries: tissue, plungers, and so forth, and on yet another wall, a dozen large, stylish handbags, immediately caught my fancy. It had the basic content of a corporate pharmacy, and them some, not to mention a certain urban fashionable appeal that those places so desperately lack. I felt instantly as if I could leave that place with a new wardrobe, along with kitchen appliances and bathroom accessories and still have some money to spend at the Save-A-Lot down the block, all the while looking, um, fly. And it was not until then that I discovered the beauty in the Detroit beauty supply.

Everything including coats, panty hose, scissors, t-shirts, shoe laces, oil burners and shower caps met my eyes and m sister and I had to use our will power as blinders just to reach the aisles hair products. And there were aisles, one after another of hair goo, gel, serum, conditioner, cholesterol, protein, olive oil, shea butter, and so forth, it was rather overwhelming to me, as a newbie to the African American hair experience, and it showed: in my hair and at that moment, my bewildered face.

Kehinde Wiley

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This is a time to define our modern culture; to rip it at the seams and stuff in the people that were left out for so long. To take the art of the past, and make it the art of the present. This is the time of sampling, of cross cultural understanding. This is for those who think in black but write in white. This is for those who think in white and write in black. This is the crossing of a culteral borderland. This is the artwork of Kehinde Wiley:

Two Heroic Sisters of the Grasslands, 2007

Consider The Fiasco

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Recently, after a very embarrassing episode, I began to the consider ingredients that make up a good old, face reddening, melt-into-the-ground, fiasco. A lot of the time a fiasco is just an unfortunate series of events stacked precariously high, that comes crashing down on unsuspecting victims at the most pivotal of times. These instances include: important meetings, highly anticipated performances, a featured presentation, during an audition for a coveted part, or a job interview. Sometimes, no matter how prepared you think you are, you are subject to a deep, sharp turn in events that sends you down the hill in a barrel so to speak. It's like a domino effect, one thing goes wrong and then another and the next thing you know, you're watching in horror as the whole affair implodes before your eyes.

By the time people have reached adulthood, they've most likely been dragged down into the unrelenting currents of the fiasco a few flabbergasting times.

There's nothing quite as terrible as being on the wrong end of one, being misunderstood, and feeling utterly helpless as your carefully thought-through plans start to crumble along with your pride. On the other hand, in retrospect, there's nothing quite like the laughs a good debacle renders from the most cynical of audiences. I mean, if you can't laugh at yourself, then .... Mark Twain and Stephen Leacock certainly capitalized on this ideal. They basked in the hysterics of the everyday fiasco, and right now, so am I. I'd recount my most recent utter failure right here and now if it wasn't so recent. But today I will revisit a classic fiasco, one for the books and one that did not anyone in particular.

The faces were these:

I've never enjoyed being the host. I mean, having a few friends over is one thing. But hosting, hosting a party... That, my friend, is quite another. It was new years eve. They quiet day before the loud night. It started all well. I had the food almost ready, the drinks chilled. I even had the house clean and smelling great, with a giant fruit bowl in the middle of the living room simply for aesthetic value. And I brought out my only set of matching glasses and my mom's hand-me-down punch bowel. I stood back and admired my work with a smug face, arms akimbo: I was doing OKAY.

I should have stood there longer to thoroughly enjoy that smug feeling of accomplishment while it lasted. I would have, if I had known how long it would take before I felt it again and, perhaps, how far down into the depths of shame I would plummet.

At any rate, instead of lingering and enjoying my peace, I scurried into the kitchen to put on a pan of oil in which to fry some chicken. It was almost 7 p.m. and my friend Jay was set to be there son, to bring some beer among other spirits to the party. The vast majority of the people were not set to arrive until 9 p.m. or later so I was not feeling rushed. Then my cell phone rang. I picked it up. I answered. It was Jay, outside, needed help bringing in the drinks. I said OK. I put the phone back onto the kitchen counter and went out to give her a quick hand. I had a couple minutes before the grease got hot anyway. On the way out, I noticed a bag of trash sitting by the back door, begging to be taken out before the party. And I thought, "If i don't take it out now, I never will." So I grabbed the bag by the neck and instead of going out of the front door, I went out the back, to drop the trash off on the way to my friends car. The back door swung shut behind me. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when Jay and I returned with an arms full of liquor and beer, that I realized it had locked... from the inside. I tugged on the knob with my one free hand and tried to turn it. It didn't budge. My stomach turned a bit.

"It's probably just 'cause I have all this stuff," I said quickly, to my friend, who looked somewhat concerned. I set down the beer, the bags, the boxes, and turned back to the door. This time a gave it a good hard turn and tug, but to no avail. It felt like I had swallowed rocks and they were sinking fast into my stomach. I gulped. Through the thick paneled glass I could see the pan on the stove and from outside I could hear the grease popping over the heat. I knew for a fact that the front door was locked. And bolted. It was all I could do not to panic.

"Can I see your phone?" I asked Jay, who now looked at me with a hint of disbelief, perhaps even distaste. She handed over the phone giving my that look, like, "Are.You.Kidding." Kidding, I was not. I squeezed her phone tight in my hands, hoping beyond hope that I could remember my landlord's number. Or even my roommate's for that matter. And the more it dawned on me, the harder I held the phone: I was helpless without my cell phone. A spineless grovelling idiot who only knew three numbers by heart: 9-1-1 (and the chinese food place down the road by the dry cleaners). It was a few sconds before I realized I had been gripping her phone as if I believed the little device could be squeezed and emit numbers like an orange emits juice. I was completely lost without my cell phone. Locked outside of a house that had a pan of oil burning in it not to mention the very high flame. I was dead. So much for the new year.

*More to come, I'm tired for now.*


TBC

2 a.m. Confessions

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It's 2:00 in the morning and I can't sleep. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, perhaps it's just that I don't want to sleep. I want to sit up all night reveling in the wonder of the, you guessed it, Internet. A bonafide cyber scavenger, I am.

Yes, I am an addict, just like you, most likely. I really didn't realize my dependance on this marvelous tool until I no longer had household access to it. That makes sense. We often take for granted that which is most necessary if it is available enough.

This drought lasted a dragging four months. Four months of darting to the library in any window of free time I had during business hours. Four months of paying frequent, "friendly", visits to my unsuspecting, internet hosting friends: "I was just in the area, I missed you! Um, mind if I check my email (aka facebook/myspace/blogspot/gmail/yahoo)?" And four months of sitting in cafes trying to dodge the barista so I didn't have to buy a coffee to jack their wifi signal. And lastly, no more rushing from page to page before the place closes or my friend, hip to my tricks, kicks me out. It's all mine, all day, the world of information and misinformation at my fingertips: and I never have to leave the house.


Armed with a macbook pro and a new Sierrra Aircard, I can march into my future in confidence, rocking the unadulterated 21st century swagger that has permeated my generation: I know everything. Seriously. I have google on my side.

An hour ago I had no idea who Kehinde Wiley was. He was just the name on my favorite piece in the new DIA. Now I can tell you where he was born, where he went to school ...where he is now... And I will. I will, because I can: I'm so cultured, didn't you know? Didn't you know Kehinde Wiley's art comments on the ... Which he is quoted as saying ... And was inspired by.... Goddamnit, no one wants to hear it. I suspect I have wasted a purely good hour of my life. It's unreal.

No, despite all these confessions, I'm not a stalker. Just a lover of information on art, and writing, and botany. And, oh yeah, Barack Obama.

The madness doesn't stop there. I'm not sure where it stops, exactly, nor where it started, now that I think of it. Perhaps it was the first day I embarked on my maiden voyage onto the Internet from my college dorm, who knows. But I do know that since I've had this unlimited access, I've become something of a fiend. I gobble down information like candy and then start to fancy myself an expert, which is dangerous, mostly to myself. I think we've all fallen into the urge to diagnose ourselves online. It starts with an itchy eye. After a few minutes of frantic googling, you're convinced you have methylglutaconicaciduria. Yikes. Better get some help before you die!

Then, after an hour of panic you stop and think and remember something very important. You want to slap yourself in the face: turns out you didn't wash your hands after cooking and you had peppers for dinner!
That makes sense too. Dammit, WebMD, are you trying to give me hyperthyroidism? Wait, do you really think I need to practice psychoneuroimmunology? Is that why does my shoulder hurts? Oh, no! And so on.

But all jokes aside, I really do love the internet. I mean, otherwise, where could I ever find the recipe for Max & Erma's chicken tortilla soup (That's on recipezaar.com, BTW)?. Or how would I know what to do with that slap of whiting in the fridge that I bought on impulse? How could I read about Barack Obama's mom at 3 a.m.? Why is Hilary still talking on the phone at 3 a.m.?

O.K. I digress. I think with all this primary campaigning I've become uber-political. It's sad. That's another thing the Internet will do to you: have you stuck in front of the monitor watching jello commercials in between video clips of campaign updates and interviews when you should be looking for a job so you can pay your huge internet bill. Did I say that? I mean, you know, hypothetically, of course.

Anyway, when all is said and done, I think the Internet has done remarkable things for our society. Let's face it, how we communicate has changed. How we research has changed. How we live has changed, and is still changing because of the Internet. Whether it's news, gossip, education, music, etc., it's all there, for our little gen-y paws grope. We're not gonna buy the sunday paper. We know of a place where we can read it. For free. We're not going to buy music. We know of a place where we can get it. For free. We're not gonna pay attention and be servile to corporate employers. We're gonna shuffle into the office in office in flip flops and design a page layout that will blow your mind. We're not lazy, but we have swagger.

And those are the problems people are having with the Internet today. But don't blame the Internet, folks. If anything, blame yourself for not being adaptable enough. Make the Internet work for you! I do. It gets me free stuff. It gets me free information. It gets me recipes and diagnoses my many illnesses, however fatal. It entertains me at 4 a.m. So now it's time for media, musicians, and whoever else that feels violated by the "age of information" to grab the Internet b the neck and say, "Ante up, BITCH, it's Christmas!"








~MMF

What a Mess...

Posted by Minni |1 comments

Bored? Why not turn into the nations new and exciting soap opera: the 2008 democratic primary. Oh yeah, it's got all the ingredients for a juicy daytime drama. The gossip, the he said/she said, the nasty for nasty attitude (mostly on Clintons part, she tends to be more nasty, less eloquent).

But the BEST part is the scrambled mess that's taking place with MI and FL. I've been lodged on the MSNBC/CNN page for weeks, with a bowl of popcorn, entertained. Those happen to be the only two states I've ever lived in during my time in the US. But why all this trouble? Like Howard Dean insists, they broke the rules, now they gotta pay the price, however undemocratic it may be.

Seriously, they didn't think about this BEFORE HAND? Really? Hilary didn't seem to care about democracy when Mr. Obama's name wasn't even ON the Michgan ballot. So now her aides are saying that If Barack's campaign tries to stop a re-do then he's interfering with the democratic process and will hurt him in the general election. REALLY?

It's no secret that I'm a big Obama fan, and that I am almost dead broke. So WHY did I just donate to the Obama campaign? I really don't have a great, mind blowing answer for you. It's just that when I see him speak, when I read his writing, and when I hear his sharp responses to tough questions, I feel like this is the person I want to call my president.

Another element is just Ever since my siblings and I have been alive, I mean, during the entire span of gen-Y's emergence to adulthood, there's been either a Bush or a Clinton in the office. How democratic is that? If a Clinton was president again it would be just like having a dual family monarchy or dictatorship of sorts. It's time for change. Not the cheezy kind of "change" that pretty much every politician speak of with such vehemence. It's seriously re-thinking the ways we approach age old problems such as health care, unemployment, medicare... You know, the usual suspects.

You can tell a lot about a candidate just on how they run their campaign. Ask questions, get answers for yourself: For instance: What kind of adds do they run? How much time do they spend talking smack, rather than the issues? How do they treat those working hard on their campaign? What kind of strategies do they use to rack up votes? Etc.

Either way, we all have to face it: NO ONE person is perfect. And when whoever wins gets sworn into the office, my life, your life, heck most peoples life is not going to change. You're still going to be rich or poor or whatever your situation was before. What I think Sen. Obama offers to this whole affair more than anything is the little thing that flew out of Pandora's box a long time ago: hope.

Wilde, Like Oscar

Posted by Minni |1 comments

I've always been a fan of Oscar Wilde. Of course, as you can imagine, I fell into the rapture of Dorian Gray some time ago, but recently I came upon a new book that shed light on Oscar's character as a the person rather than solely the writer and poet and I suspect he has enchanted me from the grave.

It is a semi-biography "based on true events" they boast. The name of the book is Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance.

I don't know how I feel about factual accuracy in highly personal depictions of events. There are certain techniques employed in autobiographical and biographical writings.

In short, the fact doesn't (and often cannot) articulate the feeling at times. I think there is nothing wrong in using symbolism to capture a mood, an atmosphere: who cares if it took two days. I wrote that it took two weeks because, well it felt that long...etc, and I need the reader to fully understand this. To me it's just a variation of a metaphor. The idea of a metaphor, in a sense, stretched over a piece to cover more than just "The knife to the heart" but also the difference between two hours and two weeks.

Imagination is underrated! And the story should unfold like a cherry tree in April. You get my drift.

Wilde once said, "Biography lends to death a new terror" and I chuckle at that statement, but in my eyes it all depends on the biographer (Wilde actually told his friend to take notes as to later be able to write one). He was fortunate to have some good ones. Many people "worshiped" him, he took command and captivated all those in his presence indeed, I consider him a genius. And he suffered his dues to the great mind behind his eyes. Sir Arther Conan Doyle echoed this sentiment when creating fictional character Sherlock Holmes. Though I doubt nowadays heroin and cocaine could be compared to homosexuality, perhaps that was lent to the Victorian era in which these events took place. Hey, don't get red in the face, they hadn't even invented running water then. It wasn't our prime...well socially speaking, but then again, now isn't either. But I digress.

However, genius bears the mark of woe as well. And I think that is the point of this post. We all strive (in some way at least) to be "brilliant", "Cutting edge" but who really wants to endure the burden of genius? It's a serious thing to take on, and a lonely road to travel. The delicate line that separates genius and lunacy is not getting any bulkier despite what researchers suggest. In fact the odds are good for the modern sociopath: go to work, bite some heads off, get promoted. HELLO, corporate America, you're brilliant! Shine on, down my organic throat.

Judgment Placement

Posted by Minni |1 comments

It is said that one should never judge books by their covers. So what, then, shall we judge them by? Judgment, face it, is inevitable. While it isn’t wise to start with the cover, who shall say it is wrong sometimes go by the first page or second, and so on?

That the cover should be spared judgment is reasonable, however, is the material not far therein is protected by the immunity of the cover? In order to find out if you like the book in question, must you reserve judgment until you have to read the whole thing, cover to cover?

I took the effort of opening a book some days ago and read until I felt utterly unimpressed. I was only to the second page, and I hadn’t even moved far from the shelf it came from before putting right back into the gap it came out of, and moved on amongst the shelves until I was fully captivated by the first words chosen by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the fore pages of “Beautiful Damned.”

Aside from the few horrid pieces I have ventured to open, I can usually endure the first two chapters of any book, and sometimes, I finish those chapters feeling breathless and dive headfirst into the next chapters only to strike the hard bottom of trite words and content. My personal judgment line usually falls after the first couple chapters, after which, any reader who knows their taste will either scoff and throw it aside, or plow further into its pages. This method usually works because
it's common sense that a writer will put their best words forward. It’s natural to start strong. How many one paragraph clips do you have of unfinished (notwithstanding, rather brilliant) ideas? And they all look good because they’re the fresh wind of new thoughts that always land strong from the pen of a trained writer.

I would consider myself a writer in training, proven by a bachelor’s degree if not years of dedication to the skill, who still has a lot to learn. My talent is, of course, debatable, as even I spend much time debating my own skill with, um, myself. One thing, I think, that outshines talent in most cases, is dedication, ambition and passion.

More than half of the time great talent is bulldozed by the cutthroat ambition of the mediocre. But once in a while we experience a jewel of a writer who has all the talent and ambitious qualities rolled into one being. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. Fair, fair enough. I’m sorry, I like to sleep in.