Monday, July 09, 2007

America is Back?

I was just watching an Obama speech on C-span and I am starting to see why there is so much hype around the guy. He has away to sweep you away with his words, bring up things that many people miss because of the way the current president is running things. Things like habeas corpus or even talking with other countries to get things done.

Funny thing is that he even drop a line that popped in my head some time ago that I think who ever wins the 2008 election should use as slogan…”America is back”

I still think it is to early to say if I want to get behind the guy but I have to say that for the most part he has been cementing his place near the top of my list.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Free Martin Jackson

I guess we all feel it (at least from time to time) the need/want to be set free. Free from the daily grind, the worries, the boredom, etc, etc.

it was this type of mood that I was end when I made these.


or maybe I just have a huge ego and wanted to have people wearing one of those political free _________ shirt about me but with out actually having to do anything : )

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

rebuild New Orleans green

The other night (Monday) I was watching the Tavis Smiley show’s first part in a series on the victims of hurricane Katrina that have moved back to New Orleans to try and rebuild there lives. Watching people talk about the hard time they had getting things like power in their area I begin to wonder why there isn’t more being done not only to rebuild the city but to make it even better.

Now when I say make it better I don’t mean the way that many in the city fear, ie tearing down the mostly Black areas and either building housing that many of the original residents can’t afford or make it to boutique town. What I was thinking was to rebuild the city so house are more ecologically friendly.

Maybe I’m only thinking this because I noticed a lot news about green tech recently. But think about it, when this documentary was being filmed a lot of people where living in areas with no powers. It made me wonder what if people and companies got together to help rebuild peoples home with things like solar panels. People in areas that government doesn’t feel is populated enough to worry about trying to get energy to can at least generate their own.

Know if a company wonders why should install homes with any renewable energy set for free, the answer is simple. You can use the people that you give help to as public relations and also for advertisement. Your company will look really good if you can run ads saying “WHATEVER CO. helped the Jenkins family of New Orleans get the power they need to rest their lives” or something to that affect.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

a sad and true look at Black super heroes



This was funny but sadly it is still very true.


a side-note I Black Panther was a king in his comic not a prince.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Al Franken is running for senate

Al Franken just annonced on his radio show he will be running for senator of minnesota.

Not much of a surprise since that has been rumored to be the reason why he is ending his radio show.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

attack of Aqua Teen Hunger Force...number 1 in the hood

I have been reading a bunch of articles about the people of Boston being scared $H!tless because of some viral ads for the cartoon show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

This is what cased the panic


Now I ask when you see this what is he first thing that came into your mind? Is it hey why is that cartoon character giving me the finger? or hey its the guy from that one show.

sadly it seems some idiots in Boston thought...oh my god terrorist. But hey one stupid dumby wouldn't really be much news, it's the fact that a bunch of morons that hold office seem to have thought the same way.

These ads where places in cities all across America but only in Boston, did some call the bomb squad to take them down.

The two people that were hired by Turner Broadcasting to place the ads are now facing the possibility of going to jail.

Assistant Attorney General John Grossman says that "It's clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location,"

but really was that these two guy ideal? It's really hard to make that jump in logic. They wanted people to see it yes...but it's hard to see how any one would think that was a bomb. Instead of just "what is that character and why is it flicking me the bird?"

Mayor Thomas Menino stated "It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,"

he is right about one thing, this is outrageous. but the problem isn't the marketing tactic it's the fact that after 9/11 America seems to have turned into a land of really jumpy scaredy cat punks.

it's a shame this reminds me of when some high school students made blocks like the ones that can be found in the video game Super Mario Brothers and people panic thinking it was a terrorist attack.

It's time for us as a nation to Man up...street art isn't an act of terrorism...vandalism maybe but not terror.

Middle America please:

STOP BEING A AFFRIAD OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE AND DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!

Acting like the people of Boston just did only gives the terrorist a win with out them having to do a damn thing.

in a post 9/11 world we have to remember that terrorist want use scared and it is clear by the way people acted about this we are still living in a state of fear. And that is what they wanted.

So please stop giving into the terrorist. next time you see something like street art or marketing don't jump to the conclusion that it has to be terrorist and go on your day.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

why everyone hates hip-hop

Growing up as a kid in the 80's I was exposed to an art form of music called rap. I don't really remember the first rap song I heard but I do remember when it really clicked with me.

I was flipping through channels when I ran across BET and they were playing KRS-One's My Philosophy and then DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's Parent's Just Don't Understand. two extremely different songs but they still hit home with and 8 year old me.

Maybe being introduced to the music by two songs that are so different (social-political to pop) that when I got older and gangsta rap became extremely popular in the media, I was always trying to defend rap by pointing out that it is so much more then just gangsta rap.

But then after watching a number of documentaries about old singers, I realized something...old people always hate the music of the youth.

so after that I basically learned how to ignore most of the complaints about rap music.

But then I got older and noticed a number of the complaints people had/have about rap are true about many of the songs that get heavy air play. A lot of rap songs that get heavy rotation on radio and on TV is full of sexism/misogyny, violence and materialism and they do have some effects on the youth.

But the thing is that these issues are problems we have across the board in society. So in fact the problems that people have with hip-hop are really the problems that they have with America.

or at least the problems that they should have with America.

is there really much difference between kids wanting to be gangsters in the past because they saw it on the movies and kids wanting to be gangstas today because they hear it on the radio?

is it really any more sexist to have a video full of Black women with big booties in bikinis compared to having of video of White women with large breast in bikinis?

what does more to increase gun violence? Westerns, rap or Rambo? Or is it that we have live in a society that glorifies guns, that's the problem?


I thank the reason that people dog pile on rap and hip-hop is because as I noted early the older generation always hates on the youngster's taste in music. But also because this music is mostly brought to you by...Black people and if you look at the past every time a new form of music that comes from the African-American community becomes popular it's dismissed and looked down on.

even though the music reflects problems that we have in society, those two facts makes theme stuck out more for some people.

In no way do I want to excuse hip-hop on these problems but I just think that before (or while) people want to deal with the problems of hip-hop we have to fix the the problems we have across the board. Because if we don't it won't matter if we fix rap because it will only get infected again because rap in part of American society and what ails it also ails hip-hop.

Friday, December 29, 2006

when the hangman comes a calling

Saddam Hussein is set to be killed at 10 o'clock to night.

sucks for him. But hey kids this is a lesson for you, don't be murderous dictators because pay backs a B----.

they couldn't wait to kill this guy. first they gave him about a month to live. then earlier today they said they might kill him by tomorrow and now they are going with it tonight.

heck I bet they might move it even sooner then 10.

Friday, December 01, 2006

just say no to sex

This is crazy the goverment is now going to spend money on abstinence programs not for kids and teens but for adults.

That's right the goverment is now trying to push the ideal that people under the age of 30 shouldn't have sex.


who the hell do they think they are to tell adults not to have sex?

And do they really think this is going to work? it's just going to be a waste of millions of dollars that could be better used for something else.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

people of the yac really do want to better the city

although I am still bummed about affirmative action being axed in Michigan I am glad to say that mileages on the ballot to help improve the city of Pontiac have passed.

These mileages where to increase police funding, money for senior citizens programs and to keep are crappy library open (and hopeful make it less crappy)

I wasn't sure about this because like affirmative action it looked like these mileages (with the expectation of the senior citizens one) would not be supported by the voting public.

But it looks like a millage to fund programs for youth might not pass which is sad. But fits into my theory that people really hate kids. oh yeah we say we like them and want them to have a better future but collectively we F*** them over every chance we get.

if that millage doesn't pass I think that will be a reason why

affirmative action is now banned in the glove state

that right affirmative action is gone in the state of Michigan.

I'm very depressed by this but not to shocked. Watching channel 7's numbers when they where counting the results it stated that the ban was in the lead. But most of what I saw was when less then 20% of the vote was counted.

with all the problems that may have been with a program like affirmative action it still did more good then it did bad. With it gone I fear things will slip to how they were in the 60's and earlier. when your looking for a job or applying for college you might begin to notice coloreds need not apply.

What you think I'm over blowing things?

I hope so.

But truth is are nation still has race issues.

Not to long ago there was a study that showed that people with Black sounding names are less likely to get job interviews to places they send their resumes then those with more White sounding names. EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS.

and that's just one example.

and the ending of affirmative action doesn't just effect people of color, it will also have and effect on women.

Because this will also mean an end to programs that make sure females also get equal opportunities as males. let it be in school or in the work force.

and just racism hasn't ended in America so hasn't sexism. Or did the old boys network closed down recently and I didn't hear about it.

So this is all a bit ironic giving the fact that the person that was used as figured head for the ban was a white woman who felt the reason she didn't get into the university of Michigan was because of her race. Now she will less likely to get in because of her genitals.

Friday, November 03, 2006

I am legion


HowManyOfMe.com
LogoThere are:
1,014
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?




I know I had a common name but over 1000 in the US, I feel less unique.

who is staying the course now?

I find it interesting that Dick Devos is running ads against Jennifer Granholm saying that she is all about staying the course.


the reason this is odd to me is the Devos the republican candidate for govenor of Michigan and Granholm is of course the Democrat and the term stay the course is something that has been used as a tag line by the Repbulicans the last few years. That tag line of course hasn't been doing well for them and so it just seems odd that one of them is trying to pin it on a Democrat. Of course the Republicans using that term in the past (trying to spin it for the postive) were talking about Iraq and the Republican using this term now (and spinning it for the postive) is talking about the economy.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

I hope this guy doesn't get mad at me for linking to his blog

I ran across this new comic related blog. it seems nice (it just started out so we how long it can keep up being good) but I was reading thread on another site (the V hive) about how he is angery about another blog (women in comics) linking to him.

I would tell people to check it out but fear the net rage I would get.

wii the funs coming...maybe?

The news is out the Wii will cost $250 (pk it's 249.99 to keep it just under that promised less then 250.) Which means I lost in all those guess the wii's price pools. I was guessing it would have been a bit over $50 cheaper.

But it does come with a game. something that hasn't happend in a long time with the release of new gaming consoles. The game? Wii sports.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Hey terrorist! no need for a jihad we can destory are selves. Thank you very much

with all the focus on terrorist it seems that the goverment has over looked some of the basic things need to run the country.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Out of control:

Last Wednesday ABC aired a news documentary on AIDS in the Black community.

Blackaids.org says this was the first national TV program (I guess they mean on broadcast TV, since there have been some on cable stations aimed at African Americans) on AIDS epidemic in African Americans.

Which would have been a good thing except as I watched I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just a new area wave around old stereotypes about Blacks. And in this cause that is of Black being over sexed animals.

I'm not sure where they got there information. But some of the stats they gave seemed really high. I'm not talking about the affection rate among African American I already know that high. It was things like when they talked about high much more Blacks are sexually active. I forget the number ( I want to say they said 14 times more) but it seem really high. It just make it seem that Black do nothing but have sex. Ok so as I type this I'm in the middle of an orgy...But that is not the point.

beside that it was the same old same old about the raise of AIDS among Black woman that if you watched, read, listen to any thing else that talked about AIDS among the African American community you would know.

I think the report (and many others that I've seen) focuses on African American women as it demonize Black men.

I think there may be a little to much focus on the Downlow. Because if the HIV rates among Black women are so high and the cause of the down low is (as these reports seem to say) the main cause then that means either

a) Every other Black man is really gay or bisexual and hiding it

or

b) Most Black women for really like gay/bisexual men

which is a bit hard to believe, but if most (60% primetime said) of the new causes are Black women then at least b is true or primetime's stats are a bit off.

of course if the numbers are so high for Black women then I would like to see them for Black men. It can't be 40% because there are other groups of people that still get AIDS/HIV

I think this was a long enough rant I may come back on it later though

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Just voted



I Voted... Did You?

I just got in from voting. For those who didn't do so yet you still have half an hour or more depending on the time zone your in as you read this (assuming your reading this when it was posted)

It was a nice day so I walked to the polling place but ran into a friend of my brother's when I was half way there and ended up with a ride.

Before I got into the polling place to vote I was hammered with people trying to get me vote for them or candidate. I ran into a guy I knew when I was a kid (yet he didn't hand me anything think fully) and some guy trying to get on as a write on.

Which brings to a big question. Why is this guy running as a write in? It doesn't seem to hard to run in a local election. Not to expensive.

Also the guy had no info about himself. He just handed a flyer with his name asking you to write it end. He had nothing stating where he stands on any issue. In fact this has been a problem with most of the people I've seen running. They'll give you a post card asking for you to vote for them but none of them say what they would (at least like/try to) do when they will get into office. I only saw two people with websites.

Dear people running in local elections give the people so F'ing info about you.


as I walked back home I ended up giving a crackhead a heart attack because she thought I was a cop.

well that's my 2006 primary voting story. What's yours?

Thursday, July 13, 2006

art and famly history going to the trash

I'm a bit bummed right now. Today I was cleaning out my grandmother's house with my uncle and cousin. Doing so we ran into a bunch of paintings my grandfather did, sadly they were moldy and so wet that you picked them up many of them tore away.

It was really sad having to trow away some nice paintings.

There are still a few left does anyone know if there is a way to save them?

I think the reason I'm so sad about it is that I never got a chance to know my grandfather. He did a few weeks before I was even born. His art was on of the few things I really got to know about the guy.

Monday, July 10, 2006

man the the chappelle show sucked last night

I'm willing to put money on the ideal that the real reason Dave Chappelle quit was because he smart enough to know when to jump ship.

I can also see why comedy central waited so long to air them. Let the bad press fall on Dave Chappelle so they look like the good guys. If they aired the shows early people wouldn't go on and on about how Dave Chappelle went crazy but instead how bad the show turned up in it's third season. One of these the network can profit more from.

take the money and run...just take the money and run man.


I guess I'll keep watching to see if this season get's better.