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Black Republican Recruit: [JUST FOR FUN]
"Maybe it’s time you considered being black Republican. As a black Republican, not only will you be accepted, you will quickly rise to the top as your party will need you to be an important face for the Republicans, even if you’re dangerously unqualified. The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln and freeing the slaves is a position we’ve chosen to stand by."
Thanks to The Message Show for this:
Steele [ing] Obama's Style
Jockin' Obama, Jockin', Jockin' Obama like they do Jay-Z!!!!!
In order to gain back some of the minority vote the RNC elected Michael Steele as the first African American to chair their party's national committee.
In his acceptance speech to RNC chair Friday evening, Michael Steele sounded a lot like President Obama. But since Obama already coined some things like the word 'change,' he had to play with words.
"It's time for something completely different and we're gonna bring it to them," Steele told RNC leaders in his acceptance speech. "We're going to bring this party to every corner every board room every neighborhood every community and we're going to say to friend and foe alike 'we want you to be a part of us. We want you to work with us' and for those of you who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."
In addition to that, Steele ironically employed DNC chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy (which Obama later adopted) calling on uniting people from all over the U.S. map.
"To my friends in Northeast, get ready baby it's time to turn it on and work to do what we always do well and that is win. We're going to win again in the Northeast, were going to continue to win in the South. When we get to the West we're gonna lock it down and win there, too. We're going to win with a new storm in the Midwest.
Again, he emulated Obama when he called for a group effort and said he was listening to the people. "I cannot do this by myself," he said, echoing Obama almost verbatim. "This is about empowering you. We stand proud as the conservative party of the United States, the party of Lincoln. We will cede no ground on matters of principle on matters that matter to people of this country."
In order to gain back some of the minority vote the RNC elected Michael Steele as the first African American to chair their party's national committee.
In his acceptance speech to RNC chair Friday evening, Michael Steele sounded a lot like President Obama. But since Obama already coined some things like the word 'change,' he had to play with words.
"It's time for something completely different and we're gonna bring it to them," Steele told RNC leaders in his acceptance speech. "We're going to bring this party to every corner every board room every neighborhood every community and we're going to say to friend and foe alike 'we want you to be a part of us. We want you to work with us' and for those of you who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."
In addition to that, Steele ironically employed DNC chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy (which Obama later adopted) calling on uniting people from all over the U.S. map.
"To my friends in Northeast, get ready baby it's time to turn it on and work to do what we always do well and that is win. We're going to win again in the Northeast, were going to continue to win in the South. When we get to the West we're gonna lock it down and win there, too. We're going to win with a new storm in the Midwest.
Again, he emulated Obama when he called for a group effort and said he was listening to the people. "I cannot do this by myself," he said, echoing Obama almost verbatim. "This is about empowering you. We stand proud as the conservative party of the United States, the party of Lincoln. We will cede no ground on matters of principle on matters that matter to people of this country."
On the Corner
In the 'hood on the corner there are kids on the block running work to dope to the fiends with dark hollow eyes. They know "crack kills" but not literally. The fiends keep coming back with their last and only dollar asking for a rock. Crack heads from the 1980's and 1990's are still roaming the streets physically alive and breathing, but resembling zombies in their dirty, torn, oversized coats and threadbare pants stumbling around, skin and bones constantly pursuing their next hit. Because of them there will always be a demand. Because of them there will always be a supply.The kids on the corner know how to cook crack and sell it, but they won't touch the stuff. It's a job.
Sometimes outsiders wonder why these kids aren't in school. Do they know that just by hustling fiends on the block one could make enough money to buy clothes and food and candy still go to the movies on opening night?
There's a kid in his drab middle school uniform walking down the street with dreams of nice cars but so far the school has given him tattered books. The dope boy rides by in a jag and the kid turns his head, eyes follow the shiny car down to the end of the block at he abandoned house.
The kid walks down Jefferson wondering if the Warren boys are going to beat on him today. He gets homeand calls his friend on the block. "Let's get money."
He's not going to school tomorrow.
VEGGIE PORN: PETA would rather hurt women than animals
Apparently NBC banned a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) ad that was supposed to run in Sunday's Super-bowl because it featured young women clad in nothing but panties and bras powerless to sexuality of ... Veggies? Yes. They are using the traditional woman" woman-as-sex-object" tactics to make those football-fiend, red meat loving, misogynistic men can associate porn with vegetarianism? What?
I shouldn't be surprised now. I guess this isn't the only "veggie love" PETA has made. Read more about it HERE.
Check it out:
I shouldn't be surprised now. I guess this isn't the only "veggie love" PETA has made. Read more about it HERE.
Check it out:
Did Nas diss Obama?
JUST FOR FUN:
Nas says on Young Jeezy's song "My president is Black":
"Mr. Black President, yo Obama for real
They gotta put your face on the five-thousand dollar bill"
As soon as I heard that I couldn't help but think: if the 5,000 dollar bill comes into existence under Obama's presidency, then I'd forecast tough times ahead. Think about the inflation that would have to occur before we see the need for a printed $5,000 bill? The value of the dollar would have to seriously plummet. Ouch. I hope neither Obama's face nor anyone else's will ever appear on a 5,000 dollar bill. I hope the need for such a bill will never reach the point of printing one.
If Nas is right, here's an economic tip: buy gold & jewels
Sorry, Nas, but I beg to differ on this one.
Nas says on Young Jeezy's song "My president is Black":
"Mr. Black President, yo Obama for real
They gotta put your face on the five-thousand dollar bill"
As soon as I heard that I couldn't help but think: if the 5,000 dollar bill comes into existence under Obama's presidency, then I'd forecast tough times ahead. Think about the inflation that would have to occur before we see the need for a printed $5,000 bill? The value of the dollar would have to seriously plummet. Ouch. I hope neither Obama's face nor anyone else's will ever appear on a 5,000 dollar bill. I hope the need for such a bill will never reach the point of printing one.
If Nas is right, here's an economic tip: buy gold & jewels
Sorry, Nas, but I beg to differ on this one.
Truth or Dare Stories
Game Rules:
When my brother and I were kids we used to play a storytelling game. The game involved a series of imagined stories acted out by real characters. In fact, the characters were ourselves.
Taking turns, each of us would create a scenario and place the other in that scenario.
For example:
I'd make up a scenario where my brother was walking down the street with a basket full of eggs and make him trip and fall in the story, breaking all the eggs break all over himself in front of a girl he had a crush on. In my story, she turns and starts laughing at him.
What does he do next?
At any point the person who is telling the story (in this case it would be my turn) can say, 'truth or dare, stories' and (in this case) my brother would either have to tell the truth about how he'd get out of that situation, or take a story dare which means the I would dare him to do something crazy in the story, making the situation worse and more awkward and embarrassing, (such as run down the street smearing the raw eggs on the girl he thinks is cute , etc. ). Usually it something really embarrassing that will be part of the story-line/plot from then on (that means at any point in the story it can be referenced). But the dare can be something funny, nice ... anything. It just gives you a power-play on where to take the plot. Everything that happens in the story except a dare is negotiable with the storyteller.
The more players, the more interesting the stories get. Your combined imaginations will take you on a strange adventure. You're only limited by your imagination.
Have fun with it! As Oscar Wilde put it, "consistancy is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
When my brother and I were kids we used to play a storytelling game. The game involved a series of imagined stories acted out by real characters. In fact, the characters were ourselves.
Taking turns, each of us would create a scenario and place the other in that scenario.
For example:
I'd make up a scenario where my brother was walking down the street with a basket full of eggs and make him trip and fall in the story, breaking all the eggs break all over himself in front of a girl he had a crush on. In my story, she turns and starts laughing at him.
What does he do next?
At any point the person who is telling the story (in this case it would be my turn) can say, 'truth or dare, stories' and (in this case) my brother would either have to tell the truth about how he'd get out of that situation, or take a story dare which means the I would dare him to do something crazy in the story, making the situation worse and more awkward and embarrassing, (such as run down the street smearing the raw eggs on the girl he thinks is cute , etc. ). Usually it something really embarrassing that will be part of the story-line/plot from then on (that means at any point in the story it can be referenced). But the dare can be something funny, nice ... anything. It just gives you a power-play on where to take the plot. Everything that happens in the story except a dare is negotiable with the storyteller.
The more players, the more interesting the stories get. Your combined imaginations will take you on a strange adventure. You're only limited by your imagination.
Have fun with it! As Oscar Wilde put it, "consistancy is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
Obama's "New Deal" is a big deal
Obama has big plans. He's calling for a mass recovery of United States infrastructure.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
You'll never win "the war on drugs" because ...
Shhh. It's no secret:
Dope boys ride nice cars.
"What happened?"
"Move, nigga, they shootin'!!"
No running water, I'd put my ass in the bag and take a shit.
Dope boys ride nice cars.
We move when they're shooting
Keep coming out of that house and going back in.
What corporate culture am I missing?
smirking in satisfaction
at my
transformation into a "hood rat"
so
What's the story here?
Dope boys ride nice cars.
"What happened?"
"Move, nigga, they shootin'!!"
No running water, I'd put my ass in the bag and take a shit.
Dope boys ride nice cars.
We move when they're shooting
Keep coming out of that house and going back in.
What corporate culture am I missing?
smirking in satisfaction
at my
transformation into a "hood rat"
so
What's the story here?
Detroit Mayoral Race Tibit:
A close and credible source has confirmed that mayoral candidate David Bing just moved to Detroit last Wednesday. He moved into a new Riverfront condominium, a luxury complex on the Detroit River.
Little house in the 'Hood
It's a grey winter evening, dark before 5:00 p.m. the unplowed street are hard to drive on without getting stuck. But I'm not complaining. I see the woman n the street ahead of my snow-choking car trudging through the snow and wind, her coat with the fur around the hood can't hide her face from this zub-zero wind. It's so hot in my car I take my hat off and bake in my coat. I start to wonder why I was so finicky about the streets being plowed.
Living a modest lifestyle, Life in Detroit isn't so bad. All things considered -- the deficit, the public school system, the blight issues, the unemployment rate and the abysmal football team it might seen like the works place to live. But Detroit offers some merits unique to major us cities.
To someone who lived their life in the Metro Detroit suburbs, the city of Detroit (except for downtown and small areas of concentrated wealth) is like a different country. My suburban friends who visit me experience culture shock. When they arrive on my doorstep they're jumpy, scared of their own shadow. The funny thing is, my city friends who visited me in the suburbs have the similar reactions: uneasy, self conscious and defensive.
I'm not one to talk. It was this time last year that I, too, came to my new doorstep with a sense of unease, half expecting to find the inside of my house ransacked, or, worse yet, an uninvited person still inside. I'd look over my shoulder to make sure there was no one behind me, waiting for my to unlock the door.
I still look over my shoulder and keep a light on in the front hallway but it's not out of fear. In fact, over the year I have never had any problems and neither have my neighbors. But now caution is just part of my routine like shoveling snow or raking leaves. Living in Detroit taught me that being aware of my surroundings doesn't mean paranoid or afraid. Wherever you are in the world, it's always important to pay attention to detail.
Over the past few decades Detroit's national reputation has been marred, perhaps since the 1967 riots and the decline of the auto industry. But the past year was an exceptionally rocky road one for the motor city: the mayor's in jail, the Detroit Three auto companies groveled in front of Congress for federal "bailout" loans, the unemployment rate skyrocketed to 30 percent, the city's unstable government put city bonds in "junk" status, the public schools face a $400 million deficit without a superintendent (they fired her), The Detroit Lions made history as the worst football team EVER ... the list goes on and on.
On a more personal level, I met Detroit Public School (DPS) teachers about not having basics like toilet paper, heat or lights in classrooms. My car gets stuck in the often because the city doesn't plow most streets, the bus system is abysmal, the one I tried to get on this summer caught on fire. In the span of a year, I've had four friends get robbed, get their house or car broken into (my car was broken into), an acquaintance was shot dead, In the summer the weeds grow taller than me in my neighborhood, I drive by block after block of abandoned houses everyday. I'm not shocked or nauseated anymore when I spot bloated bodies of pit bulls rotting on the side of the streets in the fall ... That list goes on, too.
That said, I have only respect and admiration for the city. I'm still a newcomer to the city and I still feel that there is so much to learn. I plan on hanging
discovered the Detroit beauty supply, that I navigated my errands (poorly) around Detroit's East side and grew a tougher skin so that the deepely disturbing sights on the streets didn't ruin my day. It's the time of year that I get the annual winter blues and start having to remind myself why, of all places, I chose Michigan to spent my early 20s in. January is the coldest month and quite possibly the worst time to live in Michigan and it happens to be the month of my birthday, so I have to make the best of it.
Everyday I am reminded of Detroit's crippled state: The unplowed streets (I get stuck in the snow a lot), the untrimmed grass in the summer (It grows taller than me in some places) and I'm 24 today, one year closer to old age. I feel one year older, one year wider and immeasruable smarter. I love Detroit. Here's why.
There are some things money can't buy. The feeling o
Eastern MArket
Beauty Supply
Goat Milking, piggy wiglet, Jackson, the chickens,
Kids (PJ & the babies)
Bert's Market
Art
Kt & the artitis
Belle Isle
People (rhymes, uniqueness, funny)
Freedom
Machete/peach trees
Seldom Blues
U of M game
Rent
Neightbors/friends
Hood smarts
Playing in the rain
fall party
Mexicantown
Canada
Living a modest lifestyle, Life in Detroit isn't so bad. All things considered -- the deficit, the public school system, the blight issues, the unemployment rate and the abysmal football team it might seen like the works place to live. But Detroit offers some merits unique to major us cities.
To someone who lived their life in the Metro Detroit suburbs, the city of Detroit (except for downtown and small areas of concentrated wealth) is like a different country. My suburban friends who visit me experience culture shock. When they arrive on my doorstep they're jumpy, scared of their own shadow. The funny thing is, my city friends who visited me in the suburbs have the similar reactions: uneasy, self conscious and defensive.
I'm not one to talk. It was this time last year that I, too, came to my new doorstep with a sense of unease, half expecting to find the inside of my house ransacked, or, worse yet, an uninvited person still inside. I'd look over my shoulder to make sure there was no one behind me, waiting for my to unlock the door.
I still look over my shoulder and keep a light on in the front hallway but it's not out of fear. In fact, over the year I have never had any problems and neither have my neighbors. But now caution is just part of my routine like shoveling snow or raking leaves. Living in Detroit taught me that being aware of my surroundings doesn't mean paranoid or afraid. Wherever you are in the world, it's always important to pay attention to detail.
Over the past few decades Detroit's national reputation has been marred, perhaps since the 1967 riots and the decline of the auto industry. But the past year was an exceptionally rocky road one for the motor city: the mayor's in jail, the Detroit Three auto companies groveled in front of Congress for federal "bailout" loans, the unemployment rate skyrocketed to 30 percent, the city's unstable government put city bonds in "junk" status, the public schools face a $400 million deficit without a superintendent (they fired her), The Detroit Lions made history as the worst football team EVER ... the list goes on and on.
On a more personal level, I met Detroit Public School (DPS) teachers about not having basics like toilet paper, heat or lights in classrooms. My car gets stuck in the often because the city doesn't plow most streets, the bus system is abysmal, the one I tried to get on this summer caught on fire. In the span of a year, I've had four friends get robbed, get their house or car broken into (my car was broken into), an acquaintance was shot dead, In the summer the weeds grow taller than me in my neighborhood, I drive by block after block of abandoned houses everyday. I'm not shocked or nauseated anymore when I spot bloated bodies of pit bulls rotting on the side of the streets in the fall ... That list goes on, too.
That said, I have only respect and admiration for the city. I'm still a newcomer to the city and I still feel that there is so much to learn. I plan on hanging
discovered the Detroit beauty supply, that I navigated my errands (poorly) around Detroit's East side and grew a tougher skin so that the deepely disturbing sights on the streets didn't ruin my day. It's the time of year that I get the annual winter blues and start having to remind myself why, of all places, I chose Michigan to spent my early 20s in. January is the coldest month and quite possibly the worst time to live in Michigan and it happens to be the month of my birthday, so I have to make the best of it.
Everyday I am reminded of Detroit's crippled state: The unplowed streets (I get stuck in the snow a lot), the untrimmed grass in the summer (It grows taller than me in some places) and I'm 24 today, one year closer to old age. I feel one year older, one year wider and immeasruable smarter. I love Detroit. Here's why.
There are some things money can't buy. The feeling o
Eastern MArket
Beauty Supply
Goat Milking, piggy wiglet, Jackson, the chickens,
Kids (PJ & the babies)
Bert's Market
Art
Kt & the artitis
Belle Isle
People (rhymes, uniqueness, funny)
Freedom
Machete/peach trees
Seldom Blues
U of M game
Rent
Neightbors/friends
Hood smarts
Playing in the rain
fall party
Mexicantown
Canada
Det. Mayoral Candidate Warren Evans: "Public Safety is the biggest problem."
Detroit mayoral candidate and Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans spoke to a group of 12 senior citizens at a retirement home on Detroit's East Side on Monday afternoon [MLK day].
He addressed issues such as blight, employment, and budget but his main focus was public safety and policing techniques.
Here's the transcript from Evan's half hour speech to the Detroit senior voters.
I’m a third generation Detroiter. In 1910 my grandfather came here. [Studied in Detroit from Elementary school through law school].
If you haven’t lived the life that people in the city live, then you don’t really know what the problem is really. [Detroit is] so bad now I don’t think many people realize how good it could be. Everybody talks bout “the good old days.” I know in my life I’m looking for the god days.” “Even when this city was a better city it wasn’t better for us as black people.”
Public safety is I think the biggest problem. People in the city have got to feel safer. People would like to have the wheels on their car or their car when they go somewhere. Not only are taxes high bit you can’t get the police to respond when you call them.
I’ve been involved in criminal justices for 30 years. I’m not running for police chief, I’m running for mayor, but one thing you can be sure of is that I understand the language a police chief talks. When I hire a police chief nobody can blow smoke past me because I understand the business.
It’s important to understand that that’s not all I can do. I do other things in the city. [Mentioned his career as a Lawyer, college professor.]
The people that have the money to get out of Detroit go. No city is going to get better like that.
Usually the commitment is to fix up a downtown and bring in a Quicken. But when you bring in a company with a tax abatement so they don’t have to pa tax because they’re bringing jobs in … but when you watch in the morning people get off the freeway from the suburbs and go to job and they go home at the end of the day they haven’t done any business in the city. We need to look very seriously. What are we doing for.
The future of the City is in building up the neighborhoods. Property value of homes is higher because there’s a neighborhood. We don’t have that value now. Everywhere in the country 60 or 70 percent of all job are new jobs created in this country are new jobs created in what are called small businesses. In those small businesses, some of them might have 500 people in it but small compared to a General Motors.
I’m hoping auto companies … rebound but they will never be what they once were. So we’ve got to have safe neighborhoods. If we have safe neighborhoods people will start those business. See everything in my mind goes back to public safety.
I’ve been a professor for 20 years but I can’t go in there and turn the schools around academically. After talking to hundreds of teachers and hundreds of students [I found that] kids are scared to go to DPS and teachers are scared to teach. I don’t care what you do to the curriculum, if the kids aren’t comfortable in class and teachers aren’t comfortable teaching so even the biggest problem f DPS is public safety.
The mayor can do that. That doesn’t mean take over the schools. The mayor’s job is to protect the citizens. It’s not a pipe dream.
The police need to start responding to complaints. Let me tell you a little secret about how that operates before I tell you what the solution is . You also read articles that say crime is down. None of us are probably rocket but are smart enough to know crime is not down, right. The reason they can say it’s down is that crimes are is counted by reports. If they never come out to take the report it never happened. But the crime did happen. The most basic answer is to use common sense.
Every shift in Every district of the City of Detroit when an off comes on duty he has a list of all the other rounds that the shift before him never got to . So he or she starts out the day going around to 20 other places trying to catch up. When you’re catching up you’re not policing. Why waste two police officers in a scout car to go catch up? Why not have one person call the home owner, talk to him and go and get a report when you can and let the police officer in the police car protect you? I mean that’s what you want them to do. It is basically that simple to get started. Which is something you can get started on the next day. And then you start bring another police officers.
Leadership. Start using reserves. There are a lot of reserves in this city who volunteer their time to help the police dept. I’ve got people in my reserves that fight Internet crime. They spend their time chasing child predators. That makes them feel good. They come back to work because they provide something of value because I ask them to do something of value. But they do not get used appropriately.
Everybody’s gonna tell you they gonna fight crime. The question is when have you done it before and how have you done it? And if you’re so good at it how come you didn’t you fix it when you were office before?
If you go back and you believe that as a Sherriff I’ve done a good job. Don’t accept that has he’s a good sheriff he can’t do anything else. You pay me to do another job I’ll do a good job at that. Teaching 20 years, practicing law I work hard at what I do. We’re broke we messed up.
There are a lot of people running – business people other people now I’m not knocking anybody but I’m the only elected CEO in this race. You vote for me to run an organization. I’m not out chasing crooks all day. I wish I was ‘cause it’s fun. But that’s not what I do all day. I manage a $150 million a year budget and 1,200 employees. That’s what I do. It’s a small city. There are lots of city’s around here that don’t have that big a budget It would certainly be a promotion to running the city of Detroit but it’s the same, it’s apples to apples. I’m not running a private company that doesn’t have labor unions or state legislators and all those other people you have to deal with every day. I deal with them in good times and bad times.
I brought in $30-35 million in grants from the federal Govt. in the past 4-5 years. That’s federal grants. That’s not your tax dollars. You gotta go find ways to get money and move forward to do some stuff.
The city has a significant amount of money … Detroit has some money called neighborhood stabilization fund. And part of that money can be used to demolish buildings. We don’t have enough money to demolish them all, but one of my biggest pet peeves is that they don’t even use good judgment deciding what to tear down in the first place. I mean when the money comes I’ve seen them cut a contract with a vendor and then let him decide what houses he’s going to tear down. I want to tear down houses next to people who live in the community who got a burnt house next door to them. Get some of the abandon house out of the way so the kids can get to school. Even if you can’t tear them all down, prioritize the ones that are in the best interest of your citizens.
Let me just leave you with this. I’m a workaholic. And I don’t get Amnesia. If you see me later and it’s something I didn’t live up to then see me about it. I want my granddaughters to still live here. I don’t want my granddaughters all over the globe because they don’t want to live in the City of Detroit.
Nolan Finley: "Close ears to ... dead Palestinian Children""
Detroit News editorial page editor Nolan Finley writes in his blog, [CHECK IT OUT HERE]
"Israel appears to be readying for a massive ground invasion of the terrorist infested Gaza Strip. Israel's success depends on its ability to close its ears to the worldwide outcry over dead Palestinian children.
Because there will be dead children. Already, children and other civilians are dying under the week-long barrage of Israeli bombs.
But Hamas terrorists are also dying, and that's what matters."
Wait a minute here. What in the world is this?! It's NEVER OK for kids to get killed no matter what the circumstances are. There are ALWAYS diplomatic ways of handling things and while Hamas is a terrorist group, it seems like Israel has taken up the idea that it you can't beat 'em you have to join 'em. I say that meaning Israel is now officially no better than a terrorist organization for killing innocent children. Nolan, do you have any kids? Would you offer them in a bloody sacrifice them for peace in the middle east? You're cold.
"Israel appears to be readying for a massive ground invasion of the terrorist infested Gaza Strip. Israel's success depends on its ability to close its ears to the worldwide outcry over dead Palestinian children.
Because there will be dead children. Already, children and other civilians are dying under the week-long barrage of Israeli bombs.
But Hamas terrorists are also dying, and that's what matters."
Wait a minute here. What in the world is this?! It's NEVER OK for kids to get killed no matter what the circumstances are. There are ALWAYS diplomatic ways of handling things and while Hamas is a terrorist group, it seems like Israel has taken up the idea that it you can't beat 'em you have to join 'em. I say that meaning Israel is now officially no better than a terrorist organization for killing innocent children. Nolan, do you have any kids? Would you offer them in a bloody sacrifice them for peace in the middle east? You're cold.
Kanye's new album
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
“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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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)
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?!
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:
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?
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
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.
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.
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