CNsaw

IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME - THE 'FEST' BEGINS

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Blacula) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:21:00 -0400

AS an Inwood resident myself, I was happy to see the transformation of Dyckman Street west of Broadway, long overdue. Nice (although food could be better) restaurants popped up along the stretch across from the park, with a cool club scene right around the corner from my apartment. That, along with the dive bar on the corner and the diner still there, made for a perfect local match and alternative (or supplement) for going downtown or to Brooklyn to party. But I knew the day would come that the anticipated crowd would come, and bring their bullshit, and make it a chic ghetto. Well, that day came last year this month when the marina (where I enjoyed biking and checking out the Hudson and the Palisades from water level) re-opened as the new beachfront lounger La Marina. I knew when I took friends down there last summer and saw the crowds grow and become ever-so unruly and boisterous. And now the New York Times has something to say about it, as thus:

A Place to Be Seen (and Heard) in Upper Manhattan

Caleb Ferguson for The New York Times

On Saturday night at La Marina in Upper Manhattan, dancing on the beach starts early and can last late into the night. Large crowds come to party in the sand and to listen to D.J’.s and live bands.

By LISA W. FODERARO

Published: June 18, 2013

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With the lights of the George Washington Bridge painting the Hudson River and a half-moon hanging over the Palisades, La Marina felt like the place to be last Saturday night. At the year-old restaurant in Fort Washington Park, at the end of Dyckman Street in Upper Manhattan, two D.J.’s, working opposite ends of the property, cranked up the volume. Patrons ordered bottles of liquor, starting at $130 for rum and rising to $12,000 for a methuselah of Champagne, equal to five bottles, to secure a table on the terrace. Dancers let loose on the “beach,” a sand-covered strip flanked with four-poster beds draped in flowing white fabric.

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Caleb Ferguson for The New York Times

One group of friends held sparklers while drinking and dancing to light up the scene.

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Caleb Ferguson for The New York Times

La Marina, a restaurant, bar and lounge in Upper Manhattan, features tables along the Hudson River with scenic views.

“The vibe is getting turned up,” Marc De Jesus, 27, a La Marina regular from the Bronx, said with a wide grin.

But that vibe has become a bit too much for many in the Inwood neighborhood, a residential area that has developed a lively night life in recent years. They complain that La Marina, a concession on city parkland initially billed as a restaurant-lounge, has evolved into a raucous outdoor nightclub, attracting the likes of Jay-Z and Leonardo DiCaprio. They say the hot spot snarls traffic for blocks, even backing cars up on the Henry Hudson Parkway; creates noise pollution; and regularly violates the terms of its license with the city’s parks department.

“The crowds are the worst part,” said Terrie Walters, 52, who lives a few blocks away. “People will drive there even if they live six blocks away. You want to pull up to the valet and be seen getting out of your S.U.V. It’s brought an element to the neighborhood that does not fit, and there’s gridlock beyond gridlock, with people fighting and cursing and cutting each other off.”

Residents had high hopes when La Marina opened, given its sublime perch on the Hudson and its enticing beach-resort architecture. The restaurant replaced a junk-filled marina that closed after the operator was charged with selling drugs, and that also drew complaints about noise and traffic. In response to the current criticism, one of the owners, Jerald Tenenbaum, said in a statement: “La Marina is no longer a drug den or a magnet for all varieties of crime, which it undeniably was eight years ago. It has brought a large degree of pride to the neighborhood.”

Angry residents have circulated a polished online presentation, put together anonymously, that lays bare the alleged violations of La Marina’s license agreement with the parks department, with photographs, Instagram messages and D.J. promotions as evidence. One D.J.’s tweet boasted of drawing 3,600 people to La Marina, while another’s claimed 6,000. The official capacity, according to the parks department, is 1,500.

In some cases, the complaints are out of date. The presentation notes that La Marina is supposed to be open only seasonally, but the parks department has amended its license, allowing it to operate year-round. Similarly, it can now stay open until 1 a.m. seven days a week; originally it was to close at 12:30 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 11 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays. As for music, the city originally said that La Marina could amplify music only with prior approval, and never past 10 p.m. It has since softened that restriction, allowing amplification without special permission, but still only until 10.

On Saturday, however, the two D.J.s, one supplemented by two live drummers, played until 1 a.m., the music emanating from a series of high-powered speakers on elevated poles. Neighborhood residents said it was a common practice.

Even some New Jersey residents have complained in online forums that they are bothered by the noise. And while La Marina is separated from nearby apartment buildings by the Henry Hudson Parkway, as well as train tracks and parkland, some Inwood residents say they cannot escape the thump-thump of the bass. “La Marina has driven me and my wife insane, and we plan to move out of the neighborhood completely because of it,” said John Graziano, a playground designer.

For the city, the restaurant’s popularity has proved awkward. On the one hand, La Marina is already one of the parks department’s most successful concessions, yielding about $250,000 last year for the city’s general fund — and that was when it was open only part of the year.

But the noise and cars are a problem, the department acknowledges, although, it said, La Marina has worked to resolve the traffic problem. “The facility is experiencing growing pains as it tries to manage its remarkable success,” the department said in a statement. “Parks is in constant communication with the concessionaire, and we still have some work to do, balancing the facility’s practices with the needs of the neighborhood.”

On Saturday night, a pair of gleaming red Ferraris were prominently parked by the entrance, like high-priced lawn ornaments; one license plate read “CABAYO,” a version of the Spanish word for horse, while the other advised: “PLAYHRD.” Groups of women took self-portraits with their camera phones, and everywhere people were smoking hookahs.

Alcohol is supposed to be served to seated customers only, but hundreds of people were milling around indoors and out, drinks in hand. La Marina charges a cover for access to certain areas, like the beach, and also sells tickets to certain D.J.-led shows and live events, an apparent breach of its agreement with parks.

The owners of La Marina have lodged their own complaints, saying opponents’ strategies have not stopped with the anonymous presentation. “One of their more effective tactics is the misuse of New York City oversight bodies,” said Mr. Tenenbaum, who owns the establishment with Josh Rosen among others, charging that critics have made false reports about under-age drinking, drugs, violence and even food poisoning.

A version of this article appeared in print on June 19, 2013, on page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: The Place To Be Seen (And Heard) .

BEST DAMN VIDEO YOU GONNA SEE FOR AWHILE

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Blacula) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:57:00 -0400

Presenting - THE POLE DANCER:

Marijuana Legalization: Demanding Freedom to Toke at the Liberty Bell

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:53:00 -0400

Rae Bronze / PhillyNORML

At 4:20 p.m. on April 20 a cloud ascended on Independence Mall. (Philly420 Columnist Chris Goldstein in red ball cap at right)

Story Highlights

More than 750,000 Americans are arrested each year for simply possessing a small amount of cannabis.
The crowd swelled to almost 400 people as the clock counted down.
At the stroke of 4:20 everyone cheered and instantly puffs of smoke appeared above the crowd.

Chris Goldstein, PHILLY 420 COLUMNIST

POSTED: Monday, April 22, 2013, 4:12 PM

The sun was shining at Independence Mall at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday 4/20 as hundreds of cannabis consumers lit joints to protest marijuana prohibition.

Local cannabis advocacy group PhillyNORML and comedy crew The Panic Hour have been growing the monthly public demonstrations (and sweet smelling cloud) in front of the Liberty Bell since December 2012. But this time Philadelphia joined hundreds of similar events around the world showing that 420 (once a stoner code-word) has officially gone mainstream.

More than 750,000 Americans are arrested each year for simply possessing a small amount of cannabis – about 20,000 each from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This is more arrests more than for other drugs combined and all violent crimes.

While the atmosphere was one of celebration – there was a strong, core message. Some of the speakers hit on those points:

Vanessa Waltz, cancer survivor and board member of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey: “If you truly believe in freedom, don’t just come out of the marijuana closet, run out screaming and bring your friends along for the ride! Let your voice be heard! And don’t stop until we are all free. You might be surprised at how many people will listen to you. For the first time in our lives, the majority of Americans want marijuana legalized. According to the latest polls, 52 percent of Americans support legalization.”
Libertarian blogger and TV host Adam Kokesh: “This gross violation of your rights as a human being we call the ‘drug war’ is about to be over!”
Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion: “Would your mothers, your bothers, your sisters, your cousins send someone to jail for a marijuana charge? [crowd says “NO”] You know the whole jury nullification thing isn’t new it’s been around for a long time…I mean we’re in Pennsylvania, named after William Penn. William Penn became famous, in fact, for taking a case to trial in England arguing that the law was wrong…not him.”

This Story Will Leave Your Mouth Hanging Open (Or Wet)

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Blacula) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 22:28:00 -0400

Cops: Homeless couple rapes teens with dildos

Charged in the attacks are Brittany Morris and Lakief Bivins.

GALLERY: Charged in the attacks are Brittany Morris and Lakief Bivins.

BY STEPHANIE FARR, Daily News Staff Writer farrs@phillynews.com, 215-854-4225

POSTED: March 22, 2013

TWO TEEN GIRLS told Upper Darby police Tuesday that they both were raped last month by a homeless couple after drinking and smoking pot with them at an abandoned house.

Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the 16-year-old friends, accompanied to the police station by their mothers, told police that one of them had gotten a call from a man she knew as "Leon" who asked if she wanted to hang out on Feb. 2.

Police later identified "Leon" as Lakief Bivins, 27, a homeless man who also goes by the name "Woo," Chitwood said.

The teen who knows Bivins brought her girlfriend with her to an abandoned house on Lamport Road near Long Lane, where Bivins was squatting with his girlfriend, Brittany Morris, 21, police said. There, the four drank fruity alcoholic drinks, smoked pot and played a card game called "strip- poker pitty patty," Chitwood said.

Later, the couple threw both girls on a bed and as Bivins raped one, Morris raped the other with a strap-on dildo, Chitwood said. The couple then switched, police said.

The couple let the girls leave after the teens sobered up, Chitwood said.

When police went to the house Tuesday, they found Bivins and Morris inside and arrested both for the alleged attacks. Police also found a bag of sex toys with several strap-on dildos, including one that had a condom on it, Chitwood said.

"It certainly is bizarre," he said, "and the fact that it's young kids who are involved, it's a sad commentary."

" @FarFarrAway

Blog: Philly.com/DailyDelco

Beautiful City, Lacking Brotherly Love

noreply@blogger.com (Bolpf Whistzer) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:38:00 -0400

Philadelphia skyline taken from the High Rise Towers on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. It's a beautiful view which brings back images of my good ol' days at Penn. Yes, I was a Penny!

I really enjoyed my days and nights in Philly back in the early 80s - house music, new wave clubs on South Street (the original hip version of the late 70s-early 80s), Fairmount Park, Wanamakers, The Gallery (before it turned into a cesspool), and so much more. The view today is much more impressive, and Penn (which had already expanded into its own city within a city back then) has grown even more. Like most cities it had its good and bad, but was mostly a fun place - and probably the coolest big city outside of New York on the East Coast. No South Beach, Inner Harbor was just built, no Adams-Morgan, no Atlanta Underground, and Boston was still kinda un-hip then. Philly was the other destination place to be. And it had a great nightlife and relatively safe streets. Yeah they had gangs and you could get mugged, but you faced worse in New York or DC.

How the tables have turned. DC is becoming less chocolate and more vanilla, with white folks venturing more and more into NE (which still has an incredible murder rate), and you can ride the subways in NY 24/7 with no incident, no drugs or graffiti (remembering the days of the old painted-up subway cars and the infamous 13th car - the last subway car where you could buy, sell and engage in drugs with no police daring to challenge you). Back in the day the homeless in NY would attack you. Now they're your friend or a comedy act.

In contrast, Philadelphia has become a place where even sitting out on your back patio during a pleasant afternoon is a dangerous endeavor. Street gangs aren't even the issue - just silly kids, crazy adults, or people at their mental wits end, can come out of nowhere with weapons made for war or police and just shoot you up indiscriminately. It's not just the numbers; it's the senselessness of it all that blows people's minds. And needlessly snuffs out lives. More children and even seasoned adults are being taken out, not as combatants but as bystanders. And the perps? Our children. They are killing us. And their reason? When you find out, let me know.

Stop the violence. There's nothing to be gained from it.

To the rest of us: do your part. Help build our economy again. It's tough out there to be sure, but we gotta teach these kids it's better to earn $100 a week in honest work than to live the illusion of Tony Montana and live a short life like he did, not being able to see your kids grow up (or even have kids) or ever see your family again. There's no conflict going on out there that's worth it. Peace and love together, people!

Riot In Flatbush NY Against the Practices of the NYPD

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:35:00 -0400

A Message on Taking Risks and Winning: Go for It

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Sat, 2 Mar 2013 21:20:00 -0500

Go for it

(from "Yellow on Black - Asian African Love" blog)
The situations where you're most likely to make mistakes are also situations in which you have the greatest opportunities to make progress. When there's something on the line, there's something to be gained. Don't seek to make mistakes, but don't seek to avoid them either. Seek instead to put yourself in circumstances that challenge you to grow.

When there's the possibility of making a bad impression, there's also the possibility to make a great impression. Success comes from being able to accept the risk of failure. When you ask for something, there's a good chance that you'll be turned down. But if you never ask, there's a rock solid certainty that you won't get what you seek. By asking often enough and sincerely enough, you'll get the answer you're after. By listening to enough people tell you no, you'll find someone who tells you yes. Make the effort, put yourself on the line, and go for it.

Though the road can be bumpy at times, the way to get there is to get going.

-- Ralph Marston Ins

Well It's just . . . just . . . hard to know, ya know?

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Fri, 1 Mar 2013 21:30:00 -0500

There are those things we may cherish from our past, that make us yearn for what we thought or think were 'better times', but we know we can only wish for such, because if we ever found it what would we do next? We are just restless creatures who like to build and build upon them..?

Hard to know . . .

Woodside Park, West Philadelphia circa 1945

We all wish for that amusement park feel to cover over whatever it is about life that confuses us, that makes us fear the unknown, that keeps us from being us so much.

Of course, we could falter wondering about it as we do, with what effect none of us know, really.

Young man with 1930 Chevy in 1946. West River Drive. Fairmount Park Phila

Perhaps we will find that magical solace that will make us whole again...perhaps.

or maybe it won't ever will.

Introducing to the Serious Affictionado - Monica Belluci

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:04:00 -0500

No need to add dialogue to the obvious: she has to be one of the most beautiful creatures alive today. There have been some before and will be more and better later I'm sure, but we should remember this celebration of beauty is the reason life is worth living today. Live for today, everyone!

Muuuahhwahh!

Chaka Khan....And Rufus - 70s Illuminati

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Fri, 7 Dec 2012 05:19:00 -0500

A classic post of 40 years since this group got together in 1972 and fused the blues, jazz and emerging funk sounds of Chicago band Rufus into a musical force with the addition of a young singer, Chaka Khan. Such a midwest-going2Cali feeling amongst youth of that day coincided with market forces moving westward, which brought black celebrities, sports icons (especially the Lakers and Rams) and Soul Train to LA in droves. Rufus already had the link, now was their time to put it to good use.

A young and sexy Chaka Khan black & white rare photo. I've seen some taken in the 70s, and others taken in the early 80s during her solo career while producing with Quincy Jones. Appears she had media aspirations then too.

A Message to the Whiny Bastards - ENUF ALREADY!!!

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:46:00 -0500

ISRAELI ROCKET FIRE IN GAZA INTENSIFIES

MAYBE IT'S JUST ME, BUT....

There seems to be a necessity in this part of the world to tow total destruction of each side as a noble goal, in the belief that somehow, some way, the survivors or "winners" will have everlasting peace and been made right in their beliefs - much like their story in the Bible - despite the face of reality that their numerous prior attempts at the same thing have resulted in more conflicts (bombing, killing, starving, hating each other) and attacks.

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO FIGHT? WHY THE HELL DO YOU HATE EACH OTHER SO?
IS IT ONE SIDE DOMINATING THE OTHER FOR THE SAKE OF POWER?
OR THE OTHER SIDE HARASSING THEIR "NEW" NEIGHBOR SINCE THEY MOVED IN?

Israel: have you not lived among the so-called "western" nations long enough to know that fascism, of any kind from any body, or apartheid, of any form or body, just is immaturity in being a nation and not a solution to deal with people you perceive as adverse to you. Perhaps you are among "God's chosen people" as sometimes quoted by others, but that doesn't make you God. You should be working towards a strong peace agreement for both sides, and stop playing Master & Commander.

Palestinians: you're gonna have to accept that you are a minority in your own homeland, a result of European colonialism, but this should be the opportunity for you to help re-carve self-determined borders. Of course some will be with Israel - but instead of fighting for everything let's see what we can afford to give up. To a a greater extent you need your own homeland with geographical boundaries as comfortable and as soon as possible.

Mutual security for both of you is tantamount - for that reason alone you both need to put down your arms and talk peace. Both sides need to restrain their power, aggression, and fanaticism and have a regular, rational conversation. Then you can find solutions to why you can't seem to live with or next to one another, and what each other wants.

You'd think as older cultures they'd know better from experience that hatred rooted in fear is imaginary and their thoughts should elevate above it. Don't their "experienced" diplomats know this? Or psychiatrists? Or lawyers? Somebody???

The Champ Won, #FORWARD

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:21:00 -0500

Shall we call it fight the power? Some have already referred to this photo as the affirmation of Black Power, although it's actually Obama's infamous fist-bump (or fist-pound) as opposed to the more up-in-the-air raise of the fist that was the original signal of "Black Power". But either way it is affirmation of a re-elected President whose power cannot be taken away from him, unless he has a sunken moment like Clinton's impeachment trial over lying about Monica Lewinsky, or LBJ's realization that he had lied to the public about our success in Vietnam and the realization that the war was not winnable, or (god forbid) Nixon's Watergate, or Reagan's Iran-Contra Affair.

We are all happy, indeed the world is happy, that this great man has won re-election over a mean-spirited opposition (which is still there, albeit quite wounded and muted) and an empty suit who wasn't suitable to even win over his primary opponents, let alone worthy of being fit to be elected President. American, you made the right choice. Or at least 47% of you did, plus an additional 3% of you that also objectively saw the light or agreed with the 47%. But not 100% of you did, indeed 47% of you didn't. Those 47% class are never going to change their vote, but perhaps they can realize over time that the right person at the right time got elected in 2012. That will come to light eventually as over time their racism eases, and they join the rest of us in 21st Century America in leaning forward. And it is racism, nothing else, that is driving their hate and fear. No more dancing around the issue, we have heard it from pundits, from call-in citizens to talk shows, from constant and increasing statistics about the importance of getting the Latino an women votes, and in general the shift in numbers increasing the leverage of non-white voters and white voters becoming the minority by mid-century (if not sooner). THERE IS A FEAR THAT WHITE VOTERS WILL NO LONGER BE SUPREME IN DETERMINING WHO RUNS THIS COUNTRY. How much that will negatively impact their lives, if at all, is a matter of more focused debate than the simple numbers poked around today suggest.

For example, two of the highest per-capita populations in America are American Jews and Asian-Americans. In fact, the latter has highest median income in the nation. The latter is also growing in number and political influence. The former still holds strongly to liberal values in part because of their past and even current fears of anti-semitism, although there is a conservative element that has grown in their ranks in recent years. Their strength is not in numbers but in economics, and political history (Israel, the Holocaust, Nazi Germany) that maintains a hold on America, although that latter strength was weakened by an arrogant, possibly racist, Israeli leader who now sits naked like a loser at a strip-poker table after betting his pot on the wrong horse. Conservative Jews may not like or trust Obama, but they have no choice but to work with him or nothing at all, considering their miniscule numbers in society which in my opinion cannot be overcome by economic strength. As this recent election proved, you cannot buy the electorate (at least not this time); people vote in their best interests, not yours.

We also learned corporations are NOT people, as Romney and the Supreme Court had alluded. Oh they may be the collective of real human beings, or considered "persons" by the tax code, but despite the Citizens' United legal decision, the will of the people prevails in the end, not the will of Justice Scalia. And shareholder's interest is not the interest of the people, who need safe streets, health care, jobs, economic and educational opportunity for their families, repair of infrastructure, and many other things in their daily lives. As Shakespeare once wrote "Kill all the lawyers first". Perhaps he should've have added the shareholders second.

On that note, going forward is a disturbing trend regarding the business community. They greatly supported Romney. They oppose the tax increases on the wealthy. They were prime donors to the political campaigns. They are sitting on at least $3 trillion in offshore cash they are not paying taxes on. They cry that they can't find workers trained in the jobs they have open, but want no part in paying for training or re-tooling workers or citizens for those jobs. Then they blame those same persons for not getting the training (at their own expense, of course). They claim Obamacare will cause them to lay off workers because of the cost, which hasn't even kicked in yet, yet would move to kick them off the payroll as soon as possible if they got sick. They claim lowering taxes would allow high-income citizens, those so-called "job creators", to create jobs, yet their "trickle-down" theory has not yielded jobs in the past with prior tax cuts, such as the current ones from Bush. They don't want to pay you a living wage, but have no problem moving their businesses to China, and then demonize the Chinese as a dangerous economic adversary. The business community claims to be pro-American, and in the past they certainly were. But these days, I think their allegeance is detrimentally misplaced. We must evaluate this trend carefully, and start making plans to economically protect ourselves.

Finally, what did the GOP learn? I hope for their sake they learned that intolerance, and basing election on referendum against someone, is a losing strategy. Intolerance won't work in an increasingly multicultural society, and you can't win by being against someone unless you give people a credible and solid reason to vote FOR someone. Romney was clearly not that person; Republicans themselves were tepid on him in the 2008 primary election, which in the end he lost the nomination to McCain and for that matter Huckabee. 2012 was really no different; he nearly lost to Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum. And he easily beat Rick Perry because he too was an empty suit, showing that a better empty suit can beat an even emptier suit. Running a campaign of intolerance, where you say fuck the niggers, deport all the spics, burn the faggots and dikes, men tell women what to do with their bodies, and Christianity is the only acceptable way to view the world in our Anglo-based society, is a loser from the start. As it stands, this strategy has guaranteed the Democrats will control the White House through at least January 2021, since Hillary will easily win if she runs and in my opinion will also win re-election in 2020. I'll be a grandfather by the time another Republican has a viable shot at the White House. Advice to GOP: don't make it any worse for yourselves than it already is. CHANGE!!

For now, let's hope that no crisis arises in the second term of Obama that could derail HIllary's shot at 2016, or mar his Presidency like those examples I gave at the top. On the other hand, LBJ, Reagan, Clinton and even Nixon were revered as great presidents as time moved on. There's always HOPE :)

RE-ELECTED TO FINISH THE JOB HE STARTED: CHANGE

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 18:10:00 -0500

History has been cemented. No longer can we say it can't be done. But in all that, there is still much to do, and much to change. The evil ones are still out there, ready to use all weapons at their disposal to try and take the greatest President we have had in a long time down. But their best efforts have failed. No matter, we are still vigilant even in our lame-duck term. What does matter is we are giving him the time he needs to get the job done, and he will get it done.

Bill Cosby on Obama (and a few other folks)

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Fri, 2 Nov 2012 15:22:00 -0400

People who liked Bill Cosby in the past, because he was so wholesome and intelligent and funny and all the rest of that stuff, really took it to heart when Bill the informed citizen spoke up on issues, especially those affecting the people. Well, he has some good points to share here:

Let's not get too Serious: Our Beauty of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 05:00:00 -0400

We get so rocked up with politics on this blog that we have to settle back and enjoy the finer things in life. Like this lovely here. Not sure of her origins, but she definitely has a future in the fashion modeling scene. I love how she sorta wipes the floor with Peek-A-Choo, who is just lovin' it! We'd just love to be there helping out with the housework ;-}

Isn't this truly a white fear of a black planet thing going on here?

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 03:41:00 -0400

Report: Multiple CEOs and businesses threaten workers over Obama's re-election

Current and former military personnel stand in line while checking in at the Opportunity Job Fair

Credits:

Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

With the election less than one month away, business owners and "one percenters" are threatening their workers with possible unemployment if President Obama wins a second term.

It was reported last week that Central Florida billionaire, David Siegel, the founder and CEO of Westgate Resorts, sent a memo to over 7,000 of his employees threatening to fire them if President Obama was re-elected.

"What does threaten your job, however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration."

While Segal claims to invest "every dime" he makes into his business and that "Obamacare" could cripple his finances, the Orlando Sentinel points out that Segal is currently building a new 90,000 square foot home, with 30 bedrooms, 10 kitchens and a 20 car garage.

In his memo, Segal told his employees he could reduce the size of his company and retire in the Caribbean where he would have "no employees to worry about."

The Orlando Sentinel also notes that while Segal places blame on President Obama for his company's struggles, Westgate is documented to have had major financial problems before President Obama came into office. From the time the Sentinel reported Westgate's business troubles in September of 2008 until December of the same year, the company had announced over 4,000 layoffs.

In addition to David Segal, Arthur L. Allen, head of ASG Software Solutions, emailed his employees and urged them to vote for a "new president and administration" if they hope to "remain independent."

“If we fail as a nation to make the right choice on November 6 and we lose our independence as a company, I don’t want to hear any complaints regarding the fallout that may come...I am asking you to give us one more chance to stay independent by voting in a new President and administration on November 6th. Even then, we still might not be able to remain independent, but it will at least give us a chance. If we don’t, that chance goes away.”

Though big businesses are the ones who make a habit of attacking President Obama, many small businesses have done the same, but taken a different approach. According to a local ABC affiliate, a New Jersey business owner has put up a window display that depicts President Obama as a "witchdoctor." The display outside of Skuby & Co. Lifestyle Clothing in Lake Spring, New Jersey has drawn criticism, but the owner has no plans to remove it.

Author's Note:

As a writer, I take pride in the work that I do and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that I have. In addition to my work as a political Examiner, I also have another job in Central Florida. During my most recent workday, along with my co-workers, I was told that we could have our hours cut to part-time if President Obama is re-elected due to "Obamacare." The Affordable Care Act is a controversial piece of legislation and far from perfect, but the alternative is not an option. No business, large or small, should use the fear of unemployment to attempt to sway an election. Small businesses have received tax cuts, tax credits and other incentives from President Obama during his first term in office and a business with less than 50 employees will be exempt from being required to offer health care. With the bill being as complicated as it is, it's easy to pick and choose what you want to force your agenda. Be informed, seek information and think for yourself.

If you like what you've read here, subscribe to my feed at the top of the article. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. You can e-mail me directly atRSobelexaminer@yahoo.com

ROMNESIA: CAN'T REMEMBER A THING....

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:45:00 -0400

Exhibiting a good way to wipe the slate clean. Clean as quickly as you can, and do it in the 10 minutes before they come.

From the Washington Post, by Jerry Markon, Published: October 19

President Obama introduced a new word into the American political lexicon Friday, accusing his GOP opponent, Mitt Romney, of “Romnesia” for changing positions and trying to pivot to the political center.

Before nearly 10,000 supporters at a Virginia rally, Obama smiled, joked and wagged his finger as he mocked Romney’s earlier declaration that he was a “severely conservative” governor of Massachusetts.

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President Obama defined the symptoms of “Romnesia,” a disorder he jokingly describes as Mitt Romney’s changing of opinions to please different groups of voters.

The 60 most important House races

Aaron Blake, Sean Sullivan and Chris Cillizza OCT 19

THE FIX | Our rankings of the 60 seats that are most likely to flip between parties — in order.

Candidates take a break to trade jokes

Philip Rucker, Dan Balz and David Nakamura OCT 18

Obama, Romney put aside political differences on Thursday night to roast each other at charity event.

Obama’s claim that Romney wants to boost defense spending by $2 trillion

Glenn Kessler OCT 19

FACT CHECKER | We parse the numbers on this often-repeated assertion.

“Now that we’re 18 days out from the election, ‘Mr. Severely Conservative’ wants you to think he was severely kidding about everything he said over the last year,’’ Obama said in a speech devoted almost entirely to attacking Romney, and during which he gave little indication of what he would do in a second term if reelected.

Building in intensity, Obama continued: “He’s forgetting what his own positions are, and he’s betting that you will, too. I mean, he’s changing up so much and backtracking and sidestepping. We’ve got to — we’ve got to — we’ve got to name this condition that he’s going through. I think — I think it’s called ‘Romnesia.’ ”

The crowd roared.

The Romney campaign was not amused. “America doesn’t need a comedy routine; it needs a serious plan to fix the economy,’’ Romney senior adviser Danny Diaz wrote on Twitter.

Added Amanda Henneberg, a Romney spokeswoman: “Women haven’t forgotten how we’ve suffered over the last four years in the Obama economy with higher taxes, higher unemployment, and record levels of poverty. President Obama has failed to put forward a second-term agenda — and when you don’t have a plan to run on, you stoop to scare tactics.’’

The renewed skirmishing came as the other candidates converged on the key swing state of Florida ahead of Monday’s final presidential debate in Boca Raton, which is shaping up as critical in a race that polls show is tight nationally and in battleground states.

Vice President Biden and Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), spent their Friday rallying supporters in the Sunshine State, whose 29 electoral votes make it the biggest swing state prize. At one point, Ryan’s campaign jet rolled across the tarmac in Tampa past Biden’s Air Force Two.

Ann Romney and Michelle Obama, both important surrogates as the campaigns battle for an edge among women voters, have events scheduled for South Florida in the coming days. Female voters are a critical bloc that could determine who is elected on Nov. 6, and recent polls have shown Romney cutting into Obama’s lead among them.

With the economy still the key issue in the race, Obama got some potentially good news on Friday: New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the unemployment rate dropped in 41 states last month, including many of the top swing states. Those included Florida, Colorado and Iowa. Yet Florida’s rate, at 8.7 percent, remains higher than the national average, and unemployment is still high across the country.

Your Brain on Crack Part X

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:32:00 -0400

The First US TV Presidential Debate

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Tue, 2 Oct 2012 21:57:00 -0400

Obama and Romney may wish to slide the electorate into waiting for a flaw from the other side to claim victory in November or a renewed down the stretch race to the finish. The debates will be crucial, especially this first one for Romney this week. If it's any console to either, consider the feelings of the candidates the first time they had to go under the lights and camera in an election.

The Kennedy-Nixon Debates were legendary in that they set the template for how a debate should, and should not go. They set the standard for appearance on television for politicians that still exists, and told you how much you could say or should say, what to and not to wear, what kind of analysis should be considered and given.

The debates created new limits and reaches for candidates for national office in particular that had not been the case before. Just as modern politicians are learning the pitfalls of the internet as we plow along into the future.

Well, Tricky Dick did eventually learn that it's not a good idea for a politician to wear a light-colored suit on television. It makes them pale and weak, me thinks.

Whateva....Good luck at your upcoming debates, President Obama and Mr. Romney.

Anatomy of A Racist Pig - Senator Josephus Daniels

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 08:59:00 -0400

This person was a staunch supporter of white supremacy, to his death apparently. He led a media campaign at the turn of the 19-20th centuries (a time of high anti-black and other minority bias) that had the effect of overthrowing a legitimately-elected city government, brought back or strengthened racial segregation laws and turned back constitutional rights to Black Americans. As the racist devils always do, he tried to clean up his record (partially) on the eve of his death, which ironically was the year after the executive order desegregating the military was given. God only knows what havoc he would have rendered on the emerging Civil Rights Movement which picked up in the 1930s and took off as the country entered the 1950s, but was well on its march during the 1940s, often but not always blurred by the world events of the time. Josephus Daniels was a menace to society.

I took the article from Wikipedia in its entirety. My intent is not to copy but to educate, as this excerpt doesn't do full justice to the ugly story. What I hope it provides is some insight into the minds of so-called 'post-racial' society as we like to think of ourselves today. Such was also the thinking of the post-Civil War era at the time by most who wanted to forget the source of the elements of the war, and return to the status quo. The culture of late 19th and early 20th century and the legal systems of apartheid and disenfranchisement they created have many similarities (and differences pro and con) to the euphoric aroma of modern America, and what people want to believe is "progress".

Josephus Daniels

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Josephus Daniels

41st United States Secretary of the Navy
In office March 5, 1913 – March 4, 1921
President	Woodrow Wilson
Deputy	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1913-1920) Gordon Woodbury (1920-1921)
Preceded by	George von L. Meyer
Succeeded by	Edwin Denby
10th United States Ambassador to Mexico
In office March 17, 1933 – November 9, 1941
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by	J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
Succeeded by	George S. Messersmith
Personal details
Born	May 18, 1862 Washington, North Carolina,U.S.
Died	January 15, 1948 (aged 85) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Addie Worth Bagley Daniels
Alma mater	Duke University University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Profession	Politician, Publisher

Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862 – January 15, 1948) was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I. He was also a close friend and supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt and served as his Ambassador to Mexico.

[hide]

[edit]Early life and career

The father of Josephus Daniels, a shipbuilder, was killed before the boy was 3. A native of Washington, North Carolina, Daniels moved with his mother and two siblings to Wilson, North Carolina after the father, whose Union sympathies were notorious, was shot and killed by a local sharpshooter when he attempted to leave with Federal forces evacuating Washington during the Civil War. He was educated at Wilson Collegiate Institute and at Trinity College (now Duke University). He edited and eventually purchased a local newspaper, the Wilson Advance. Within a few years, he became part owner of the Kinston Free Press and theRocky Mount Reporter.^[1] He studied law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was admitted to the bar in 1885, but did not practice law. After becoming increasingly involved in the North Carolina Democratic Party and taking over the weekly paper Daily State Chronicle, he was North Carolina's state printer in 1887-93 and chief clerk of the Federal Department of the Interior under Grover Cleveland in 1893-95.

In 1888, Daniels married Addie Worth Bagley, the granddaughter of former Governor Jonathan Worth.

[edit]News and Observer

In 1894, Daniels acquired a controlling interest in the Raleigh News & Observer, which led him to leave his federal office. The paper was unabashed in its advocacy for the Democratic Party, which at the time was struggling against a fusion of theRepublicans and Populists.^[2]

Daniels and other Democrats launched a "White Supremacy" campaign to appeal to racist sentiment. That led to Democratic victories in 1898 and 1900 and to the disfranchisement of African Americans. On December 15, 2005, the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission noted in its draft report that Daniels' involvement in the overthrow of the elected city government of Wilmington, NC, by actively promoting white supremacy in The News and Observer was so significant that he has been referred to as the "precipitator of the riot."

Daniels later said he regretted his tactics and supported a number of progressive causes, like public education, anti child-labor laws, and banning the consumption of alcohol aboard naval vessels.

The News and Observer remained under Daniels' family control until its sale to The McClatchy Company in 1995.

[edit]Secretary of the Navy

Daniels supported Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 presidential election, and after Wilson's victory was appointed as Secretary of the Navy.

Letter from Daniels confirming that the Navy Cross was conferred on Ernesto Burzagli in the name of the President of the United States in 1919. Captain Burzagli was an officer in the Royal Italian Navy.

Secretary Daniels held the post from 1913 to 1921, throughout the Wilson administration, overseeing the Navy during World War I. Future U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt served as his Assistant Secretary of the Navy.^[3]

Daniels (right) shaking hands with his successor as Secretary of the Navy, Edwin Denby.

Secretary Daniels believed in government ownership of armorplate factories, and of telephones and telegraphs. At the end of the First World War he made a serious attempt to have the Navy permanently control all radio transmitters in the United States. If he had succeeded amateur radio would have ended, and it is likely that radio broadcasting would have been substantially delayed.^[4]^[5]

Daniels banned alcohol from United States Navy ships in General Order 99 of 1 June 1914. This led to the folk etymology that "cup of joe" (referring to a cup of coffee) derives from Daniels' name. However, this appeared to be a myth, rather than truth.^[6]

In 1917, Secretary Daniels determined that no prostitution would be permitted within a five-mile radius of naval installations. In New Orleans, this World War I directive caused the shutting down of Storyville and long-lasting consequences for servicemen and others during subsequent decades.^[7]

During World War I, Daniels created the Naval Consulting Board to encourage inventions that would be helpful to the Navy. Daniels asked Thomas Edison to chair the Board. Daniels was worried that the US was unprepared for the new conditions of warfare and needed new technology.^[8]

Daniels wrote The Navy and the Nation(1919), a collection of war addresses he made as Secretary of the Navy.

[edit]USS Josephus Daniels

The Navy named USS Josephus Daniels (DLG/CG-27) for the Secretary. It was in commission from 1965 to 1994. One of the recruit barracks at the Navy's Recruit Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois is also named for him.

[edit]Later life

After leaving government service in 1921, Daniels resumed the editorship of the Raleigh News and Observer.

Daniels strongly supported Franklin Roosevelt for president in 1932.

[edit]Ambassador to Mexico

President Roosevelt appointed his former boss at the Department of the Navy as United States Ambassador to Mexico. The appointment of a friend as Ambassador was an important element of Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy;" however, Daniels' arrival in Mexico City was marred by a violent demonstration when a group of Mexicans stoned the American Embassy.^[9] Although the American naval bombardment in April 1914 of the Mexican Naval Academy at Veracruz was blamed on then Secretary of the Navy Daniels, he had disagreed with the act and only proceeded when ordered to by Wilson. After accepting the appointment as Ambassador to try to heal the rift the invasion had created between the two nations, his speeches and policies while serving as Ambassador to Mexico did greatly improve US-Mexican relations. He praised a proposed Mexican plan for universal popular education and, in a speech to US consular officials, advised them to refrain from interfering too much in the affairs of other nations. Daniels also favored the Loyalist cause in the Spanish Civil War, realizing that a collapse of the Spanish government would have dire affects on Mexico.

In 1941, when his son Jonathan was named a special assistant to FDR, Josephus resigned his post in Mexico to return to North Carolina and resume the editor's post at theNews & Observer and continued his outspoken editorial style.

Daniels had married Addie Worth Bagley on May 2, 1888, and the Daniels family grew to include four sons: Josephus, Worth Bagley, Jonathan Worth, and Frank A. II. After Addie Daniels died in 1943, the S.S. Addie Daniels was commissioned in her honor in 1944.

Daniels published several recollections of his years in public office. In addition to The Navy and the Nation, he wrote Our Navy at War (1922), The Life of Woodrow Wilson(1924), and The Wilson Era (1944).

Daniels, along with his son Jonathan, were passengers on Franklin Roosevelt's 1945 funeral train onwards from Raleigh, North Carolina until the burial at Roosevelt's Hyde Park, New York burial at his home, Springwood, and then back to Washington in the company of new President Harry S. Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt ^[10]

During the course of his life, Daniels operated several newspapers, culminating with the News & Observer, which is still in operation. He served in public office with a strong belief in improving conditions for labor and the working class. The story of Daniels' life closely mirrors that of North Carolina during the same time period. From the catastrophe of Civil War to national prominence, Daniels was a prime example of the strengths and weaknesses that marked the progress of his state. From the continuing presence of the News & Observer to the public middle school in Raleigh which bears his name (Josephus Daniels Middle School), the influence of Josephus Daniels continues to be felt. In 1941, he retired to Raleigh due to his wife's poor health. After completing a five-volume autobiography in which he expressed regret over the vicious attacks (but not the overall righteousness) of the White Supremacy campaign, he died in Raleigh on January 15, 1948 at the age of eighty-five. He is buried in Historic Oakwood Cemetery.^[11] Daniels divided his shares of the News and Observer among all his children, one of whom, Jonathan Worth Daniels, became editor.^[12]

Eight years after he died, the new Daniels Middle School was named after him. Daniels Hall on North Carolina State University's main campus is also named after him.^[13]

[edit]Quotes

“

Nobody now fears that a Japanese fleet could deal an unexpected blow on our Pacific possessions…radio makes surprises impossible.

”

-Josephus Daniels, during a speech given at the inauguration of the North Carolina State University radio station (16 October 1922)^[14]

[edit]In Fiction

Josephus Daniels was U.S. Secretary of the Navy under Theodore Roosevelt in Harry Turtledove's Great War series, an alternate history of World War I in a world where the Confederacy won its independence. The U.S. Navy named a destroyer escort after him Settling Accounts, a sequel series set in World War II. The various series in Turtledove's cycle are sometimes referred to collectively as TL-191 or Timeline 191, a reference to General Lee's lost Special Order 191 during the Antietam Campaign.

So Long American Work Ethic (a pre-9/11 reflection on life)

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:33:00 -0400

Martin Kettle
guardian.co.uk, Friday 3 August 2001 07.34 EDT

The President of the United States is a man who enjoys a light work load and who likes to get his sleep. But in this, as in a surprisingly large number of other respects, George Bush is out of touch with his nation.

Indeed if you could select one phrase to describe modern America it might be the one that is heard more and more often on the airwaves and in conversation these days. The phrase? 24/7.

America's well-rested president presides over an increasingly sleepless society. Americans no longer have to travel all the way to Manhattan to find a place that stays up all night. All they need to do is to go down to the local supermarket, or the local fast food restaurant, or even to the nearest local fitness centre. They're all there, 24/7.

"24/7 isn't just an expression. It's a cultural earthquake that is changing the way we live," wrote Bruce Horowitz in a highly informative survey of the spread of the "we never close" culture in USA Today this week.

Twenty-four hours a day factory production is nothing new. Henry Ford did it, big time, nearly a century ago. Small shops frequently never sleep either.

Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's sometime friend and labour secretary, tells a story about getting up in the middle of the night in a New York hotel once and looking across the street at a tailoring shop where the lights still burned to see employees running - running - back and forth from their benches to the supervisor's office at four in the morning.

Sweatshops may have been like that for decades. But what is new is the spread of round the clock work and play into so many other areas of the American economy and of American life. You want to drive a golf ball or lift weights at 4am? Easy. One gym in San Luis Obispo, California, reckons to be busier at that hour than at four in the afternoon. In Pittsburgh even child care is available at all hours.

The idea that a place still open late at night is some melancholy oasis for lonely people is history in the age of 24/7. Horowitz reveals that 237 Home Depot stores are open around the clock across the US, along with 1,298 Wal-Marts and thousands of 7-Eleven and Safeway food supermarkets from San Diego up to Maine.

Here in Washington there is a bookshop, Kramerbooks, that opens 24hours a day at weekends. "I never thought that someone would think to buy War and Peace at 2am on Saturday," the manager told Horowitz. "But they do."

Why is it that Americans insist on driving themselves so ferociously? Right now, at the height of a hot summer, you might think that Americans would be ready to wind down and enjoy a few relaxing weeks vacation. But summer time for most Americans is a time for work and more work.

The average American worker gets only two weeks paid holiday a year. As a result, he or she works around 350 hours more each year than the average European. But that's just the average. In many jobs, there is even less time off. Thirty per cent of all American workers never take a lunch break. In many jobs, days off for sickness are sometimes deducted from holiday entitelement.

Like the US there are a few countries in the world where work is regarded as an end in itself rather than as a means to an end. Singapore, for instance. Certainly there is no major economic nation in which the obsession with being there is more deeply ingrained.

Last week, apparently in all seriousness, the Washington Post ran an article weighing the difficulties which face American over-achievers in weighing whether to take vacations at all. In the today's rat-race, it seems, taking a vacation is often regarded as a sign of weakness. "As some of the nation's largest firms announce fresh layoffs, workers may be more nervous than ever about asking to use their vacation time," the Post reported.

There is a kind of collective mania going on here. When Americans say that they're available 24/7, they say it with pride and with a breezy confidence that it's exactly the sort of thing that you ought to be glad to hear. But the more often I hear the phrase the more I think there is madness afoot. To me, 24/7 is a shorthand way of describing a living hell.

Maybe that's why I'm off to the beach for a full two weeks.

The Interesting Thing about White People....

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:50:00 -0400

I took the exerpts of a New York Times/Huffington Post article about the attempts to enact voter suppression in Ohio, one of the key battleground states on this issue. What is revealing is the racist devil worshippers who are behind the supression, why they are behind it, and their mindset that lies and confidential pat-on-the-backs that sometimes can't conceal them. Note the following:

Racial Comment by Republican Official in Ohio Rekindles Battle Over Early Voting

By RAY RIVERA

Published: August 22, 2012

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CLEVELAND — A battle over early voting hours in Ohio is flaring again after a top adviser to Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, this week made remarks that Democrats cast as racist, and the Republican secretary of state suspended two local election officials who voted to extend balloting hours in one county.

Limited Convention Broadcasts Shut Out Ann Romney (August 23, 2012)

The Election 2012 App

A one-stop destination for the latest political news — from The Times and other top sources. Plus opinion, polls, campaign data and video.

Anger over rules on early voting in this presidential battleground state appeared as if it might ease last week when, under pressure from voters’ rights groups, the secretary of state announced that all Ohio counties would follow a uniform policy over the five-week early voting period that begins Oct 2.

But tensions have done anything but cool. The new policy excluded weekends, and Democrats have accused the secretary of state, Jon Husted, of trying to scale back voting opportunities in urban areas that had longer voting hours during the last presidential election, when Barack Obama won the state. Before Mr. Husted issued his directive, the state’s 88 county election boards, each made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, issued their own rules, and weekend and evening hours varied by county. The new policy allows voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays during the first three weeks of the period, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the final two weeks.

The friction detonated this week when Doug Preisse, the influential Republican Partychairman of Franklin County, which includes the state capital, Columbus, was quoted in The Columbus Dispatch newspaper as saying, “I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter turnout machine.”

"And now we have the truth. And the truth will set you free. We now (but should have long ago) know that "urban" means "those niggas" - NO NO NO NO sugarcoating, you silly negroes have had enough lying and fronting to yourselves. Face who you are and who they think you are and what you gotta do to get respect - not theirs, YOURS! Be proud of who YOU are!"

Democrats and black leaders lashed out. State Senator Nina Turner, a Democrat from Cleveland, told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland on Wednesday that the comments were “flat-out racism.” The Rev. Al Sharpton said on his MSNBC talk show, “You just can’t make this stuff up.”

Mr. Preisse has sought to tamp down the fury, saying in a statement that his comments, which The Dispatch said were e-mailed to the reporter writing the article, were “misconstrued, and in some cases misquoted entirely.”

"i.e. I meant for the lie to be the story, not my off-the-record true thoughts and how I hate."

“However,” he added, “if my comments, either in their original form, or as repeated in other ways, have caused anyone discomfort, I regret that.”

"that means, 'fuck iiiiitttttt!"

Matt Borges, the executive director of the state Republican Party, stoked the controversy when he was quoted in The Plain Dealer as saying that Mr. Preisse thought his comments to The Dispatch were off the record.

Democrats seized on the comment. “Incredibly, Borges’ remarks suggest Doug Preisse’s gaffe about suppressing African-American voters would somehow be more appropriate in a conversation not for attribution,” the state party said.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Borges said, “I’ve known Doug Preisse for 22 years, he gave me my start in politics, he’s one of my closest friends, and I can tell you he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.”

Isn't that the lifeline every racist bastard has had since the beginning of America? That they are NOT RACIST? Isn't that the lie that always reveals the truth the more it's said? Yes it 'tis.

In a signal of the growing controversy, the governor, who is preparing to speak at the Republicans’ convention next week in Tampa, Fla., distanced himself from the comments for the first time Wednesday after days of remaining silent. “The governor does not agree with what Doug Preisse said,” said Robert Nichols, the governor’s press secretary, “and Doug Preisse does not speak for the administration.”

Just a few days ago, Mr. Husted suspended two officials in Montgomery County, home to Dayton, after they voted to extend early voting to weekends.

The officials insisted that the policy did not specifically prohibit weekend voting. Mr. Husted said the vote directly violated the new regulations and, after they refused to rescind it, ordered the officials to attend a hearing on Monday to show why he should not fire them. A decision is expected this week.

In addition, Democrats and President Obama’s campaign are awaiting a decision in a federal suit seeking to restore in-person voting for all people in the three days before the election.

>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<

No matter. Husted and Kasich have shown their hands, just as surely as the good ol' boyz of Penn State University brushed over the slide that was Jerry Sandusky. How did that turn out for ya? In fact, there's something very troubling about white clueless devils trying to make decisions for the rest of us. It keeps showing itself as a problem over and over again. But many of these attitudes stem from a belief of entitlement that they feel belongs only to them in pure form, less so to the rest of us and even less to those they don't like anyway or at all. That sometimes includes "urban" people, doesn't it? It does in this voter suppression situation going on out here in Ohio.

Commander Mc Sandle

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Thu, 9 Aug 2012 14:43:00 -0400

m'sandle, a photo by eastvillagepeeps on Flickr.

My foot, the commander of my ship. For he decides our course, speed and maintains our tactical operational fitness. He is the flagship of the fleet that follows, all 205 lbs of skin and bones and hair follicles (what little I have) and clears the way for our passing forward. He is our leader of the free world we walk in.

Comments from the Great Recession 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Blacula) — Tue, 1 Jun 2010 05:57:00 -0400

I thought this comment from a reader of the NYT article about blacks in Memphis, TN (and elsewhere) are facing much dire economic loss in this Great Recession than others. Many would comment on bleeding heart stories are shout their racist rants, for the sole purpose of being assholes. But some readers actually read the articles, and pick up and share some insightful points about what they read. This is one of them.

23.
Scott Enk
Hales Corners, WI
May 31st, 2010
10:38 am

How much more economic calamity must "ordinary" middle-class and working Americans, African-American and otherwise, suffer before we stop letting those in power divide and set us against one another by race, gender, sexual orientation, and the like? If this "Great Recession" teaches us nothing else, it should teach us that we need a New New Deal where working people in America are once again on top, where real democracy prevails, and where people, not money or corporations, rule.

Remember, as if you need any more reminders in this "Great Recession," that what has been happening to so many once-prosperous African-Americans in Memphis *can* happen to you. There needs to be a *real* (yes, European-style) "safety net" for us all--as well as an economy and a government that once again works for all of us who must really work for a living. Let's not let ourselves be divided by race, religion, or otherwise in fighting our real foes and demanding a truly fair economy. If that means a Second American Revolution, so be it. Or do you really want to follow the dubious lead of the boiled frog?Even though many white Americans, for example, who thus far have escaped any major pain from this "Great Recession" might still "think" "It can't happen to me" and regard such things as unemployment and foreclosure as evils that beset only the "lazy," the "Other," and the like, what's happening in Memphis to its once-proud African-American middle class should be, not cause for avoidance, but for action.

Instead of letting the rich and powerful divide us and continue to play us against each other while the clowns on top keep laughing all the way to the bank while they continue to impoverish the rest of us, we "ordinary" Americans all need to unite and fight the *real* enemies of our prosperity, our nation, and our way of life. These enemies are not similar Americans of races and backgrounds other than our own, but, rather, are still those Theodore Roosevelt called "malefactors of great wealth": Goldman Sachs and others in "high finance," BP and others in "Big Oil" (let's not even get started *here* about the dire economic as well as environmental dangers BP's continuing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is), and other businesses that have abused working people and their families and communities. Remember also their enablers and cheerleaders among the likes of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Republican Party, and, yes, in the Democratic Party as well. Remember that just as the dangerous "pro-business" policies of the last 30 years or so have ruined the lives and futures of millions of Americans of *all* races to enrich a greedy few, most of the rest of us--yes, dear reader, that includes *you* and those about whom you care--are just a layoff notice, a few missed paychecks, away from ending up in the very same place where the poor and welfare recipients that you and I have often been urged to fear and despise have found themselves.

"Tea Partiers" and others who still somehow think that progressive economic and social policies are a threat rather than part of a vital safety net that we need to expand, not shrink further, especially need to remember that Horatio Alger is not only dead, but also that he wrote fiction. We really *are* in increasingly dire economic and other straits together. As Benjamin Franklin observed, we can hang together or hang separately.

Marissa Miller Nude In GQ, Dave Chappelle Is Back, and more on TWIYT #54

noreply@blogger.com (VillagePeeps) — Sun, 30 May 2010 10:38:00 -0400

CNsaw

IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME - THE 'FEST' BEGINS

N.Y. / Region

A Place to Be Seen (and Heard) in Upper Manhattan

By LISA W. FODERARO

Published: June 18, 2013

Connect With NYTMetro

Caleb Ferguson for The New York Times

Caleb Ferguson for The New York Times

A version of this article appeared in print on June 19, 2013, on page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: The Place To Be Seen (And Heard) .

BEST DAMN VIDEO YOU GONNA SEE FOR AWHILE

Marijuana Legalization: Demanding Freedom to Toke at the Liberty Bell

Chris Goldstein, PHILLY 420 COLUMNIST

This Story Will Leave Your Mouth Hanging Open (Or Wet)

Cops: Homeless couple rapes teens with dildos

BY STEPHANIE FARR, Daily News Staff Writer farrs@phillynews.com, 215-854-4225

Beautiful City, Lacking Brotherly Love

Riot In Flatbush NY Against the Practices of the NYPD

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Well It's just . . . just . . . hard to know, ya know?

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A Message to the Whiny Bastards - ENUF ALREADY!!!

The Champ Won, #FORWARD

RE-ELECTED TO FINISH THE JOB HE STARTED: CHANGE

Bill Cosby on Obama (and a few other folks)

Let's not get too Serious: Our Beauty of the Day

Isn't this truly a white fear of a black planet thing going on here?

Report: Multiple CEOs and businesses threaten workers over Obama's re-election

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ROMNESIA: CAN'T REMEMBER A THING....

Exhibiting a good way to wipe the slate clean. Clean as quickly as you can, and do it in the 10 minutes before they come.

From the Washington Post, by Jerry Markon, Published: October 19

The 60 most important House races

Candidates take a break to trade jokes

Obama’s claim that Romney wants to boost defense spending by $2 trillion

Your Brain on Crack Part X

The First US TV Presidential Debate

Anatomy of A Racist Pig - Senator Josephus Daniels

Josephus Daniels

Contents

[edit]Early life and career

[edit]News and Observer

[edit]Secretary of the Navy

[edit]USS Josephus Daniels

[edit]Later life

[edit]Ambassador to Mexico

[edit]Quotes

[edit]In Fiction

So Long American Work Ethic (a pre-9/11 reflection on life)

The Interesting Thing about White People....

Racial Comment by Republican Official in Ohio Rekindles Battle Over Early Voting

By RAY RIVERA

Published: August 22, 2012

Related

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The Election 2012 App

Commander Mc Sandle

Comments from the Great Recession 2010

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