Breaking An UnEasy Silence - Malcolm Shabazz

"How do you [fill out an application at] Denny’s and put down Princeton and the Sorbonne as your education?"

These are the words of the young man that most of us remember as the grandson who started the fire that killed his grandmother, Betty Shabazz. He is referring to his mother, Qubilah in an interview by Aliya S. King for NewsOne and GIANT magazine.

Personally, I still find it difficult to even think about this young black man and the events that led up to the most horrendous of deaths - dying because you are trying to save the life of one you love.

View the video below or visit NewsOne on BlackPlanet for the complete interview.
Malcolm X’s Grandson Breaks Silence!
By News One May 18, 2009 10:00 pm

Tammy Bruce calls Michelle Obama "Trash"!

This is totally unbelievable - yesterday while subbing on the Laura Ingraham Show, Tammy Bruce trivialized Michelle's talk with female students in the DC area. She says she doesn't understand the term "you talk like a white person".

Tammy Bruce showed herself to be the ignoramus I always thought she was, but I usually just ignored her chronic lameness. This is so outrageous - and then as if to cover this insult to be 'politically correct', she says something about 'trash' being color blind.

Listen to the clip on the Huffington Post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/23/tammy-bruce-calls-the-oba_...

"Trash" Is the New N Word - Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/03/trash-right-wing-hate-against-obamas

Yes, Tammy Bruce is a nobody and we will see a lot more of these types as they try to get a little conservative spotlight. From her website:
"Tammy Bruce is an openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush authentic feminist. "

Not really. She's just pathetic.

Google Crashes & Makes All Searches Inoperable

I don't believe it - but while I was updating my websites this morning (January 31st, 9:25 am est) the unthinkable happened - all Google searches came back with the same message "This site may harm your computer"!

My husband and I quickly began to search all of our sites to see if it was a virus attack or just an attack on our company and found out that it was the entire web. Check out this digg.com link for more info:

http://digg.com/security/Google_Crashes_Searches_Inoperable

Michael Steele Wins RNC After only Six Separate Votes!!!

I was glued to Wonkettes' site as she was giving a blog-by-blog on the Republican National Committee Chairman vote. Michael Steele, Former Lt. Gov. of Maryland was elected the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He received 91 votes on the sixth ballot. Eighty Five votes were needed to win. The other guy got 77, but only after six separate votes.

Mike Duncan read the writing and stepped down when he had 52 votes and Steele had 60. After a fourth vote, Ken Blackwell gave his big 16 votes to Steele. Another vote . . . Steele still didn't have enough (72) to win. Then Saul Anuzis finally concedes his big 20 votes (without supporting anyone) and Steele finally gets enough to win. Can you say "Resistance to vote for . . ."? Katon Dawson ran awfully close, however as cited on CNN "a number of party members said they didn't savor the thought of having a white Southerner as the face of the party in the age of Obama. In September, he resigned from a country club with a whites-only restriction in its deed."

Steele came out strong in his acceptance speech using words like 'empower' and 'change', with tough images:

"Those of you who wish to obstruct- get ready to be knocked over" and "We'll going to do what we do best - win."

So what's next? Steele is proud to say he was Obama's stand-in when assisting McCain in debate prep. Will we hear any lyrics about Steele the magic negro? Or will Rush Limbaugh hope he will also fail? We will see how this plays out as the RNC goes negro for negro with the DNC. First one to shine shoes loses.

Michael Steele Goes for GOP RNC Chairmanship

It's official. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a prominent African-American GOPer, declared his candidacy for chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

As reported on The Hill website, Steele launches bid to run RNC By Susan Crabtree, Steele had decided to enter the race earlier last week and "had privately told close associates about his intentions. He spent the last four days making phone calls to RNC members to make a personal appeal for their vote."

“I want the gig,” he said. “I’m ready to lead this party. I think we have been kind of wandering and doubting ourselves for far too long. I think this past election was the culmination of that self-doubt, which has to end.”

Steele currently heads the conservative grassroots group GOPAC, founded by Newt Gingrich, and formerly served as chairman of the Maryland Republican party.

Hmmm . . . perhaps Mike Tyson's ex-brother-in-law is feeling the strength of the Obama chi in spite of his right leanings.

I wish him luck, although he couldn't curl his lips around that phrase for Obama. He was too busy saying that Palin was an appropriate candidate, all the while knowing that he (Steele) was much more qualified.

Read the rest here.

Woo Hoo! I voted!

Took 1 hour and 27 minutes in Marlton community of Upper Marlboro, MD.

My step daughter waited from 6:40am to 9:30am in Largo, MD.

Loving life right now!

Who REALLY Fought Media Bias in this Election?

The November 2008 issue of Scientific American (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=media-bias-presidential-election) reports that:

"Despite popular accounts, researchers found that Barack Obama got more negative press coverage than John McCain did in the early summer."


Hmmm . . . news flash. Conservatives are always whining about media bias while steadily dishing it out.

Read the full story by Vivian B. Martin - Media Bias: Going beyond Fair and Balanced

Writers & Thoughts on the Eve of the Election

Couldn't resist on the eve of such a momentous election:

Poet E. Ethelbert Miller gives us the words of Walt Whitman for Election Day on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and his E-mag Early Election Edition which features writers from around the nation chronicling the election happenings in their surrounds .

Author Tananarive Due demonstrates the importance of family in this election with her blog entry: "Why Does Grandma Wear Dark Glasses?": My Family & the 2008 Election

Style versus Substance on Obamesque

Thank you Charles Alexander
"Everybody my age is dying off. Everybody. Next four or five years, I probably won't be around. These young people are gonna take the lead. That's what I love seeing about all these people sitting here as volunteers - 'cause they are our tomorrow."

What I Love About Mississippi

The Blues.
Pure and simple poetry.
Here's Poor Black Mattie from R.L. Burnside (1926 - 2005):

And I Thought I Liked McCain Back in 2000 . . .

Well, at least respected him as opposed to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that was hoisted upon us. Now it seems that "Grampy McSane" (thanks Stephanie Miller) went along to get along and is just like the folks he claimed to be different from back in the '00.
Now he desperately chooses "Caribou Barbie" as an insult to all women.

This man has lost all respect and has many of us questioning his sanity. But of course, ambition makes people do ridiculous things. Forget what is good for the country and it's inhabitants, let's just get the pandering going strong.

It's unbelievable, but now I even agree with Peggy Noonan's off-screen remarks.

Graphic from the Liberal OC.com

Wow - I've Lived Long Enough to REALLY See Myself in America

Everyone in that stadium tonight is just like me - fiercely proud Americans that want to take back our country. This is OUR tea party. And what a party!

When is the last time you heard The Impressions (Movin' On Up), Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Holliday at a political convention? The DNC has outdone themselves. I'm loving this and I'm so ready to BaRack the House!

Tonight we are all rock stars. McCain is about to be crushed by our collective celebrity. Too bad for him.

Can A Black Blogger Get a Break?

Ann Brown reports in Black Enterprise on how members of the Afrosphere act on the lack of Black Bloggers on the DNC floor.

blackenterprise.com - New Media Dilemma for Democratic Convention

"Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the
blogs present," says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action
Coalition. According to Holland, many states with a strong black
Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not
represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did
apply. "The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among
its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at
the Democratic National Convention, for example. The District of
Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is
32.4% black, will be left out. Illinois, the presidential nominee's
home state, which is 15% black, will be left out."

Crazy, Profane, and Always Entertaining - George Carlin Dies at 71

The first guest host of the now iconic 'Saturday Night Live', George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71. The contemporary of Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor acquainted us with the "seven words you can never say on television."

Carlin was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor November 10th from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Read more on Boomers Primetime Primetime - Life After 40 Is The Best!

A Real Guitar Hero Gets A Rockin' Goodbye

After a stroke and a heart attack, 79 year old Bo Diddley was laid to rest today in Florida. A true rock and roll pioneer, the Chess Records guitarist never made it big like other names: Little Richard, Fats Domino or Chuck Berry. It took a new generation of musicians to bring this founding father's signature riffs to light in their new brand of rock and roll.

Listen to Bo Diddley on NPR
Uncut.co.uk - News
Rock Pioneer Dies At 79

Uncut Magazine Interview by Simon Goddard

AP Photos:B.B. King and Bo Diddley in 2002 at the opening of King's Blues Club and Grill in New York.Square guitar in hand, Bo Diddley performs during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York, March 14, 2005.

Black Community Is Increasingly Protective of Obama - washingtonpost.com

Black Community Is Increasingly Protective of Obama - washingtonpost.com

Further Proof that Gangsta Rap is either Dead or Sold Out

"Llanview, what it do?"
Snoop Dogg on the daytime soap One Life to Live today. Says the dawg "I have been a fan of ONE LIFE TO LIVE since I was a baby," reveals Snoop Dogg. "My momma always had it on the tube in the crib growing up.The opportunity to change up the theme song and give it some of my flavor will make the show the Life of The Party."

He performed two songs from his new album, ’’Ego Trippin’,’’ at the fictional Ultra Violet club.

Artist Synthia Saint James "Woman of the Year"

We've all seen her works on book covers,greeting cards, in magazines, in and on buidings, even on the Cosby show; and now the California 26th Senatorial District has chosen to honor her as Woman of the Year. Synthia Saint James is an internationally recognized self-taught artist and author with over over 50 commissions for major organizations, corporations and individual collectors; along with over 60 book covers (remember Waiting to Exhale?)to her credit.

Visit her website: The Creative World of Synthia Saint James for a bio and a very weighty body of work.



Reported on Afro European Sisters Network: Afro European Sisters Network (www.aesn.eu): "Woman of the Year" Synthia Saint James

Amazon's Kindle is Sold Out!

The winds of change are rolling again and the tried but true book, darling of the Industrial Revolution, may be going the way of a piece of coal and a cave wall. 22nd Century Press publishers (22nd Century Press: Amazon's Kindle is Sold Out! Is it the iPod of Reading? ) blogged on the sold out state of Amazon's new Kindle book reader. Granted it's not the first or only ebook reader out there, but the buzz on this seems to be a bit different from when Sony announced their reader earlier this year.

Comparisons to the noble iPod abound. However, this is not what excites me. As a boomer, I'm looking at some of the first real change in human reading and communication habits. The speed of technology during my half century of life easily surpasses that of any 19th century industrialist. This is an exciting time to live in . . . just think, before I kick it for the last time I might get to see those books from a hologram that originates from my watch (so old school, but so Dick Tracy-like).

Back to the present, I'm still sticking to books. At least for a little while. Check out the review here: 22nd Century Press: Amazon's Kindle is Sold Out! Is it the iPod of Reading?

Toni Morrison weighs in:

FEELING FINE AND FABULOUS AT FORTY-SOMETHING!

Not feeling the love for your slightly older, just a little creeky body? Well you'd better not let Sheritha Bowman know about it. She's a Washington, D.C. author and playwright that is laying it down for anybody not quite in the mood to feel fabulous. Oh yeah, she is kickin' some butt and not bothering with taking names.

Okay. You scared me. I'm leaving this blog RIGHT NOW to walk the dog.
Sometimes we just need a kick in the pants.
Thanks Sheritha.

FEELING FINE AND FABULOUS AT FORTY-SOMETHING! - Black Author Showcase

The Black Baby Boomers American Dream - Do We Even Have One?

Boomers have a very interesting take on the American Dream notion. For some Black Boomers it means more than a white picket fence with a mom dressed in pearls. It has come to mean mini-mansions, kids with cars, shoes that cost more than a week of meals and enough electronic play devices to run a small country. It means succumbing to being the ultimate in consumers, but also not able to pass this fleeting 'wealth' on to their heirs.

What this will mean is yet more generations starting from scratch. Is this a good thing that breeds integrity and ambition or does it increase the circle of poverty? Beverly Mahone runs the stats on this phenom in her blog entry Black Baby Boomers and the American Dream and places the blame on institutional racism.

Perhaps its time for us to 'pull up' and take a good look at our lives and the alleged legacy we intend to leave (if that is the intention at all). Will the fact that we can afford a blinged out SUV or the largest HDTV available really matter if our grandchildren still endure the indignities of the Jena 6 or the brevity of life of the Newark/Delaware State victims?

It's time to re-tool the dream.