Thoughts on CNN presents “Black in America” by Nadine Mompremier

Nadine: CNN presents “Black in America.” A three-part series that premiered in April with a discussion on Martin Luther King’s legacy and continues this month with a special on the Black Man, the Black Woman, and the Black Family. CNN has done a great job promoting the shows through their website and through various television previews. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/. On YouTube, there are clips of some of the interviews that Soledad O’Brian did for the show. The series is a great concept because it requires people to actually question and address the issues that black people face every day. It discusses those issues that people are afraid to talk about; the actual reality of the “black crisis” or whatever you want to call it. I am not going to comment on what was discussed on the shows, but I think EVERYONE should take the time out to watch it (check the schedules here http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/weekday.html).

As an educated individual, most of the statistics and facts stated concerning high school drop out rates, single parent homes, and economic conditions are familiar to me. As concerned citizens, they should be familiar to you too. For me, the thing that bothers me the most is that this had to be shown on CNN for people to start paying attention. I understand it’s about awareness and something needed to be said but some would argue that the special was unnecessary. In way, it gives the illusion that black people are whining and that they bring these social ills on themselves.

Others would say that the system is not perfect and it is made to make sure that black people cannot rise and be successful. Honestly, it’s a discussion that will go on for years and years because the problems that black people face are not going away any time soon. The black men that are in prison, the children that have been raised with no fathers, the education gap between blacks and whites, the higher education gap between black women and black men, etc. They are not going to disappear and it is a sad reality that we must face and do something about.

But what happens now? Are non-blacks supposed to feel sorry for black people everywhere because of this show? Are people going to start paying attention? Clearly the people that the series focuses on the most won’t see it because they’re in jails, they’re on welfare, and they’re probably not watching CNN. So it becomes a question as of what are you going to do for your community-if anything at all?

This series was a year-long research for O’Brian who does special investigations for CNN. But now what? You’ve investigated, you’ve bought awareness, and your program has aired, so what do you do now? You continue to do your special investigations that are a part of your job. Why didn’t she bring this special to BET or TVOne to attract black people to watch this? Who was the intended audience other than us-educated black individuals?

And just a final thought- don’t you think that this is ironic also? A black man will receive the democratic nomination for president a month after this program airs. Now are people going to watch these programs, look at the plight of the black man and the black family and say “Hey, he made it. He beat the statistics. He has a family, and he’s taking care of his children, etc. etc. etc. so I’m going to vote for him?” Bull****! Sorry but that’s bull****.

But you know what, it’s going to happen. And after it does happen, people will finally think its okay and everything is fine and Blacks and non-Blacks will be equal in America. Obviously, as educated individuals we know better. For those who don’t, they will stop trying to achieve. They won’t aim for anything more. And they won’t see the problems and race issues that will continue to persist despite who is elected into office. Tavis Smiley said it best, “If you were uneducated, jobless, and poor on November 3^rd, you will still be uneducated, jobless, and poor on November 5^th after Barack Obama has been elected.” Let’s just hope that people do not use these programs and this election to ignore the reality that many face each and every day of their lives.

Save Gas with This Electric Car

Ray: Those folks in England sure do know how to build great luxury sport cars. I mean, there’s Aston Martin, and ummmm… well I don’t really know. But perhaps the next great car to come from across the pond is the Lightning GT. This car runs on 100% electricity. But at an estimated $250,000, the engine could probably run on all the cash you’ve burned to buy it.

Each wheel has it’s on electric motor. It does 0-60mph in under 4 seconds but the manufacturers will cap the top speed at 130mph to preserve the range that the car can travel. There is already a 5 year waiting list for the car but you should expect to see these charging up in front of your local Wal-Mart by 2010.

Barack Obama Get’s Serious at Unity ‘08

Ray: Barack Obama is asked many questions in which he gives substantive responses concerning his proposed policy. This was one of the better conversations I’ve seen him have with journalists. For all those who say that Barack Obama does not have concrete views on anything, or for those who wish to have a better understanding of his political philosophy, please watch these clips:

Mortal Kombat – The Execution Move You Never Saw

Ray: This won’t make you smarter, but it’s funny to me. Who remembers playing Mortal Kombat on Sega? I do!!! My friends and I used to play for hours. It was a great way to bond. Those were the days… Anyways, here’s a little spin on the classic video game. Enjoy.

Ray’s Top Side Hustles – A Few Ways to Earn Extra Money

Ray: If times are hard for a pimp, then it must be extra hard for the ordinary working person. Money is tight these days and everyone is looking for ways to stretch their dollars. But as the great poet Sean Carter once said, “Whenever there’s a drought, get your umbrellas out because that’s when I brain storm.” By all means, use your own imagination to find ideas to make more money but here are some of mine…

1. Become A Security Guard – If you have the time, size, and the energy for it, then taking a part-time job as a security guard can be a great way to add some extra income. The hours are extremely flexible and the pay is fairly reasonable. You can find these jobs by performing a Google search for security companies in your area. Or, you can also approach local bars and night clubs and ask the manager if they are in need of security. You can expect to earn about $12-20 dollars an hour. If this is indeed something you want to do, you will also want to strongly consider getting a guard card to solidify your chances of getting work.

2. Vending Machines – For some reason, people love the idea of owning vending machines. First, you will want to buy new machines or machines that have been in use for a less than 2 years. Make sure that the machines are in great operating condition and that the prices can be easily adjusted. The typical vending machines are for Snacks, Beverages, or a combination of both. However, there are many other new types of machines coming out all the time. Plan to spend anywhere from $1,500-4,000 per machine.

Next, you will need to secure a location. In fact, you may even want to secure a location before you make the initial investment for the machines. Make sure that the location you choose has great traffic. Corporate offices, junk yards, school yards, the dentist office, etc. All these are great locations to set up shop. Avoid splitting any income with whoever hosts your machines. You are providing a service and they should be happy to have your machine there! Keeping your machines fully stocked will be the biggest challenge but if you’re in the right location with the right machines, you can easily add a few hundred dollars per month to your net income with a couple machines.

3. Become a TV/Movie Extra – This typically applies to people living in New York or Los Angeles where most filming takes place, but surprisingly there are many opportunities all over the US. Becoming an extra is fairly easy. Find an agency, pay a small association fee (maybe $60-100), and keep your cell phone on. When you do get called to make an appearance, show up on time! Taping can last from 4-12 hours so make sure that your schedule is open for filming. One more major thing to remember is NEVER talk to the stars unless they talk to you first! That’s the fastest way to end your Hollywood career. Extras usually earn about $60-200 per taping. Plus you get to tell everyone to watch the television really hard and look for the guy thats walking around in the background. But be careful. If you blink, you might miss your performance.

4. Become a Writer – If you have a talent for writing, you may want to consider using that talent to make a few extra dollars. Small and large businesses are looking for writers all the time. You can write for blogs, newspapers, magazines, scripts, grants, or even go as far as writing a book and publishing it yourself. For freelance writing, a great place to find gigs is at Craigslist.com or Elance.com. Depending on how well you write and who you write for, writing can be a very lucrative business. Some blogs earn writers more than $100,000 a year. And if you write the next Harry Potter, you can even become a Billionaire.

5. Buy and Hold Stocks -Out of all of these options, this is the only one geared towards a long-term perspective. Long-term investing is usually far better than short-term investing. With the economy in a down cycle, the rich man sees a great opportunity to buy stocks at bargain prices. Name your favorite company. Chances are, their stock price is much lower than is was 4 years ago. Now is a great time to buy stock in proven companies while their prices are relatively low. Plan to hold these stocks for at least 5 years. I strongly recommend that people begin their stock purchasing programs at Sharebuilder.com. I have used it for several years and it has helped me build a stock portfolio that will some day allow me to retire and move to Brazil to live my last days in the Amazon. But that’s another story for another time…

Nas Strikes Again – Fox News Protest

Ray: If you listened to the new Nas album which is untitled, then you would know that Nas is very disappointed with the way Blacks are portrayed in the media. But unlike many popular rappers, Nas actually took to the streets of New York City to deliver his message in person! Watch here…

Understanding Darfur – How Did It All Start?

Ray: Seth and I are still fighting apathy. This time, we’re taking our fight global.

First, watch this video explaining the background on the Darfur situation. More than 400,000 have been KILLED. It’s important that we understand why and do what we can to get involved.

Second, decide if you want to support organizations seeking to end the GENOCIDE by signing the petition listed below and click here to do so. You may choose a different way to get involved or you can choose not to do anything. Freedom is a beautiful thing.

Amnesty International USA:

I am writing today to ask you to use your considerable influence with companies operating in Sudan to help alleviate the human rights crisis in Darfur. Much of the revenue fueling this devastating conflict is generated by Sudan’s oil industry. Through your substantial investments in oil companies operating in Sudan (and/or their various spin-offs and majority-owned subsidiaries) you are in a unique and powerful position to help bring security and human rights to the people of Darfur. I am writing today to urge you to join other economic and political actors to press the Government of Sudan to allow the UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to fully deploy in Darfur without delay, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1769. This is a step you can take without selling your shares.

United Nations officials have called the situation in Darfur one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world today. Hundreds of thousands of Darfuri civilians have died, two-thirds of the population relies on some form of humanitarian aid, and over 2.6 million Darfuri civilians have been displaced. Multiple parties to the conflict have committed grave human rights abuses, but the Sudanese armed forces and government-backed Janjawid militia bear primary responsibility for the systematic and widespread murder, rape, torture, abduction, looting, and forced displacement that have characterized the Darfur conflict over the past five years.

On July 31, 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1769 authorizing a UN-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur. While passage of the resolution provided hope to millions of Darfuri civilians, ensuring the full deployment of more than 26,000 peacekeepers requires our vigilant action. The Government of Sudan has a long record of signing international agreements then obstructing their implementation – and with only some 10,000 peacekeepers on the ground more than nine months after deployment began, it is clear that more pressure is needed. Key actors – both economic and political – must take a stand to help ensure Khartoum moves forward and UNAMID is fully deployed as quickly as possible.

These actors include the four oil companies that have come to dominate Sudan’s oil industry: the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Chemical and Petroleum Corporation (Sinopec Corp.), Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India-Videsh (OVL). Revenues fueling the Darfur conflict are largely generated from Sudan’s oil industry. Ninety percent of Sudan’s export income is derived from oil, and a majority of this revenue goes toward military expenditures; virtually none supports social development.

Ultimately, the Government of Sudan is responsible for ending human rights abuses in Darfur. But companies operating in Sudan cannot ignore the Darfur crisis or pretend they have no influence. As one of the largest investors in these companies, neither can you. Your firm owns holdings in one or more of these four companies (and/or their various spin-offs and majority-owned subsidiaries). I urge your firm to leverage its substantial power as a major investor to ask oil companies in Sudan to press the Government of Sudan to quickly and fully admit UNAMID without impediment.

Over 20 U.S. states, nine cities, 50 colleges and universities, numerous private institutional investors, and countless individuals have adopted Sudan investment policies regarding these companies. Recently, financial industry leaders like Morgan Stanley and T. Rowe Price have joined their ranks. These investors, with hundreds of billions of assets under management, have recognized their unique shareholder risk and responsibility associated with the Darfur crisis. I hope that you will seriously consider doing the same.

Thank you very much for considering this important request. I look forward to hearing from you.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE OFFICIAL PETITION

Whoopi Goldberg Drops “N” Word on The View

Ray: As Barack Obama’s bid for the White House grows in popularity, America has been forced to deal with race relations on all fronts of society. On ABC’s “The View”, a panel of respectable women discuss many topics and how it relates to women in society. On this particular episode, they decided to discuss the Jesse Jackson gaffe that was aired and released by Fox News. Who better to lead this discussion than Whoopi Goldberg?

The media will use this clip to show conflict on the popular tv show. I think it was actually a very valuable discussion that needs to be had. I’m sure Whoopi and Elizabeth Hasselbeck are much closer because of this…

Get Smart #9: R.I.F.

Seth: If you went to public school, you may have had R.I.F. in your earlier years. For those of you who didn’t, the initials stand for Reading Is Fundamental, a children’s literacy operation that I knew for giving away books in school. Once or twice a year, all the kids in school would go to the library with their class and be able to pick a few books from a large selection of grade-appropriate books. For me, this was often a treat because I read a lot as a youngster, and I attribute my hunger for books then to my current interest in the world around me. Today, I’m reminding you that reading is STILL fundamental!

In that spirit, there’s a book I just finished not too long ago that you’ve got to pick up. It’s called Song Yet Sung and it’s written by acclaimed author James McBride, who is known for his bestselling memoir The Color of Water and is respected for his first novel Miracle at St. Anna, a historical novel about a black infantry division fighting in World War 2.

Song Yet Sung focuses on real-life slave stealer, Patty Cannon and a black woman she caught who later escapes her attic jail, Liz Spocott. Liz is truly the star of the show. Similar to Harriet Tubman, Liz is a dreamer, and word of her talents spreads like wildfire through Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where the book takes place.

 

On a grey morning in March, 1850 a colored slave named Liz Spocott dreamed of the future. And it was not pleasant. She dreamed of Negroes driving horseless carriages on shiny rubber wheels with music booming throughout, and fat black children who smoked odd-smelling cigars and walked around with pistols in their pockets and murder in their eyes. She dreamed of Negro women appearing as flickering images in powerfully lighted boxes that could be seen in sitting rooms far distant, and colored men dressed in garish costumes like children, playing odd sporting games and bragging like drunkards – every bit of pride, decency, and morality squeezed clean out of them.

That’s the novel’s first paragraph. The story is a weave of several different subplots; Cannon’s slave stealing posse’s own struggle for financial gain; a retired slave catcher with a heavy heart caused by the death of his son whose internal battle of morality is tearing at him; workers of the Underground Railroad and their tireless efforts to bring slaves to freedom using The Code, a set of secret signs, symbols and songs that direct traffic on the Railroad; a white family grieving the loss of a father and their black slaves torn between their love of the family and their need for freedom; and the Wolfman, a black man who grew up and lives in the woods surrounding this Maryland town who isn’t a slave, but neither knows freedom.

Song Yet Sung is a story of reflection, redemption, and a complex and frightening future.  But also a future filled with hope.  It shows the determination and strength of black who wanted to be free (or help others to freedom) and the kindness of whites who help. But it also shows blacks who help steal slaves and sell free ones into slavery, blacks who are unable to seek true freedom for themselves and the capacity for white to show no sympathy or concern for other humans. Everyone is fighting for or against Liz, and she isn’t certain “freedom” up North is even the best step for her to take.

Song Yet Sung is certainly a story of survival, but also the cry of the author to blacks to hearken back to a “slave mentality.” The book is truly a spectacular read. Freedom, in the novel, is incredible difficult to reach and McBride, in this work, signals that the load remains heavy to this day.

Seth’s Rating: 4 1/4 Brains. Pick Up Your Copy Today. Feel free to get it at your local library, that’s what I did. And if you don’t have a library card, this is a good reason to get one and live R.I.F. everyday!

And just for laughs, our very own President Bush practicing R.I.F.:

Barack Obama’s Fight Against Terrorism

Ray: Fighting the war on terrorism is something that the next President will have no choice but to do. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed plans that they believe would end the war on terrorism. The major difference in both plans happens to be Iraq.

Barack Obama wants to exit Iraq and take the fight over to the mountains of Afghanistan. He wants 2 or 3 more soldier brigades on the ground in Afghanistan and a safe exit out of Iraq in 16 months. In fact, his exit strategy is one of the major points in his campaign that has millions of American’s supporting his bid for the presidency.

John McCain has been a staunch supporter of the troop surge in Iraq and believes in staying the course there. I honestly can’t see much of an exit strategy in the McCain plan, but I do see an entrance strategy into a war with Iran. McCain is not gun shy and in my opinion, exudes a sense of hubris when dealing with nations that disagree with Western philosophy. But these are just my opinions.

This past week, Barack Obama made a trip to the Middle East to discuss with leaders in the region his plans to fight the war on terrorism if he were to be elected President of the United States. You won’t see this clip on American television but I think it gives a good insight to what is taking place on the ground there.