« February 2008 | Main | April 2008 »
March 29, 2008
Hannity & Colmes defend Obama against Pastor Manning
I really was avoiding giving Pastor James David Manning any airtime, because I think his a$$ is batshyt crazy. And it's far from my intent to promote the carefully crafted YouTube rantings of someone so obviously trying to get their meager Internet shine on.
HOWEVER.
This dude went on Hannity & Colmes to defend his series of YouTube attacks on Obama. You can Google Pastor James David Manning to find his videos, and Hannity & Colmes have their own site on Fox (you already know how I feel about Fox). Bottom line is, I never thought I'd see the day that Hannity would defend Obama. Oh, and now - I know that mainstream America has seen that dude is batshyt crazy. Thanks H&C and Fox for showing the world this kid is a loon.
Shouts to Bossip.com and LiveSteez for the video below. FoxNews also has both Part 1 and 2 available.
Posted by saga_30311 at 04:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 28, 2008
The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall - Reverend Jeremiah Wright
I heard this on 3/25/08 on the Michael Baisden show. Apparently, Roland Martin made this available, and Michael Baisden played most of it in context, so people would understand exactly what Pastor Wright was saying. On the Michael Baisden show, the point was also made that the media's use of the sermon out-of-context was a targeted attempt to make the democratic campaigns about race.
I'm also ecstatic that it's posted on Roland Martin's website, and Anderson Cooper's CNN Blog . You can listen to the sermon below.
My thoughts: he's stating what many people felt, both immediately after 9/11, and now. America's foreign policy, particularly in areas were there are violent conflicts and American soldiers are deployed to protect American economic interests (not the "freedom" which we keep seeing raised and bandied about like the American Flag, every time patriotism is used to justify some shady military interference) is questionable at best. This isn't a revelation, and I'm glad someone intelligent, articulate and with enough clout to pull the listening ears of some masses said it. What is even MORE interesting to me (and this is a whole 'nother blog post) is that whenever an entity, with any social capital/clout, questions the American government, American military actions, or the validity of America's foreign policy, et. al. - they're tarred and feathered as Anti-American and un-patriotic.
I keep wondering when the 187th Amendment was added to the Constitution: Thou Shalt Not Question American Authority?
Posted by saga_30311 at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2008
Fox on Fox: the Obama bashing should stop
I'm glad another Fox newscaster called Fox & Friends on this.
Watch Brian Kilmeade walk off the set of Fox & Friends in frustration as his co-hosts Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy pick apart Obama's speech, and repeatedly rerun the "typical white person" comment from that speech, out of context:
Then, Chris Wallace calls them on the "excessiveness" of them rerunning that portion of the speech, and talks about how they keep clipping it out of context. Read the sound bite 3 times? Come on....when your fellow newscaster chides you about being unfair ON AIR and ignoring more newsworthy, relevant stories - you know you've not only crossed a line...you erased it.
Posted by saga_30311 at 11:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
dear uniqlo...come to GA, please!!!!
Ok, I have to admit something - I'm a little obsessive when it comes to the fashion thing.
I mean, I am a bargain hunter and I do love a sale, and I don't drop majores dólares on designer labels. I also don't spend nearly as much on clothes as most people think I do. In the realm of fashion, I'm pretty thrifty.
HOWEVER
When I find something I really like, or a store I really love - I tend to obsess about it until I can buy it, or shop in it. Obsess, yes. Like, I can't stop thinking about it. Hence, the gladiator shoes I posted previously. And a giraffe print blouse I found online at some weird outlet for grandma pants (don't ask). And the 5 pairs of capri pants hanging in my closet that I got before I decided that they did absolutely nothing for me...but I digress.
My latest obsession is Uniqlo.
I dropped by and spent about an hour in Uniqlo the last time I was in NY, which (damnit) isn't nearly long enough. But I did manage to get a white babydoll shirt that made the perfect nightie ($19.99) and a cashmere poet's sweater which I've worn so much it's beginning to fray ($39) - both of which were extremely well targeted purchases. But the thing is that I so <3 this store....and if you're wondering why......
The store's aesthetic is just neat. Yes, I lack a better word.
Have I mentioned that I love to stop? I mean, I LOVE to shop. Don't get me wrong - I don't love to buy (everything is not meant to be owned by me), but the whole process of picking things out, visualizing how it will look with pieces I already own, and how I can flip the item in ways unintended by the original clothing designer/manufacture - hmph, I just get a lil giddy. I like perusing items in multiple colors, determining which one works best with outfits, and even taking really basic items (a t-shirt, a cardigan, flat front khaki's, a basic dress shirt, etc.) and wearing them in outrageous colors, or really flat neutrals, in some way I haven't seen lately. And if this store isn't a shopper's wet dream, then I just don't know what is.....
They have basic items in better quality fabrics (cashmere and silk) than their competitors, in a whole assortment of colors, as well as truly unique pieces (the babydoll shirt, tuxedo jackets, shirtdresses with gored skirts, etc) that you just can't find elsewere. And on top of that, the prices aren't bad. They're really good, actually. As for quality, it's nice for the price. Seriously though - do I need to spend $200+ on a t-shirt? No - I can get them from Uniqlo!
Their website is a developer's wet dream too. I mean, it uses white space well, it presents a ton of graphics, yet isn't cluttered, the graphics are done cleanly. Alls Uniqlo needs to do is add a store catalogue back-end (ahem, hint-hint) and I'm good ;)
So this is my empassioned plea: Dear Uniqlo, I know you built the flagship in Soho, and are probably planning a NY expansion, but we're sorely lacking in anything remotely close to your store. I mean, there's H&M and Zara but they don't even come close. So when you open your next store, come to GA, please!!!!!
Posted by saga_30311 at 08:50 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 20, 2008
58,987 Spam Comments later.....
And we've come to this:
I'm sorry, but the 'Bots were killing me.
I installed it yesterday, but I can't ensure it's completely bug-free. I'm having a few preview issues. if you're having trouble previewing your comments, I suggest you cut & paste it into a text editor, hit the browser back button, and choose Post instead. I'm working on a fix as we speak.
Meanwhile, if you're not familiar with reCaptcha, you have to perform a verification of the words displayed in order to post a comment. And if you're still having trouble:
This lil button RELOADS with new display words, giving you another opportunity to Word verify.
This lil button gives you an AUDIO verify alternative. You can listen and type the words in the text box.
Try the HELP button if you need additional help using captcha.
I know...I'm not happy about it either, because I love reading your comments. But what'chu want me to do...I'm sorry!
I'm back ;)
Posted by saga_30311 at 04:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Counting the Campaign Cash?
Wanna know where your hard earned political contributions are going?
AND
more importantly - where they're coming from? Check out:
Click the graphic to head to Open Secrets website. Interesting contributors.....
Posted by saga_30311 at 03:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2008
The Marriage Cure
In 2003, The New Yorker published an article from Katherine Boo (of New America), which discussed "The Marriage Cure", as a possible cure for poverty. You can read the full article here: "The Marriage Cure". A warning that this post is Panama-length, but it's worth it. Trust me.
Some background:
Oklahoma has rarely found itself in the vanguard of antipoverty thinking, but the class to which the two women were heading embodies a vigorous new idea -- something known locally as "the marriage cure." Traditionally, singleness has been viewed as a symptom of poverty. Today, however, a politically heterodox cadre of academics is arguing that singleness -- and particularly, single parenthood -- is one of poverty's primary causes, for which matrimony might be a plausible tonic. For the past few years, the state of Oklahoma has been converting this premise into policy. In an initiative praised by the Bush Administration, which aims to seed marriage-promotion programs nationwide, the state has deputized public-relations firms, community leaders, and preachers (among them the pastor at Holy Temple Baptist Church) to take matrimony's benefits to the people. Last summer, that marriage drive reached Sooner Haven. "Come learn about relationships!" said the recruiter who knocked on the housing project's beat-up doors.
And more (a passage that hits way too close to home):
Her husband had remarried six months after the divorce; Corean had had one second date in twelve years...One unacknowledged consolation of struggling in the inner city is the lack of time one has to indulge romantic discontent. It was letting go of her children, more than losing her husband, that had caused the Reverend Doctor Mom to notice that she was alone.
and more:
As Orlando Patterson, of Harvard, a scholar of black marriage patterns, recently observed, African-Americans remain "among the most un-partnered and estranged individuals in the world."
and even more:
From this counseling, Pastor Young has come to share the belief of many marriage-initiative advocates: that men more than women need convincing on this point. Thus he sees it as an unhappy but unavoidable fact that women are this social policy's beasts of burden. Having already complied with social and economic pressures to work, poor women were now being asked to do something that their government had so far failed at: push their male counterparts into the cultural and economic mainstream.
whew. Ok, the background is set, so I can delve into my thoughts. Meanwhile, you really should read the entire article. Katherine Boo's writing really illustrates not only what is right and wrong with these programs, but a robust portrait of what poverty in post-welfare reform affected areas (Oklahoma, South Georgia, etc.) really looks and feels like.
My thoughts after the jump...
I came through the door, and said it before:: It's imperative to our community to fix our relationship issues. The marriage-initiatives provide another reason why: to combat poverty. And whether you think it's a holdover from an organized plot formulated and executed by the government, or a symptom of a shift in overall societal values that hit the African-American community a bit harder, it's beyond dispute: we as a people aren't getting married. Hit the archives above if you want more info. But the article either explicitly or implicitly states some important points that I'd like to revisit:
Black Men & Marriage:: getting women to the table for this discussion is the easy part. It's the menfolk that need convincing. After all, "Marriage is for White People". Ask black men why they aren't getting married, and they'll say having grown up in single parent households, they have no examples of the benefits of marriage, the don't understand the spiritual significance of marriage, it's impact on raising children and they fear that one woman can't satisfy all their needs.
Don't get me wrong. Marriage definitely isn't a cure-all.
economics, the Chicken or the Egg?:: The article illustrates other reasons, that fall under one umbrella: economics. If you're at a bus stop, and a guy is hitting on you, the two of you getting hitched ain't gonna put the two of you in a Lexus. We need jobs, we need an education, we need equal access to reasonable credit instruments, we need...a whole lot of other economic "things" to get us back treading water. But did we get swept away by economic forces that forced us to not get married, or did we not get married, so that economic forces hit us harder than most? Steven Ruggles and Catherine Fitch, of the Minnesota Population Center, completed a 2005 study that discusses part of this paradox. The results weren't conclusive, and more investigation was suggested - the chicken vs. egg paradox remains. Their study includes some graphics that show how dramatic the marriage decline in our community really was/is, and also how women were hit a bit harder (interracial marriage). I uploaded an abbreviated version of their presentation for those with a short attention span.
marriage as a panacea:: that's cure-all in laymen's terms. On first, second and third readings, it sounds like the equivalent of putting Neosporin on a broken arm with an infection. Maybe it'll cure some of the infection. Maybe it'll make some of the pain dissipate. But it won't set the arm, and it won't heal the arm, and it won't get rid of all the problems associated with said arm. Marriage won't "fix what's broke". So when reading about healthy marriage initiatives, and govenment progams/policies to promote them, I have an eye out on what other programs or policies are also being implemented to "fix what's broke". Our community needs economic programs in tandem with this.
Hows-n-ever - I've had numerous professors, both of the Social Sciences departments and even in B-school, profess the benefits of marriage. Most recently, a professor tied the success of entrepreneurs, particularly the truly "wealthy", to their marital status. The hypothesis there is simple (and a lil "hood"): "chasing p*ssy is expensive and time-consuming...and the cash/time you save as a married entrepreneur can be better invested in your budding business". No empirical data here, but it sounds like common sense. And that's where I stand as far as marriage is concerned....I don't think it's a cure all, but when applied properly...it helps.
A recommendation: If you want reasons why you should get married, the Institute for American Values provided a report on "The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans" (including a pseudo top ten list), which is detailed here. But I'll give you just the list (sans details):
- Marriage clearly appears to promote the economic, social, familial, and psychological well-being of African American men and women.
- While both Black men and Black women receive a marriage premium, this premium in most cases appears to be larger for men.
- Economically, marriage appears to benefit Blacks more than Whites.
- Overall, Black women appear to benefit from marriage substantially less than do White women.
- Black-White differences in marital quality seem to constitute an important reason why Black adults, and particularly Black women, typically benefit less from marriage than do Whites.
- Parental marriage produces important benefits for African American children.
- Parental marriage appears to be especially important for the well-being of young African American males.
- # In some areas, Black children seem to benefit more from parental marriage than do White children, whereas in other areas, the reverse is true.
- The reasons for some apparent racial differences in the consequences of marriage for children are not clear, and further research in this area is needed.
- For policy makers who care about Black America, marriage matters.
Posted by saga_30311 at 10:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 18, 2008
and now for a fashion interruption
I don't know if it's those dayum Old Navy ads, with their jungle/safari themes and beautiful skinny people, but I've got this new obsession with everything safari-like. Elephants for my house, khaki and bold prints for my wardrobe. And now that I've got time on my hands, the sewing machine is official out of storage, dusted-off, and being put to use. Without viewing any old Spring '08 fashion previews, or reading the spring issues of Vogue, Bazaar, Elle or W, I've already got my entire summer wardrobe planned out, and it's full of clean billowy whites, khaki safari blazers, stone-colored tailored suits with giraffe print shirts, and red printed dresses (w/leopard trim. I know, crazy - right? But I found the fabric, and it works).
aside:: am I totally anal retentive for plotting my entire wardrobe? guilty as charge....
But back to the subject at hand - a shoe. The quintessential go-with-everything shoe, that's high enough to be formidable, without sacrificing comfort. And it has to match e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g I just named above. And be striking. I mean, if you're wearing a neutral suit, you need a fierce shoe, mais non? Oui! And (for me) here she is:
Nine West Zanja
I honestly can't think of a scenario where I would NOT wear this shoe. Ok, I'm obsessed, but it walks the line between gladiator and corporate, while retaining it's aesthetic - good enough for me.
Posted by saga_30311 at 01:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 15, 2008
crazy as a Fox...news, that is.
what qualifies "news" outlets as legitimate? and who decides?
Up front & center:: I've got serious problems with Fox News. I always have. The fact that my employer keeps our TV's at work tuned to them 24X7 is only part of it.
I just don't understand how a news outlet, that has Geraldo Rivera as a political analyst, and features stories on babies with two faces, streams live coverage of Paris Hilton's prison release and analyzes the legitimacy of lawsuits by whether the plaintiffs are "hot" as a news outlet. I'm sorry - I just can't. But please tell me I'm not the only one.
My problem is that outlets such as Fox have created a slippery slope, spiraling downward to the lowest common denominator, and providing us with stories that appeal to our basest instincts. Fear, gossip, rumor, drama, sex, etc...etc...ad nauseum. And they're dragging "legitimate" outlets down with them....
This would be fine, were it not for their exhaustive coverage of real news topics, such as politics, the elections, major trials, etc. Political Bias aside (although it's REALLY HARD TO SWEEP THAT ASIDE) I have a really hard time stomaching their reporters cover legitimate stories, such as the Elliott Spitzer story, the Ferraro-Clinton fiasco and the Obama-Wright drama. Hell, IMHO, their "reporters" are less reporters, and more "television personalities", no more fit to report on the news or opine on current events than you or I. So is ratings the goal, the ultimate name of the game, and the watching/listening public gets to be bombarded with sensationalized BS for the sake of profits? Yes, in Fox's case, it seems so.
Their reasoning? We report....you decide.
GTFOHWTBS.
"Baby Girl Born With Two Faces Worshipped as Reincarnated God." <<< I've decided...that shyt is real National Enquirer-ish.
Posted by saga_30311 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
headed to he-double-hockey-sticks
my grandmother used to prophesize and distribute tracts about shyt like this. 
70 degrees and hail & ice? While the sun is shining? We're all going to he-double-hockeys-sticks. I should be glad i got off easy with Atlanta's storm. Apparently, CNN, the Omni, the Westin, the Tabernacle and many homes in downtown Atlanta didn't get off so easy.
Posted by saga_30311 at 05:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
Keith Olbermann on Hilary Clinton & Geraldine Ferraro
W.O.W. I have no words [/endGlee]
ok, I do have one. DAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN.
Posted by saga_30311 at 07:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bulls and bears: School promotes financial literacy
I find creative ideas for accomplishing typical & atypical goals, pretty darn attractive.
Now, how attractive is this story from the Chicago Tribune, about giving 1st graders $20K to invest in the stock market?
The Ariel school is an experiment in financial literacy with real-life oomph: Each incoming first-grade class gets $20,000 that the children ultimately get to pick stocks for and manage. The goal is to add an I -- investing -- to the three R's, according John Rogers Jr., chairman and CEO of Ariel Capital Management, the Chicago-based money management firm that established the school in 1996.At a time when pensions are being phased out and people must rely more on their own investment smarts, Rogers thinks saving and investment should be an integral part of the curriculum at schools across the country.
Experts say easy credit, aggressive marketing and the dizzying array of financial products and cashless spending options have led many American consumers astray, making it more essential than ever for kids to learn about money.
Iowa State University professor Tahira Hira, a member of the newly formed President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, is among those advocating that personal finance be required teaching at every elementary school.
Suddenly, HIlary's $5,000 baby bond is so much more attractive.....Give it to the kids (not the parents) and in 1st grade, let them learn how to manage it. Interesting....
Posted by saga_30311 at 12:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2008
this chick here....
.....and to think I voted for Geraldine Ferraro back in the '80's. For the record, they are two different videos.
The relevant piece starts around 3:00 minutes in, although the whole video is worth a listen. I want this campaign...hell this country....to get beyond this.
aside:: isn't being on the Clinton Campaign finance committee a direct conflict of interest with being a Fox Political Analyst?
another aside:: does this smell remotely of Wag the Dog to anyone? It smells like bait to me....glad it didn't take Mississippi off-track. But did it take some shine off the results of the Texas caucus? Hm......
I do like the response from Obama's camp. However, Ferarro's backpedaling explanation isn't convincing.
Ok, I'm not about to start becoming a political blog. I have colleagues, like Inkognegro, who do that much better than I. I'm just saying...
Posted by saga_30311 at 09:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 11, 2008
sheesh, this campaign...
I should probably have picked a photo of dueling pundits for this post, but I'd be damned to limit it to just two of them.
I've (still) got real issues with how/why we (as individuals) select candidates that are qualified. Not with the voting process, but the basis on which we determine which candidate to support.
part of the reason I hate punditry::I was listening to Talk Radio - the Michael Baisden show to be exact, and he was taking calls from Mississippians regarding who they were casting votes for in today's primary. A caller from MI, let's call her Mary, called in to declare that she was 'black, female, in her 40's, and casting her vote for John McCain" primarily because of his position on same-sex marriages, Abortion and homosexuality. *sighs* Fortunately, Al Sharpton was on to respond to her and any listeners, clarifying that the Executive branch is no more responsible for the laws related to any of those issues, than you, I, or the monkey standing behind me.
BTW, ignore that monkey - he's potty-trained.
Aside:: I'm a fan of Al Sharpton as a talk show host and guest, because he knows his stuff, and he's not condescending or pandering in talking to his guests or callers, and he does it in the language of the common man. Sweet.
I'll just go ahead and admit it - I'm an elitist. And most callers (and some hosts) on talk radio drive me up a wall, because of the condescension, the pandering, the (un) qualified yet overinflated opinions, and the adamant conviction not based on fact, but other pundit's opinion. I guess I shouldn't limit my disdain for talk radio - there's enough punditry for every possible news and non-news medium. But I digress...
da point is...::This campaign is sparking some interesting debates about how we choose our elected officials - how we as individuals choose which candidates to support, and what makes a candidate "qualified". Which (IMHO) should really be taught in high school, instead of our revisionist history classes. My first American government class was in college, and (fortunately) it was taught by a black lawyer jaded enough with our systems (all 3 - executive, judiciary and legislature) to provoke us into questioning EVERYTHING. Most people look at these campaigns as a popularity contest, through the lens of their own priorities, values, morals, religious beliefs, social issues, et. al. without thoroughly and objectively questioning whether the candidate can actually do the job.
Another dissatisfied Clinton supporter (methinks, anyway):: under the jump
Another dissatisfied Clinton supporter (methinks, anyway):: Quinden on being "Still Stuck in Second":
I've been flashing back to that episode the last few months, considering how, even with the best intentions, male is still the universal default setting. Here's the drumbeat—Hillary Rodham Clinton is a strange test case for a what-if we women have been rehearsing for decades. What would be the chances that the most significant run for the presidency by a woman would be made by someone with more baggage than a ball team headed to an away game: a former First Lady, married to one of the most polarizing political figures in modern American history, who had suffered the public humiliation of his sexual perfidy? What would be the chances that she would survive all that to enter the Senate, then to mount what all believed would be a cakewalk to the Democratic nomination, only to be parried, not by the right wing or entrenched bigotry but by youth and eloquence and a colleague who symbolized a newer new America than she did?But just because all this makes it difficult to parse the double standard surrounding Senator Clinton's candidacy doesn't mean the double standard no longer exists, or shouldn't be acknowledged. There may be many reasons apart from her gender—past, positions, personality—that have led people to turn away. But there has also been an inescapable undercurrent of bias. It's summed up in the word "calculating," which is often used to describe the senator in as witchy a way possible. There is no male politico equivalent for "calculating," except perhaps "business as usual."
my thoughts:: and all that to say, what exactly? I hate that Obama's at the other end of this, because I like him a lot as a candidate. But really -the playing field (once again) has never been level, has always been biased, and it's biased against anyone who doesn't fit the typical paradigm of a presidential hopeful which strongly resembles that of our former presidents: white, male, Protestant, Ivy League schools, etc. ANYONE who isn't cut from that cloth would face bias...hell, Obama's been fighting silliness such as his "islamic" leanings, ties to Al Qaeda, substance-less campaign and lack of real qualifications (which I could make a case for some anti-affirmative action backlash, if I was so inclined) since the beginning of the primaries.
Ok, this is beginning to sound as whiny as the Newsweek article. Moving on...
I find an almost-past child-bearing-years heterosexual Black women selecting a candidate based on the party's Abortion and Same Sex marriage stance almost scarier than a pundit basing their selection on women's rights or lack thereof. Why? Because the former represents the rampant ignorance and idiocy with which most people approach their voting decisions and it's the common man, the voter, albeit swayed by popular opinion, that will elect the next president.
What makes a good candidate to run our country? What qualifications would they need? Does the "party" make the candidate, or vice versa? Sheesh....these m****-f***'s here need to think before they vote, seriously....
Posted by saga_30311 at 01:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
"We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For" is a message from the Hopi Nation Elders, but also associated with Maria Shriver, Barack Obama and Black History Month.
A quick excerpt:
You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
- Where are you living?
- What are you doing?
- What are your relationships?
- Are you in right relation?
- Where is your water?
- Know your garden.
- It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
More after the jump.....
I’ve wondered for a while now, if Gen X. was the generation of leaders, or slackers? If we’re fulfilling the promise that our elders spoke of many years ago? If all the information, tools, opportunities, et. al. at our disposal are being put to their fullest and most productive use? If hip-hop (cause I am a hip hop kid at heart) has grown up and become the leader that we who were there at the beginning, thought it could/would be?
I’m an overachiever, masquerading as an underachiever, who secretly has aspirations of being a leader. Yeah, I’ve had my spot on Oprah’s couch picked out for quite some time…….lol.
I’m (sorta) kidding. Honestly, I do feel duly charged to participate in community activities that feed my social conscious, but also give back to those in need. I volunteer, I serve on the board of a non-profit, I donate and I’m passively looking for other ways that I can “give back”. My plate stays on swole. Why? Because I’ve benefited directly from other’s altruism and philanthropy, and I believe in life’s circles and karma. And because it feels good. And because I feel both responsible and accountable.
Call it what you will. I have a friend who calls it guilt – and for the record, I have a special place on my a$$ reserved for him to kiss. I call it retaining balance.
My endeavors are not completely selfless, however. The best way to meet new people is to network, so I do keep my eye out for opportunities that can help me advance my personal interests – entrepreneurship, socializing, dating, etc. What – you know a better way for me to find an equally yoked significant other? Networking people – forget online dating sites, social networking sites and friends hooking me up – I’m chilling on LinkedIn, Reunion.com et. al. My colleagues tell me that National conventions and seminars, such as the NBMBAA annual convention, the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Conference, etc are the new meeting places. Who knew? But seriously, I’ve been thinking about joining a sorority or another board of directors, to further my desire to be active in my community.
I also have my 25th High School reunion pending. The jury’s out on how I feel about that.
And on that note, I was trolling through a group of African-Americans on LinkedIn, looking for colleagues and acquaintances. And aside from the names, their achievements read like a Who’s Who of Community activism. They’ve served on the “right” boards, volunteer with the “right” organizations, the resume of activism is deep. I truly feel like a slacker. A real slacker, comparatively.
We’re picking up the mantle – taking our rightful place as leaders. We coach little league. We volunteer. We teach. We serve as advisors. We provide our time, energy and finances to help others in need. We hold or aspire to positions of authority where we make decisions that greatly impact the lives of others. We write and inform our communities. We pay our taxes, raise our children and we voice our concerns.
Obama may be the most visible (he’s tail end baby-boom, but I’m still claiming him). But we’re all in. We’re the ones…..even lil ole me.
Posted by saga_30311 at 09:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2008
Black Love w/a Side of Ribs
I have a new favorite thing. I stumbled across this recipe for BBQ Spaghetti, and came across the cutest, cookingest couple. Down Home with the Neely's airs Saturdays at 11 a.m. Eastern and Pacific time on Food Network, and Pat & Gina are my two new favorite Food Network personalities. They seem so sweet, I could get a cavity watching the show - except when Gina puts Pat in check. Then I know they're "keeping it real", even as they dish up some good down-home cooking, and some wisdom about their relationship, their business and what keeps their extended family together.
aside:: why do I like it so much when Gina puts Pat in check, hm?
Anyway, the recipes (Spicy Fried Wings, Roasted Cornish Hen with Creamed Collard Greens, Memphis Style BBQ Ribs, et. al.) are serious business. But what keeps me tuning in is that these two seem to have a genuine admiration and adoration for each other that comes across in all their interactions. I don't need much more incentive than this to watch The Neelys. And I love black love, don't you?
Posted by saga_30311 at 08:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack