Friday, October 10, 2008

Obama Schedules 30 Minute Prime Time Ad On Oct. 29th



Sen. Barack Obama has raised hundreds of millions of dollars during his campaign, and he's putting it all to good use outspending Sen. John McCain at every turn. He's now scheduled 30 minutes of ad space on October 29th, 6 days before the November 4th elections.

MSNBC.com
provides additional details regarding the campaign's prodigious fundraising and advertising.

Students Demand Change At Philly High School

While we're in an economic meltdown, and experiencing an historic presidential campaign, there's always the real world occurrences that display what the next generation of African American Students are facing throughout our country. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that on yesterday, students at Sayre High School In West Philadelphia demonstrated to demand change at their school. The students were protesting the school districts handling of a Sept. 17 disruption at the school in which 20 students were arrested, and allegedly 50 police officers swarmed the school, brandishing batons, tasering students, and beating at least one student.

Unfortunately this is a real world occurrence that's happening at schools and to students all around our country in our inner cities. Teachers are leaving in droves, students are attempting to learn under adverse conditions, and schools are suffering from a lack of funding. Barack Obama has stated that education is one of his top priorities, I can't wait to see how he addresses the issue.

Motown 50



The Detroit Free Press reports that Universal Music will announce next week details regarding releasing “Motown: The Complete #1s” — a 10-disc, 191-song boxed set to be released Dec. 8. The set will be the initial phase of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Motown Records.

Motown 25, the show was historic and helped launch the rise of Michael Jackson with his "Billie Jean" performance. While the Motown music will last forever, in 25 years we've lost Marvin Gaye, Rick James, and Michael just isn't what he used to be.

ACORN Undern Investigation For Potential Voter Fraud

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is under investigation for potential voter registration fraud according to the New York Post. The article profiles Freddie Johnson, 19, who registered to vote 72 times at the urging of ACORN officials in Cleveland, OH. ACORN has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for President, so this story will give Sen. McCain something else to talk about on the campaign trail.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Michelle's Elegance


Michelle Obama always displays elegance and grace on the campaign trail, I found these pictures that illustrate her style.


Detroit Faces $100 Million Deficit



In an interview with the Detroit Free Press Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. states that the city faces a $100 million deficit. Cockrel acknowledges that cuts have to be made, but all options for reducing the deficit are being evaluated. Cockrel did state in the interview that he's not ready to write off the Detroit's Public School System, as all 4 of his school age children, are presently students in the system.

When Did Obama Know About Ayers' Past?

Sen. Barack Obama's association with Bill Ayers has been the hot button topic on the campaign trail for Republicans, and perhaps the only issue that they think can derail the Obama train. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times writes about trying to discover when Obama found out about Ayers' past.

Philly Teacher Quits After 7 Days On The Job

The Philadelphia Daily News reports on a teacher who quit her job after 7 days due to the the violent and vulgar atmosphere at a school in which she was teaching fourth graders. This is a very sad, but real commentary concerning the conditions of many schools throughout our country.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Detroit Teachers Using New Strategies To Boost Reading Skills

The Detroit Free Press reports that area teachers are trying new strategies to improve high school student reading comprehension levels. Presently 40% of high school juniors who take the Michigan Merit exam fail the reading portion, and about 60% fail the writing portion of the exam.

Reading and writing are basic elements to being a well rounded individual, and subsequently surviving, and succeeding in our ever challenging world. Detroit teachers are showing that they care about the next generation that could be lost without having fundamental skills.

Marvin Harrison Being Sued



The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is being sued by an alleged victim relating to the shooting that occurred on April 29th in North Philadelphia. Harrison, who is a Philadelphia native has never been charged in the shooting. Harrison has admitted to being in a fight with Dwight Dixon, but has denied shooting him.

"That One"



The presidential debate last night was conducted in a tall hall setting between Senator's Barack Obama and John McCain. McCain continued his condescending attitude towards Obama, at one point referring to him as "that one" during a response. It's obvious that there is no love lost between the candidates, but McCain can't seem to hide his disdain for Obama.

The issues are the issues with less than a month to go before the election, and with the economy and financial markets in a free fall, the economy is the issue that will decide this election. Barack Obama simply makes a better case concerning at least trying to correct the existing problems. McCain seems very detached from reality in terms of the economy, and I just can't separate him from President George Bush. McCain is an honorable man, who has done great service for our country, but like Chris Rock said, the guy worth $100 million just can't identify himself with the the regular everyday working person.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Yesterday's "The View"

Please view this clip of "The View" from yesterday in which the hosts attack Elisabeth Hasselbeck regarding her support of Sen. John McCain, and his campaign going negative on Sen. Barack Obama. This stuff is too good.

A Supportive Wife


The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Michelle Obama spoke to two groups in Chicago yesterday in support of her husband Sen. Barack Obama.

Mrs. Obama is quietly and effectively supporting her husband as she speaks about the change that he can bring to America.

The Real Obama



Thomas Sowell (seen at left) writes about The Real Obama in an article. Sowell doesn't paint a flattering portrait of Sen. Barack Obama in terms of his associations and accomplishments.

Sowell is an award winning writer, and has his own perspective about Obama's rise to being on the verge of the presidency. The only problem is that he's writing it base on reading the book "The Case Against Barack Obama" by David Freddoso, and considering the book absolutely factual.

Vote Today Ohio

A Pro-Barack Obama group out of Ohio took advantage of a loophole in the state's voting process yesterday by picking up people from homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and drug rehab centers taking the individuals to register, and vote on the same day according to the New York Post. The individuals were allowed to register and vote without proof of residency.

National Black Latino Summit



Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke yesterday at the National Black Latino Summit held in Los Angeles, CA. The Los Angeles Times reports that Villaraigosa spoke about the continued tensions between African Americans and Latinos and that the poverty and lack of opportunity were the primary causes of the continued issues between the groups.

Villaraigosa has to be commended for at least stimulating dialogue concerning the race relations issue amongst the groups.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Why The Bailout Will Not Save The Day

Th September jobs report showed that employers shaved another 159,000 employees off of their payrolls, the ninth straight month of job losses. The Los Angeles Times highlights the many obstacles facing our economy, including:

* Consumers, who account for more than two-thirds of the nation's total economic activity and who boosted their spending earlier in the year thanks in part to more than $100 billion in government stimulus checks, have reversed course and begun cutting expenditures. Real consumption, after adjustment for inflation, slipped two-tenths of a point in June, a half-point in July and flat-lined in August, the latest month for which numbers are available, according to the government's Bureau of Economic Analysis.

* Manufacturers, many of whom had managed to profit because the weak U.S. dollar helped boost exports, have seen their business begin to dry up in recent months. New factory orders unexpectedly dropped 4% in August, the Commerce Department said Friday, the biggest decline in two years. Capital goods orders, a key indicator of companies' future investment plans, slipped 2.4%, the biggest drop in more than a year and a half.

* Governments, especially state governments, have begun making steep cuts. In all, 29 of the 50 states had already cut spending, raised taxes or tapped emergency funds to balance their budgets for the fiscal year that began July 1, said Nicholas Johnson, an analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. But 15 of those states, including Arizona and New York, are back in the red; stalling economic growth has caused their already shrunken tax revenues to contract further.

I hope our elected leaders knew what they were doing last week, when they passed the bailout bill.

Derrick Brown Deserves A Chance To Fulfill His Promise




The New York Daily News profiles young Derrick Brown, who has overcome family tragedy to land a basketball scholarship to a prestigious Connecticut prep school. The only problem is that the scholarship is worth $30,000, and doesn't cover the full $40,000 annual tuition for the school.

Derrick, who is 13 and an A student is in jeopardy of returning back to his crime plagued Brooklyn neighborhood unless financial assistance can be obtained to cover the remaining $10,000. The Daily News profile will hopefully spur the generosity of readers to give Derrick the assistance that he needs to continue working towards fulfilling his vast potential.

Is The Palin Phenomenon A Dream?


I've abstained from making any comments about Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin out of respect for what she's accomplished in becoming Governor of Alaska. However, it's amazing to me that the GOP is attempting to sell her to America as a legitimate choice to be next in line for the presidency.

Salon.com has published an article that talks pointedly about the dumbing down of the GOP party. Some pundits are even saying that Palin could be a legitimate presidential candidate in 2012 if the McCain ticket loses the election next month. Only in America.

Tyler Perry Opens New Studio Facility In Atlanta




Tyler Perry opened his new studio facilities in Atlanta over the weekend to a star studded list of guests that included Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier and Will Smith. The new facility, which is located in the southwest section of the city, covers a 30 acre tract of land.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution provides additional details on the star studded grand opening. Perry continues to be a trailblazer for black people, showing that nothing is impossible if you dream.