Now, being a Lakers fan from birth (I knew who Magic and Kareem were and could have recognized them on the street by the age of three) I’m completely entitled to agree with the rest of the world that Lakers fans are crazy.  However, since we have the best team in the US and, therefore, the world, its okay.  But this particular Kobe fan is not okay.  It is never okay to be this crazy.  I just love the reporter’s face.

When I got Jones home I dived in to see what it was all about.  Both the publisher and Editor-in-Chief are black.  The publisher, L. Londell McMillan, nodded to all of the beautiful, elegant black women who raised him.  The Editor-in-Chief, Tracey M. Ferguson, explained how the magazine, which is positioned as “The Shopping Guide for Women Who Know Better,” came about through a book club group that also shared shopping and style tips in Houston, TX.  That grew into a Houston regional magazine and now a national magazine.  The mag is named Jones as a nice little double entendre – “Keeping up with the Joneses” and “I’m jonesin’ for that!”  Cute, right?  And the magazine is full of beautiful fashion, beautiful black people, has quality writing, and is well laid out.  Trust me.  I’m something of a magazine connoisseur.

I’m hopeful for this magazine since I’ve had my poor little magazine loving heart crushed far too many times when a magazine that I love, that’s creative and celebrates all the swagger, flyness, and beauty of being ethnic, just up and folds (oh Suede… will I ever get over you?).

In addition to the magazine there is a website and a reality show on Centric (too bad I can’t watch it.  I got that basic basic cable) that follows Editor-in-Chief Ferguson in her trials and tribulations of launching a national magazine.

Anyways, if you see Jones on the stands I think you should definitely buy it because we need more publications that express us (you know, alternatives to Sister2Sister, which has Tiny on the cover this month O_o).  Good luck, Jones!

Rush Limbaugh

All Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck seem to do is complain and make outlandish statements.  Their fiery words often spark controversy and invite extreme criticism and ridicule from everyone from Keith Oberman to Jay-Z.  It doesn’t help that they have many avid followers that believe every single thing they say.  If I was any liberal politician I would find it super hard to not full on call them out for the rating hungry, contentious, attention whores that they are.  So luckily I’m not the president of the United States who is much wiser and realizes that it will not get him anywhere to use words as harsh for these two annoying nut jobs as they use for him.

In an interview with Harry Smith on CBS when asked about words like “socialist” and “Nazi” that are being thrown around in association with him, Obama specifically calls out Limbaugh and Beck for their polarizing radio and TV shows.  However, he diplomatically explains it away saying, “… when you listen to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck its pretty apparent and its troublsome, but keep in mind that there have been periods in American history where this kind of vitriol comes out.  It happens when you’ve got an economy that is making people more anxious.”  Very diplomatic, Mr. President because I have the feeling that you really want to go in on them like “Rush Limbaugh is so fat that…” and “Glenn Beck is so stupid that…”

To hear Limbaugh and Beck talk most of Americans are against Obama’s policies (which doesn’t make much sense since he was very clear about his major goals during his campaign for presidency and apparently enough of the voting public liked what he had to say because, you know… he’s president and all).  What it really seems to be is that those in disagreement and the ignorant just seem to shout louder than people that are in agreement with the administration’s policies.  Obama doesn’t buy that most Americans are of the same mindset as Limbaugh and Beck.  He believes that “the vast majority of Americans know that we’re trying hard, that I want what’s best for the country.”

Kevin Smith (director of Zach and Miri Make a Porno and the new movie Cop Out with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan — more commonly known to me as Silent Bob, so that’s what I’m going to call him) went ballistic today on Twitter then on his own podcast and blog over an incident that happened on a flight.  Silent Bob got asked to leave a Southwest Airline flight because he was too fat (not in those words, of course).  Silent Bob usually purchases two seats on flights because, according to him, “its just more comfortable” and he “can afford it” so he doesn’t usually run into this problem.  However, this time he got bumped to a different flight and only got one seat.  After he was already seated the flight attendant asked him to deplane because, to her judgement, the armrests could not easily go down all the way, a no-no for Southwest Airlines.

Silent Bob was, of course, enraged.  He admitted to the flight attendant that yes, he is fat, but that he isn’t so fat that he couldn’t fit comfortably in his seat.  After his social media outcries Southwest apologized twice (once as a Twitter response to Silent Bob).  Additionally, Silent Bob was able to get on a later Southwest flight, where he Twitpic-ed himself seated with both armrests down, so clearly the flight attendant judged incorrectly.

This is getting a lot of media buzz because Canada just passed a law (of course) that says if a passenger must get a second seat because they are overweight then the second seat is free.  Oh liberal Canada, that doesn’t even make sense.  Its another seat and it costs money.  If you bring a kid on a plane and they take up an extra seat it costs extra.  If you bring your large self on the plane it should cost extra, too.

Passenger advocacy groups (which I had no idea existed and who must not be doing that great of a job because we all have to pay that new extra fee for checked luggage… I’m just saying) are saying that this just goes to show that the airlines need more concrete guidelines so that flight attendants are not making subjective judgments on the fatness at which you can’t ride a plane.  They also say that with the rise of obesity in the U.S., the airlines should install special “obese” rows reserved for passengers that might need that extra room.  My thoughts… 1.) Its interesting that Silent Bob is not even so overweight that he really couldn’t get down the armrests, but he’s about to be the face for every obese advocacy cause.  2.) Tweeting something off the wall and making yourself the wronged victim right when you have a movie coming out is great PR.  Silent Bob got tons of Twitter followers off of this.  3.) Don’t fly Southwest if you’re fat, those seats are tight even if you can get the armrests down.  4.) Only fly first class if you’re fat because its more comfortable, you get better food anyways and its probably cheaper than buying the two seats you know you need to purchase so that your thigh won’t be touching me for the next 6 hours.

I should avoid saying the obvious about the U.S. really having a problem when people get to talking about obese rows on planes… but it really needs to be said.

Everyone is always going on and on about how the internet is changing the world.  Nobody believes in that change and potential for change more than Get Fresh Daily, and there are quite a few websites that really puts that into perspective.  One such website is Causecast.org

Causecast is a website that uses new media like webcasts, social media, and mobile technology to be a one-stop-shop for the caring, preachy, zealot, crunchy, socially conscious, tree hugger, social activists (you know, people like us).  Their official tagline is that they are an “interactive community that connects individuals, leaders, celebrities, and brands to make a positive impact in the world.”  I’m always excited about a cause, but Causecast can get you really engaged with your favorite cause, give you a resource to find out more about a cause or help you find new causes.  Other features include a weekly newsletter, interviews about social change with musicians, a How to Change the World guide that is updated every Wednesday, etc.  Also, the most popular causes have their own pages.   Its a lot of what I like to call philathro-tainment and its exactly how you would always like to see the internet being used.

My resounding answer:  Ummmm, hell to the naw!

Nobody seems to know who paid for the billboard or why they would pay for it.  Is it satire, is it a joke, or is somebody really serious about this?  I mean, obviously, they can’t possibly be serious about it, but you never know where people’s heads are at these days.

The questions this billboard raises for me are: Why would you even ask?  Do you miss being lied to ?  Do you miss mispronounced words and slightly incoherent sentences?  Do you miss nobody paying attention while Wall Street runs wild?  Do you miss randomly made up reasons for wars?  Do you miss enough funding to occupy Iraq, but not enough funding to provide emergency aid or to run FEMA?  Where were they going with that?  etc.

I hope this billboard doesn’t start popping up in other places.

Blogzworth & Prime Minis have a message for you

Whatever you’re views might be on Lady Gaga, her heart seems to be in the right place. She is selling a shirt on her website 100 percent of the proceeds of which will go towards the relief effort. Also, she has pledged to donate all proceeds from merchandise sales at her January 24th Radio City Music Hall show.

Lady Gaga Haiti T-Shirt

A number of actors, including Meryl Streep (love her!), Olivia Wilde, and Josh Brolin are auctioning off the clothes they wore to Sunday night’s Golden Globes and will donate the money raised by the auction to Haitian relief.

The gown Meryl Streep will be auctioning

On January 22nd there will be a telethon called Hope for Haiti in which artists will perform and speak to encourage proceeds for aid in Haiti. George Clooney, who will host the show along with Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper, says that over 40 artists will be in attendance (bet Kanye won’t be invited to this telethon, though). The show will be played on just about every station imaginable, including MTV, and will benefit Red Cross, Yele, UNICEF, Oxfam and Partners in Health. Additionally, many of the songs from Hope for Haiti artists will be available on iTunes with proceeds going to benefit the partner non-profits.

The threeKings NYC MLK Weekend All Black Affair (mentioned in an earlier post) will now be granting free admission to anybody bringing a printout receipt for a donation of at least $10 to Yele Haiti or American Red Cross to Sunday night’s party at Crimson.  A portion of the event proceeds will also be donated.

Other events include:

I know I barely gave you enough notice for this one, but just in case…

If you are less into events and more into giving directly, here are some reputable organizations to donate to.  There are organizations that are focused on just getting much needed supplies to Haiti, while others are organizing and sending medical teams, or focusing on taking care of the children.

American Red Cross
Care
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Direct Relief International
International Medial Corps
International Relief Teams
Better Future (Orphans) International
UNICEF
Yele Haiti

Well, I have a new exhibit to rave about.  Until January 31st Brooklyn Museum of Art will have the exhibit Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History 1955 to the Present on display.  Who Shot Rock & Roll takes a look at some amazing photography that documents the power of imagery in rock and roll and brings to light the photographers’ influence and collaboration in displaying the artist.  Although the exhibit focuses on rock and roll artists you’ll find hip hop and pop artists amongst the photographs, too.  The pictures range from fresh to raw and surreal, but none are regular and all are rare.

Visit BrooklynMuseum.org for more info.

Its unfortunate that Senator Harry Reid, who is right now in the process of trying to forge a health care reform bill that will actually have a chance of being adopted, made the comments he did that have now been published in the book, Game Change.  In a private conversation Senator Reid stated that he believed that presedential candidate (at the time) Obama would have a chance of winning because he is “light-skinned” and doesn’t speak with a “Negro dialect, unless he wanted to.”  Reid is definitely in the wrong and reckless for his word choice. However, I have to wonder if he was speaking about the viability of an African-American candidate because, in that context, his comments make sense although they are insensitive.  Reid should have been a lot more choosy about his words, but we can’t say that he lied.

Now the Republicans are all over Reid’s comments, made over two years ago, and some in his state are calling for him to step down.  Ummm, excuse me, but none of you have asked Republicans to step down for making racists comments, and there have been more than a few.  Its atrocious how they keep forcing controversies and contentions to distract people from the real issues and many times  race has been the main distraction.  Reid has apologized.  Obama has had to take time out of his busy job as Commander-in-Chief & head policy maker to publicly accept the apology.  Let Reid’s constituents decide if they’re unhappy with him and let President Obama do his job.

Its that time of year to tell you about programs to tell all your younger siblings, cousins, neighbors, mentees, etc. about.  Every summer kids across the country find that they have 3 whole months to fill.  Of course most kids want to hang out and relax and with the hectic lives high school students have these days, who can blame them?

However, from personal experience I could say that for any good high school student just hanging out or getting a part time job for the summer would probably be a mistake.  They are at the age where they can experiment and learn so that when it comes time to start making decisions about life, something that really sneaks up on you, they have some experiences to back up those decisions.

One such experience that I was fortunate enough to have my mom push me into was attending the LEAD program in business for minority high school juniors.  The LEAD program gave me 4 weeks of life changing adventures.  It allowed me to attend classes in business at one of the many renowned business schools that participate in the LEAD program.  Additionally, I got to, along with 29 other high school students from across the country, visit a number of companies (I went to the program at Anderson Business School at UCLA, so we got to go to companies like Fox Studios and preview the movie Barbershop!).  Even if in the long run you find that you don’t want to go into that corporate world, having an experience like that under your belt is amazing and can help you get a more well-rounded perspective to make that decision. On top of that, students will get to meet people from different backgrounds and states, giving them a chance to learn more about themselves and others.  Attending LEAD opened my mind and gave me enough courage to travel all the way across the country for college.

Over the years the LEAD program has expanded to not only include business, but now there is also an engineering program for minority high school sophomores.  With the economy in the condition it is in and with many American students not pursuing engineering and science career paths, getting a perspective on the field of engineering could really give a young minority student a cutting edge.

A really interesting development for the LEAD program is that for the first time this summer minority high school sophomores will have the opportunity to apply for LEAD abroad!  Students can apply to study at the University of Witwatersand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Whichever program the high school student in your life chooses, know that it will be an interesting and life changing experience, and of course these are not the only programs like this.  Based upon the student’s interests encourage them to look into programs in arts, writing, medicine, or whatever else.  The deadline for applying to the LEAD programs is January 25, 2010.  Visit www.leadprogram.org for more application info.

Of course, as has been the case with most of President Obama’s appointees whether they are of a diverse background or not, Simpson is well qualified.  Simpson has been a test pilot, has worked in the aerospace industry for over 30 years, ran for the Arizona House of Representatives (but lost.  I coulda told you that you would lose that one, honey.  Arizona is a red state), and was a Director in Advanced Technology Development for Raytheon.  When she started career she was a he and within the last few years she… umm… became a she.  Simpson says that she is “truly honored” about her appointment.

BE Next is a group you definitely want to be a part of (or at least I know that I do).  They are 21 to 35 year olds and are making bank running their own businesses.  The four young entrepreneurs profiled in BE Next are Nakia Stith, 31, who inherited and turned around her family’s security company, Jamail Larkins, 25, who owns an aircraft leasing and management business, Natasha Eubanks, 27, whom I sure you all know as the founder of YBF, and Darnell Henderson, 31, who owns a men’s skincare business.  All four of these companies had revenues of over $1 million in 2009 and all four of the entrepreneurs aren’t resting on their laurels, but  have plans in place for future growth of their brands.

Ok, Black Enterprise, thanks for the challenge.  I’ll be working to be part of BE Next.

DAMN! This is the federal government!  It makes me feel a little uncomfortable that they didn’t do something as simple as set up e-mail rules for categorizing and archiving messages and didn’t buy some really big hard drives.  I mean, I’m no computer technician or anything, but I just feel like this a problem that can be fixed once its discovered.  In 2003 the White House actually tried to bring in Microsoft to find some of the lost e-mails.  However, the issues weren’t brought up publicly until the 2006 investigation over the outing of a CIA operative.  So I guess in the meantime they just sorta kept losing e-mails?  Anyways, the found e-mails will undergo an archiving process and the ones deemed okay for the public will be made public by 2014.

Aware of the issues, the Obama administration is making great strides to address saving e-mail communication.  President Obama, please setup your auto-archive up so that you don’t find yourself dealing with this ish a full year after you’re out of office.

The EPA’s statement clears the way for Obama to go to Copenhagen and promise to the other world leaders that the United States will actively come up with a plan to limit pollution and help him to ask the other leaders to do the same.  Also, the statement might encourage Congress to take quicker action on regulations before the Obama administration makes the first moves towards new laws and limits on greenhouse emissions.  Both the administration and Congress have a lot of concerns to take into consideration, like the economic costs new regulations would probably impose upon companies and consumers, but according to the new EPA statement, not making moves on regulations will impose greater costs and risks to health.

The People Speak is a series of performers (actors, poets, musicians) performing narratives and speeches straight out of some of the United States’ most pivotal moments in history, times when people lent their voices to efforts for change and justice.  The film highlights that although the U.S. has had some pretty tough times, there have been tough, passionate, and courageous people there to rise to the occasion.

Another great thing about this film is that the performers aren’t just random, nameless performers or just a bunch of anthropologists (no offense, anthropologists.  I’m just saying you guys are in those documentaries sometimes looking like you’re kinda from another planet).  The performers are legit some of the best of our times.  Performers include Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Marisa Tomei, Lupe Fiasco, Sean Penn, Rosario Dawson, Benjamin Bratt, Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman (of course)… and so many more.  The list of people in The People Speak reads like a list of red carpet celebs at the Oscars or Emmys.  Sooo… needless to say I’m pretty excited about this.  Get Fresh U.S. History 101 first assignment: Watch The People Speak on December 13th at 8pm on the History Channel.  Extra credit if you tweet a little bit about it.  Watch the below trailer.  I promise you’ll get chills.