Self Portraits

500 Years of Male Self Portraits in Western Art

by Philip Scott Johnson

Artists in order of appearance:
0:08 - Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519
0:15 - Francisco Goya 1746-1828
0:22 - Albrecht Dürer 1471-1528
0:29 - Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792
0:35 - Rembrandt 1606-1669
0:42 - Andy Warhol 1928-1987
0:48 - William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905
0:55 - Henri Matisse 1869-1954
1:02 - Eugène Delacroix 1798-1863
1:09 - Jean-François Millet 1814-1875
1:15 - Jan van Eyck 1395-1441
1:22 - Peter Paul Rubens 1577-1640
1:28 - James McNeill Whistler 1834-1903
1:35 - John Singer Sargent 1856-1925
1:42 - Kazimir Malevich 1878-1935
1:49 - Nicolas Poussin 1594-1665
1:55 - Paul Cézanne 1839-1906
2:02 - Paul Gauguin 1848-1903
2:08 - Vincent Van Gogh 1853-1890
2:15 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882
2:22 - Diego Velázquez 1599-1660
2:28 - Nicholas Hilliard 1547-1619
2:35 - Anthony van Dyck 1599-1641
2:41 - Titian 1485-1576
2:48 - Paolo Veronese 1528-1588
2:55 - Lucas Cranach the Elder 1472-1553
3:01 - Édouard Manet 1832-1883
3:08 - Pablo Picasso 1881-1973

Music: Bach's Bouree 1 and 2 from Suite for Solo Cello No. 3, BWV 1009 performed by Antonio Meneses.

eggman913@gmail.com

Tim Russert 1950-2008

I'm so sorry that I didn't write this news of Meet The Press host Tim Russert's untimely passing. My heart goes out to his family in this time of grief. May he be at peace and may God watch over his family, friends, and collegues.

Angry Black Women: Fox News Disses Black Females

GOP convention button asks, ‘If Obama is president…will we still call it the White House?’

Think Progress » GOP convention button asks, ‘If Obama is president…will we still call it the White House?’

The company that makes the buttons boasts providing “Patriotic and Republican Products.” Another button they sell features a picture of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), with the phrase: “Life’s a b**ch, don’t vote for one.” (HT: AmericaBlog)

The Rich: Money Doesn't Matter, Billionaire Oprah Tells College Grads

The Rich: Money Doesn't Matter, Billionaire Oprah Tells College Grads: "Talk-show host and self-made billionaire Oprah Winfrey was the commencement speaker for Stanford grads this past weekend. Her advice for the new grads? Do what you're meant to do! 'When you're doing the work you were meant to do, it feels right. And every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid.' Easy for her to say. Following your dreams! It's a great prescription for poverty. (As if every talented person who followed them ended up rich!)"

Where do racist find work?

George Cook of www.letstalkhonestly.com answers the question in a video satire "Where do racist find work?"

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily: "SAO PAULO • Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday that a Barack Obama presidency would be a watershed moment for the United States, but he stopped short of endorsing the Democratic candidate.

Lula evoked the work of Jose Bento Monteiro Lobato, a famous Brazilian writer in the first half of the 20th century, to stress the significance of an African American becoming president of the United States."

O'Bryan - Gigolo

Michelle Obama on Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann: Michelle Obama Baby Mama Fox News Racism

Keith Olbermann responds to the flap over Fox News tagging Michelle Obama as Barack Obama's "baby mama".

US elections: Fox forced to apologise to Obama for third time in two weeks | World news | guardian.co.uk

US elections: Fox forced to apologise to Obama for third time in two weeks | World news | guardian.co.uk: "Rupert Murdoch's Fox News television station has been forced to apologise to Barack Obama for the third time in a fortnight after screening a racially tinged caption referring to his wife Michelle as his 'baby mama'.

Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming at Fox, said in a statement on Thursday that a producer 'exercised poor judgment' during the segment.

The statement came as Obama established a website to help counter what he referred to as smears and rumours."

The Try-Works » Blog Archive » You Have An Absolute Right To Free Speech As Long As You Keep Your Ass Where No One Can Hear You

The Try-Works » Blog Archive » You Have An Absolute Right To Free Speech As Long As You Keep Your Ass Where No One Can Hear You: "Protesters who want to march to the site of the Democratic National Convention will have to end their processions several blocks short of the Pepsi Center, according to the route released Thursday by Denver city officials.

The special parade route, put together by the city to balance the desires of protest groups with the needs of downtown businesses, angered the protesters, who had hoped to be able to end their marches within sight and sound of the convention hall

“This is not an appropriate parade route,” said Re-create 68’s Glenn Spagnuolo. “I’m not being able to march in front of the event site at the Pepsi Center. That’s the target audience. Your political protest is completely ineffective if … you’re not even allowed to march to where your intended audience is.”"

Criticism halts 'Black is beautiful' pet promo - Pet health- msnbc.com

Criticism halts 'Black is beautiful' pet promo - Pet health- msnbc.com: "GEORGETOWN, Texas - An animal shelter pulled the plug on a program promoting the adoption of black cats and dogs after criticism that the event would have taken place the same week as a holiday commemorating freedom for enslaved blacks.

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter planned to reduce adoption fees from June 14-20 for black-coated animals through a 'Black is Beautiful' promotion.

Eleven of 17 dogs and 12 of 24 cats at the shelter have black coats, shelter director Cheryl Schneider said. 'It's just a known fact that black cats and black dogs are difficult to adopt,' she said."

Obama: GOP Trying To Paint Michelle And I As "Too Black" - Politics on The Huffington Post

Obama: GOP Trying To Paint Michelle And I As "Too Black" - Politics on The Huffington Post: "Barack Obama said Thursday at a fundraiser in Chicago that the GOP is trying to make him and his wife Michelle appear 'scary' and 'too black.'

'They're going to try to make me into a scary guy. They're even trying to make Michelle into a scary person. Right?' Obama said at an event in the Hyde Park area, according to CNN."

Obama Baby Mama

Fox News which many in the African American Community consider racist has taken it's attacks on Michelle Obama to a whole new level. On a broadcast on 06/11/08 they refereed to Michelle Obama as "Obama Baby Mama". Don't take my word for it look at the picture below on which they use the term in their on air graphic.

So much for fair and balanced. There is no way even the racist leaning Fox producers and host did not know this was wrong. I mean just dead wrong. Maybe a bunch of elitist white producers thought they were being hip or cool but calling Michelle Obama a "baby's mama" is uncalled for. Especially for what is supposed to be a professional news organization.

For those that think it's just a joke or that baby mama is a term of endearment let me define Baby's Mama.

A baby's mama is just some girl that a guy gets pregnant. Just some girl he had sex with. This person is no one he wants to be with or marry. If he had been a thinking with the right head there is no way in hell he would have gotten her pregnant. If a guy would refers to a woman as a baby's mama it shows he does not have much respect for her.

Michelle Obama is a lot more than that. She is far from any damned baby's mama. She could well be the next first lady of the United States and should be treated with the dignity and respect she has earned. She should be given the respect that ANY women should be given regardless of her place in society.

Leave it to Fox News to keep giving traction to those that believe they are anything but fair and balanced. Can anyone name another cable news outlet where this would have been accepatable?

George Cook www.letstalkhonestly.com

george@letstalkhonestly.com

Crooks and Liars » Joe Lieberman’s Obama Betrayal

Crooks and Liars » Joe Lieberman’s Obama Betrayal: "When he was fighting for his political life in 2006, Joe Liberman desperately reached out to Senator Obama for his coveted endorsement — and Obama came through. Now, when the time comes for Senator Lieberman to repay the favor — at least in terms of not helping to spread Obama-is-a-muslim smears — HolyJoe is nowhere to be found. Talk about appreciation."

Fox News: Michelle Obama is "Obama's Baby Mama"

HOW LOW CAN FAUX NEWS CAN GO!

An alert reader wrote in just a little while ago to let us know about something he'd spotted on Fox News Wednesday afternoon. During a segment discussing conservative attacks against Michelle Obama, the wife of presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama, the network described the former as "Obama's baby mama."

I checked, and sure enough, as you can see below, our e-mailer was right. In fact, that description was displayed on-screen several times during the segment, which featured anchor Megyn Kelly and conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, an FNC contributor.

A clip of the segment in its entirety is below. You may notice that at one point, Malkin says, "By the way, it's not just Republicans who are criticizing some of her comments, but also statements have been made in the left-leaning blog Salon about her comments." I've searched the site, and I can't find anything like what Malkin is talking about. I've e-mailed Malkin asking for clarification -- if and when she responds, I'll update this post.

Michelle Obama Called Barack Obama's

Media Matters - Matthews: Is Obama "too University of Chicago or too South Side Chicago" for working-class voters?

Media Matters - Matthews: Is Obama "too University of Chicago or too South Side Chicago" for working-class voters?: "Having previously questioned whether Sen. Barack Obama can 'connect with regular people' or if he appeals 'only' to African-Americans and the well-educated, MSNBC's Chris Matthews asked if Obama is 'too University of Chicago or too South Side Chicago' for working-class voters. Matthews made his comments after MSNBC senior campaign correspondent Tucker Carlson asserted that 'the working-class voters of West Virginia and Kentucky, and their counterparts in a bunch of states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania' are 'the voters you need to watch and he [Obama] needs to win.'"

Media Matters - O'Reilly on teenagers' topless photo scandal: "[T]his isn't ... the inner city; you would think that these kids would have some kind o

Media Matters - O'Reilly on teenagers' topless photo scandal: "[T]his isn't ... the inner city; you would think that these kids would have some kind of a values system": "Summary: While discussing ninth-grade students at a school in New Jersey who were suspended for distributing topless photographs of their classmates, Bill O'Reilly stated, 'But it's an amazing amount of kids involved with this -- 20 -- in an affluent school district. This isn't, you know, the inner city; you would think that these kids would have some kind of a values system.'"

Media Matters - Dick Morris: "[T]he question that plagues Obama is ... Is he pro-American?"

Media Matters - Dick Morris: "[T]he question that plagues Obama is ... Is he pro-American?": "Summary: While discussing his latest syndicated column on Fox News' America's Election HQ, Dick Morris asserted: '[T]he question that plagues [Sen. Barack] Obama is ... Is he pro-American?' Morris has previously stated that 'the determinant in the election will be whether we believe that Barack Obama is what he appears to be, or is he somebody who's sort of a sleeper agent who really doesn't believe in our system.'"

Oklahoma Democrat won't endorse Obama - CNN.com

Oklahoma Democrat won't endorse Obama - CNN.com: "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the same day Democratic leaders stressed party unity after the drawn-out primary fight, one congressional Democrat said Tuesday that he will not endorse Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the White House. Rep. Dan Boren, Oklahoma's lone Democrat in Congress, said he has to listen to the wishes of his own constituents.

"We're much more conservative," Boren told The Associated Press.

His rural district stretches across the eastern part of the state and borders Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

"I've got to reflect my district. No one means more to me than the people who elected me. I have to listen to them," Boren told the AP.

His congressional office confirmed the quotes to CNN.

Boren also said Obama's record "does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion." "

Black America Analyzed: Dr Boyce Watkins - Black Truth

Barack Obama Nominee Victory Speech St. Paul Minnesota pt.4

News and Stories 6-11-2008

From Ann's Blog

Bo Diddley, R.I.P. at:

http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/in-remembrance-june-8-2008/

Rest in peace, Bo Diddley! You give the world so much in musical style and contributed to Rock music, then and now.

Also from Ann,
Color Test: Where Whites Draw The Line at:

http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/color-test-where-whites-draw-the-line/

Americans prefer to see Black entertainers with nonblack mommas than Black mommas. This has been on my mind since Obama clinched the nomination last week. I was thinking Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Carol Moseley Braun, Leonora Fulani, Alan Keyes, Al Sharpton, Colin Powell.

These Americans don’t want to be reminded of the fact that a lot of mixing were done before 1960s, before Loving. They ignore the past and present IRs as being progressive, esp. Black men w/nonblack women. Then, they pat themselves on the back on how progressive they are when in reality they are really not.

Are women shunning Obama? Pollster says no - On Politics - USATODAY.com

Are women shunning Obama? Pollster says no - On Politics - USATODAY.com: "There's been much written and You-Tubed about supporters of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton who are having trouble making the switch to presumptive nominee Barack Obama -- and say they may never. Or may never unless he puts Clinton on the ticket with him as vice president.

Are women a big problem for Obama? Maybe not. At least one poll shows rapid recent movement to Obama overall among Democrats, including women.

Pollster Scott Rasmussen says that as of today, based on 3,000 automated telephone surveys over the past three nights, Obama gets support from 52% of the women in his national tracking poll compared with 40% for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. He says that's better than Democrat John Kerry did with women against President Bush in 2004."

Media Matters - "Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser

Media Matters - "Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser: "The past several months have brought a congealing conventional wisdom among many reporters and pundits that MSNBC is lurching to the left. It is perhaps unsurprising that this story line would emerge. It is, however, nonsense.

Why is the story line unsurprising? Quite simply, several of its most prominent advocates have a clear interest in MSNBC being seen as liberal."

Ben Smith's Blog: Obama denies a rumor and questions the question - Politico.com

Ben Smith's Blog: Obama denies a rumor and questions the question - Politico.com Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday batted down rumors circulating on the Internet and mentioned on some cable news shows of the existence of a video of his wife using a derogatory term for white people, and criticized a reporter for asking him about the rumor, which has not a shred of evidence to support it.

“We have seen this before. There is dirt and lies that are circulated in e-mails and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about it,” Obama said to the McClatchy reporter during a press conference aboard his campaign plane. “That gives legs to the story. If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it.”

Asked whether he knew it not to be true, Obama said he had answered the question.

“Frankly, my hope is people don’t play this game,” Obama said. “It is a destructive aspect of our politics. Simply because something appears in an e-mail, that should lend it no more credence than if you heard it on the corner. Presumably the job of the press is to not to go around and spread scurrilous rumors like this until there is actually anything, an iota, of substance or evidence that would substantiate it.”

Obama Bans DNC from Taking Lobbyists' Money : NPR

Obama Bans DNC from Taking Lobbyists' Money : NPR: "Morning Edition, June 6, 2008 · Presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, exerting his new power as leader of his party, has told the Democratic National Committee to eschew all contributions from Washington lobbyists and political action committees.

Obama has spurned money from lobbyists and PACs ever since he declared himself a candidate for president. On Thursday, he extended that policy to the DNC."

Angela Bofill - Too tough

Long Island police beat innocent black man

Leave it to New York police to remind everyone that although Barack Obama has made history that this country still has a long way to go when it comes to black men and the police.

James Minter was handcuffed and beaten Garden City Long Island Police after they mistook him for the wrong man. He cooperated, didn't resist and was still beaten. The police knew they had done something wrong because later on they went to the hospital and tried to apologize and make deals to get Mr. Milner to not file a complaint. What is so sad about them trying to make a deal is that they assumed because he was black that he had some criminal or legal issues they could make "go away". Watch Mr Mitner tell his story by clicking the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

A Memo to Senator Obama

Evan Thomas: A Memo to Senator Obama | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com

Race is a difficult subject to talk and write about. Although the blogosphere is rarely shy, mainstream journalists often tread lightly for fear of giving offense or indulging in stereotypes. Political candidates sometimes slyly play the race card, but rarely overtly. Not eager to call attention to race as an issue, the Obama campaign plays it down as a factor in the election. But if an Obama adviser were writing an honest memo to the candidate, here's how it might read:

The good news is that you have all but won the nomination. The bad news, if we are willing to face reality, is that the country—some parts of it, anyway—may not be ready to elect a black president of the United States. It is hard to get a precise fix on the problem. Voters generally deny to pollsters that race is a factor in casting their votes, but when they step into the privacy of the polling booth, their prejudices can sometimes emerge. Probably only a tiny fraction of voters are outright racist. But race is not irrelevant to many others, black or white; exit polls vary greatly by state, but show that 10 to 30 percent of primary voters considered race as they voted (if white, those voters broke overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton; if African-American, they voted for you).

NEWSWEEK pollsters recently created a "Racial Resentment Index" to measure the impact of race on the 2008 election. White voters were asked a series of 10 questions about a variety of race-related topics, including racial preferences in hiring, interracial marriage—and what they have "in common" with African-Americans. About a third of these voters scored "high" on this index; 29 percent of all white Democrats did. Overwhelmingly, these Democrats are the ones most likely to defect to John McCain in the fall. (Among "High RR" white Democratic voters, according to the new NEWSWEEK Poll, Clinton leads McCain by 77 percent to 18 percent, while you win by only 51 percent to 33 percent.) Many Democratic voters in West Virginia interviewed by a NEWSWEEK reporter on primary night, May 13, did not hide their animus toward you as a kind of exotic alien. Menina Parsons, 45, said she will not vote for Obama in the general election because "I don't think he's real. I don't think he's American."

The Field » No More Drama

The Field » No More Drama: "Barack Obama was campaigning last October in South Carolina when he got an urgent call from Penny Pritzker, the hotel heiress who leads his campaign’s finance committee. About 200 of his biggest fund raisers were meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, and among them, near panic was setting in. Pritzker’s team had raised money faster than any other campaign ever had. Its candidate was drawing mega-crowds wherever he went. Yet he was still running at least 20 points behind Hillary Clinton in polls. His above-the-fray brand of politics just wasn’t getting the job done, and some of his top moneymen were urging him to rethink his strategy, shake up his staff, go negative. You’d better get here, Pritzker told Obama. And fast."

AP declares Barack Obama winner of Democratic Nomination

The Associated Press has proclaimed Barack Obama the winner of the Democratic Nomination for the Presidency! Congratulations to Barack Obama on making AMERICAN history. Watch the AP Report by clicking the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

No Scrubs

HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER LOSES IT! ATTACKS BARACK OBAMA !!!

An older woman from New York, supporter of Senator Clinton's campaign, who appears to have been removed from the Committee and Rules Meeting at the Democratic Delegate Conference in Washington D.C. shouts that McCain will win the White House, God Damn Democratic Party and that Barack Obama was in Inadequate Black Male and the only reason he was in the race was because a white female was running.

Old politics vs. new politics are quite obvious in this clip.

My guess is that this lady was quite well scripted and had a lot of practice and was ready to shout similar things INSIDE the meeting but was removed before she had a chance, so was forced to shout her diatribe in the lobby instead.

Guess she should have joined the Democratic Party a long time ago and participated more so she'd actually be ON the committee that would make these decisions, instead of just shouting like a over energized meeting disruptor.

Manhattan, New York, Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton Super Delegates, Democratic Primary, 1/2 votes Florida and Michigan Delegations Seated Racist Supporter Down the Tubes Fed Up Racial Bias Unite the Democratic Party Supporter Shouts: Inadequate Black Male Man God Damn the Democrats McCain the Next President of the United States

I'm Convinced - Black Men

New black christian soap opera

Fine Church Girls is a new Christian internet TV series launched on Easter Sunday. It blurs the lines between reality and fiction, and takes place in a real church with a real clergy family involved in the story lines, which are all entirely scripted. Join Teal, Spencer, Victoria, Blanca and the rest of the cast of Fine Church Girls as they help us to laugh, cry, pray and hope while convincing us through their adventures and misadventures that faith is worth it! In this first episode we meet the fine church girls and sparks immediately begin to fly.
Watch all 9 webisodes by clicking the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/LTHEntertainment.html

Mama's beauties

Media Matters - Fox News' Cavuto ignored Hagee's Hitler comments, McCain's courting of his endorsement

Media Matters - Fox News' Cavuto ignored Hagee's Hitler comments, McCain's courting of his endorsement On the May 22 edition of Fox News' Your World, host Neil Cavuto reported that Sen. John McCain rejected the endorsement of Rev. John Hagee, but did not report Hagee's comments regarding Adolf Hitler and Zionism -- the exposure of which preceded McCain's announced rejection of the endorsement. Nor did Cavuto report that McCain admitted he actively sought Hagee's endorsement. Cavuto's comments were first noted by the weblog News Hounds.

Additionally, Cavuto did not mention any of Hagee's prior controversial statements -- including about Islam, homosexuality and Hurricane Katrina; nor did he note that the exposure of those remarks did not cause McCain to reject Hagee's endorsement.

In a May 21 Huffington Post article, reporter Sam Stein wrote that Hagee "argued in a late 1990s sermon that the Nazis had operated on God's behalf to chase the Jews from Europe and shepherd them to Palestine." From Stein's article:

John Hagee, the controversial evangelical leader and endorser of Sen. John McCain, argued in a late 1990s sermon that the Nazis had operated on God's behalf to chase the Jews from Europe and shepherd them to Palestine. According to the Reverend, Adolph Hitler was a "hunter," sent by God, who was tasked with expediting God's will of having the Jews re-establish a state of Israel.

Going in and out of biblical verse, Hagee preached: " 'And they the hunters should hunt them,' that will be the Jews. 'From every mountain and from every hill and from out of the holes of the rocks.' If that doesn't describe what Hitler did in the holocaust you can't see that."

He goes on: "Theodore Hertzel is the father of Zionism. He was a Jew who at the turn of the 19th century said, this land is our land, God wants us to live there. So he went to the Jews of Europe and said 'I want you to come and join me in the land of Israel.' So few went that Hertzel went into depression. Those who came founded Israel; those who did not went through the hell of the holocaust.

Crooks and Liars » Lieberman to Speak at CUFI Event; Hagee Must Still Be Moses

Crooks and Liars » Lieberman to Speak at CUFI Event; Hagee Must Still Be Moses When it comes to Pastor John Hagee, John McCain and Joe Lieberman have a lot in common. Both men addressed the 2007 convention of Hagee’s organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI). McCain and Lieberman each voiced support for a pre-emptive strike against Iran. But while John McCain aggressively sought Hagee’s endorsement, only Joe Lieberman compared the Texas pastor to Moses. And judging by his agreement to speak at CUFI’s upcoming 2008 conference, Joe Lieberman still believes it.

As Huffington Post reports this morning:

Senator Joseph Lieberman is scheduled to headline Pastor John Hagee’s 2008 Christians United For Israel Washington-Israel Summit this July 22. In accepting Hagee’s invitation, Lieberman became the most senior elected representative confirmed to appear at the annual gala.

It was at last year’s CUFI conference that Lieberman offered his glowing tribute to the End Times Pastor Hagee:

“He is a Ish Elokim, a man of God and those words really fit him…like Moses he’s become a leader of a mighty multitude, even greater than the multitude that Moses led from Egypt to the promised land.”

Unfortunately for Joe Lieberman, it now turns out that John Hagee had in mind another modern-day Moses: Adolf Hitler. Hitler, Hagee tells us, was sent by God to deliver the Jews to Israel.

“Then god sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says — Jeremiah writing — ‘They shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the holes of the rocks,’ meaning there’s no place to hide. And that might be offensive to some people but don’t let your heart be offended. I didn’t write it, Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.”

For Hagee, of course, the return of the Jews to Israel is a biblical necessity, a requirement for the Second Coming of Christ and the final battle of Armageddon with, you guessed it, Iran:

“The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God’s plan for both Israel and the West…a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.”

Then and then only then, can the Jews be converted - or massacred - in what Keith Olbermann described as “biblical collateral damage.” As part of his cynical effort to court the religious right, John McCain aggressively sought Pastor Hagee’s endorsement. And to date, Mr. Straight Talk has yet to answer the question: does John McCain agree with Pastor John Hagee that war with Iran is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy? The questions about McCain “spiritual guide” Rod Parsley also remained unanswered.

S.O.S Band - Just Be Good To Me

Prince - Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad (1980)

Did endorsing Obama hurt Oprah's ratings?

Oprah Winfrey's talk show ratings have dropped 7% over this year. Some of that can be attributed to a decline in the overall television audience. Some say her show is feeling the feedback of her endorsement of Barack Obama which seems to have alienated a part of the middle aged white female audience she caters to. This could be an isue as she gets ready to launch her own network, OWN. Click the link to read more:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

DNC Invitation to Discuss by Telephone the Exclusion of Black & Latino Blogs from Democratic National Convention Floor Credentials

The Francis L. Holland Blog: DNC Invitation to Discuss by Telephone the Exclusion of Black & Latino Blogs from Democratic National Convention Floor Credentials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Francis L. Holland, Esq.
http://francislholland.blogspot.com
http://truth-about-mccain.blogspot.com
francislholland@yahoo.com
55 (73) 3288-1716

May 24, 2008

Ms. Maya E. Goines
National Coordinator for African American Constituencies
Democratic National Committee
goinesm@dnc.org

Mr. Aaron Myers
Director of Online Communications
2008 Democratic National Convention Committee
MyersA@DemConvention.com


Mr. Kombiz Lavasany
Democratic National Committee
Online Outreach Manager
Cell: 917-287-8961
Office: 202-863-7142
Work: lavasanyk@dnc.org
Gtalk: kombiz@gmail.com
AIM: klavasany

Dear Mr. Myers, Ms. Goines and Mr. Lavasany:

RE: Adding fifteen (15) Black-owned-and-operated afrosphere blogs with Black bloggers to already-selected virtually all-white Convention floor "state blog" pool, with 20% Black blogs in the the general blog pool.

I write to accept Aaron Myer's request (see below) to talk with me by telephone to discuss whether Black and Latino owned-and-operated blogs will be virtually or utterly excluded from the credentials that will allow white blogs to be seated with state delegations on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.

"There is nothing 'Democratic' about an all-white Democratic National Convention floor blogging corps."

I also welcome you to schedule a conference call in which interested Black bloggers and the national news media can be informed of the preparations that the DNC has made for Black and Latino blogs' equal participation in the Democratic National Convention floor blogs pool.

I am available this weekend at 55 (73) 3288-1716.

In order to help me prepare for our conversation in advance, please first provide by e-mail:

(1) the names, owners and URL's of all Black and Latino owned-and-operated blogs, for each group, that will be seated on the floor;

(2) the percentage of all floor credentialed blogs that will be (a) Black, and (b) Latino owned-and-operated, for each group;

(3) the names, owners and URL's of all general pool Black and Latino owned-and-operated blogs, for each group;

(4) the percentage of all general pool credentialed blogs that will be (a) Black, and (b) Latino owned-and-operated, for each group;

Please also e-mail to me all any descriptions of the advantages, responsibilities, privileges and activities to be accorded to the credentialed state pool floor blogs, such as you have provided to those blogs and/or to others already.

Please note that I have not requested to know the number of Black and Latino bloggers who will be chaperoned to the floor or the general pool under the editorial auspices of white blogs. Although it would also be interesting to have this information, my request for information is specifically regarding Black and Latino owned-and-operated blogs that are to be credential, in their own right, to be seated on the floor of the Convention, as well as those to be credentialed for the general pool, respectively, in the way that white blogs have been credentialed.

"A 'white blogs only' over the
Democratic National Convention floor
could do irreparable harm
to the Democratic Party 'brand'."

I understand that, at this late date, all hotel rooms in Denver may already have been reserved within a twenty-mile radius of Denver. I understand that the DNC specifically warned white blogs earlier in the spring to make reservations early, before all hotel were completely booked.

Please also inform me whether provisions have been made to help Black and Latino bloggers to find hotel accommodations, since the delay in notifying them that they will be credentialed has prevented them, and continues to prevent them, from making reservation deposits for the scarce or nonexistent Denver hotel accommodations that may still be available.

" 'Black blogs to the back of the bus'
must never be a slogan of the Democratic Party."

This is the information that the national media has been requesting. They understand that Black and Latino blogs have already been prejudiced by the delay in announcing their participation. They want to understand whether Black and Latino blogs will be permitted to participate in blogging at the Democratic National conventions under the same terms and condition, and with the same advantages and responsibilities, as white blogs.

"Don't count on Blacks for November
while excluding us in August."

The expedient provision of the information requested here will enable Black and Latino blogs to announce, as white blogs already have, that they will be reporting from seats on the floor of the Convention, while also enabling Black and Latino blogs to make hotel reservations in Denver now, if any are still available at all.

This situation must be rectified. Before the DNC state floor blogs system makes its first appearance at a Democratic National Convention, the "White Blogs Only" sign must be removed from the Convention floor.

*Washington Post: "A Diversity of Opinion, if Not Opinionators: At the Yearly Kos Bloggers' Convention, a Sea of Middle-Aged White Males" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501580_pf.html

Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Bloggers of the ‘afrosphere’ think they’ve been shut out of the Democratic National Convention"
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/05/21/bloggers_of_the_afrosphere_thi.html

Dallas Morning News: "Racial Make-up of Democratic Convention Bloggers Criticized"
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/052108dnpolpoliticalblogs.123168d2.html

DNC: "Announcing the [Denver convention] State Blogger Corps"
http://www.democrats.org/page/community/post/mikeworkman/Cnt9

Bang the Drum: "Live-blog DNCC Blogger Press Credential Conference Call"
http://politics.drumsnwhistles.com/2008/04/live-blog-dncc-blogger-press-credential-conference-call/

Sincerely,

Francis L. Holland, Esq.
Member, Afrosphere Action Coalition
francislholland@yahoo.com
55 (73) 3288-1716
The Francis L. Holland Blog
http://francislholland.blogspot.com
The Truth About McCain Blog
http://truth-about-mccain.blogspot.com

White America Fights Back: Viral e-mails attack Obama’s life story

Viral e-mails attack Obama’s life story - Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin - Politico.com

The main obstacle standing between Barack Obama and the White House was distilled into five words by a local television correspondent in South Charleston, W.Va., earlier this month.

Prefacing a question about the challenges of winning over white, blue-collar voters, the reporter offered this observation: “They think you are un-American,” he said.

Such questions, asked by reporters and plainly on the minds of voters in Appalachia and elsewhere, are the fruits of an unprecedented, subterranean e-mail campaign.

What began as a demonstrably false attempt to cast Obama as a Muslim has now metastasized into something far more threatening to the likely Democratic nominee. The spurious claims about his faith have spiraled into a broader assault that questions his patriotism and citizenship and generally portrays him as a threat to mainstream, white America.

Technorati Tags: racism, barack-obama, bias, african, american, elections, clinton

Aaliyah tribute

tribute relize to Aaliyah in 2001

McCain Supporter:

Gentry Lady Rams - The Cheerleaders

Black women missing in April and May 2008