A huge wealth gap has opened up between black and white people in the US over the past quarter of a century – a difference sufficient to put two children through university – because of racial discrimination and economic policies that favour the affluent.
While the question that W.E.B. Du Bois proposed in the first chapter of Souls of Black Folks has been positively resolved in a many areas, the US still suffers from racism. Perhaps then it is a issue that can never be resolved requiring succeeding generations of African-American to stay vigilant and prepared to fight racism wherever it exists and makes itself known. Additionally, we need to educate ourselves (because no one else will) about financial and money management. We need to need to push ourselves and our youth into fields (such as math, science, technology) where the future is bright. The crisis continues but now more than ever we need to push ourselves (and no expect others to help push us) forward or else (as the article suggests) we will stagnate and backslide.
A $95,000 question: why are whites five times richer than blacks in the US?
I know sports is all about the money but it still is a sad day when someone as good as future Hall of Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson is simply let go just because he’s a bit older. I mean here’s a guy whose given San Diego the best days of his career while: (1) staying out of trouble; (2) being a positive influence on the community and (3) being a total team player. In my book, that deserves a commitment by ownership to see that he stays in San Diego till he retires rather than what have you done for me lately mentality that kicks a player to the curb once he’s deemed “over the hill.” Sad day in the NFL. Sad day in sports.
As boycaught stated last week, I need to get back to blogging. Not that I ever was really prolific at it but I was a lot more regular than I am now. Recently, I’ve spent too much time writing 140 character hacks that I’ve started to think in short, irreverent burst. I liked to blog because it forced me to think through what I was thinking about which lead to a more organized point of view. Call it blogging for thinking. Today, I ran across this article on writing tips. After reading through it I think many of the points are also suitable for blogging.
Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.
Funny, sad and telling, how in the age of post-racial societies, race is becoming ever more important.
A week may be a long time in politics. But a year has not been enough for the Democratic president to meet the expectations of his candidacy, deal with the situation he inherited or defuse the barbed charges of his detractors.
Even after a year doing the best he can of a rotten situation he inherited, racism, ignorance and zenophobia still drive an amazingly large swath of [white] America. Not that it is surprising … to anyone that is African-American but it re-enforces what many of us already knew the US has a long, long road to go before it becomes a post-racial society. Furthermore, being the only truly universal society, we continue to squander our most valuable asset: our multiculturalism.
If NBC liked it, then they should have put a ring on it.
Funny and oh, so true!
Update:
Looks like Conan is following the advice:
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over “The Tonight Show” in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my “Tonight Show” in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 to accommodate the “Jay Leno Show” at 11:35. For 60 years, the “Tonight Show” has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.” Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the “Late Night” show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
Yours,
Conan
Comcast is introducing a “data meter” to broadband customers in Washington state on Tuesday to help customers keep track of broadband consumption — and avoid hitting the company’s controversial data usage cap.
Today, here in Seattle, Comcast announced that it will make available a meter in which customer can check on there broadband usage. The purpose is so that people will know when they reach the Comcast limit of 250 GBs a month. According to Comcast, about 1% of the customer base in Seattle surpass that limit. They also say that these broadband hogs negatively effect the other 99% that don’t even come close to the limit. Which begs the question in my mind: how could the 1% be such a burden? Comcast also let it be known that if you get caught going past the limit twice in 6 months, they will cut your service off for a year. What! You mean I give you the privilege of over-charging me and when I dare to get the most for my dollar you cut me off. Are they for real? Moreover, I just don’t having my usage being so available as I’m sure there are (or will be myriad ways that Comcast will be able to dig in and monitor what your surfing. The money quote though is, “We may change our practice but will, of course, provide notice to the customer of any change.” Yup, today broadband meter. Tomorrow all knowing monitoring device. Well, thank you Comcast for making it so easy. I will not be using your service anymore for cable, broadband or phone. Hope you’ll be able to see that on your customer base meter!
Is it me or is Fringe just an Abrams, Kurtzman, Orci & Co. update of the X-files? I mean the similarities are striking. Mulder and Dunham are both FBI agents1 partnered with non-believers (read: Scully and Bishop) that slowly start to believe as the show goes on. Mulder and Dunham both are drawn to the work because a loved one was “taken” from them. Both are aided by a mysterious African-American men.2 The backstory to both X-Files and Fringe revolve around a weird cabal that has deep connections all over the World. If I had money to waste I’d produce a X-Files/Fringe crossover movie … like the Aliens/Predator vehicles but much better. Now that would be a fine cinematic singularity.3
Over the past few years, we’ve gotten to know our president as a lot of different things: campaigner, lawyer, father, basketballer. But what if Obama’s first and truest calling—his desire to write—explains more about him than anything else?
I often wonder why I keep writing this blog. It is somewhat time-consuming. It requires discipline and dedication. Only a few people actually read/follow it and in the age of Twitter, Facebook and Friendfeed … writing a blog seems so, so slow and tiresome. But today, I read this interesting article. While it was fascinating to discover how the President came into writing and how he still uses “the writer’s mind” in how he communicates, the more important nugget, I was able to get, was that there is more to writing, in any form, then just putting words to paper. As I see it, writing longer prose or descriptions forces me to think deeper and clarify my thoughts about things I see, hear and experience. While, I may not have an audience to speak of, writing here does force me to consider how another may see or perceive my writing. That forces me to not be lazy in how I express myself. Writing also forces me to interact with language (grammar and spelling) … or to put it more precisely with human communication. So I hope that I will keep writing here and elsewhere. If anything, at least I’ll get an intellectual work out from it. And there can’t be anything wrong with that, can there.
