First of all, I am not a football fan in any manner shape or form. I either fall asleep during most Super Bowls, awaking periodically to catch some commercials or halftime entertainment, or I am dragged out by my football fanatic husband to a watch party. Ideally, I find something else to do during that time with those like myself.
In any case, it caught my ears this morning to hear the news reporting that many events this year are being canceled.
In these recessionary times, corporate America is shying away from many of the legendary extravaganzas of Super Bowls past. And this year’s host city, Tampa, Fla., is feeling the brunt of it.
The annual Playboy Super Bowl party? Canceled.
Last year, a ticket to the bunny-laden celebration ran around $2,000 and was hosted by Grammy-winning rapper Common, according to Time magazine. Not this year.
The Brooks & Dunn Golf Classic celebrity golf tournament? Canceled. It couldn’t get enough sponsors, or stars, to attend.
The Sports Illustrated party? Canceled.
Even the National Football League is feeling the hard times: Prices of some Super Bowl tickets have been cut 25 percent, and the league is about to lay off 150 employees…
Some traditional advertisers have also pulled out as well, although the article from the Houston Chronicle quoted below takes a glass half full look at this year’s Super Bowl.
…If nothing else, we still have our Super Bowl ads — 45 minutes, give or take, during the Steelers-Cardinals game of the best that Madison Avenue has to offer, at NBC’s price tag of $2.4 million to $3 million for each 30 seconds…
…Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics, said the network had sold 85 percent of its in-game inventory as of mid-September, which helped it avoid a last-minute fire sale of unsold ads as the economy tanked during the fourth quarter.
…“Considering the state of the economy, we couldn’t be more thrilled,” Ebersol said.
Several traditional advertisers, most notably FedEx and General Motors, opted out of the Super Bowl. Those slots have been taken over by first-time advertisers such as TeleFlora, Denny’s (with a Sopranos-styled breakfast meeting featuring three wiseguys) and Pedigree (whose “Crazy Pets” spot featuring rhinos and ostriches on the loose aims to promote the adoption of more traditional pets like shelties and setters)…
I thought it was bad last summer (2008) when I went nearly a week without power after high winds from Hurricane Ike remnants blew threw the region, but now parts of my current residence in Ohio as well as Kentucky have been going without power. The ice and snow storm that hit the region earlier this week has left thousands without power for days leading people to take desperate and sometimes deadly measures to keep their families warm.
Before I go on, if there’s anything I want you to register in reserve of self preservation dont’s is this…
DO NOT PLACE GENERATORS INSIDE YOUR GARAGE OR OTHER UNVENTILATED AREA
NEVER BRING YOUR CHARCOAL GRILL INDOORS, EVEN SIMMERING COALS FOR WARMTH
…IN BOTH CASES, YOU WILL ** DIE ** FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING!!!
It’s disheartening to hear about so many of the deaths related to this mass power outage by people taking dangerous, deadly measures as last ditch attempts to stay warm within their own homes.
Friday marked the third day for several area counties without power and it may not be until the end of the weekend before power is completely restored, Storm Team 4‘s Ben Gelber reported.
“My mom’s been without power probably for the last three days down in Nelsonville,“ said Johnnie Carson, a Logan resident.
Hocking County residents said Hurricane Ike was a walk in the park compared to the disruption caused by ice-laden trees falling on power lines…
…“It’s a blessing because it’s been horrible. (We’ve had) no electric since Tuesday at 4 in the morning, pipes busting, trees falling all over,“ said Christal Hall, a Logan resident.
When 98 percent of Hocking County was without power, HAM radio operators stepped up to help.
Power was mostly restored in Logan by Friday afternoon, but strong winds wreaked havoc with ice-coated power lines in rural Fairfield and Hocking counties, where tens of thousands may be without electricity until Sunday.
Temperatures were expected to rise just above freezing Saturday for the first time in days.
At least 42 people have died in the icy arc of destruction that began in the Midwest. At least nine deaths were reported in Arkansas, six each in Texas and Missouri, three in Virginia, two each in Oklahoma, Indiana and West Virginia and one in Ohio. Most were blamed on hypothermia, traffic accidents and carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.
In Kentucky, where 11 people had died, a man and two women were the latest victims after they were found dead in a southwestern Louisville home. One woman was found in a bed; the other two were found in the garage with a generator, police spokesman Phil Russell said…
…
In Poplar Bluff, Mo., a man used a barbecue grill inside to cook and keep warm, deputy police chief Jeff Rolland said.
“Luckily, one of our volunteers was in a position to see what he was doing and inform him of the carbon monoxide dangers of using a charcoal grill inside a residence,” Rolland said.
President Barack Obama on Friday declared a federal emergency for Missouri, making the state eligible for federal funds even as power outages lingered in much of the southern portion of the state.
In Kentucky, Gov. Steve Beshear said crews were working around the clock to restore power and get food and water to needed areas. Beshear said state government would “spare no expense” in recovery efforts…
…
Doris Hemingway, 78, spent three days bundled in blankets to ward off the cold in her Leitchfield mobile home. News that it could take up to six weeks for power to be restored sent Hemingway and his husband, Bill, into a shelter at a local high school.
“I’d pray awhile and I’d cry awhile,” Doris Hemingway said. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”
From CNN…
WINTER STORM CAUSES MASSIVE KENTUCKY OUTAGE
…In western Louisville, three adults were found dead Friday morning of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator the family brought indoors, Mayor Jerry Abramson said.
The deaths prompted authorities to issue a stern warning about the dangers of carbon monoxide…
…When Hurricane Ike hit in September, 600,000 customers lost power. Melnykovych said the temperature was around 75 degrees and power outages were more of an “inconvenience than a life-threatening situation.”
“Hurricane Ike didn’t have this kind of impact,” he said…
Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas was recently sold at auction to True Foundation World Outreach Ministries for a mere $89,000. They plan to convert it into a community center.
I think this story caught my attention (originally found on afro.com) because it was news to me that the school was up for auction and the fact that it went for so little money. If you have any insight to share, please share. Why wouldn’t this be converted by local government into some kind of educational and historical site?
An excerpt of the historical background regarding Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas is provided below…
The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown et.al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) et.al. is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities.
By declaring that the discriminatory nature of racial segregation … “violates the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws,” Brown v. Board of Education laid the foundation for shaping future national and international policies regarding human rights.
In the world of social networking sites, there are some with a focus on building a positive future for youth. Mamas and Papas take note. Check out www.at15.org for more info as well.
From African-American News website (this program is open to all teens, not just those in the African-American community)…
MINNEAPOLIS, January 28, 2008 – Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) today unveiled a new TSA (“Teen Service Announcement”) featuring Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Ludacris at www.at15.org. Ludacris participated in the TSA as an early supporter of @15, a new teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy to give teens a voice and give them opportunities to direct the company’s philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund…
…Like a traditional PSA, the @15 TSAs are short, unscripted videos that share the collective thoughts and experiences of teens – and former teens – with messages of hope and inspiration for America’s youth. Over the next several months, the @15 Web site, along with its social networking pages and YouTube channel, will feature messages from teens engaged in Best Buy programs, celebrities and musicians, and Members of Congress.
Below is the press release. If you are local to Columbus, OH and know of an event taking place, please leave a comment. I’d like to participate in a local event if I find one.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has a full list of various AIDS awareness days.
(BLACK PR WIRE) (January 26, 2009) Each year, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is recognized on February 7th. This is the time when celebrities and community activists stand together in unity to fight HIV/AIDS – a devastating disease that is plaguing the African American community.
NBHAAD is a national mobilization effort designed to encourage African Americans across the United States and Territorial areas to get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved with HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme is “Black Life isWorth Saving!”
“Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest,” says Steven Davis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead sponsor and a member of the NBHAAD Strategic Leadership Council.
A nationally recognized commemorative day, NBHAAD will include special events such as press conferences, community forums, church services, community marches and rallies, and free HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and referrals which will be held throughout the nation for African Americans to get educated, get tested, get treated and get involved.
In addition, NBHAAD has obtained the support of numerous noted celebrities to join in the delivery of the message to serve as national spokespersons.
Confirmed spokespersons include (listed in alpha order and at time of printing): U.S. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings; Tony Dungy (head coach of the Indianapolis Colts); Idris Elba (The Wire, TylerPerry’s Daddy’s Little Girls; Prom Night); Kimberly Elise (Beloved, The Manchurian Candidate, Tyler Perry’sDiary of a Mad Black Woman);Kim Fields (Facts of Life, Living Single); Lance Gross (Tyler Perry’s House of Payne); Hill Harper (CSI: NY);Taraji P. Henson (Not Easily Broken,The Curious Case of Benjamin Button); Tom Joyner (Host of theTom Joyner MorningShow); U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee; Ludacris;Bishop Eddie Long (Pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church); Master P;Tangi Miller (Felicity); Patrik-Ian Polk (creator of Noah’s Arc); General Colin Powell; Sheryl LeeRalph (Moesha, Sister Act, To Sleep With Anger); Gloria Reuben(ER); Rev. EdwinSanders (pastor of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church); Tavis Smiley (author, journalist, political commentator and talk show host); and U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
The statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are a deafening wake up call: When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have more illness (even though blacks account for about 13% of the U.S. population, we account for about half [49%] of the people who get HIV and AIDS), shorter survival times (Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS), and more deaths (for African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death).
NBHAAD is currently directed, planned and organized by a group known as the Strategic Leadership Council who partners with the CDC to mobilize communities and address specific issues in regards to local epidemics and best practices that are science based and will influence the course of HIV in Black communities across the country. For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, including the complete listings of events in the local communities, visit www.blackaidsday.org.
Facts in Brief WHO:The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WHAT:National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009 WHEN:Recognize on February 7th, 2009 WHERE:Recognize nationwide INFO: www.blackaidsday.org
I was reading this on BBC and I could not believe my eyes. I know that forgiveness is a powerful thing and something that I have struggled to tap into, but your entire family? Do you think you could forgive someone who was your friend and killed your immediate family and even his own wife in the name of genocide?
I hope the title of this post makes sense to you. I just read an article in USA Today that caught my attention after going to see the movie “Seven Pounds” this past weekend. As odd as the movie played out, I don’t recall seeing a movie before this one that portrayed the notion of organ donation as the ultimate gift to life, a romance, the ROI (return on investment) if you will.
No, I’m not an organ donor for silly non-scientific reasons that have something to do with my inability to grasp the concept of death. My husband will occasionally harass me about it as well, but it’s something that I won’t do until I can find peace with such a decision. I’m sure if I were faced with a very personal story, my mind would change in an instant, so don’t chalk me up to being stingy with my parts.
from USA Today…
Last fall, for the first time in its history, the national organ transplant waiting list topped 100,000 people, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the non-profit assigned by the federal government to maintain the list. The list is up to 100,457, and three out of every four are waiting for a kidney…
…For some patients, a kidney can take six months to find, but that’s only for those with Type A blood. It can take two or three years or more to find a match for O and B types, Hawxby says.
UNOS says 45% of patients on the list have been waiting two or more years for a kidney, heart, liver or some other organ…
Those are some startling statistics. Enough to make you want to do all you can to preserve your own health.
What about the notion of changing the criteria from the most sick holding priority to those that are organ donors being a priority? This was proposed, as described in the article, by David Undis who is the president of LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a nonprofit organ donation network, facebook for your organs, pretty much. David is building a network of donors who will be able to select from their network if they find themselves in need of a donor. It hasn’t been put to the test yet, but he believes he’s taking a step in the right direction.
It’s definitely something to mull over on your drive to work or as you zone out at your next office meeting.
I missed out on this last year and plan to attend this year. Hurry! Early Bird registration ends February 1, 2009. The conference runs from June 19-20, 2009.
One of the topics I write about regularly on this blog is black women and their hair, from the prospective of a proponent of natural hair being styled and worn in celebration of its rich range of textures.
Unfortunately, we in the US live with images that long and straight or somewhat wavy hair is status quo. For black women, the issue of hair length is something that makes the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
Chris Rock has taken on this subject with his documentary entitled “Good Hair” that recently won a Special Jury Prize in the US Documentary Feature Films category at Sundance 2009.
Film description as written on official webpage for Sundance Film Festival…
When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl’s head! Director Jeff Stilson’s camera followed the funnyman, and the result is Good Hair, a wonderfully insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary about African American hair culture. An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of black people. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter’s question. What he discovers is that black hair is a big business that doesn’t always benefit the black community and little Lola’s question might well be bigger than his ability to convince her that the stuff on top of her head is nowhere near as important as what is inside.
click HERE to visit Chris Rock’s documentary page on Sundance.org
Excerpt from CBS News…
While loaded with the 43-year-old actor-comedian’s wisecracking humor, “Good Hair” also raises serious questions about identity and equality among black women who feel they need long, straight, silky hair to fit into white society.
“It’s this whole thing about approval. That approval is not simply, `I want white people to love me.’ It’s like, `I need a job. I want to move forward, and if I have a hairstyle that is somewhat intimidating, that’s going to stop me from moving forward,”‘ said Nelson George, executive producer of “Good Hair.”
“A hair documentary, especially for a guy, is a hard sell — no, it’s a weird sell,” says the 43-year-old comedian, who both produced and wrote “Good Hair.” The low-budget documentary traces the growth of the $9 billion industry rooted in the maintenance of African-American hair and its place in ethnic community and culture…
…But for two years Mr. Rock pursued the project with the team behind his critically acclaimed HBO series “The Chris Rock Show.” (HBO owns “Good Hair,” but is open to selling the theatrical rights.) Inspired by what he calls his young daughter’s “hair envy,” or uneasiness with her naturally curly hair, Mr. Rock set out to investigate the nexus of power and politics related to how African-Americans style their hair.
The above Wall Street Journal article contains an excellent interview with Chris Rock on this subject, so I encourage you to read the full article entitled “A Comic’s ‘Good Hair’ Day”
Excerpt from the Black Film Academy…
“It’s really deep and funny… I did a Michael Moore expose on hair,” he tells WENN…Rock and Stilson, (a producer and writer on “The Chris Rock Show”) also traveled to Birmingham, Memphis, and Dallas, to interview and tape some hairdressers as they prepped for the annual Bonner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta…
I’ll definitely keep my eye out for this documentary. Kudos to Chris Rock for finally deciding to put this project in motion. It’s a subject that seems to never get old, but definitely sits in different spaces depending on the era.
It all makes sense now. I returned to Columbus, OH from DC on January 22, 2009. While out and about, I noticed a group of pro-life demonstrators on the steps of City Hall. They, too, were likely rallying together on the anniversary (because saying birthday has way too many implications) of the Roe versus Wade decision.
Excerpt from MSNBC…
The case started in Texas back in 1970. A pregnant woman, under the alias “Jane Roe,” led a class action lawsuit against that state’s anti-abortion laws. Then in 1973, the Supreme Court ruled laws banning abortion violated constitutional rights to privacy.
Hmmm, I never made the connection before. My birth year coincides with this landmark decision.
From The Washington Post…
The inauguration of a president who supports abortion rights fired up the annual March for Life yesterday, with activists warning of new, more liberal legislation and urging President Obama to view abortion as a civil-rights issue akin to slavery.
Signs read: “Yes we can — eliminate abortion.” One speaker took the microphone and called for anti-abortion “community organizers,” a job the president held in Chicago. Another taunted Obama with references to one of his heroes.
Thursday marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. It’s also likely to mark the day President Barack Obama will reverse at least a few of the anti-abortion policies of George W. Bush.
By now, it’s become something of a tradition.
In 2001, just two days after he took office, Bush used the Roe anniversary to issue executive orders reversing some of the abortion rights policies of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, just as Clinton had used his first Roe anniversary, in 1993, to override some of the anti-abortion policies of President George H.W. Bush.
I don’t want to get into a nasty debate on this subject because there are people out there that hold passionately to their views to a fault. However, at least take a moment to reflect on your own life and the impact this decision has had.
All I have to say is that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck then…IT MUST BE DUCK
What happened to beanie babies being some amorphous animal like thing? Perhaps there’s only so many of those little creatures that you could possibly create. I don’t know how long Ty Inc. has had their TyGirlz collection in place, but these dolls “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” are the latest additions to the collection. I don’t think Mama Michelle or Papa President Barack are pleased with the exploitation of their children. Ty Inc. are holding to the fact that there is no direct relation to Sasha and Malia Obama. Not sure if there’s a lawsuit looming. The price of fame…
You know I have a fascination with dolls, especially these centering around controversy. I want one of each, but my preliminary online search to see where I can purchase is not coming up with anything. For example, bbtoystore.com says these dolls are currently unavailable in their inventory.
Wait! I just found Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia on Amazon.com for $129.99. Crazy.
This post is not standard content for me, but as I try get my bearings hosting this site without all of the free point and click features I had on wordpress.com’s completely free blogging setup, I am forever grateful when I encounter sites with easy to follow instructions.
This morning I upgraded to WordPress 2.7 using a plugin and detailed directions from Luke Gedeon’s blog.
I am using Bluehost and migrated my content over from worpress.com to wordpress.org using Fantastico which does not include the latest version of WordPress in its own scripts. I’m at the point where figuring out EVERYTHING is driving me nuts, so Luke’s post was a Godsend.
I just finished watching Oprah and Jill Biden broke the truth that her husband Joe Biden had a choice of either being Vice President or Secretary of State. Boy oh boy! Joe looked over at “wifey” and she just didn’t get it, but Oprah, Joe, and Jill just went with the flow. I love live television. She can’t take that back. The crowd erupted in laughter and my hubby and I looked at each other, and I was like “Dang! Hillary Clinton got sloppy seconds in her appointment as Secretary of State.”
I’m headed to DC. No special tickets or invites (although I welcome them!), but I know I just want to be in DC to catch the spirit of this historic inauguration. Not to worry, I will have my cameras and hopefully even get a hold of a video camera, too, so expect some reflections and footage to be posted in the next week or so.
If you’ll be in DC, I will see you there. If not, enjoy this moment from the warmth of family and friends around you.
~Affrodite
As The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield said in 1965, “People Get Ready.” It’s Obama time!!!
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