Ladies' Night(s)

Half-way through the Democratic National Convention (DNC), one thing that has been made even more abundantly clear than it already was is Barack Hussein Obama and William Jefferson Clinton married really bright women. Both women took the opportunity to etch that fact into the collective American psyche during their separate speeches over the past two evenings.

For many, Monday night at the convention belonged to the “Lion of the Party;” the Honorable Edward “Ted” Kennedy. However, I thought Mrs. Obama simply owned the stage. Yes Senator Kennedy was heroic by his mere presence, he was stately in his delivery; a veteran pol in his element. But Michelle was savvy, subtle yet powerful; in total control of the moment. She created the traction the Democrats needed to kick off their Rocky Mountain party. Barack was visibly pleased and proud….understandably so! Of course, Malia and Natasha sealed the deal with an apparent impromptu exchange with their dad, Senator Obama, after their mom’s speech.

While Mrs. Obama was universally expected to come to the stage and endeavor to hit a home run for her husband, opinion varied on what Mrs. Clinton would do. There had been talk before the convention of a potentially divisive voice vote. The GOP has run ads emphasizing that Hillary was the candidate Barack did not select, and underscoring some of her campaign comments citing Obama’s inexperience. There was much speculation that Hillary and Bill, Billary to some, were not coming to Denver to play ball, and heal the Party.

I believe the Clintons are, if anything, astute observers of history, and still invested in shaping what will become known as their legacy. For that reason, I felt Hillary at least, would lay it on the line. After being introduced by daughter Chelsea, Mrs. Clinton gave a pithy and energetic speech that included such memorable lines as, “I am a proud supporter of Barack Obama,” “Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our president,” and my personal favorite, “No way, no how, no McCain.” The former First Lady made it clear she favors uniting the Democratic Party, and wresting the Presidency away from the Republicans.

In honor of the recently completed Olympics, if this Convention is viewed as a 4X100 Meter Relay, the first two runners have not only managed the baton hand-off, they ran superb legs. The next two evenings, tonight, and Thursday, have much weighing in the balance. Former President Clinton and Vice Presidential nominee, the Honorable Joseph Biden, of Delaware, will get their shots behind the podium tonight, and of course, Senator Obama will take the stage Thursday evening.

As for Obama, I can imagine Michelle will coach him up, and exhort him, as she did in 2004, “Not to screw it up.” I have no difficulty imagining that the Honorable Senator Biden will do his part to solidify any potential bounce the team may get from this convention. But really, we all know, at least for tonight, all eyes will be peeled, and all ears cocked to capture every visible and imagined nuance former President Clinton makes during his time on the stage.

My gut says he will “Do the Right Thing,” and match Mrs. Clinton’s deft use of air time. Few have proved as gifted at summoning a commanding and effective stage presence as Mr. Clinton. We know what he’s capable of; will he stand and deliver? I think he will, but what I know is, the Ladies have set the bar high. The Gentlemen will have to bring their “A” games, or…they will hear about it when they get home. I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93963863

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTFsB09KhqI

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http://www.denverpost.com/politicswestnews/ci_10310598

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_10310684

Break It Down; This Day In History!

The evening of Monday, August 20, 2007 started uneventfully enough. I sat down at my PC, fairly early, with the intent to take one small step to narrow my own personal Digital Divide. I had engaged in a conversation earlier that day about a comment that I had written and shared with a few friends; Fraternity Brothers, actually. One of them thought the comments were on point, and suggested I blog on the subject. After reading my reply, reciting my lack of technological savvy, a second assured that it was not that difficult, and forwarded a blog starter link. One year later, the rest, as they say, is history!

This is where I insert a commercial break in order to say a deeply appreciative thank-you, to Brothers Jacobe Foster, and Charles Campbell, proud members of the Ice Cold Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (http://www.alphaphialpha.net/). I could never…no, I would never have done it without your subtle prodding.

Since that sultry August evening, a year ago today, I have published 60 blogs, pretty much sticking to the original format I committed to after writing three the first week. I decided early on to establish a challenging (for me), but achievable goal. In evaluating the time, research, and general effort necessary to produce the first three, I believed I could maintain a production schedule of once a week, without compromising, significantly altering, or otherwise interfering with life’s sacred prerequisites, such as friends and family, career, recreation, worship, eating, sleeping, travel, etc.

With that in mind, each Wednesday since then, I have published an edition of Break It Down! My weekly constitutional has resulted in exploring a variety of topics, from Obama, in the very first one, to The Olympics, in last week’s conversation piece. In the interim, the discourse has comprised an eclectic panoply, encompassing thoughts ranging from:

Jesse Jackson to Jesse Helms
The CIAA to the NCAA
Cloning to Castro
The State of Black America to the State of the Union
Jena to JCSU
Michael Vick to Marion Jones; with Barry Bonds thrown in for good measure
Jeremiah Wright to the Justice System
The Super Bowl to Super Tuesday to Fat Tuesday
McCain to MLK
Presidents to (my personal favorite) Porsches

From the beginning the idea has been to avoid framing a topical niche for this vehicle. Instead, my aim has been to produce a continuous series of well-written, sufficiently researched, cogent opinion pieces that readers would enjoy, and/or find interesting. It is time for a second commercial; this one targeting you, the reader.

Invariably, I hear from some you who read the blog. Most of your comments are encouraging, many affirm my efforts, and of course, occasionally, a few of you find it necessary or appropriate to help get me on the right track. A few of those comments are shared through the blog link, while most are sent to me directly. Thanks for taking the time to read what I have written. Thanks to those of you who share it with others. Most notably, thanks to you who holla back; regardless of whether you agree with me. I appreciate, and am motivated by your feedback. I owe you an enormous debt of gratitude

As I said at the outset, I intended to take one small step to reduce my Digital Divide. A year later, I cannot channel Neil Armstrong and lay claim to having fundamentally altered the path of mankind, but I have taken one giant leap for me. On this day in history, that is good enough for me. Holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

https://www.blogger.com/start

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/05/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_bl.html

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/mustread.html?pg=2

http://classblogmeister.com/

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http://digg.com/

The Thrill; the Agony; the Drama!

As I surveyed the week just passed, thinking about a topic for today, a montage of events quickly spun through my mind. The weekend alone delivered a three-part sequel of what even a casual observer might consider sadness and despair. Things kicked-off, if you prefer to call it that, Friday with the admission by former Senator, and twice Presidential candidate John Edwards that, despite his emphatic denials, he had indeed been involved in a sexual relationship with a former aide. That revelation, after weeks of allegations by the National Enquirer, hardly qualified as news.

Meanwhile, after the untimely demise of the Senator’s reputation Friday, a member of American Royalty died. Bernard Jeffery McCullough, better known as Bernie Mac died Saturday of complications from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed in 1983 with sarcoidosis, a disease which causes inflammation of the body's tissues, most frequently in the lungs. Bernie was one of the Original Kings of Comedy; he was 50 years old. He will be widely remembered for his special brand of humor and an impressive catalog of work.

The ill-fated triangle was completed Sunday when 65 year-old singer, Isaac Hayes, was found dead. Hayes was a widely popular musician whose work in the late 60’s to mid-70’s rendered him a cult figure for many. His style provided a sneak preview for the art form that would eventually be known as Hip Hop. He wore a bald pate, gold chains, and talked (rapped) for long segments at the opening of his songs, many of which were cover tunes, made popular by other artists, but made his own by Hayes. Walk on By (Dionne Warwick), I Stand Accused (Jerry Butler), and Never Can Say Good-bye (The Jackson 5) stand out as examples. While Hayes was not afraid to collaborate, or reinterpret the work of others, he is probably best known for having penned the soundtrack for the movie Shaft in 1971. Hayes had been in deteriorating health since having had a stroke in 2006. Ironically, Mac and Hayes are featured in a movie along with Samuel L. Jackson (recently critically injure in an automobile accident), directed by Malcolm Lee (Spike's cousin).

You will notice you, I chose not to dwell on the details related to the “other woman,” in the Edwards case, or Bernie’s recent dust-up with the Obama Camp, or the secrecy and initial denials surrounding Hayes’ stroke. But I have attached plenty of sources, so if that’s what you need, go for it.

I opted not to go in to all that so I could spend at least a few moments discussing what might be the only regularly scheduled seriously robust mixture of sports and politics known to man; the Modern Olympic Games. The 29th Olympiad launched Friday, amid an incredible display of pomp, pageantry, and yes, politics. The Modern Olympics were first held in 1896 in Greece, home of the Ancient Olympics. That year, 14 Countries participated, though the vast majority of the athletes were Greek. A point which is not all that surprising, since traveling great distances then was probably about as infeasible as it is today, even discounting fuel prices.

Over the course of 16 days, from August 8th to August 24th, 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in 302 events in 28 sports. It is the ultimate in sporting events. And if you lean toward the politics, focus on the judging/scoring.

When the dust settles, the battle for supremacy of the sports realm will have been won by host China, or the United States. The two Countries finished 1 and 2 in Athens in 2004, and are expected to do so again this year. China would like to reverse the order and finish first, especially since they at home.

Already there has been compelling action. The American Men scored what some considered an upset, winning the Gold Medal over the French in the Men’s 4X100 Swimming event. The US came from behind and just edged out the Frenchmen. On the other side of the coin, the Chinese Women took the Gold Medal in Women’s Gymnastics in a hotly contested battle.

We are accustomed to viewing sports in this Country. Naturally, every event has winners and losers. But the Olympics are packed with more than two weeks of action, 16 consecutive days of winners and losers. Watching the sheer devastation on the faces of competitors who fail to achieve their objectives is its own special challenge.

The late Jim McKay coined the expression, "Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports... the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition... This is "ABC's Wide World of Sports!"” He used the phrase to frame the popular TV Show, The Wide World of Sports, but he could just as easily have been talking about the Olympics. It is a spectacle made for that description.

These Games have already become special an American vantage point. Michael Phelps has established him self as the most celebrated Olympian ever, topping the previous total of 9 Gold Medals (Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, and two others), winning 10 so far. He will almost certainly win more while in Beijing.

All that is well and good. But despite the dominant swimming performances and the wins that are all but predestined in Track and Field…America’s success or failure in these games will be judged on whether they secure the Gold medals in Men's and Women's Basketball. At least that is how I will judge! Holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/08/2008-08-08_ok_i_did_have_sex_with_that_woman_admits-2.html

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/08/12/john-edwards-a-dud-of-the-democratic-party.html

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/12/2008-08-12_john_edwards_is_the_daddy_rielle_hunter_.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Mac

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/arts/television/10mac.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=72&objectid=10526570

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http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=cac72bdf-c9e4-4e31-908c-4b98dd3aa390

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Hayes

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-hayes11-2008aug11,0,7943778.story

http://www.isaachayes.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005002/news#ni0549855

http://www.last.fm/music/Isaac+Hayes

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/29/malcolm-lee-to-direct-soul-men/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics

http://en.beijing2008.cn/en.shtml

http://www.theacc.com/genrel/073008aaa.html

http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/news/newsid=206305.html#china+grabs+gold+u+s+silver

http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=205871.html#phelps+sets+olympic+gold+standard

Survey Says!

In one of the latest revelations (and I use the term loosely), to hit the streets, a recent USA Today/Gallup Survey found that more blacks than whites or Hispanics believe racism in America is widespread against blacks. Of course this finding is not surprising. The reality is it would have been shocking if that specific survey detail were found to be any different.

But there is more. A majority of those surveyed, including whites, and Hispanics, indicated they believed racism against blacks is widespread. Now that is a significant finding. It should be noted that the percentage of whites who admitted to believing racism against blacks is widespread fell within the margin of error for statistical sampling. The number was only 51%, yet it was a majority. As an aside, in this Presidential Election year, it is worth noting that we have elected four Presidents who tallied less than 51% (or 50% for that matter) of the popular vote. Because I know some of you are stricken with curiosity, I will name them…later.

Another revelation gleaned from the USA Today/Gallup survey, this one more stout, is that a majority of those surveyed, including whites, rejected the notion that blacks discriminating against whites is widespread. Moreover, none of the findings on this question were in danger of statistical invalidity. In short, for all the ballyhooed media amplified claims of reverse discrimination, a majority of Americans, including a majority of whites simply know better. That is not only significant, it is heartening! We are moving in the right direction.

Before moving away from this subtopic, it should be added, even though racism by blacks against whites was not thought to be widespread by a majority of respondents, over 40% thought it was widespread, including 42% of whites, and 36% of blacks and Hispanics. Finding that nearly 4 out of 10 blacks believe blacks’ discriminating against whites is the order of the day is a daunting piece of statistical analysis. Such damning evidence should prompt a close look at the “Man in the Mirror.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8n0HsInb6M&NR=1). If that is the case, we clearly stand in need of “Change We Can Believe In!”

When looked at through a partisan lens, a majority of Independents and Democrats surveyed believed whites discriminating against blacks is widespread. Only 39% of Republicans thought so. Alternately, a majority of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats rejected the idea that black discrimination against whites is widespread.

The dearth of black Republicans may have influenced the finding that so few Republicans, compared to Democrats and Independents thought whites discriminate widely against blacks. However, if finding that nearly 4 out of 10 blacks believe blacks’ discriminating against whites is widespread, is a significant discovery, I suppose finding that nearly 4 out of 10 Republicans believe whites discriminate against blacks is widespread, should also be considered a significant discovery.

Finally, just in case you thought I forgot…or even if you wish I had…I remembered to point out the four presidents who were elected to office without winning the popular vote. They were:

1). 1824: John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson (I mentioned this one in the July 4th post.). Neither won the popular vote; the House of Representatives made the call.

2). 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden

3). 1888: Grover Cleveland over Benjamin Harrison

4). 2000: George W. Bush over Al Gore

That’s it for this week; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


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