So, I've finished reading Nigger by Dick Gregory... I can't believe all that shit could have happened to a man in 31 years of life!

I just have to review a couple of quotes from him... these are all toward the end of the book:

"But I guess the greatest lesson of that Birmingham bombing was for the Negro who thought that civil rights didn't pertain to him -- the principal, the teacher, the that church, and whether he wanted to demonstrate or not, whether he thought we were going too fast or not, he found out that as long as your skin is black...."

I think that this quote is reflected by the movement of consciousness and protest that is taking place in the United States today. We are in the midst of a recession & people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. People are understanding that if we are not all progressive then none of us can truly be progressive. Also, to this day, as a black man, whether or not you are a doctor, lawyer, councilman... you too can still be followed by the police, might see a white woman clutch her purse as you stroll into the elevator, perhaps you will get followed around the store... There has been a movement in this country by people from all colors and all backgrounds against the wrongs of this country... the wrongs that our government & has inflicted upon us. There is no reason in the United States of America 13 million children live in poverty...


"And do you know that 50 per cent of the killings are our fault? That's right. We let this white man go crazy on us, instead of straightening him out when we should have."

The War in Iraq. There is so much data that many of us has yet to touch... Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield what's going on over there? What kind of mess have we created against the terrorists? But where are the citizens who are THAT angry...that angry enough to protest against this crime against the people of Iraq... why aren't we straightening out our government? Perhaps it's too late to change any policies of the current administration...we'll have to wait for someone else to step in and clean up this mess... straighten up this mess

"I saw the monster in Mississippi where we marched for voter registration, so a Negro can cast his ballot for the government he lives under and supports with his tax money, and dies for in wars... I saw it in San Francisco where white doctors and lawyers marched on the lines with us and went to jail with us and showed the world that this isn't a revolution of black against white, this is a revolution of right against wrong. And right has never lost."

There is a movement in American & abroad fighting against hate, injustice, oppression... a whole bunch of people ... people who will not rest until this world is a more just place.

Proud to be an American

To The Editor:

As a 78 year old American of African descent, I feel compelled to respond to all this "much ado about nothing" when it comes to the statement that Michelle Obama made about the fact that this is the first time in her adult life that she has been proud to be an American.

The country needs to hear this from the Black perspective.

Long before I was born, my grandfather Joseph Burleson, owned a considerable amount of land in oil rich Texas. Because during that era, Blacks could not vote, nor could they contest anything in the courts of the United States, my grandfather's land was STOLEN by his White neighbor. My grandfather, who was literate and better educated than my grandmother, drove to town. Seeing my grandfather leave, the covetous neighbor asked my grandmother to show him the deed to the property. He snatched it. She could not insist that he give it back, nor could she have reported this THEFT to the sheriff because of the fact that Blacks had no rights in the 1800's. The prevailing law at that time was he who held the deed owned the land. Do you think that is something that I am PROUD OF? Right now I should be living off th e oil and gas royalties.

In 1934 when my dad drove us to Texas to meet his family, when he stopped to purchase gasoline, his daughters and wife were not allowed to use the washroom. As a man it was easier for his to relieve himself in the bushes, but not for the females. We were, however, reduced to having to go in the bushes, also. Do you think I am PROUD OF THAT?

In 1938 when my oldest sister went to enroll in Hyde Park High School, she was told by the counselor that she did not want to take college preparatory courses, she wanted to study domestic science. Do you think I'm PROUD OF THAT? Of course, when Beatrice Lillian Hurley-Burleson went to school the next day, that was the last time anyone thought that the Burleson girls wanted to study domestic science.

When in 1943 my parents attempted to buy the 2 flat at 5338 South Kenwood, where we had lived since 1933, in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL we were told that we could not buy it because there was a restrictive covenant that said that the property was never to be sold to "Negroes." Do you think I am PROUD OF THAT?

In 1950 when I graduated from college, I was unable to get a job because I was considered "overqualified." the code word for they would not hire me because of my race. All of the want ads called for Japanese Americans or Neisis ( the word given to Japanese Americans at that time). Do you think that was something that I should have been PROUD OF? I understood that America was trying to make up for the interring of innocent and patriotic Americans who were our enemy by association.

My cousin's barbershop was bombed in Mississippi in the 50's because he was encouraging Black people to register to vote. His wife who had earned a Masters Degree from Northwestern University lost her position as the principal of the local school because of the voter registration activities. Is that something I should be PROUD OF?

Now we get to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of the Obama family. Rev. Wright like so many religious zealots overstates many things, that many of his members do not agree with. To suggest that Senator Obama should leave the church of his choice is not only a double standard, but it is absurd. Would any of the talking heads who are so alarmed by Rev. Wright's thoughts and speeches suggest that Catholics should abandon their faith or denounce and reject the Pope because so many priests have molested children. These children were exploited and taken advantage of and they had no choice to even know they could resist, reject and denounce. To me the situations are parallel, except for the fact that the priests behavior is a physical violation of the innocence of children who are marred for life; and the priests behavior is a cr ime. Rev. Wright's speechesare just words, that one can listen to or not, the members have a choice. Should Governor Romney denounce and reject the Mormon Church because some of their members practice polygamy?

As Senator Obama has previously stated, we have entered the silly season.

Barack Obama is an adult, and most importantly, he is an exceptionally intelligent adult. Like most of us adults, fortunately, we do not accept all we hear or see. If we did, the world would be more amoral, debased and perverted than the world of today is.

I see all these "so called" ponderings an attempt to marginalize the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama. I cannot truly call this racism because some ignorant Blacks have also spoken disparagingly about him.

I accept this as the darker side of mankind who because of their own inadequacies, they project their deficiencies on others. Barack Obama is a very rare individual, the likes of whom the world seldom sees. Like most geniuses, they are often misunderstood. They are objects of envy and jealousy. They are suspect because they soar above the average man who does not have the intellectual ability to understand the greatness of special people. They are also targets to be pulled down to the level of the mediocre who cannot stand to see an individual with deep convictions and high standards.

We have not seen a phenomena like Barack Obama in many years and many generations. Like Ghanda, like Jesus, like Einstein, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., like Mother Theresa, genetically, intellectually and spiritually, these people offer the world so much, but they are often maligned and misunderstood.

Barack Obama is a Christian in the true sense of the word. A true Christian loves his fellow man unconditionally. A true Christian wants the best and tries to bring out the best in his fellow man. A true Christian wants to unite and bring the world together in peace and harmony. This is what Senator Obama stands for; but, unfortunately, he has had to get off point to answer these false charges, innuendoes, and just plain lies.

We are in the presence of an angel unaware in Senator Barack Obama; and this country needs him, more than he needs us. He is the only person at this time in history who can restore respect for America with the worlds' people. Because of his family background, the influence of his beloved mother who instilled great values in him, the influence of his absent father who vicariously inspired a son to go to Harvard as the father had done, the influence of a minister who brought him to an understanding of the value and meaning of Christianity, the influence of a brilliant Harvard educated wife who inspires him and keeps him grounded; he is the epitome of a citizen of the world. He is of the world because the world is in him; and this is what America needs to bring us out of the abyss to which we have sunk in the eyes of the world.

Like, Michelle Obama, after living in this country all of my 78 years, loving my country and not understanding why my country has not loved me, I now for the first time in my adult life feel PROUD OF MY COUNTRY because I sense a maturing, a recognition of talent and character, and not color, and a field of candidates aspiring to lead this nation coming from very diverse backgrounds of gender, religious beliefs, national origin, ethnicity, age and experiences. This to me is the HOPE that America is coming into her own and will begin to CHANGE and will embrace the philosophy upon which this country was founded, where all men are created equal and are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now I truly believe, YES WE CAN!

Black In America

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/

Behind the Scenes: 'Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination'

• Story Highlights
• "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination" airs April 3 at 9 p.m. ET
  
• Lt. George Loenneke was looking through peephole at time King was hit
  
• CNN Presents gained unprecedented access to balcony, evidence
  
• Documentary tracks last days of convicted assassin James Earl Ray
  

By Jim Polk
CNN

Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events. Here, senior producer Jim Polk talks about the upcoming documentary "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination."

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (CNN) -- The Rev. Billy Kyles, the only person standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had started to walk away when he heard the shot.

"When I turned, I could see him lying on the balcony. One of his feet was sticking through the railing, and there was this huge hole in his face," Kyles told CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien as they stood together in front of Room 306 where the civil rights leader was gunned down 40 years ago this April.

In producing its two-hour documentary, "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination," CNN Presents turned to the people who were there that day and others personally involved in the movement to tell their first-hand stories of a tragedy that still resonates today. Watch a preview »

Fireman George Loenneke had asked to take a look through a police surveillance peephole in his fire station across the street and saw King at the moment he was hit.

"It sounded like one-by-fours [boards], two of them -- just bam! -- went together," Loenneke said. "He come up off that grating there about a foot."

King's closest aide, Andrew Young, told O'Brien, "He probably never even heard the shot."

CNN sought out these critical witnesses and others with pained memories and personal knowledge to tell the story in their own words, rather than depend on official reconstructions of the murder case.

Among those interviewed: five policemen on the scene or on duty that day, three men in the firehouse, two of the garbage workers whose city-wide strike brought the civil rights leader to Memphis, the medical examiner who plotted the trajectory of the fatal bullet, and the former Ku Klux Klan lawyer who became James Earl Ray's first attorney.

Ray's younger brother, Jerry, shared his story of how he stayed in touch with James during the prison escapee's year on the run and was at his bedside when Ray died almost 30 years after his guilty plea in King's death.

The documentary draws on James Earl Ray's personal hand-written account at the time, which describes how he purchased his white Mustang and the .30-06 rifle left at the murder scene, as well as his capture overseas while trying to join up with mercenary forces in white-ruled areas of Africa.

The former Lorraine Motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and its president, Beverly Robertson, allowed CNN unprecedented access not only to the second-floor balcony where King was killed, but also to the museum's remarkable display of the evidence, including Ray's rifle and his prison radio, both left behind as he drove away.

CNN was able to obtain transcripts of original police interviews with many witnesses now deceased, including boarders in the rooming house where authorities believe the fatal shot was fired. The network also got access to FBI interviews with the owners of the gun store where Ray bought the rifle, and we talked face-to-face with each of them, although both declined to be interviewed on camera.

Our team read the full report of the House Assassination Committee, which held extensive hearings in 1978, as well as two Justice Department reports defending the FBI findings, but we avoided using any of the official government accounts, other than original documents found in the British Archives on the U.S. request for Ray's extradition after his arrest.

CNN's goal: to bring you as close to a first-hand eyewitness account of those turbulent times and that tragic ending as can be possible 40 years after the death of a leader many consider an American martyr.

All AboutCivil Rights • Racial Issues • African-American Issues • Martin Luther King Jr.

Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/13/bts.king.assasssination/index.html

Quote of the Day... or Minute... ?

Quote of the Day: Nas
Posted By marv On October 19, 2007 (11:38 am) In Nas, Quote of The Day

Posted by Bossip Staff

Nas recently discussed his upcoming album which will be called Nigger now, not “Nigga”:

“I’m a street disciple. I’m talking to the streets. Stay out of our business. You ain’t got no business worrying about what the word ‘nigger’ is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me. Whether you in the NAACP or you Jesse Jackson. I respect all of them … I just want them to know: Never fall victim to Fox. Never fall victim to the sh– they do. What they do is try to hurry up and get you on the phone and try to get you to talk about something you might not know about yet. If Cornell West was making an album called Nigger, they would know he’s got something intellectual to say. To think I’m gonna say something that’s not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary.”

“I wanna make the word easy on mutha—-as’ ears. You see how white boys ain’t mad at ‘cracker’ ’cause it don’t have the same [sting] as ‘nigger’? I want ‘nigger’ to have less meaning [than] ‘cracker.’ With all the bullsh– that’s going on in the world, racism is at its peak. I wanna do the sh– that’s not being done. I wanna be the artist who ain’t out. I wanna make the music I wanna hear.”

“This Nigger album is bigger than an album. This is for my daughter, when she looks back and sees all the chump n—as in the game, she’ll say, ‘My pops was a man.’ When I have more kids, they’ll see, ‘He was a man.’ That will inspire them to be real in their life. Some people say I’m conscious, some say I’m a gangsta rapper — it’s just me doing me. I’m stomping in my own lane. I’m doing what I do.”

“We’re taking power from the word,” he added. “No disrespect to none of them who were part of the civil-rights movement, but some of my n—as in the streets don’t know who [civil-rights activist] Medgar Evers was. I love Medgar Evers, but some of the n—as in the streets don’t know Medgar Evers, they know who Nas is. And to my older people who don’t now who Nas is and who don’t know what a street disciple is, stay outta this mutha—-in’ conversation. We’ll talk to you when we’re ready. Right now, we’re on a whole new movement. We’re taking power from that word.”

Source

Article taken from Bossip - http://www.bossip.com
URL to article: http://www.bossip.com/7124/quote-of-the-day-nas-2/

3 speakers, women & addiction

Hi everyone!

Yes, yes, see I've blogged this... :-) Today, I walked in late to my Black Studies class & everyone was watching a video on the struggles of recovering femal drug addicts and their integration into society after imprisonment. Integration, meaning reclaiming their children (if possible), obtaining treatment (if covered & affordable) and of staying free of drugs. Not only did we see the video, but 2 female ex addicts, Terry and Anita were there to share their stories and answer questions. Also, one of their counselors Julie, was there to answer questions and help us understand the stories of many of the women she sees.

After a pretty sleepless night, long commute, buttered bagel & bad coffee this was the last thing that I wanted to hear. I suppose on many levels I didn't want to hear about this because it was a real tear jerker and first hand experience that I couldn't deny. The upside was to hear that the women were clean and sober for a number of years. However, the ever more disturbing fact was that BOTH of them as MANY women who turn to drugs were molested as young girls. Anita, was molested at the age of 5 and became an alcoholic by the age of 9, she was constantly threatned by her step father that if she told, he would kill her entire family. She never told until she was 14 years old and tried to throw herself out of a 4 story building. Terry, grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest and came to NY at the age of 17, in pursuit of a better education. She was addicted to heroin for a number of years and spent many years in a "get high house." Anita suffers from bi polar disorder and is now able to get the medication that she needs. However, after years of drug addiction, molestation and incarceration (5 years) she is "better" as she is receiving the support that she needs. Tragically, because she was incarcerated, the state terminated her parental rights for her 3 daughters. The youngest one, she wouldn't recognize, if she saw her.

After the stories, the guests talked about how young women are triggered into addiction and the conditions they face while incarcerated. The number one answer that came up was MOLESTATION. The counselor, Julie, even predicts that as many as 90% of women who are incarcerated have been the victim of sexual molestation. Verbal abuse was another factor on women and their self-esteem & self-image. Mental health, as in the case of Anita, who has long suffered from multiple conditions, was also addressed. Oftentimes in ALL communities, ESPECIALLY POOR communities, we do not talk about mental health issues and sexual abuse issues, yet they are rampant! So not only are we not talking about these things, we are not providing the needed support to these people so they don't have to suffer a life of drugs and incarceration. If we are not discussing these issues in the home, you can guess that they are not discussed in prison...

At the end, I talked to one of my classmates, who is taking care of her sister's 3 children and couldn't help but breaking down and crying because she knows of the "system." Court delays, lack of money, she works part time and is in school full time. She has no children of her own, but has to bear this burden almost alone, of taking care of these 3 children, while trying to further her own education to have a better life.

If you've read this far :-) which I know you have... Please check out http://www.justiceworks.org/index.htm JusticeWorks Community is a not-for-profit agency based in Brooklyn, NY whose mission is to educate, organize and mobilize a partnership of concerned citizens and community residents and organizations to advocate for just, humane and effective criminal justice policies, emphasizing alternatives to incarceration for women with children.

There is so much to say about this topic & if I wrote like I thought... this post would be never ending... I hope that on the blog or via email you will share your thoughts!

Me

Death to Gays in Iran?

Tsahia doesn't follow the rules either LOL...

Have you guys seen this story? There's a young gay teen,19, in Britain right now I believe. He is facing deportation back to Iran right now. It has been said that if he is sent back to Iran, he will be hung. In 2005 2 gay teenage boys were publicly hung in Iran, officials say for raping a young boy & human rights activists say, it was because they were homosexual. Also, Iran is known for it's torture practices on homosexuals.

Iranian Teen Fears Deportation Means Death
Gay Teenager Fights For Asylum After Boyfriend is Hanged in Iran
By CHRISTINE BROUWER and GLORIA RIVIERA
Mar. 8, 2008—

Two gay Iranians living in Britain say they fear for their lives after their partners were sentenced to death by Iranian authorities and their requests for asylum in Britain were denied.

Advocates for Mehdi Kazemi, 19, and Pegah Emambakhsh, 40, say they will face harsh physical punishment, prison, and possible execution if forced to return Iran.

The two cases have provoked an international public outcry and have increased scrutiny of British policies toward gay and lesbian asylum-seekers.

While studying English and science in the U.K., Kazemi learned that his boyfriend had been executed for sodomy back in Iran. His father told him the boyfriend had confessed to Iranian authorities that Kazemi was his lover.

The authorities, Kazemi found out, had already been to his parents' house with a warrant for his arrest.

"I was very scared," Kazemi wrote in a letter accompanying his request for asylum in Britain and published in full on the website of the Canada-based Iranian Queer Organization. "I wish to inform secretary of state that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum but in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me."

He continued, "I can not stop my attraction to men & If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed like [my boyfriend]. Since this incident & I have been so scared."

A British judge denied Kazemi's request for asylum in 2006 on the grounds that Iran does not systematically persecute homosexuals.

But human rights activists say that is only because the Iranian government does not officially recognize homosexuality.

Speaking at Columbia University in New York in September of 2007, Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaimed, "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals."

The British Home Office, which deals with cases of deportation, could not be reached in time for comment on this article.

But a spokeswoman for the Office told British newspaper The Independent, "We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our asylum system and prevent unfounded applications it is important that we are able to enforce returns of those who do not need protection."

But Kazemi, terrified at the prospect of being handed over to Iranian authorities after his application for asylum was denied, fled the country.

After a journey that sent him through the Czech Republic and Germany, he is now in The Netherlands, where he is being held in detention while a Dutch court decides whether the country is obliged to hand him back over to Britain under a treaty that says refugees can only request asylum in one European Union country.

Kazemi's uncle, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Saeed, for fear of endangering his family in Iran, described his nephew as a "very quiet and shy boy" and said he felt he had no choice but to run after his application for asylum was turned down."

He said, 'I told you uncle, I cannot trust the British government, they will send me back to Iran," Saeed told ABC News. "By going there I will be killed, and I just don't want to go."
Kazemi's case is one of two garnering international attention.

Pegah Emambakhsh, a 40-year-old lesbian woman who fled Iran for Britain in 2005 also faces deportation to Iran after being denied asylum. Emambakhsh's partner is currently awaiting execution by stoning in Iran.

Speaking to The Independent through an asylum representative Thursday, Emambakhsh said, "I will never, never go back. If I do I know I will die."

Homosexuality is a capital crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to one estimate by gay rights activists, more than 4,000 homosexual men and women have been executed in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

"They have no human rights, it's very dangerous," Arsham Parsi, 27, the executive director of the Iranian Queer Organization told ABC News.

Of Mehdi Kazemi's case in particular, Parsi said, "It's not humanity. How can they deport somebody back when he has a well-grounded fear of punishment?"

He added that even if Kazemi escapes the authorities when he returns to Iran, his family will likely reject him.

"Unfortunately, his parents, they don't care about him," said Parsi, who says he has been in close contact with Kazemi since 2005. "They don't like his son being a homosexual and his father said, 'I don't care about him,' or 'execute him,' or 'he's not my son.'"

Kazemi's uncle agreed.

"His father is really, really angry on him," he told ABC News. "He thinks that he brought shame to the family."

Human rights organizations say the position of gays has gotten more difficult in Iran in recent years.
"I think things have gotten considerably worse," Zahir Janmohamed, Amnesty International's Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa told ABC News. "Ever since Ahmadinejad came to power, there has been an increased crackdown on 'vice.' That's everything from males and females interacting, clothes that both males and females wear, and certainly it's about controlling sexuality."

Both Kazemi's and Emambakhsh's cases have caused a public and political uproar in Britain. According to the Independent, more than 60 British Members of the European Parliament have signed a petition asking Prime Minister Gordon Brown to overturn the judge's decision in Kazemi's appeal for amnesty.

Kazemi's uncle, who says he speaks to his nephew from the Dutch detention center on a regular basis, told ABC News that Kazemi himself is determined not to return to Tehran, whatever the cost."

He was in a hunger strike for a few days," Saeed said of his nephew's state of mind while awaiting the Dutch court's decision. "I asked him, I think it's best you stop the hunger strike and be sensible. He said, 'look, I'd rather die here. They're sending me to my death, I might as well die here."

Joseph Simonetti and Dan Przygoda contributed reporting to this article.
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Obama Supporter Underestimated!!!!

On behalf of Mr. Alberto LOL...

Obama Supporter Underestimated!!!!
Hey, guys please watch these videos in their respective orders. This young man hit on some points, and perspectives even I wasn't aware of, and those that are undecided on who we should vote for will have their scales tipped in one direction after watching.

Love you all, Al

EVERY ONE SHOULD WATCH THIS, in the beginning of the interview the interviewer asked the questions to the YOUNG BLACK MAN with a tone which hinted that he supported OBAMA blindly or because he was black without knowing the facts and issues. Check out what happened, click on the links below and then POST your comments.

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/video-interviewer-picks-the-wrong-obama-supporter-to-try-to-railroad/

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/video-obama-supporter-derrick-responds-to-his-video/

Britain makes camera that "sees" under clothes

LONDON (Reuters) - A British company has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or explosives hidden under people's clothes from up to 25 meters away in what could be a breakthrough for the security industry.

The T5000 camera, created by a company called ThruVision, uses what it calls "passive imaging technology" to identify objects by the natural electromagnetic rays -- known as Terahertz or T-rays -- that they emit.

The high-powered camera can detect hidden objects from up to 80 feet away and is effective even when people are moving. It does not reveal physical body details and the screening is harmless, the company says.

The technology, which has military and civilian applications and could be used in crowded airports, shopping malls or sporting events, will be unveiled at a scientific development exhibition sponsored by Britain's Home Office on March 12-13.

"Acts of terrorism have shaken the world in recent years and security precautions have been tightened globally," said Clive Beattie, the chief executive of ThruVision.

"The ability to see both metallic and non-metallic items on people out to 25 meters is certainly a key capability that will enhance any comprehensive security system."

While the technology may enhance detection, it may also increase concerns that Britain is becoming a surveillance society, with hundreds of thousands of closed-circuit television cameras already monitoring people countrywide every day.

ThruVision came up with the technology for the T5000 in collaboration with the European Space Agency and from studying research by astronomers into dying stars.

The technology works on the basis that all people and objects emit low levels of electromagnetic radiation. Terahertz rays lie somewhere between infrared and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum and travel through clouds and walls.

Depending on the material, the signature of the wave is different, so that explosives can be distinguished from a block of clay and cocaine is different from a bag of flour.

(Reporting by Luke Baker)

© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

Blacks adopting children of other ethnicities?

Because I love Mimi lol.... I only WISH that I could have heard your comments on the Wendy William show! So, it seems that Will and Jada may allegedly adopt a Chinese baby. Why? I don't know... perhaps to show that they (that could mean they as in the 2 of them or they as in us black people) are part of the global community. Black activism is not new. I don't know why black Americans would be shocked if the couple decided to adopt a Chinese child.

IMO I would do the same thing. I do plan on adopting children and having a diverse family. My family is diverse now as it is... all of our families are diverse, but because it may not be an immediate connection, we can't see our diversity.

More power to them, I hope they adopt the child. I've posted a link to the article on Mediatakeout.com where you'll find more comments.

For more info and to read the crazy comments of readers, please visit: http://www.mediatakeout.com/22054/will_and_jada_to_adopt_chinese_baby.html

Hillary's ad: debate footage doctored to make Obama blacker

In case you needed yet another reason to despise Hillary Clinton and her vermin strategists, she's now running an ad blatantly lying about Obama's subcommittee. Her ad includes debate footage heavily doctored to make Obama blacker.

I guess this is the "fun part."

This was all pointed out (and links provided, and so on) in a comment by converse, but I haven't seen it diaried yet, so I wrote this one. (Update: jthomascronin apparently diaried this story yesterday, and might be the original person to point this out.)

In another comment, clonecone pointed out that Time got caught doing this a while back and posted this picture:

Here's Hillary's take on it:

• Troutnut's diary :: ::
• 
  

I made this as a fancier version of the side-by-side graphic converse posted. My first thought when I saw the images was, Is this real? Converse provided the YouTube links to prove it:

Hillary's ad:

The actual debate footage (about 4:45 in):

In her ad, the colors are desaturated and the contrast is strongly increased to make Obama look much blacker. Poblano pointed out in the comments that they squished his face, too, and posted this image:

Make of that what you will. I think it's more likely to be incidental than the color changes: they squished it to fit in exactly one half of a wide screen. They could have just cropped it rather than distorting it, though, and they didn't.

I'm not accusing Hillary of technically being a racist. But she is cynically exploiting racism to further her personal ambition, and it's part of a pattern. She's doing it to a fellow Democrat who's virtually certain to be the nominee.

In the interest of fairness, I'll address a couple of the defenses for her that people have raised in the comments:

1. Some have suggested it's an innocent artifact of the video editing, color profiles and such. It's almost impossible for such artifacts to lead to such a striking difference from the original footage. There is no doubt the color and tonality were intentionally changed.

2. Others have suggested that darkening and desaturating the footage is normal for political attack ads trying to cast the target as sinister. That may be, but it's not an acceptable excuse. Even if you accept that as normal practice, it's still a dirty one, and it takes on a more charged meaning when you're using it to attack someone in your own party who's already fighting against a lot of racism in the false Muslim smears.

If nothing else, it would be great if Hillary were forced to defend this and say it's "standard operating procedure" to darken and desaturate footage in attack ads to make your opponent look sinister. Let her defend the details of the "fun part" in front of a camera. This is, at best, the worst of politics as usual.

Update: John Ararvosis of AmericaBlog took a closer look at debate footage from three different sources.:

I went and got the original footage from the Clinton ad, and then compared it to 3 different video clips of the same debate from 3 different sources. I did this so as to take into account any editing, or quality issues, that might have accounted for Obama having darker skin in any particular video. None of the 3 video sources I found showed Obama nearly as black as the Hillary ad does. Click the image above to see a larger version. Look at his lips. Look at his eyebrows. Look at how the red MSNBC background has turned more purple. Clearly the image was darkened. The question is "why."

The lie about the subcommittee

With all the attention to her race-baiting, people might overlook one other story here. She's blatantly lying about his subcommittee. Her ad says:

As chairman of the oversight committee charged with the force of fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan, he was too busy running for President to hold even one hearing.

That's a lie. Not one of these subcommittees is "charged with the force of fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan" (Hillary seems to have the Senate confused with the Army) but the one with the most direct jurisdiction would be the Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, which is chaired by John Kerry. Obama is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.

Furthermore, Obama's subcommittee didn't meet frequently before he the chair, either. I can't find a record of their meetings online anywhere, but I vaguely remember hearing on the news when this "story" first broke months ago that the subcommittee had often gone years without meeting. If anyone can find that story, I'd love to put up a source. The subcommittee didn't meet much because most important issues relating to NATO have been handled by the full Foreign Relations Committee. Obama has been an active participant in the full committee.

In the comments, jdmorg points out a good analysis of this by David Corn at MotherJones, including this:

But the full foreign relations committee, under the guidance of Senator Joe Biden, has held several hearings on Afghanistan that covered NATO's role there. It's not as if the foreign relations committee did nothing on Afghanistan because Obama did not take on the mission. Also, as happens with many committees, the chair of the full committee reserves the right to handle the big issues him- or herself, and Afghanistan counts as a big issue.

Clinton ought to be careful about hurling stones in this area. As she always tells campaign crowds, she is a member of the Senate armed services committee. In February the committee held two hearings on Afghanistan. On February 8, it focused on appropriations for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was a witness. Eight days later, the committee zeroed in on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, holding a two-part hearing examining recent reports on Afghanistan. Key witnesses included senior officials from the State Department and the Pentagon responsible for the administration's Afghanistan policy.

Clinton attended neither of these hearings. She was on the campaign trail.

So don't let Hillary's race-baiting distract completely from the fact that she's a lying hypocrite. We have very diverse reasons to work hard against her. Rec this up to shine a light on Hillary's dirty tricks.

Stuff!

Hey Everyone,

There is the Obama Super Tuesday Viewing Party TONIGHT! (Tune in if you can't make it Obama '08) @ Pressure 110 University Place, (bet. E. 12 & 13th Street, 4,5,6 to Union Square) Copy & Paste this link to RSVP: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=f54c0a1e-f996-4965-9f58-cb74cef248aa

If you're feeling frisky, check out Derrel's After Work Jump off @ The Plumm TONIGHT!!

Today I had the privilege of listening to Dr. John Lorenz, Chair of CU's Bioethics Department discuss maternal and fetal rights. A few points:

• In NYS a woman can terminate a pregnancy up to 24 wks (6mo); when does the father have rights?

• What is the point of bringing a baby into this world if the doctors & social workers deem mother incapable to raise the child well? (This was really asked!)
  

• If the baby needs mother to take meds or restrict behaivor, should the courts force the mother to comply? However, hospitals can't force non-pregnant people into treatment or compliance.

• The more society limits parental choice, the more responsibility society has to take.

The last point is very relevant to our communities. As we've seen parent's right to discipline their children diminished, we've NOT seen the funding for after school programs, better schools, day care, social & community programs, and jobs... the rights have diminished but the programs are being cut all the time. Also, we know that these issues are mainly affecting people of color, however, the cultural representation is there but there are few compared to the need.

Black millionaire wants minority-owned satellite radio network

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio disclosed on Friday that they would continue to make the case for their merger until May 1, but a coalition of civil rights groups, led by an ambitious black entrepreneur, wants the Federal Communications Commission to set conditions for the union that would establish a new, minority-controlled satellite radio broadcaster. Chester C. Davenport has done more than offer his own scenario for the XM/Sirius marriage; he's changed the tone of the debate.

Thumbs up, at first

When Sirius and XM first announced in late February of last year that they wanted FCC and Department of Justice permission to merge, a host of minority advocacy groups filed supportive comments with the Commission. These included the Hispanic Federation, the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Latino Coalition, and the League of Rural Voters.

"For the most part, the mainstream media companies offer very limited music and entertainment programming targeted to the Hispanic community," Hispanic Federation President Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez wrote to the FCC on June 5, 2007. "Satellite radio, by contrast, does provide sought after programming, such as CNN en Espanol, ESPN Deportes, and Mexico Canta."

Many more pro-merger comments followed this statement, among them remarks filed by the National Council of Women's Organizations, a chapter of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Women Involved in Farm Economics (that's right: WIFE).

Rethinking the wedding

But the flood of minority and civil rights groups endorsements slowed down by late last year. Then came an October 18th filing from Chester Davenport's Georgetown Partners, a firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, that, in its own words, analyzes FCC regulated communications markets "for opportunities to extend minority ownership and control."

Chester Davenport
(Courtesy Univ. of Georgia)

Contrary to earlier filings, Georgetown argued that a merged XM/Sirius threatened minority voices in broadcasting. "Minority programmers today have two completely independent alternatives to attain national programming reach," the statement observed. "However, in the event that the proposed merger is approved without appropriate conditions, there will be but a single entity in control of all 300+ nationwide radio broadcast channels. Failure to obtain carriage through the single licensee, no matter the reason, would preclude nationwide coverage and the consequent ability to aggregate niche audiences."

And so Georgetown proposed that, as a condition of XM/Sirius merger approval, the FCC require the new broadcaster to "sublease on a permanent basis broadcasting infrastructure and sufficient channel capacity to a minority-controlled entity which would enable that entity to be a viable competitor to the post merger Company."

Subsequent comments asked that at least 20 percent of XM/Sirius be leased out to the new broadcaster; that's a swath of spectrum worth about 50 to 100 channels.

"History was against them"

Chester C. Davenport signed these filings. Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Carter presidency, Davenport was described in 1999 by the New York Times as "one of the wealthiest black entrepreneurs in the nation," perhaps worth close to $100 million.

The proposed XM/Sirius merger is not the first FCC deal that his 18-year-old company has attempted to influence. According to the Times, former FCC Chair William Kennard allowed GTE to purchase half of Ameritech's $3.2 billion wireless operation at least in part because the deal also permitted Georgetown to hold 7 percent equity in the new venture, at a cost of $60 million. Kennard was a strong advocate of minority participation in telecommunications.

Davenport appeared at a May 7, 1999, public FCC hearing to advocate his share of the sale. "From the beginning, the nation's communications infrastructure has been owned by members of a single demographic group," he told the gathering. "A large segment of our increasingly diverse nation has the desire and skills to assume ownership of the instrumentalities of communications in this country, but they are excluded from doing so because history was against them. This merger has the potential to change that."

It did. Davenport became chair of GTE Consumer Services, providing cell phone coverage to Greater Chicago and St. Louis.

Davenport's intervention in the proposed XM/Sirius merger has definitely changed the tone of minority filings about the issue. The National Council of Negro Women's (NCNW) statement, submitted in January, called the union a "clear, present, and unmitigated threat to decency" and added that "programming such as Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, and Bubba the Love Sponge—which help to perpetuate racist and sexist stereotypes in our culture—drive the business of both companies."

On the other hand, the NCNW filing says that the Georgetown Partners proposal "would ensure that at least one competitor in the satellite radio market would be dedicated to providing the American public with robust and positive family-friendly programming."

Ditto for the National Caucus and Center of the Black Aged, the Black Leadership Forum, and Jesse Jackson's Rainbow-Push Coalition—sort of. Jackson's October 31, 2007, FCC filing did not mention Georgetown, but it argued that if the FCC accepts the merger, "it does so with a structure different from the present—one that best serves the public's good and the public's interest."

Various members of Congress have also endorsed the Georgetown proposal, including Representatives Albert R. Wynn of Maryland, G.K. Butterfield, and Gregory Meeks of Jamaica, New York. Federal Election Commission records list Davenport as a contributor to the campaigns of Meeks, Butterfield, and Wynn—$7,000 in Wynn's case. But their November 2007 joint FCC filing includes just as many Congressional signers who have received no money from Davenport. And over three dozen members of Congress have written to the FCC expressing skepticism of the merger in general.

Can Georgetown Partners win?

Since October, Georgetown Partners has submitted 24 comments or ex parte filings to the FCC on XM/Sirius. The latest, filed on Wednesday, argues that in order for the merger to pass antitrust muster with the Department of Justice, the FCC should adopt a "fix it first" strategy, creating a new "competitive entity... before the underlying merger of Sirius with XM is consummated." That new entity, presumably, would be forged along the lines of the Georgetown proposal.

Will Davenport's campaign work? Few FCC watchers are willing to make predictions about the proposed XM/Sirius union any more, given the Commission's record of indecision on the matter. William Kennard, who is black, is no longer the chair of the FCC. And current chair Kevin Martin's record on minority media ownership issues has not inspired many observers.

But the Georgetown Partners plan isn't structurally too far away from the proposals of various media reform groups. The Media Access Project and Public Knowledge both argue that if the FCC accepts XM/Sirius, it should reserve spectrum for non-commercial/educational programming, lease some space to editorially-independent commercial programmers, and require the new entity to open its network up to third-party device manufacturers.

It's possible that the FCC's Republican majority will find in Georgetown's proposal a simpler fix that addresses some of these concerns and improves the agency's record on helping minority broadcasters. But whatever happens, give Chester Davenport credit for changing the debate about the future of satellite radio.

Cheap Cocaine Floods Argentina, Devouring Lives

In Argentina we are seeing the same epidemic that happened here when crack-cocaine was introduced to the inner-cities. The situation is worsening & could this become a Latin American epidemic?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/world/americas/
23argentina.html?scp=1&sq=argentina+drugs&st=nyt

Letter to Optimum Online!

To whom it may concern:

For weeks now, I have been trying to find the words to express the emotions that I feel when I watch the Latino themed Optimum Online commercial. There are many words: annoyance, aggravation, sexism, stereotypical, ignorance. This list could go on and on. However, there must be customers and potential customers that find some kind of excitement or complacency with this commercial.

I can understand why this broadcast is predominantly displayed on stations like Fox 5 or CW11. A station like Fox 5 has always been regarded as having borderline racist and sometimes BLATANT racist commentators. It is a wonder why Optimum would choose to broadcast this stereotypical commercial on a station such as that one.

As an African American woman, everyday I work to battle stereotypes, yet, what is appalling is that I can imagine the next Optimum commercial directed toward people like myself with a thuggish hip hop rapper and three groupies in the background. So you would change the race of the actors and the music but leave the common Pimp's & Ho's stereotypes in the video. I know no other way to describe the commercial that you have decided to make let alone put on the air. I can imagine countless young Latino and African American girls looking to this video to think that it is ok to parade around half naked while doing pelvic thrusts on the beach. My goodness, even at a time when Senator Hillary Clinton is running for President of the United States, has your company absolutely NO RESPECT or regard for women and what we HAVE accomplished in this society?

Is Optimum Online/ Cablevision the type of obtuse company that would, at the expense of women and Latinos, feel that the only way to sell their product to Latinos and women is to stereotype and exploit? I have seen your advertisements in papers such as the NY Times & make no mistake there aren't any women scantily clad or any minorities who look like Pimps, but I don't need to explain to you why.

It saddens me that this type of exploit is rampant on the television morning, noon and night. I will NOT be a customer of Cablevision and I will encourage all I know to NOT support your company until someone in your marketing department decides to act like a decent human being! I will encourage all those who disapprove of this commercial to write in and phone in to your company to know that we do not accept this type of stereotypical and sexist advertisement!

Sincerely,


Cablevision Systems Corp.
1111 Stewart Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714

Letter to a "Mama's Boy"

This is my drafted letter to the Mama's Boy in Essence Magazine (Don Cheadle issue... not sure if Feb or March issue) I'm thinking that I may amend it a little more but basically here are my thoughts...


Dear Brian,
I understand that Essence published this article to spark some thought and let sistas know to run away if they meet a man like you. It saddens, but doesn't surprise me, that a black man who thinks that his material wealth means that he has "matured" is somehow a "good brotha." Let me ask you? Did you sleep with these women before or after your "mama" told you to dump them? My guess is that you probably did. It's pretty disturbing that the same way, I'm sure your mother wouldn't want to be treated is the way she encourages you to treat other women.

You made no mention that your mother married or has a partner.I can only assume that once men realized the man she really wants to be with is her son, they dropped her like hot cakes!
She criticizes women for not having a degree but since none of hers were mentioned, I will have to assume she doesn't have any.

Tell Essence readers, what do you really bring to the table besides your mother? hmm.... IMO your a spineless 29 year old. It's awful to see that you and your mother demean black women as a smokescreen to the Oedipus complex that you obviously have and your poor mother's lonliness and insecurity. Hopefully, you two will address your issues and women will be warned when they see your face to politely walk the other way.

The People vs. Super Delegates

I am interested in hearing what you all think of the Super Delegate system and the possibility of them having to choose a Democratic nominee as opposed to the People...See below for more information and act as you see fit...

************************************************
Nearly 20,000 of you have spoken. CNN, Black radio, and online blogs1 are amplifying the message: members of Congress shouldn't decide the Democratic nominee--the voters should.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are starting to feel the pressure. The issue was discussed in depth at Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union,2 and there are increasing signs that some CBC members are listening, including John Lewis' announcement that he will follow the will of the voters.3

You can help us build on this momentum. Please join us in demanding that CBC members take a stand for democracy:
http://colorofchang e.org/superd/ ?id=1890- 271701

Voters in places like Atlanta,4 Brooklyn,5 St. Louis,6 and Inglewood7 have made clear their choice for president: Barack Obama. But some members of the Congressional Black Caucus are threatening to use their power as "superdelegates" to undermine the votes of their constituents, as well as those of voters in general.8

Voters should decide elections--not politicians. And members of the Congressional Black Caucus should amplify the political voice of their constituents, not silence it.
Superdelegate votes

Voters in almost all the districts represented by the CBC have chosen Obama, helping him win more delegates than Clinton. But only some delegates vote based on the results of primaries. A fifth of the delegates that will vote at the convention -- and decide the nomination -- are "superdelegates" that can technically vote however they like, regardless of what the voters say.9 These superdelegates are members of Congress, senators, governors and Democratic party insiders. In a contest this close, they have the power to overturn the will of voters, and decide the outcome.

Representatives Jesse Jackson Jr.,10 John Conyers,11 Eleanor Holmes-Norton,12 and others have called for superdelegates to listen to the voices of those they claim to represent, but some have refused or have remained silent. At least 11 Black members of Congress might cast their superdelegate vote for Clinton, even though their districts voted for Obama. Even after their constituents showed an overwhelming preference for Obama, most are refusing to say what they'll do as superdelegates.13

In 2000 and 2004, CBC members stood up to defend the rights of Black voters that had been disenfranchised. It would be a disgrace for its members to now undermine the votes of the same voters. It will take courage and conviction for CBC members to break with back-room politics and stand up for democracy. But we must demand it. Please join us:
http://colorofchang e.org/superd/ ?id=1890- 271701
Thank You and Peace,
-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, Andre, and the rest of the ColorOfChange. org team February 28th, 2008

P.S. Here's what John Lewis (Congressman from Georgia) said about his change of heart:
"After taking some time for serious reflection on this issue, I have decided that when I cast my vote as a superdelegate at the Democratic convention, it is my duty as a representative of the 5th Congressional District to express the will of the people... As a U.S. representative, it is my role not to try to subdue or suppress the will of the people, but to help it prosper and grow."
Here's what Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D.C.'s Congressional Delegate) had to say about her role as a superdelegate:

"As a super delegate, I decided I had to speak up now to separate myself from the idea that is afoot for the first time that super delegates, especially those who have not announced their choice, could or should decide our nominee under some circumstances. The notion that a candidate who has not earned delegates could become the Democratic nominee for president is at odds with the democratic principles of our party reforms. Super delegates were never intended to allow the return of smoked-filled room, behind the scenes selection of our candidate. I have carried a banner for a democracy of the District of Columbia too long to depart from principles of democracy within my own party."14

Here's Donna Brazile (a strategist who ran Al Gore's campaign and has a position with the DNC):
"If 795 of my colleagues [the other superdelegates] decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party. I feel very strongly about this."15

References:
1. Initial press coverage of our campaign http://www.colorofc hange.org/ superd/coverage
2. More SOBU: Jackson Lee Says Don't Be Angry; Sharpton Kills; And More, Jack and Jill Politics, 2-23-08 http://tinyurl. com/26285g
3. Lewis switches from Clinton to Obama, CNN Political Ticker, 2-27-08 http://tinyurl. com/2nygm7
4. Huckabee, Obama Celebrate Wins In Georgia, WSB-TV, 2-7-2008 http://www.wsbtv. com/politics/ 15212406/ detail.html
5. New York Primary Results, USAToday.com http://content. usatoday. com/news/ politics/ election2008/ results.aspx? sp=NY
6. Election Summary Report, City of Saint Louis http://www.stlelect ions.com/ results/results- 1.htm
7. California Primary Results, USAToday.com http://content. usatoday. com/news/ politics/ election2008/ results.aspx? sp=CA
8. Black lawmakers backing Obama press colleagues to heed voters, The Hill, 2-16-08 http://tinyurl. com/383bu4
9. Superdelegate, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Superdelegate
10. The delicate superdelegate predicament, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Op-ed in the New York Times, 2-12-08 http://tinyurl. com/3c666q
11. See reference 8.
12. Deciding Between Two Good Friends, Norton Chooses Obama, Hotline On Call, 2-12-08 http://tinyurl. com/2hcnbq
13. See reference 8.
14. See reference 12.
15. Democrats dreading a drawn-out, costly battle for nomination, CNN.com, 2-8-08 http://www.cnn. com/2008/ POLITICS/ 02/07/dem. delegates/

Gay teenager killed by classmate in US

Police investigating the murder of a 15-year-old boy by his teenage classmate are treating the shooting as a hate crime.

Lawrence King had been harassed by a group of boys at his Florida school, including the 14-year-old charged with his murder, since he told friends he was gay.

His fellow pupils at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard said the bullying started after Lawrence wore mascara, lipstick and jewellery to school.

“They teased him because he was different,” said Marissa Moreno, 13.

“But he wasn’t afraid to show himself.”

On Feb 12 Lawrence was in the school's computer lab when his alleged attacker, Brandon McInerney, walked into the room and shot him in the head. He was caught by police a few blocks away.

Lawrence was declared brain dead the following day and taken off life support on Feb 14.

The shooting has stunned residents of Oxnard, a relaxed middle-class beach community just north of Malibu.

advertisement

“We’ve never had school violence like this here before, never had a school shooting,” said David Keith, a spokesman for the Oxnard Police Department.

One parent with a daughter at the school called the crime “absolutely unbelievable.”

McInerney has been charged as an adult with murder as a premeditated hate crime and gun possession. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 52 years to life in prison.

Speaking at a memorial service for Lawrence, the Rev. Dan Birchfield of Westminster Presbyterian Church said: “God knit Larry together and made him wonderfully complex. Larry was a masterpiece.”

Sean Bell

Check this out from the NY Times

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/trial-starts-for-detectives-in-bell-shooting/?hp

The trial of the officers accused of murdering Sean Bell starts today. This is a case very relevant to all of us.. b/c truth is that it could have been any one of our brothers, fathers, husbands, cousins etc out there. The NYPD has been altogether too damn reckless with it's power & they have far too many dirty cops working out there! What happened to protect and serve? Is it now Shoot and ask Questions later??

Some demonstrated this morning outside the State Supreme Court building in Kew Gardens, Queens, before the start of the trial of three New York City police detectives charged in the killing of Sean Bell in 2006. (Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)

Applicants Object to Ruby Tuesday Hiring Policy - Metro

Hey Guys!

I know this happened in DC BUT the story is also relevant to NYC as well. Take a read and let me know your thoughts.

Applicants Object to Ruby Tuesday Hiring Policy - Metro

Hey Everyone!

This is the first post! Welcome to the new home for us! I've sent open invitations to everyone so that you can post ANYTHING that you want on this blog for feedback! Basically, the blog is equal and accessible to all of us & will not set off any Blackberry's (Get a Treo suckas! lol) This is an exciting and geeky time for me because I've never been so active with Groups & Blogs & research to find out what could work best for the group.

Thanks again for all the suggestions & PLEASE use the blog to post ALL topics instead of the email. Of course, if you have private issues then contact me via email or call me etc :-) With that said, please let me know any concerns that you have or issues that you have so that we can work it out with the blog.

I will still email announcements about group meeting & new books & things like that. So, let's give this a run & see what happens!