Newspapers and the wind

My biggest problem with Mainstream Media (MSM) is its lack of diversity. Unless I have been asleep the past few years, this is an open secret. When there is a lack of diversity, group-think is inevitable. In the case of MSM, the group-think is, unfortunately Neo-con and AIPAC inspired.

The lack of representation of Blacks, Asian and Latinos is glaring in all areas of MSM from sun up to sun down and it gets tiresome on both the eye and ear. This is the norm. To give “those people” those good jobs may mean they would be able to move into your converted neighborhood. You know they will not attend your Synagogue but you don’t want to see them at your church either. They will shop where you shop and their children will go to the public school your children attend. They and their families will dine at your restaurants and by sheer coincidence may go on the same cruise. NO WAY!

In my opinion, MSM has pandered to and hired a slew of un-qualified persons. Ignorant would not be an understatement with only an ethnic identification. They could have continued to pull it off but enter the internet and blogosphere with writers who write superb articles with just as good credentials or better and do it for free. MSM feel a need to push those same non-qualified and ignorant whores onto the internet and they are spotted as soon as they put the dot to their opening paragraph.

Their writing is still poor and agenda driven. They continue to push group-think ideas and continue to be ignored. I can identify them by their constant efforts to throw nonproductive and negative wedges into conversations with stupid, and I do mean stupid arguments no sane person would knowingly attempt or think of. Nobody is as stupid as some of those people appear to be. Always “begging for an argument” is what I say. And there are their sustained efforts to polarize. In my opinion, these are the two give-a-ways.

I understand they are pushing for the internet and blogosphere to dominate the scene and start creating rules etc., to at first make access difficult and then impossible for the layman. I would suspect it would first start with “Things you can not say on the internet” and get laws passed. If it has to also go to the UN, so be it. They’ll go there to. A determined group. Mind you, these will be those horrible reporters backed by major MSM resources and WPFW radio still struggles and having issues with the FCC. Sad.

Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB

I wish to refine and extend my remarks
by niaman
Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:14:26 PM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/5/11426/96397/453/546695
Excerpt:
The press reports the story it wants, not the story they have.

Inspiration article:
LA TIMES to cut jobs, newsroom, pages...
LA Times to cut 250 jobs, including 150 news jobs
Wednesday July 2, 10:39 pm ET
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080702/la_times_cuts.html?.v=1

Baby Boomers Retire

Most of us are retired or will be in the next one to two years if we have not lied to our employers and our spouses. Most of us who worked in the public sector, that is. We have our Social Security and retirement checks, dip into our retirement’s funds and some of us may have been luck enough to get stock dividends even today from the slavery days of old.

There is money out here and the establishment knows how to go after money if they do not know how to do anything else. After retirement I told a friend that my retirement resources would be eroded so fast it would make my head swim. At that time, eight years ago, cable bills were going up and AOL was doing strange things with our bills. Most of us had bought “retirement cars and homes,” finished putting most of the kids through college and ready to comfortably settle down.

The greed started gradually, most noticeably with the privatizing of sections of the military, different cell phones and cell phone plans escalating to higher fuel prices to prohibitive prices for food. I’ am mindful of people saying everytime they got a cost of living raise, prices would go up in the supermarkets and the relationship could be made, in my opinion, of the money now being controlled by the recent retirees. It was a stroke of genius to bring in the Latinos, giving them homes and free this and that to further erode our retirement checks. We will not be able to sustain this onslaught but that is another post for another time. Suffice it to say, America is in a free-fall now, every institution for himself to get as much money as he can, smile and feel he has fully taken advantage of The Land of Opportunity.

Many Blacks are also recipients of the 1933 Social Security act and retirement funds. In my opinion, many other Blacks and a lot of whites do not know how to deal with us. We are ‘uppity niggers’ to many in both groups. The Latinos who come to our homes wonder why, with our large Black population, why we have to deal with them to do jobs for us and not members of our own Black population.

The resentment is there and manifested in the work they do or do not do for us. We recent Black retiree can now afford to go into nursing homes. Good ones. A first for us. We do not have to be dependent on our relatives to take care of us as they did our grand-parents. There are adjustments to be made in the Black community in that regard. There is a vast difference between our retirement funds and those of a majority of the Blacks of old. The Black family structure has become different and in some cases, strained and don’t get me started on the Neo-con dominated medical profession re-actions to us.

I have already begun to hear some horror stories. Just last week going into a new doctor’s office, he came in and addressed me as BB and before anything else, I said “Listen here, I am Mr. BB and you are Dr. so and so”. You can imagine how the visit continued or to be more specific, its tempered ending. Can you imagine that doctor teaching and having people of color in his class?

In general, we recently retired Baby Boomers are not helpless. Most of us are educated and or have a field of expertise and are literate. I feel sad for the recent retirees who had plans of extensive travels. They never envisioned having the present pass port issues and the vitriol conduct directed now days towards Americans. To that group, I feel very sad. It was a life time dream for many of them and the world has yet to feel our influences as the retirees of the Social Security system. We now have highly educated and motivated children and grand-children.
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB

Jed from “The Jed Report” Via Dkos

I think Jed has hit Internet Gold. Watch the video and let your imagination run wild with the possibilities. The man is a thinker, has a talent and he can write organizationally. My advice to Jed; mine your gold mine. Best of luck.
Barack-Iraq-Gate: Anatomy of a Media Smear [vid]
by JedReport
Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 10:32:19 PM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/4/01755/83281/816/546324
Excerpt:
I think three of the most important factors that contributed to CNN's and Yellin's biased reporting. Here they are in no special order:
The media is an inherently conservative institution and Yellin and her colleagues believe it would be a mistake to leave Iraq.
The media also lives and dies by its ratings, and the closer they can keep the campaign, they higher they think their ratings will be, so they have every incentive to issue damaging stories about the front runner.
The McCain campaign, especially blogger Michael Goldfarb (who floated the meme last week), did an excellent job of conditioning the press corps to pounce on anything that could have even remotely indicated the possibility of a forthcoming policy reversal. I'm sure my list isn't exhaustive, but those are my top three items.
As always,
BB
P.S. Don't let this man get away! This is talent we can definitely use. Kidnap him if we have to if no longer then to the convention. Believe me, The Jed Report is not going un-noticed.

Life in Teleprompter land

A great deal of our news and insights on the news emanates from the keyboard of the teleprompter. He writes what the well-groomed and finessed commentator reads with the appropriate vocal inflections, punctuations, pauses and spontaneity that is written on the screen before him.

Is a person who writes for the teleprompter a telepromtis? What is his official title in the news empire? Are there different telepromti for different shows? Does a mega news reporter have his own telepromptis come with him in his contract? What are his qualifications for the job? An educated man? Does he have a specialty? Are there substitute telepromtis available and at what pay rate? Who are some of the better ones? Are there any Black ones? Is there a union? What is the history of the teleprompter? What is a good teleprompter joke or anecdotal story? Do they have a creed? Are they considered “Reporters?”

Just a few answers would do me fine. I’ll make up the rest as I go along if I have to. I’ll BS like they do sometimes. Little Black feet reporting for duty, gearing up’n ready to run’n tell.
As always,
BB

FISA: A needle in the haystack (Fine)

The Republicans build haystacks. I have concluded FISA is a needle in the haystack due to the fact everytime I feel I understand what is going on, panting and sweating with little Black feet eager and ready to run’n tell it, something else comes up.

The only comprehensive understanding I had regarding FISA was in an article on Truthout.Com. The article was thorough, completely comprehensible and appropriately laid the foundations for mastering the situation. I provided a link in a previous blog but, unfortunately, I can not find it now. But I shall go on.

I do not know if Sen. Obama can see the needle in the haystack and I now know there are amendments to FISA, a recent court hearing that ended yesterday with possibilities of being re-opened and who knows what else. I would hope if one were the astute politician as Sen. Obama is, you would be able to see said needle and either maneuver your way towards or against or around it, whichever goals you have set for yourself. If your focus, however, is to dislodge that needle from the haystack, I would assume you would have a plan and in the case of Sen. Obama and his advisers, a plan that can not be readily shared with others. I am mindful the composition of haystacks can shift for seismic reasons.

“Politics is a game” they say and to date, Sen. Obama and his advisors have played it brilliantly and there is no reason for me to continue believing otherwise. I know absolutely nothing about the amendments. I haven’t seen them, don’t know how many there are have not read anyone exploring them. I only read one vague, and I mean very vague account of the court proceedings in reference to FISA.

I am looking at that FISA haystack bottom up, top down and from side to side and there is no way I can understand what is going on inside and since it is a political haystack, that is why we put our trusts in our political appointees. That’s it! Feet, don’t fail me now!
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB

Another DKos Golden Egg: Skinning the cat

In my opinion, different situations require different solutions. One may resolve issues through passive resistance, cohesion, or being an all-and-all out ass hole. There are lots more individually created. I like the resolve used in this diary. Less confrontation and you are only left with a string of “What he really meant to say was….” At that point and feigning amazement, “Really, now.” Mission Accomplished. “Tell me about it.” Thrust home! “I’m all ears.” Blood pressure in tact. Yet another example of having no need to kill an ant with a hammer.

DAMMIT..Tell Me The Truth!
by StuHunter
Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 09:07:17 PM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/3/0717/55880/710/545421
Excerpt:
Ummmm..Johnny baby...are ya sitting down? Here's a few of your own words that lead all of us to distrust you overwhelmingly, every day

And
Campaign reform: On political reform, McCain last January opposed a grassroots lobbying bill he once supported. In 2006, the "New York Sun" reported that his presidential ambitions led McCain to reverse his support of a campaign financial bill called McCain/Feingold.
http://www.nysun.com/...
As always,
BB

My opinion: An innocuous part of the whole

When I took my seat at the summer workshop for Music Students, I did not expect to be sitting next to somebody who knows the double-base part to one of the musical examples the teacher was playing.

The “hummer” was neither loud nor making attempts to impress or bring attention to himself. It happened just intermittingly and during certain passages of the music he had an urge to inject himself. To “hum” the double-base parts, if you will. I was fascinated, sitting stiff as a statue, hearing this periodic murmuring in my right ear complementing the overall music coming from the sound system in the front of the classroom.

I later learned he played double-base and another instrument in a major symphony orchestra and they were in Washington to play a few concerts at Constitution Hall. The Kennedy Center was not built at that time and I do not remember the name of the composition to which he was humming. He and a few other players were at the lecture that day at the invitation of the teacher.

I never forgot that day and to this very day, listening for music passages other than the melody in just a part of me. I also do it when I listen to people or read something. I conclude this is not unique to me. Other than do what I do, some people are very close observers of body language or vocal inflections, choice of words and the likes. In any case, there is a secondary or perhaps even a tercery performance supporting the main idea. I admit some observers do become a little bizarre but hey, what the hell. Let’em ‘spress themselves, different drummer and all. You do.

So it is with these Obama flaps that keep dominating the scene, there are people who hear, see and read secondary systems in relationship to the main idea or melody. My reflections would be if, at the workshop, I would have told the “hummer” to shut up! “I want to hear the music.”
As always,
BB

Sen. Obama and the Evangelical Community (Update)

If I were Sen. Obama’s campaign, I too would go after the Evangelicals but only for my own reasons. I would do so to raise their American visibilities as an intricate part of the American faith system. I would do so to trash out the hidden religion of the Neo-cons and their constant implying their religion is the gold standard and all other religions are gutter ones.

The Neo-cons with their bully pull pit of the Mainstream Media can do that and they do it with pious smirks and grins. If a spokesperson of any religion other then their own says or does anything they feel they can make a wedge issue of, they are like sharks in the water after smelling blood only for the sake of implying there is a better religion wherein people don’t do those things. Ours!

Several months ago, {{Andrea Mitchell}} told Chris Matthew’s viewers that Sen. Obama was going to get a rough ride from the Jewish communities. In relationship to the campaign of Sen. Obama and in my opinion, no truer words were spoken and I took what she said to heart as a hint to the wise.

So, and further, if I were Sen. Obama, I would hang around all the religions in America so that all the data can be bought to light and let people chooses for themselves the behavior of their individual members. However, it would soon become very evident that the religion of the Neo-con has not come forth. They have not hung their laundry out to dry. They will not talk about it but rather stay in the background with loud bullhorns criticizing and bad-mouthing all other religions as minor after minor event occur. Even going to wars over them. Continually asking and manipulating us into making un-informed choices. There is a reason citizens in the New England states i.e., John Kerry will not talk about their faith and religion and I strongly suspect it is more than being elitist.

I must repeat there is not a movie regarding Black you do not at least see a church scene, wedding, funeral, choir singing, perhaps a secondary story about a religious person or the life of a minister with many of the cast members wearing crosses around their necks. There are movies wherein you also see the Catholics in various religious situations but never the Neo-cons. Never. Showing the Jews in such a light maybe akin to the taboo of the movies of old wherein there were no inter-marriages on the screen and no inter-racial romances and if it happens, one of the people has to die. West Side Story comes to mind and there are many more.

There is/was a code enforced by the writers, directors and producers. Neo-cons all. Sad. Sad that so many people would even think that way and enforce it. Since it has gone on so long, their children probably do it to so maybe if we look at the religion. That maybe the constant.

If I were Sen. Obama and this would be my objective to expose American to the rational of other religions, I know I would have my work cut out for me but work so necessary to put America on a solid ground from which to build. One wherein the Jewish community can not undermined each and every religious structure we try to build allowing us to move forward. We in America are built on our religious foundations, not shifting sands and we must build up, shore-up and secure our base else we ain’t goin’ nowhere, Bubbuh. You ain’t and I ain’t. Got it? We will only have a “hidden hand” holding us back and a whole lot of group stupidity.
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help
BB
P.S. Would love to see a major movie of Jewish students going to an all Jewish Middle School. (Middle school students tell EVERYTHING) Or the move of a Jewish Rabbi’s life, death and funeral arrangements being made up to the actual burial i.e., "Umberto D". Or a Jewish girl’s romance and marriage ceremony. Or a Jewish Choir preparing for a Jewish Music Competition. Or a ………
P.S. I'm telling you folks, you can get very irritable if you don't write your heart. (Smile)
P.S. #3 What is the name of the Jewish religion? I don't even know. Is it Zionism? What do they stand for? I really do not know.
(Update) This diary was up since ten AM yesterday. Don’t know how in hell I missed it. There is a good portion relating to religious charities. Very informulative.
Confusion: From an Independent Voter
by MA Voter
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/2/03026/85288/966/545165
Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 10:12:35 PM PDT
Excerpt:
The fact of the matter is that many of our health and human services divisions in our individual communities, our food pantries and more may be beneficiaries of government grants. Some of them (the Salvation Army comes to mind) are faith based.
Do you know how many charities that you currently support that are in fact 'faith based'?

Growing new nerve endings

If the position is taken that this Presidential campaign is one of historic proportions and the position that many feel this is a once in a life time event, then one could also take the position that emotions of historic proportions will also be involved. It’s that opposite and equal force thing.

Most of us chiding Sen. Obama never realized we could get so angry at a political candidate but then most of us have not so fully identified with a candidate as we have with Sen. Obama. The feelings many have for him have been, at this time, well documented and some with labels both flattering and un-flattering. The bottom line; we are in love. There is the love of parents for a son, the love of a sister for her brother, a brother for his brother, the projected love of a wife for her husband and yes, even perhaps the love of one for his/her invention. Observe the many definitions of love in the public domain alone, not to mention the definitions locked in the hearts of many supporters. Song:"You don't know what love is."
As always,
BB

Sen. Obama, “Straigh’n up and fly right.”

“And just where you think you gonna put that thing???” said the maiden to the giant. I was not in the “understanding mode” to appreciate Sen. Obama telling us why he decided to ware the flag pin. He said a group of veterans approached him and said it would mean so much to them. Nor was I in “understanding mode” today when Sen. Obama threw Gen. Clark under the bus. I am not in an “understanding mode” as to the repeated calls to Bill Clinton. As a matter of fact, I am not in an “understanding mode” to try to understand why my favorite political candidate has a need to satisfy and be liked by everybody. My capacity for understanding does not go that far to allow me to do that and in my opinion, one of the most un-endearing persons is a person who tries to please everybody. They are absolutely useless. The word sickening comes to mind and I make no apologies! That was a horrible thing to do to Gen. Clark, a friend and a very foolish way to deal with Bill Clinton and a "small group of veterans".
As always,
BB
P.S. Tuff luv. Hillary as VP has become a person of interest.

My take: Using parenthesis

While reading a blog or diary the other day, I had to smile at myself after reading half way though at the realization I was reading about finances. I wondered what had kept my interest even to the half way point and realized there were no parentheses in the reading. There was little or no parts of the reading enclosed in parenthesis. The reading was as smooth as the ride I would suspect of a Rolls Royce.

One of my three English 101 teachers told us that words or thoughts in parenthesis could be jumped over -overlooked- and the content of the sentence would still make sense. It works for me. Most of the time. That is until I am confronted with several sentences in parenthesis and at times, a whole paragraph. It is hard to overlook that. Many times, I can not find the second part of the parenthesis and get frustrated, abandoning my attempts to both read the material and make any further efforts to understand it.

I myself try to avoid the use of parenthesis. Anything I have to say relevant to what I am writing could be incorporated into the body of the subject with a little work. Otherwise, I leave them alone. I conclude using parenthesis is like using the sustained pedal on the piano; use it sparingly and only to enhance the melodic and or harmonic structure of your music. Many music teachers will tell you not to use any pedal until after you have mastered the music.

In my opinion, it is so easy to throw a reader off with the use of parenthesis with extraneous and irreverent material and many times ego-tripping. When I am proof reading my own writing, if something is in parenthesis, I say to myself, “I strayed”. If you say that often enough, you could get tongue-tied. Or better still, remember what the old folks used to tell us about masturbating…….
As always,
BB

Iraqi oil: A sticky situation?

Just so I do not get my breeches all twisted up in this Iraqi oil saga, I want to record, for my own sanity, my understanding what is going on so the pundits won’t mess with my mind.

In Iraq, three regions are identified: Northern Iraq with the Kurds - Neo-cons-; Middle Iraq with Sunni and Southern Iraq with Shia. Most of Iraqi oil is in the Southern and Northern regions. When the Constitution of Iraq was written or tried to be written, there were vague and ambiguous statements regarding how the oil revenues would be distributed. I interpreted it as efforts to have a nationalized gas program.

The Kurds of the North quickly got their borders, own flag, national anthem, air ports, government officials and, for all practical purposes, considered themselves a country unto themselves separated from Iraq. Kosvo is following the same pattern. The Kurds quickly signed an oil deal with a Dutch oil company apparently with no desires to include the Shia and Sunni communities shearing in their revenues.

Enter EXXon, BP, Total et.al with oil contracts signed by whom, I do not know. Are they conflicting with the Dutch oil contracts of the North, I do not know. Question: Have oil contracts been signed, sealed and delivered with a clearly written and verified mandate for the distribution of the revenues? The fun begins. I note two influential players as the president of Iraq, a Kurd and Chaliebe, also a Kurd and who is an official or un-official oil baron in the region.

This is my understanding so now when the pundits and commentators come ‘round trying to mess with my understanding, I’m gonna be listenin’ with cupped ear. “Say what?? Don‘t talk back to me! Get off my lawn!!”
As always,
BB

Fl: White male returning to fold?

The news is some automobiles in Orlando, Florida were vandalized. I can only imagine Mainstream Media’s glee when this happened hoping the white male had not all taken to Sen. Obama. Hoping there were still good, juicy racial stories around, their “teaser” news release are just enough to let the pundits go into a tail spin with hypotheticals and the likes. One news release identified the vehicles were “vandalized” with “political intensions” with no visual verifications and the other article identified the vehicles had “spray painting” with “racial slurs” also with no visual verifications.

I am mindful of security cameras located at the New York City School of Journalism when someone placed a noose on the door knob of a Black professor. It was soon after the visit from Iran’s President Ahmadinejad speaking at the university. I am not aware of any further developments of the story. There were lots of promises.

City Vehicles Painted with Anti-Obama Sayings Last Edited: Sunday, 29 Jun 2008, 12:00 AM EDT Created: Saturday, 28 Jun 2008, 11:53 PM EDT
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=6873208&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
The vandal or vandals appear to have political intentions; most of the vehicles were spray painted with anti Obama sayings, with ‘Obama’ misspelled several times. Some of their vehicles had their gas caps removed.

And
Fla. -- Racial slurs targeting Barack Obama were discovered spray painted tonight on dozens of city vehicles in Orlando.
http://www.wftv.com/news/16738560/detail.html
(Thanks Drudge)