Comments on: Black History Month Daily Thread

By: mon_dieu_ishmael

mon_dieu_ishmael — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:23:24 +0000

Using the FCC to impose censorship of political cartoons in newspapers is not a good thing. It is a direct/indirect violation of the First Amendment. And asking a govt. entity (the city council) to seek records of racial breakdown in the Post's newsroom smacks of racial fascism. Be very, very careful of what you wish for.

By: mon_dieu_ishmael

mon_dieu_ishmael — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:23:24 +0000

Using the FCC to impose censorship of political cartoons in newspapers in not a good thing. It is a direct/indirect violation of the First Amendment. And asking a govt. entitiy (the city council) to seek records of racial breakdown in the Post's newsroom smacks of racial fascism. Be very, very careful of what you wish for.

By: GreenLadyHere

GreenLadyHere — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:54:13 +0000

rikyrah: Rev. Al is "ASKIN'" QUESTIONS in OTHER AREAS!":

Sharpton seeks FCC, city pressure on NY Post

The Rev. Al Sharpton prodded the Federal Communications Commission and the city government Sunday to put pressure on the New York Post over a cartoon that critics call a racist jibe at President Barack Obama.

The civil rights activist circulated an electronic petition asking the FCC to review policies allowing Post owner News Corp. to control multiple media outlets in the same market, and he said he would ask the city to stop advertising in and even subscribing to the newspaper.

“The FCC must impose some checks and balances on these entities,” he said in an interview. “It does not serve the public good to have large segments of the public offended.”

Representatives for the Post and the FCC did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail messages Sunday evening. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had no immediate comment, their representatives said.

The cartoon has sparked pickets outside the paper’s offices and spurred the NAACP to call for a boycott of the paper and the removal of its editor-in-chief, Col Allan, and longtime cartoonist Sean Delonas. Filmmaker Spike Lee and Grammy-winning singer John Legend have been among those condemning the image.

It depicts a dead chimpanzee and two police officers, with a caption saying, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” It was published Wednesday, the day after Obama signed the federal economic stimulus package _ a key piece of his administration’s efforts to combat the recession _ and two days after police killed a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut.

The Post has said the cartoon was meant to ridicule Washington’s efforts to revive the economy, but critics say it echoes stereotypes of blacks as monkeys and even hints at assassinating the president.

A Post editorial posted online Thursday apologized to anyone offended by the cartoon, while also saying that longtime critics of the provocative, right-leaning tabloid had exploited the image for “payback.”

Sharpton also said he would ask the City Council to seek records of the racial breakdown of the Post’s newsroom staff, saying he wanted to see a rise in the “level of diversity and accountability.”

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. also owns two New York-area TV stations and Dow Jones & Co., the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, as well as the Fox network and other media assets around the world.

CAIN'T WAIT to see the "FAUX- ANSWERS!!"<>/b> :>) :>)

By: GreenLadyHere

GreenLadyHere — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:58:36 +0000

rikyrah: LOOKIN' AHEAD: Obama to name stimulus watchdog

President Obama will announce while meeting with the nation’s governors Monday that he is naming one of the government's most aggressive, experienced government investigator to oversee spending of the stimulus package, administration officials said.

The White House's Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board will be headed by Earl E. Devaney, a former fraud investigator and white-collar crime investigator for the Secret Service who is currently inspector general of the Interior Department.
A dozen investigators and analysts working for Devaney helped build a case against former lobbyist Jack Abramoff for corrupt dealings with Indian tribes. A New York Times editorial last fall heralded Devaney as “The Busiest Gumshoe Inside the Federal Bureaucracy.”

An administration official said: “The President has asked the vice president, Joe Biden, to oversee the Administration’s implementation of the Recovery Act’s provisions – meeting regularly with key members of the Cabinet, Governors and Mayors to make sure their efforts are speedy and effective. He will make regular reports to the President that will be posted on recovery.gov.”

Obama had previously announced his plans for the board.

The president is naming Devaney on the same day that he holds a Fiscal Responsibility Summit at the White House, designed to send the message that he will be vigilant about government spending despite the record-setting stimulus.

Devaney became the Interior Department’s inspector general in August 1999. From his official bio:

“Mr. Devaney began his law enforcement career in 1968 as a police officer in his native state of Massachusetts. After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College in 1970 with a degree in Government, Mr. Devaney became a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service. At the time of his retirement from the Secret Service in 1991, Mr. Devaney was serving as the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Fraud Division and had become an internationally recognized white collar crime expert regularly sought by major media including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and CNN.

“During his tenure with the Secret Service, Mr. Devaney was the recipient of five U.S. Department of Treasury Special Achievement Awards and numerous honors and awards from a wide variety of professional organizations. Upon leaving the Secret Service, Mr. Devaney became the Director of Criminal Enforcement for the U.S. Environment Protection Agency. In this position, Mr. Devaney oversaw all of EPA's criminal investigators and assumed management responsibility for EPA's Forensics Service Center and the National Enforcement Training Institute.”

LEADERSHIP!!! :>) :>)

By: GreenLadyHere

GreenLadyHere — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:23:38 +0000

rikyrah: FLOTUS in HER KITCHEN: :>)

+ FEBRUARY 22: First Lady Michelle Obama (L) speaks to culinary students from L'Academie de Cuisine during the Governors' dinner preview in the White House kitchen on February 22, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Obamas' first formal White House dinner tonight will be an event for the National Governors Association.

+ Chefs bring out dishes as U.S. first lady Michelle Obama gives a dinner preview for Sunday's Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.

+ U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is directed into the kitchen by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford as she gives a dinner preview for tonight's Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.

+ .S. first lady Michelle Obama is directed into the kitchen by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford as she gives a dinner preview for tonight's Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.

ENJOY!!!! :>) :>)

By: GreenLadyHere

GreenLadyHere — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:09:52 +0000

rikyrah: FEBRUARY 22, 2009 -DAY 33- Of His FIRST 100 DAYS! :>)

1. HIS SCHEDULE: Sunday Feb. 22, 2009

All Times Eastern8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM

Michelle Obama, Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, White House Chef Cristeta Comerford, and White House Pastry Chef William Yosses discuss the menu for the National Governors Association Dinner.
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM

President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and Jill Biden attend the 2009 Governors’ Dinner.

2. Sneak peek - FLOTUS gives look into kitchen

First Lady Michelle Obama gave local culinary students a sneak peek of the menu to be served at Sunday’s White House dinner

for the nation’s governors—and the “little bitty” kitchen where the food is created.

She disclosed some family secrets in the process. Seven-year-old Sasha Obama doesn’t like White House’s creamed spinach. The president “loves scallops.” The Huckleberry Cobbler – on the menu Sunday night – is “one of the First Family’s favorites.”

And Michelle Obama is contemplating coming up with her own china set.

“I think so,” Obama said. “I think that’s part of the job.”

Obama invited six top students from L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg into the White House kitchen—a compact space with stainless steel counters and cabinets, well-used pots and pans hanging from a steel rack, and a radio on the shelf.

“This is where the magic happens,” Obama said. “No one would expect that all that comes out of these dinners happens in this little bitty space.”

The governors will be served a four-course meal with wine pairings: Chesapeake Crab Agnolottis with Roasted Sunchokes and a Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (California); Wagyu Beef and Nantucket Scallops with Glazed Red Carrots, Portobello Mushroom and Creamed Spinach with Archery Summit Pinot Noir “Estate” 2004 (Oregon); Winter Citrus Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Honey Vinaigrette; and Huckleberry Cobbler with Caramel Ice Cream and Black Star Famrs “A Capella” Riesling Ice Wine 2007 (Michigan).

“I can tell you firsthand that this meal is going to be awesome because I had an opportunity to do some tasting along with (White House social secretary) Desiree (Rogers) and my mom," Obama said. "We had a wonderful tasting luncheon."

YUMMY!!! :>) :>)

3. Mrs. O Sparkles at Governors’ Dinner

OH! MY!! GOODNESS!! LOOK AT FLOTUS!!!! LOVELY!!! :>) :>)

MORE PICS!!!! Yaaaaaa! :>)

4. U.S. President Barack Obama raises his glass in a toast as he welcomes the nation's governors to a black-tie dinner at the White House on February 22, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Obamas are giving their first formal White House dinner as hosts to the National Governors Association which has been holding their 2009 winter meeting discussing Obama's stimulus program, health care, infrastructure and education.

+ U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama make their way from the State Dining Room to the East Room to hear Earth Wind and Fire perform at the Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.>a?

+ U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama enter the East Room to hear Earth Wind and Fire perform at the Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.

+ U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama enter the East Room to hear Earth Wind and Fire perform at the Governors dinner at the White House in Washington February 22, 2009.

+ Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (R) arrives with his wife Diane Patrick (L) for a dinner held for the National Governors Association by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, February 22, 2009.

+ Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius arrives for a dinner held for the National Governors Association by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, February 22, 2009.

+ California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives with his wife Maria Shriver for a dinner held for the National Governors Association by US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, February 22, 2009.

+ President Barack Obama joined by first lady Michelle Obama walk toward the East Room of the White House for entertainment following a dinner with the nation's governors in the State Dining Room, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in Washington.

IMA POST NOW!! :>)

THESE PICS R A - MA - ZING!!

ENJOY! ENJOY!!! :>) :>)

+ New York Governor David Paterson arrives with his wife Michelle Paterson for a dinner held for the National Governors Association by US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, February 22, 2009.

+ February 22This Day in African American History

# 1870: Thomas Elkins patented a combined ironing table, quilting frame, and dining table.
# 1911: Writer Frances E. Watkins Harper died.
# 1950: Basketball player Julius Erving was born.

THOMAS ELKINS

Thomas Elkins

An improved refrigerator design was patented by African American inventor Thomas Elkins of Albany, New York (11/4/1879 U.S. patent #221,222). One unusual fact about Thomas Elkins' refrigerator was that it was also designed to chill human corpses.
Thomas Elkins
An improved chamber commode (toilet) was patented by Thomas Elkins on January 9, 1872. Elkins' commode was a combination bureau, mirror, book-rack, washstand, table, easy chair, and chamber stool. It was a very unusual piece of furniture.
Thomas Elkins

THOMAS ELKINS

FRANCIS E. WATKINS HARPER

Frances Ellen Watkins

The sale began-young girls were there,
Defenseless in their wretchedness,
Whose stifled sobs of deep despair
Revealed their anguish and distress.

-"The Slave Auction"

JULIUS IRVING

Julius Erving Sick Dunk Against Lakers :>) :>) A - MA - ZING!! :>)

Top 10 Dunks Career Julius Erving WOW!!! :>) :>)

ENJOY!!! :>) :>)

By: GreenLadyHere

GreenLadyHere — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:20:04 +0000

rikyrah: NO SHOOTIN' :>) :>) :>)

(Put A Ring On It) :>)

I'm just learnin' how ta do soma the dance moves!! NOT!!! :>) :>)

By: hustleandfloe

hustleandfloe — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:14:44 +0000

p.s. i gotta use this: “well fed and in good surroundings.” I hear it in some textbook …or being said by somebody named Ian or Claire or Nigel on BBC (actually, I think bbc goes off air if you take those names out of the employee pool – sorta like seeing what any american executive ranks would look like without Bob – maybe we don't have the crisis…. my bad, Bob, but you (and Steve) know it's true.)

“Many youths from this area have found careers that have kept them well fed and in good surroundings.”

By: whiterosebuddy

whiterosebuddy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:09:11 +0000

Co-signing on all THAT!!

By: isonprize

isonprize — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:07:05 +0000

I have a friend born in Mumbai who hates Jindal, but has shared that he would never say it publicly because he want his accomplishment of being elected Gov. to get his props. But, no, he and his friends are not crazy about Jindal.

By: isonprize

isonprize — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:04:19 +0000

I KNEW we had something in common!!! I LOVE me some Candice Olson and divine design! I don't even have cable anymore. (That got cut from the budget long, long ago. And the one thing I truly miss is Divine Design (and her sexy electricians and carpenters.)

Candice does wonders with the ugliest of places! Plus she's a tall girl and she always looks great in her clothes. I get the feeling that she and FLOTUS would agree on lots of style issues. (Candice is Canadian, though, so she might not get a lot of work in the WH… oh well…)

By: whiterosebuddy

whiterosebuddy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:01:06 +0000

This is terrible, classless and just downright rude crude and socially unacceptable.

Unfortunately, Bunning is probably wrong about Ginsberg. Typically folks have such a poor prognosis because pancreatic cancer is found so late due to being virtually symptomless until it is very far along.

In Ginsberg case though she was being followed diligently due to having had cancer previously. So, in all likelihood they caught her pancretic cancer early and she could live 5-8 more years vs. 9 months due to her early detection.

Bunning needs to be slapped for what he said though.

By: allamr18

allamr18 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:58:11 +0000

should we really be suprised. conservatives are all about their political future and power. they dont really care about the lives of people they affect only to keep their principles whatever those principles are. which seem to change whenever they are in power or looking for power. its how these gov can try to stick to their principles by not taking money to help their states while their citizens lose their homes and jobs and schools close. they will have to show me where in the Bible they read does the Jesus i serve say anything about ignoring those who are most in need

By: whiterosebuddy

whiterosebuddy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:47:16 +0000

What did he have to be vindictive about? I do not get this whole political FUBAR.

What was the motivation for this.

What difference did it make if she was perceived as the number one choice?

By: KatH

KatH — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:38:08 +0000

This is what I don't understand, why Patterson felt the need to be so freaking vindictive. I mean, the crap that was thrown at the end, that she had domestic worker problems, that she had tax problems, that her husband was having an affair. Nastiness.

By: Sepia

Sepia — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:37:00 +0000

There are just no words.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:24:04 +0000

I was just about to post this….all I could do was stare at the headline for like 30 seconds because I just knew there was NO way this man could actually spout something so damn cold….I'll be damned.

Evil…pure evil

By: Monie

Monie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:07:01 +0000

Talk about a insensitive and asinine comment to make. Republicans.are.stupid.

From Politico:

Bunning: Ginsburg will be dead in nine months

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), already in political trouble for 2010, didn’t help matters any over the weekend.

At a Lincoln Day Dinner speech over the weekend, Bunning predicted that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would likely be dead from pancreatic cancer in nine months, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The paper reports that Bunning reiterated his support of conservative judges, saying “that’s going to be in place very shortly because Ruth Bader Ginsburg…has cancer.”

“Bad cancer. The kind you don’t get better from,” Bunning went on. “Even though she was operated on, usually nine months is the longest that anybody would live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.”

News of his comments comes as Bunning continues to take fire from the very Senate campaign committee tasked to help his re-election. PolitickerKY, a Kentucky-based political website, reported that state Senate President David Williams met with officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee to explore a primary campaign against Bunning.

The report suggested that operatives of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were working to assist Williams in a potential primary campaign -- and that McConnell's pollster is commissioning a survey to assess Williams’ viability against Bunning.

By: hustleandfloe

hustleandfloe — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:04:17 +0000

I do think the solution is there – a solid and dedicated attempt to start small. like the book to screenplay move as it taps into already validated interest. you could even do shorts based on books – allowing for more volume and ensuring high quality and varied roles for more actors.