WHY WE BLOG:

Ever wondered why? Blogfodder has the answers. The first in a series of interviews with bloggers about what motivates them to publish their thoughts and musings every day. This interview is with Dave Copeland.

Jesse, Al, Please.

Why are you wasting your time? This should be a non-issue, Barbershop is a well meaning movie.

Good comedy often makes us uncomfortable – even as we are laughing. In America, we love to poke fun at those we admire, whether it’s in the privacy or our homes or in public, this defines American comedy.

President Bush’s intellect is routinely derided for a laugh, and so many others whom we consider famous from the saintly to the regal have inspired jokes. In that regard, no one is really exempt from ridicule.

The only thing that should be held sacred is the integrity of our own minds. I suspect that even Dr. King and Ms. Parks would object to being held so "sacred" as not to inspire a lighthearted comment or two.

Of course, this is not to say that one should take that which is important for granted, but a healthy balance has to be maintained between what is real and what is imagined.

There’s simply no basis to support your assertions that some offhand lines from a movie will smear the reputation of two American icons. We simply know better than to allow a joke from a movie to distort the way we view our past.

Favorite New Google Search:

Perspectives Observations Etcetera

Ageless

How old is too old to rock and roll. I'm not certain, but I'd say based on the Rolling Stones' staying power, one is never too old.

I've always loved these guys. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and friends are mostly 50-something men - two generations removed from their original bad-boy selves but the energy they feed into their songs and their powerful stage presence is what keeps them fresh.

The "40 Licks Tour," (appropriately tiltled) is a celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. My friend who went to see the show at Madison Square Garden said that Mick and company were in rare form. "They rocked on all cylinders and Micks' voice sounded quite powerful." I also heard that this is one of the most expensive tours in rock and roll history though it will likely not surpass the band's 1994 "Voodoo Lounge" extravaganza, the biggest grossing tour ever.

My favorite song from the group by far is "Brown Sugar"

"Ah, get it on brown sugar, how come you taste so good, babe?
Ah, got me feelin' now for brown sugar, just like a black girl should yeah"

Rock on Boys!

Oliver Willis has this excellent article in the American Times:

How 'Barbershop' Exposed Jesse and Al

Go read it.

The Museum of Sex in NYC opens to the general public soon and is the latest buzz. I'd like to pay them a visit, just for kicks ... but who knows what I might learn. Stay tuned.

Turning a City Into Hell

Norman Solomon has this perspective on the Iraq situation that is well worth the read.

"Looking out at Baghdad’s skyline, I think about the terror likely to descend on this city. For some people underneath the missiles, their last moments will resemble what happened at the World Trade Center a little more than a year ago.

Quite appropriately, the media response to 9-11 included horror, abhorrence, and 100 percent condemnation. The power to destroy and kill did not in the least make it right.

But now, day by day, the power to destroy and kill becomes more self-justifying as reporters and pundits acclimate to the assumptions of official Washington.

This has happened before. When war appears on the horizon, and especially after it begins, a heightened affliction seizes most news outlets. The media spectacle becomes steady regurgitation of what’s being fed from on high. And right now, the nation’s media diet is stuffed with intensifying righteousness.

War gets attention. But already, with sanctions, the US government has led a more insidious assault on Iraqi people for more than a decade. How do we grasp 5,000 children a month dying as a result? The grim statistics, even when reported and attributed to such sources as UN agencies, haven’t made much noise in the media echo chamber."

Enough of that

MGM has delivered its answer to the ongoing flap between Civil Rights leaders and the filmmakers behind the studio's Barbershop by deciding to make absolutely no cuts to the hit comedy.

The film had been under fire from the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who asked the Barbershop brain trust to snip dialogue poking fun at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks from the upcoming DVD and video versions.

Glad to see that MGM didn't take the bait.

Hi

Erica, Trina, and Mistory. Thank you for being you.

Symbiosis

(The he said/she said series)

She said: "What we have here is symbiosis"

He said: "Symbiosis means a prefect relationship, that doesn't really exist - assuming you're not at all interested in relating to me."

She said: "But we have something really great going on here"

He said: Sure, things are good speaking in terms of the moment. But looking at in the long term, things have a tendency to become challenging if we become complacent in this so called 'symbiosis' "

She said:"So how would you define symbiosis?"

He said: "Take for instance, the rhinoceros and the yellow tickbird ..."

She said "Wha?"

He said: "The tickbird dines on parasites infesting the rhinoceros' horny skin; The Rhino iches less and is warned of danger when the tickbird, sharp-eyed and skittish abandons him for the nearest tree. Each compensates for each other's shortcomings rather than duplicating their talents. There's no dialog and both parties benefit."

She said:"you know, you've been watching the discovery channel a bit too much lately. But we do complement each other. We provide for each other's needs etc. What are you talking about?"

He said: "Yes we do, but we are also deriving the same benefits from each other - sexual gratifcation, romance and finance are just a few examples. Once perspective and communications are added to the fray, things can never be perfect. But we can certainly work at it, oh, and the discovery channel is a fine network by the way, you should watch it sometimes."

She said: "You're just being too analytical ..."

He said: "I'm a realist. It's just too easy to put labels on things. The symbiosis label should be saved for an arrangement between partners with widely divergent priorities, such is not the case here."

She said: "Just forget it."

Fumblin' Dubya

There was a clip on a tv news program the other day that showed Bush II recently addressing an audience with the following words of wisdom:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, fool me once, shame on....shame on you... fool me...you can't get fooled again."

Here is the video clip from MSNBC.

You can see the frustration on his face, he knows the cameras are rolling. Priceless.

Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools Up for Seventh Straight Year

In fall 2001, an estimated 99 percent of U.S. public schools had access to the Internet; in 1994, when the annual survey on Internet access was first conducted by NCES, 35 percent had access. Eighty-seven percent of instructional rooms in U.S. public schools had Internet access in 2001, up from three percent in 1994....In 2001, 85 percent of public schools used broadband connections to access the Internet.

Does Mike Tyson know anything about This? Where was he during the incident?

THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. What took so long?

Their Hall of Fame credentials are beyond question or compare.

We're talking 76 years, 120 million people and 117 countries.

We're talking generation after generation of wildly skilled ballhandlers, shooters, ambassadors of the game, entertainers.

We're talking about generations of African-American men, whose team was formed because of and against racial segregation, who turned out to be one of America's greatest symbols of freedom, expression, self-realization. We're talking Meadowlark Lemon, Goose Tatum, Marques Haynes.

We're talking about Fred "Curly" Neal, a bald-headed star long before Charles Barkley, who could spin a ball on his finger, dribble a ball like it was a yo-yo. And the list goes on.

here are the 2002 Harlem GlobeTrotters, and a history timeline with photos, dating back to the year the organization played their first-ever game in 1927.

Gentlemen, I salute you, America salutes you.

Getting a Great Table

OK, You are not dating a super model, and Forbes magazine isn’t tracking your personal wealth. No matter. A special occasion is coming up and you’re looking for a great restaurant to take your friends or loved one to celebrate that special day.

Finding a great restaurant is not a problem, but getting a great table may be a bit more challenging. Any maitre d’ will tell you that a little confidence and old-fashioned manners are the fastest route to prime seating at any hot dining spot.

The first rule is not to ask for the best table. Instead, be personable and let them know the occasion. Celebrating an anniversary? That highly sought after corner table with a view of the ocean will be yours. Celebrating a promotion? You may want a table at the center of the room where you can soak up the attention.

When you arrive for your reservation, always introduce yourself to the maitre d’ and shake hands. Don’t be shy, chat with him, never be arrogant or pushy. Request the wine list, ask if the sommelier is available, this will hint that they will be getting a decent check average from you and give you some preference.

As for the old greasing of the Palm, it doesn’t work everywhere. But more often than not, I’ve found that at some places, it can work magic. Your goal is to get a table fit for a celebrity, it’s your special occasion. You want the best food and with a little charm you’ll get the best view as well.

Reporters Find New Outlet, and Concerns, in Web Logs

The NY Times has this Article

Some journalists have already run into trouble with their employers over the contents of their personal sites, with one — a reporter for The Houston Chronicle — having been fired for his efforts. And news media companies may be opening themselves to questions of liability when they set up Web logs on their sites.

"You start getting into the question of, is this part of the paper or not?" said Jane E. Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota. "If I'm a lawyer advising a news organization, the idea of a Web log like this would just make me break out in hives."

Once a news media company edits a Web log, not only does it possibly damage the spontaneity, it also becomes responsible for the content, Professor Kirtley said. "It's the kind of situation," she added, "where the editorial side and the lawyers are going to have a clash."

Web logs sprouted in earnest in the late 1990's as new software made it relatively simple for anyone to become a publisher, creating and updating a site as often as was pleased. Do-it-yourself journalists are able to link to and dissect freshly published articles, adding many voices to the national debate. Blogs have been promoted by some commentators as a potential challenge to traditional news media companies.

But the format also appeals to professional journalists, and many publish Web logs as a creative outlet, as a way to raise their visibility or, increasingly, as part of their jobs."I can't imagine a nicer way to make a living," said Mr. Alterman, who is paid by MSNBC to write about politics, the media and culture in his Web log. "It's therapeutic, and you get things off your chest. I can write whatever I want."

A Journey of Discovery

When I began maintaining a weblog at Xanga in early 2001, It was simply a way for me to express my thoughts and exercise my writing skills. As time went on, it also became a way of exploring ideas and acquiring information.

Certainly, this is an exciting time in terms of our ability to acquire and manipulate information. One day’s issue of the NY Times contains more information than a citizen of the renaissance would encounter in his entire lifetime.

This medium allows me to communicate, think, discover and learn while expressing my individuality. Writing, I believe, is an activity that is as crucial today as it was in ancient times when early writers hunched over their illuminated manuscripts or labored over their papyrus.

Shakespeare, through the character Hamlet once said "Words, Words, Words". Words on a page can help unlock the universe or they can simply be a momentary diversion. On occasion, they can be both. Life itself is the ultimate form of self-expression. But in many ways, I believe it must be interpreted and expressed in order to clarify and give meaning to the mundane.

I must admit that at times, I have a love/hate relationship with my webblog. But, then again each of my passions has a downside. I love strawberry ice cream, luxury vacations and video games. The downsides: Ice cream is fattening, vacations are expensive and video games are chewing gum for the brain. Blogging has a downside also, after a few hours on the Internet, my brain and butt hurt.

Still, I blog. The blogosphere I think, has become a legitimate social environment, a great interactive medium that takes hold of people and mesmerizes them. A relentless projection of information, a mosaic of tiny dots of light, an array of motion and sound that guarantees a worthwhile experience as I continue on my journey of discovery.

Now Syndicating With RSS

I've been learning a bit about RSS (Rich Summary Format). This a lightweight XML subset designed for syndicating headlines and other content. I've taken the time to figure out how to publish my weblog content in the (RSS) format. Blogger Pro makes it simple to publish RSS, even though it's still in the development stages. The concept is explained here.

Once you get the process started Blogger automatically generates and dynamically updates a page similar to this with XML instructions a syndication engine can understand to parse headlines and summaries of postings with links back to my site. From there, my page should get picked up automatically to a certain extent by RSS search spiders, as well as by RSS syndicators who happen to see it.

WebReference.com has a good introduction to RSS syndication.

____________

Several years ago, I read Stephen Covey's The seven habits of highly effective people . The one habit that impressed me the most was "seek first to understand". Most people typically seek first to be understood rather than to uderstand. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. We are either speaking or preparing to speak. We filter what we hear or see through the lenses of our own perspective, As a result, when we have a problem with someone, the first thing we say is "that person just doesn't understand".

Food For Thought

"We now see that the major shift in human evolution is from behaving like an animal struggling to survive to behaving like an animal choosing to evolve. In fact, in order to survive, man HAS to evolve. And to evolve, we need a new kind of thinking and a new kind of behavior, a new ethic and a new morality. It will be that of the evolution of everyone rather than the survival of the fittest. . . . If we can be courageous one more time than we are fearful, trusting one more time than we are anxious, cooperative one more time than we are competitive, forgiving one more time than we are vindictive, loving one more time than we are hateful, we will have moved closer to the next breakthrough in our evolution." - Jonas Salk

Reaching New Heights

Where No African Americans Have Gone Before

Elliott Boston III , pictured here, and his climbing partner Stephen K. Shobe have embarked on a challenging quest to climb the seven tallest mountains on earth. Their ultimate goal is to stand triumphant at the summit of Mount Everest; standing at the top of the world as no African Americans before them ever have.

Kudos to a group of big name sponsors underwriting their globe hopping odyssey. Boston, 32, is an investment banker, and Shobe, a union shop steward by trade. Yes others have climbed the "Seven Summits" but never Black climbers. This fearless duo has already summitted Elbrus in Russia and Aconcagua in Argentina. Next on the list is Mount McKinley in Alaska. If they can keep to their ambitious schedule they'll be ready for their final climb The Big One, Everest in less than a year.

There is an interesting article and more on the subject Here

Mud Slinging

(here we go again)

NY Newsday has this article

With polls showing the race tightening, NY Gov. George Pataki yesterday began airing the first round of negative television advertisements against his Democratic opponent, State Comptroller H. Carl McCall, in an attempt to stunt McCall's popularity in the downstate suburbs and upstate regions responsible for electing Pataki eight years ago.

The suburban ad seeks to undermine McCall's effort to capitalize on a fiscally conservative reputation from his nine-year tenure as state comptroller. Digging back into McCall's voting record in the state Senate three decades ago, the ad charges that "every time Carl McCall could vote to raise state taxes, he did vote to raise state taxes." The ad does not mention that the most recent such vote occurred in 1979.

Although Pataki has a wide lead over McCall in the suburbs, the polls show the two candidates about equal in New York City. Most political experts predict McCall will ultimately win in the city overwhelmingly because of black support for his candidacy.

Elsewhere in the world

Mexico's New Growth Industry Rampant crime, weak legal system spawns rise in abductions

Mexico remains a nation largely lacking rule of law. President Vicente Fox took office almost two years ago, promising to tackle the legacy of corruption that developed during seven decades of authoritarian, one-party rule. But as he struggles against these deeply entrenched forces, Mexico still is a place where criminals know they're beyond the law.

"Criminals do risk analysis," said Jorge Septien, a security specialist. "They know that less than 1 percent of criminals end up in jail because there's so much corruption and impunity. The government is giving the message to criminals that crime is a good business."
Fifteen years ago, kidnapping barely existed in Mexico. Crime began increasing in the 1980s, though, and an economic crash in 1994-95 seemed to make fundamental changes, turning kidnapping - and crime generally - into a growth industry.

Planning on visiting NYC anytime soon? Here's a nice interactive map to lower manhattan.

Mike, you'll like this one, you city slicker.