Badda-Bing Badda-Bloomberg

After Columbus Day parade organizers tried to get a federal court order barring NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg from bringing cast members of the hit TV show "The Sopranos" to Monday's Colombus day parade, Bloomberg said fughedaboudit -- he won't march in the parade and plans instead to lunch with the actors on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and appear at two other parades over the holiday weekend.

from a different point of view, the NY Times says

New York parade without politics is like pretzels without beer — the former without the latter is hardly worth having.

Hey, this is NY.

Honored

NYC Firefighters stood in Madison Square Garden today and applauded their fallen comrades, including the 343 who perished at the World Trade Center.

Before the ceremony began, the audience in the Garden watched as the large screens showed thousands of firefighters marching up Eighth Avenue from 14th Street. The march included 356 firefighters carrying American flags to honor each of the dead..

Every family on the floor of the arena was presented with medals of valor from a uniformed firefighter and the Emerald Society Pipes & Drums marched four abreast onto the middle floor.

I join the City in honoring these fallen heroes, They made the ultimate sacrifice, we shall never forget.

Perspective

Robert Higgs makes sense

Bush urged that "we cannot wait for the final proof – the smoking gun – that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud." Reiterating that Saddam can "develop a nuclear weapon to blackmail the world," the president opined that "the situation could hardly get worse" and therefore that the United States must eliminate the grave Iraqi threat before it comes to fruition.

This view of the world is so grotesquely out of proportion, so preposterously hyperbolic, that one scarcely knows what to make of it. The president, along with all those who find his presentation compelling, seems to have forgotten everything about the long Cold War, and he seems oblivious to nearly everything about the current world situation.

For some forty years, the United States lived under constant threat of nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. For those who have forgotten, the Soviet regime was not composed of poets and flower peddlers. If Saddam Hussein is, as the president insists, "a ruthless and aggressive dictator," what was Joseph Stalin? What was Leonid Brezhnev?

Nor did the rulers of the USSR play single-softball with respect to nuclear warheads. By the mid-1980s, the Soviet arsenal contained more than 10,000 strategic nuclear warheads and some 30,000 nonstrategic nuclear warheads. Unlike Iraq, which has no capability to deliver a nuclear weapon at long range, the USSR had more than 6,000 nuclear warheads mounted on more than a thousand intercontinental ballistic missiles, most of them programmed to strike targets in the United States within half an hour of launch. In addition, thousands of submarine-launched nuclear weapons and more than a thousand nuclear bombs carried by long-range jet aircraft augmented the Soviet threat.

Yet, notwithstanding the tens of thousands of Soviet nuclear warheads and their sophisticated delivery vehicles kept in constant readiness, the United States was not "blackmailed" by the USSR. Odd that now the United States should quake at the prospect of a single Iraqi softball of fissionable material.

Community control: an education disaster

"Community control" has been a disaster in New York City, writes James Traub in the New York Times Magazine. After 30 years of racial politics and patronage, corrupt local school boards are losing power; incompetent superintendents are being fired. Now the mayor and his chancellor -- an ex-lawyer with no education experience -- must figure out how schools should teach. (reg. reqd.)

Raaaay-O

Hi Ray-O

Mr Belafonte Sir, I've always been a fan of yours. I'm quite impressed by your record as an accomplished performer, singer, actor and humanitarian. Over the years, I've seen most of the movies that you've appeared in, I've listened to and danced to your music, I've even ascribed to some of your philosophies.

You music is such an exotic body of work I think, from ballads to blues to gospel to folk, someone ought to reissue these discs.

I was fortunate enough to see you perform just a couple years ago. I truly enjoyed it, you are a tireless performer, funny, charming and very real. You are certainly a crowd pleaser ... My mother loves you to death.

I also appreciate the fact that you have been honored by the American Jewish Congress, the NAACP, The Urban League, the National Conference of Black Mayors, the Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith, the ACLU, the U.S. State Department and the Peace Corps. I've read that you've received such awards as the Albert Einstein Award, UNICEF's Danny Kaye Award, the Martin Luther King Peace Prize, and the Kennedy Center Honors for excellence in the performing arts and, you were the first recipient of the Nelson Mandela Courage Award.

That is all true Ray-O

Yes, well, sir, you can call me Ray.

So, I'm watching CNN the other day and I hear that you made a statement about Colin Powell that was not well received. At first I was in denial but then Wolf Blitzer played the tape and that voice was undeniably yours ... what happened?

It was anecdotal and was taken out of context, I was painting a hypothetical picture, Unfortunately it was misinterpreted.

But you clearly said that:

"there's an old saying, in the days of slavery, there were those slaves who lived on the plantation and were those slaves that lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master...exactly the way the master intended to have you serve him…Colin Powell's committed to come into the house of the master. When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture."

It appears that your feet may not have been planted firmly on the ground as you spoke.


Exactly, well, Ray-0, listen ... I am known as the King of Calypso, internationally adored for "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)." I also spent the better part of my life working as a tireless civil rights activist and humanitarian. During my life, these two ideals have been intricately bound. Also, My silken raspy voice, staggering good looks, and a masterful assimilation of folk, jazz, and rhythms, and legacy as a consummate entertainer is unparalleled.

Of course, as a matter of fact, your anthology cd The long road to freedom is the number one Item on my WishList.

My birthday is coming up on November 22 and I expect that your cd set will arrive in my mailbox in a timely manner. I'm also a huge fan of your daughters Shari and Gina by the way, Two very lovely people.

Oh, hey, Ray-0, the holiday season is right around the corner, be sure to pick up my Harry Belafonte Christmas album if you're so inclined ... it is one of my favorites, I highly recommend it.

No offense sir, but I think that Nat King Cole has you beaten in the Christmas category, but I'll make sure to put it on my wishlist.

I suppose you haven't listened to my greatest hits box set either huh?

Excuse me sir, but I digress.

Congratulations by the way on receiving Africare's 2002 Bishop Walker Humanitarian Award for outstanding contributions to humankind worldwide and, specifically, to the civil rights struggle in the United States and to the struggles for political independence, children's rights and development, and freedom from HIV/AIDS Africa-wide.

I respect your accomplishments, It is my sincere hope that the recent comments were simply a faux-pas on your part. I'm sure Colin would love to hear from you, this time on more amicable terms. Carry on, and thanks for gracing this little blog-O thing of mine with your presence.

Ok Ray-O, Daylight come and me gonna go home

All the best to you sir.

Mark Fiore does it again

Hit Sadham where it really hurts.

'SOPRANOS' TOLD TO TAKE A HIKE: NOT WELCOME AT NYC COLUMBUS DAY PARADE

In response to published reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg took it upon himself to invite members of the cast of The Sopranos to march in the Columbus Day Parade, the Board of Governors of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, the organizers and producers of the Parade for the past 58 years, wish to once again reiterate its policy that participation by anyone associated with this highly-offensive program has no place in a celebration of Italian-American pride and heritage.

Via (Drudge)

Web logs drifting into mainstream

Blogs: The forums, once used largely for online diaries, are eyed as a new frontier for news media.

Powell: Belafonte's remarks 'unfortunate'

Hi Ray

Mr Powell, Sir, I agree with you that the remarks made by Harry Belafonte yesterday, comparing you to a slave out to please the master was terribly unfortunate. Seems that he wasn't thinking when he opened his mouth. Perhaps he lost his mind for a few seconds, and didn't realize that his foot was in his mouth as he spoke.

It sure seems that way, when I heard about what he said I felt like grabbing him by th ....

whoa! Mr. Secretary, I understand, I'm sure he'll be calling you soon with a formal apology; it would seem like the right thing for him to do.

"If Harry had wanted to attack my politics, that was fine. If he wanted to attack a particular position I hold, that was fine, But to use a slave reference, I think, is unfortunate and is a throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using."

At first, when I heard the term House Slave I immediately thought of the poem by Rita Dove of the same name. But once I heard the story on CNN, I realized this was serious.

But, I think once Day-O man does his homework he will see the light and realize:

That you were a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time you held myriad of command and staff positions and rose to the rank of 4-star General.

That you were Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from December 1987 to January 1989.

That you were the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense.

That during that time you oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm in the victorious 1991 Persian Gulf war.

That you wrote your best-selling autobiography, My American Journey, which was published in 1995.

That your rose from humble beginnings graduated from the City College of New York (CCNY), where you earned a bachelors degree in geology. Participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. And, also hold a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he comes to his senses.

And, Ray, don't forget to mention my two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President’s Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. And, Several schools and other institutions have been named in my honor and I hold honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country. Oh, I'm also chairman of America's promise an organization that seeks to mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth

Oh, true, true ... and now, you are the Secretary of State of the greatest country on the face of the earth, what exactly does your job entail? I'm sure Harry needs to be briefed on such matters.

Well, Under the Constitution, the President of the United States determines U.S. foreign policy. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser.

And, of course, I'm sure there's more to what you do than meets the eye, I'm also sure that if Harry wants to know more about what you do he will go here

I also understand that you and your staff feel that Day-O man should keep his Day-JOB and stay out of politics?

Yes, he should stick with the Banana Boat song and such, although I prefer the parody version of the song in which I make a cameo appearance.

Very cool, Well, I also have to add that I was in agreement with Oliver Willisyesterday concerning this mattter when he said: " Soon, I hope black notables and politicians can slam each other on the merit of their ideas, and not "who's blacker?"

I agree

Thank you sir, all the best to you.

Street Harassment Project

Every woman has had the experience of feeling threatened or demeaned by your average asshole who yells "nice ass" or "smile baby." The STREET HARASSMENT PROJECT holds weekly meetings at its NYC location to share stories and to plan workshops and demonstrations.

Join a "counter-harassment party" of women who patrol parks. Hand out cards to offenders saying, "This card has been treated with an invisible poisonous ink and within six hours your penis will fall off." But most importantly, next time you overhear some snide comment, let those bastards know that it is not OK to talk to a woman that way.

News Junkies Unite

Dave Shiflett writes a great piece on the proliferation of Internet news sites, including blogs.

recent survey shows that employees visit Internet news sites during business hours more than porn sites, shopping sites, and online gambling Meccas. This is said to be a bad thing. Indeed, the survey called the sites "time burners." But two things are not in doubt. One is that these sites are addictive. The other is that they have dramatically changed what is broadly called journalism, especially the opinion-writing branch.

...I find myself fully in the grips of News-Flow Mania. This is a debilitating condition. Where there was once hope of thinking the long thoughts of middle age, reading the great books of antiquity, and of escaping the tyranny of the morning headlines, there is now a rechecking of events on the hour, sometimes more often than that. The stories are almost always of no real importance: Gunmen invade Sikh Temple in India! Mother beats child in Indiana parking lot! Pig rescued from swollen creek in Texas! It's raining like hell in Dresden!"

The Free-Trade Fix

(Via NY Times)

Globalization is a phenomenon that has remade the economy of virtually every nation, reshaped almost every industry and touched billions of lives, often in surprising and ambiguous ways.

Globalization is meant to signify integration and unity -- yet it has proved, in its way, to be no less polarizing than the cold-war divisions it has supplanted. The lines between globalization's supporters and its critics run not only between countries but also through them, as people struggle to come to terms with the defining economic force shaping the planet today.

The architects of globalization are right that international economic integration is not only good for the poor; it is essential. To embrace self-sufficiency or to deride growth, as some protesters do, is to glamorize poverty. No nation has ever developed over the long term without trade. East Asia is the most recent example. Since the mid-1970's, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and their neighbors have lifted 300 million people out of poverty, chiefly through trade.

But the protesters are also right -- no nation has ever developed over the long term under the rules being imposed today on third-world countries by the institutions controlling globalization. The United States, Germany, France and Japan all became wealthy and powerful nations behind the barriers of protectionism. East Asia built its export industry by protecting its markets and banks from foreign competition and requiring investors to buy local products and build local know-how. These are all practices discouraged or made illegal by the rules of trade today.

What confounds me is that there seems to be two kinds of globalization: the theory and the reality. A lot of the theory behind globalization is sound. But the reality becomes a process of poor countries being forced to conform to an orthodoxy to which the rich nations themselves don't adhere.

But I believe that globalization can be a positive force and will not collapse easlily because too many people benefit from it either directly or indirectly. Joseph Stiglitz' Globalization and Its Discontents is an immensely informative book on the subject that I highly recommend.

Starting the day right

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Who are "they"? Mom, my doctor, or anyone with a vested interest in my good health, that's who. The fact of the matter is that Mom was right. Mom is always right. Mom also says that I'm a talent for these times, I love you mom.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

If I start my day without breakfast, I'm lethargic, I can't think or work properly and I'm cranky as a mofo.

Look at the word breakfast for example. The connotation is that it is a meal to break your fast, or as it were, sleep. Whether you feel it or not, the moment you rise from the unconscious realm, your body has to restock with a considerable caloric intake. The best time to do so is in the morning.

You say you don't have time for breakfast anymore. You have a family, you have a job and you need more sleep. Whatever. No matter how hectic a schedule you have, your performance in whatever you do throughout the day will improve with a solid meal in your stomach.

So, forget about the long detailed reports on why breakfast is important, listen to mom.

NY bids for 2012 olympics

Fire works lit up the sky above the statue of liberty on Monday for a promotional event being videotaped for the benefit of the U.S. Olympic Committee and New York City's bid to host the 2012 Summer Games.

"New York's selection is a tribute to enormous support the bid has received from all New Yorkers and the tireless efforts of the thousands who have worked to make our Olympic vision into a reality," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

A committee will decide on Nov. 2 whether New York or San Francisco will continue in the international competition for the 2012 Games.

The Olympics would be great for New York, It would infuse the city with vitality, money and redevelopment. Of course, this would be in addition to what I would consider a huge party right here in my back yard.


The official site for this effort is Here

Graffiti's Life After Death

The NY Times has this article

A decade ago, when crack cocaine and drive-by shootings scarred the Bronx, a small band of graffiti muralists perfected the craft of painting colorful memorial walls that honored the borough's dead. It was a violent time back then, and the violence kept them busy. The Tats Cru, as they were known, sprayed dozens of aerosol mementos in schoolyards and handball courts, on storefront grates and apartment building walls.

These days, however, the telephone inside their Hunts Point studio rings with far less depressing commissions. As the crack wars and the wholesale violence of the 1990's slowly but surely slipped into the past, their departure claimed its own casualty — a vivid form of urban art.

Ten years ago, the Tats Cru might have painted two or three memorials a month. These days, they do no more than six a year. "It was too much death back then," said Sotero Ortiz, a 39-year-old member of the crew who goes by the graffiti handle BG 183. "People were dropping everywhere, like flies. It isn't like that now, thank God. I couldn't take it anymore."

Certainly a sign of the times, a good sign. I remember those years well.

Material Girl

I've always loved Madonna. It's great to see her back and doing what she does best and at 44 years old, she's ageing quite gracefully.

The new James Bond movie Die Another Day will be out soon and the title track is being supplied by Madonna. And, the buzz is that the Material Matron has a few tricks up her sleeve for the video.


VH1.com reports that the video, shot in L.A. earlier this month and set to debut on Oct. 7, or thereabouts features Madonna in an upbeat dance track "filled with electronic flourishes and the stealthy, suspenseful vibe essential to all Bond themes."

I'll be keeping an eye out.

Photo © Warner

The Speech

My opinion on the speech Bush II delivered last night can be found HERE

Knicks Fine And Suspend Spree

Latrell Sprewell was fined $250,000 by the Knicks, who also told him to stay away from the team until he can make “a positive contribution.”

Sprewell was punished for failing to tell the team that he injured his shooting hand two weeks before training camp started. He had surgery last week and is out at least six weeks.

Knicks president Scott Layden met with Sprewell for 20 minutes at the team’s practice facility Monday. Sprewell told team officials he broke his hand when he tripped and fell on his yacht.

(Via Newsday)

Not for nothing Spree but the yacht story is not what I've been hearing in the street. Did you listen to the radio this morning?

Peace movement Emerging

Tens of Thousands Rally in New York and Other Cities to Say No to War With Iraq

In the first major sign of popular opposition to a unilateral war with Iraq, an estimated 20,000 people filled the East Meadow of Central Park in NYC on Sunday to pledge their resistance to President George Bush's military plans.

The diverse crowd ranged from seasoned activists—many of them veterans of Vietnam War protests—to college and high school students, business professionals, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and concerned parents, some of whom traveled from the Midwest to voice their dissent.

In New York, organizers were joined by Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and several celebrity activists, including Martin Sheen, who plays the U.S. president on NBC's The West Wing.

Nassau County NY Passes Smoking Ban

The Nassau County Legislature yesterday passed the toughest anti-smoking law in the state, banning the practice in all workplaces including restaurants, bars and bingo halls. The law bans smoking in all workplaces, including outdoor seating areas of restaurants, as of March 1, 2003.

I support anti smoking laws for the same reason I support seatbelt laws. It saves lives, the scientific evidence is irrefutable.

One Buck Fifty

["It's your color, Bruce": Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin shows Bruce Willis what kind of snakes reside outside of Hollywood. ]

-------
If you take my body and analyze it, you will find that it is made up of 66% water. The other third of me is divided into two parts: flesh and bone.

The flesh is a product of earthly composites such as mud, sand, etc.

The bone is an even mix of marrow and calcium.

If you were to cremate this flesh and bone in an unusually large oven, only ashes would remain. If you then compressed those ashes in a compressor mix it with sugar and some filler, the only remains would be a little brown pill, roughly six centimeters long and two centimeters wide.

You could then put me in a small, medicine-like bottle with 399 others like myself and label me sugar ray. I would be on the shelf next to the Raisinettes and I would be priced at roughly one buck fifty.

Atlantis's Video to Air Live

Shuttlecam to Show Entire Ride to Orbit

In a first for human space flight, a camera will beam down live video as shuttle Atlantis soars into orbit Monday.

The shuttlecam view will start with the launch pad, then the whole launch site and then all of Cape Canaveral and the Eastern Seaboard as Atlantis blasts off and climbs higher and higher.

Two minutes into the flight, viewers should see the booster rockets peeling away. Six minutes later, Atlantis will separate from its fuel tank, with the grand curvature of Earth below.

Mark your calendars.