The development of the Gulf Oil Spill narrative is important to track since he who wins control of the narrative, controls the story in terms of political capital – for good or ill.
Austin, TX, June 02, 2010 (PressReleasePoint) — In an exclusive analysis by The Global Language Monitor’s NarrativeTracker™, there are now several differing story lines emerging from the Gulf Oil Spill.
The ‘narrative’ refers to the stream of public opinion captured by blogs and other social media outlets on the Internet, as well as the leading print and electronic databases.
The Narratives emerging from this on-going (and slow-moving) disaster include:
Obama was Slow to Respond – 95% of the social media conversations characterize the President Obama as ‘slow to respond’.
Obama vs. BP: who’s in charge? — 52% see BP in charge of the spill. This may or may not be a political liability. Democrats need the blame assigned to BP; at the same time, Obama needs to be seen as in overall control of the disaster
Worst environmental disaster ever – 42% see the current spill the worst environmental disaster ever.
Federal Response — 57% see the Federal response using ‘poor’ or related keywords. Not a good month for the Feds; come to think of it, not a good year for the Feds.
Katrina vs. Exxon Valdez – 61% make the comparison to the Exxon Valdez; about 39% compare the ongoing spill to the inundation of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Biblical Prophecies Abound Once More — About 61% of all references involve the Bible. (Even Ted Turner has a theory how the oil spill might be a warning from God.) These are markedly different in tone than those used with Katrina where the references focused on apocalyptic imagery, End-of-the-World scenarios and doom.
The Obama Style of Leadership – This is a close one 52% see Obama as ‘hand’s on’ leadership, 48% see ‘hand’s off’. Again, this is either positive or negative depending on your political bias. Ronald Reagan was seen as a ‘hand’s off’ president and that was considered good. Jimmy Carter was a ‘hand’s on’ type president and that was considered bad.
“The development of the Gulf Oil Spill narrative is important to track since he who wins control of the narrative, controls the story in terms of political capital – for good or ill,” said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of GLM. “With the mid-term elections just five months away, and the prospect of the Gulf Oil Spill continuing unabated for months, control of the narrative is more important than ever.”
The rise of the narrative can render positions on the issues almost meaningless, since positions now matter less than how they fit into a particular narrative. The NarrativeTracker is more effective in capturing the true opinion of the public because it tracks unfiltered keywords in Social Media and other sources, rather than how that opinion is interpreted by the news media or by pollsters.
The term ‘narrative’ in this sense is now appearing thousands of times in the global media on the Internet and blogosphere as well as throughout the world of social media, meaning the main streams of public opinion running in the media that needs to be fed, encouraged, diverted or influenced by any means possible.
GLM recently announced The Healthcare NarrativeTracker Index™ (NTI™), in partnership with OpenConnect Systems of Dallas. The Healthcare NTI is the first product specifically designed to use social media-based monitoring to better understand the issues driving healthcare reform, providing a real-time, accurate picture of what the public is saying about any topic related to healthcare, at any point in time.
The NarrativeTracker is based on the GLM’s Predictive Quantities Indicator™ (PQI™). The PQI tracks the frequency of words and phrases in global print and electronic media on the Internet, throughout the Blogosphere and other social media outlets as well as accessing proprietary databases. The PQI is a weighted index that factors in long-term trends, short-term changes, momentum, and velocity.
About the Global Language Monitor
Austin-Texas-based Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogs the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English. For more information, call 1.925.367.7557, send email to pjjp@post.harvard.edu, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.
I am just getting to listen to this speech and want to know your thoughts.
Info on video shared on YouTube link…
The President gives a speech directly to Americas students welcoming them back to school. He emphasizes their hope and potential but makes clear they will need to take responsibility for themselves and their education to reach that potential. September 8, 2009. (Public Domain)
Did your child attend a school that aired the speech? What were your thoughts?
I’d love to know if you were at Wakefield High School student in Arlington, VA that was able to watch this live. Were you inspired?
Link to the transcript of this speech can be found by clicking HERE.
Hats off to Tim Spicer who probably had the best moment of his life being chosen to introduce Barack Obama.
Article I wrote for July 2009 edition of JENESIS magazine (www.jenesismagazine.com) about the AIDS epidemic in DC. I’m just cropping it down to fit this blog and placing it here in case you missed seeing it online. There’s been a lot of discussion about DC in particular over the past several months after learning that rate has been on the rise. I’d love to know your thoughts.
Here are live links to the references listed at the end of the article
The below essay was sent to me from Daniel Bruno Sanz with permission to re-post it on this blog. It’s a really interesting look at Obama’s candidacy from his own perspective and correlation to the mindset in Black America (I enjoyed his critical perspective on BET). Take a read and join in on the discussion.
Request free e-book download of Why the Democrats Will Win in 2008 by clicking HERE. Or learn more about the book HERE.
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Essay: Obama 2012
We approach the future walking backwards, our gaze forever fixated on the past. Predicting the future is not a passive exercise; we invent it every day with our actions.
I began the sketches for what would ultimately become Obama 2012 in March 2007, a month after Barack Obama declared his candidacy. I had spent much of the previous 18 months living abroad as an entrepreneur and statesman of sorts, and I was slightly out of touch with the pulse of life on the street in the United States. I learned about Sen. Barack Obama’s Springfield, IL speech formally declaring his candidacy for president of the United States through one of the international cable news channels and thought how great it would be to have a fresh start after years of mediocrity in Washington, and a plummeting reputation around the world.
By September, after what seemed like raising a six-month-old child, my sketches had turned into — Why the Democrats Will Win in 2008: The Road to an Obama White House. It was my answer to the burning question everyone had back in March: Can he really win? Actually, not everyone thought it was a question. For many people, including Mark Penn, director of the Clinton campaign, the answer was an easy “no way.” This strategic blunder made it that much easier for the Clinton campaign to be defeated. Then there were Black pundits like Shelby Steele, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, who came out with a 2007 book entitled, A Bound Man, Why Obama Can’t Win.
Being Black did seem to be an automatic disqualification, but then why did someone need to write an entire book arguing what should have been patently obvious? Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell came to my mind and I remembered that he could have run for president in 1992 as a war hero. But Colin Powell was Ronald Reagan’s protege and got a special pass on the race question. Black conservatives like Justice Thomas, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell were careful to disassociate themselves from liberal thinkers and activists like Jesse Jackson, who lost, as expected, the 1984 and 1988 Democratic primaries. Ultimately, Colin Powell, in spite of all his honors, declined to run for president. His wife Alma feared for his safety.
Common sense said that a candidate like Obama, for numerous insurmountable reasons, didn’t stand a chance of winning the Democratic primary, let alone a general election in which 10% of the electorate is African American and Republicans controlled the White House for 20 of the preceding 28 years. But I decided that Obama’s chances merited a closer examination. In it, I would bring to bear my gambling skills.
I went to New York to meet Obama the candidate, and in a Soho apartment he told a small group of us that his middle name was Hussein. I thought he was telling a joke. Barack Hussein Obama, a liberal Black senator with a name on loan from Al Qaeda… for U.S. president? Is he out of his mind?
Then I really wanted to know whether his campaign was worth getting my hopes up for and investing my time in. I applied techniques used in predicting financial markets and researched theories of voting behavior. I applied the theories, in my own way, to the upcoming primary and general elections. I learned as I went along. The result was an analytical and quantitative study concluding, with gaps filled in by some admittedly fuzzy logic, that not only could Obama win, but, in fact, he would win because the stars lined up in his favor. Call it God’s Will. I reached my conclusion and told everyone who would listen that I had a strong case to make for victory, and that I could prove there was indeed hope. Hope is essential to any difficult endeavor. But hope as a campaign slogan is not good enough; hope needs firepower. No one becomes heavyweight champion of the world, an astronaut or the president by accident or dumb luck.
By the time my book making the case for an Obama victory was first printed in bulk, in October, 2007, Obama was 20 points behind Clinton in the polls and I was dismissed by just about everyone in the New York Democratic Party establishment and the media. Ambitious, elitist and snooty Democratic Party insiders like New York Electoral College voters Deb Slott and Terrence Yang did all they could to shut me up and lock me out. Big-time Obama fund-raising bundler and millionaire Virginia Davies ordered her 12th Street rooftop penthouse minimum-wage Latino flunkies to turn off the elevator when I attempted to go upstairs to an Obama fundraiser on April 9, 2008.
Yang and Davies turned down my $250 check from a Black Masonic lodge and barred me from the premises because it was their private property and Yang didn’t like my “hostile attitude” or my “look,” i.e. I wouldn’t kiss his bourgeois butt or grin to reassure him I wasn’t a dangerous half-Negro. The irony of it! For them, Obama was bought and paid for that night and only invited celebrities like actor Lucy Liu and others on Yang’s exclusive clipboard could enter their coveted penthouse. Impostors like these are a big part of the problem in America, not the solution. Limousine Liberals jockey for position and the Democratic Party becomes indistinguishable from the Republican Party except at election time.
But even in Harlem I was on the defensive. Harlem was Hillary country. Boldface name Black celebrities like Maya Angelou, Magic Johnson and Tavis Smiley came out for Hillary. Then in January 2008, Bob Johnson, the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television, made this statement:
“And to me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood — and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book — when they have been involved. That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me, for a guy who says, ‘I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And I’m thinking — I’m thinking to myself: this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.”
I was indignant. Here was a man who had made a fabulous fortune peddling and reinforcing the worst stereotypes about his own people as dangerous drug dealers, thieves, thugs and rapists; had provided a launch pad for a thousand materialistic, misogynistic hip-hop videos that glorify the murder of young black men for trivial slights real and imagined; directed his vast entertainment empire to appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to maximize profits, and when confronted with protests from the Black community, retorted that “BET stands for Black Entertainment Television, not Black education television.”
The production of these videos outside of BET notwithstanding, I thought about the millions of viewer-hours that Black children (many of them obese) wasted imbibing BET programming and its emphasis on anti-social and self-destructive behavior to gratify primeval instincts of lust and greed. Mr. Johnson made himself the heir to and then continued the tradition of 19th-century popular American culture and journalism that portrayed Africans and their descendants as prurient savages who would still be swinging from trees had they not been saved by European colonialism and slavery. In true late 20th-century American form, Johnson, an African-American, was given the equal opportunity to exploit this tradition in Horatio Alger fashion and become what was hitherto an oxymoron: a Black billionaire.
Tyve, portrayed brilliantly by Zero Mostel in the musical A fiddler on the Roof and typical of the “music videos” my mother exposed me to as a boy before companies like MTV and BET came on the scene a generation later, laments that “when you’re rich, they think you really know.”
It is clear that in spite of his great wealth, Bob Johnson does not have a clue. Maybe he was exposed to BET programming in his formative years.
Obama the Outlier
The election of Barack Obama is analogous to a “black swan”event in that it defied common sense, convention, precedent and therefore probability in the popular imagination, i.e. it was not supposed to happen. Now that it has, the charts are indelibly shifted in his direction. In my 2007 book I argued that macroeconomic forces and cyclical patterns would bring on a recession and electoral realignment, culminating in his election. In that sense, his election was not a surprise. Now Obama as a concept larger than the man himself is a new novel form of power and has a reflexive relationship with other sources of power in all their variety, including the power of the subconscious mind in large numbers of people. We would call this conditioned power. As we have seen, Black Entertainment Television wields conditioned power through its ability to manipulate images that penetrate the subconscious and go on to influence people’s behavior without their knowledge and create the illusion of acting of one’s own “free will.” Conditioned power, like compensatory power (money), is neither good nor evil; it is a force to be harnessed.
The conservative cultural and political shift that dominated Washington and the American frame of debate since the 1980s is now in ruins because the election of Obama is much more significant than the mere election of another liberal to the White House. The convergence of his identity with the position he holds as the face of America to the world alters the essence of what it means to be an American, a real American, not just someone with United States citizenship resulting from accidents of history and geography. It is difficult to overestimate the repercussions this will have over time but some of the salutary effects on the culture are apparent.
I have seen more Black/White interracial couples in midtown Manhattan during the last week of April 2009 than I saw in all of New York during 2008. In what has long appeared to me to be the most race and caste conscious large city in America once you get past the diversity window dressing of Black receptionists, security guards and bouncers employed at all-white offices and night spots, Latino cheap labor and Asian immigrant mom-and-pop service industries, I now see Blacks and Whites actually socializing with each other in public places like Bryant Park during their free time. Some even hold hands. New York is starting to look like London ten years ago. Still, in 2009, the most fashionable Manhattan nightspots in Chelsea and the Meat-Packing District like Cipriani’s and Pink Elephant have an unwritten “No Blacks Allowed” admittance policy, and its often the 300 lbs. Black bouncer at the door charged with enforcing this policy under the guise of face-control and dress codes. Black celebrities, of course, are supra-racial and get the red carpet unless applying for the prestigious Harmonie Club, which has never admitted a non-white, not even as a token. Bloomberg wisely resigned from this club and Obama refused to speak before it while running for office.
In American cinema 20 years ago, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever, both set in New York and brimming with explosive racial tension, were box office hits. A generation before Spike Lee there was Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, A Patch of Blue, To Kill a Mockingbird and Imitation of Life. Now, naturalized American supermodel Heidi Klum and her African husband Seal (Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel) are on the front cover of tabloids because they are expecting a baby and the movie The Dance Flick opened in theaters on May 22, 2009. Miscegenation has become fashionable. Nevertheless, in 2009 more Americans and Black men and women than ever are in prison. More than a few of them are innocent. America has 25% of the world’s prisoners and millions of de-facto orphans, mostly Black boys. The complex American problem of passive collaboration between marginalized people and phony Wars on Drugs and Crime finds an outlet in the mentally disturbed culture of our time. They say they’re just keeping it real, but what passes for music today is like a finger painting done by men who shit in the palm of their hand and call it high art because it makes money.
W.E.B. Dubois (the wise) observed budding materialism and a culture that pardons shiftlessness and celebrates crime as defiance of the “man” (an unjust, racist order enforced by the organs of state power, i.e. ex-Confederate soldiers and Klansmen in the police force) 110 years ago in Georgia. Now in 2009 a Black man — Black not just by accident, i.e. melanin count and the width of his nose but by virtue of struggle, study and voluntary consciousness, sits at the pinnacle of American state power as he commands conditioned power of millions at home and abroad who would believe in and heed him. His re-election in 2012 is more likely than any other outcome.
His Presidency does not usher in the Post-Racial Era, as the gap between White and Black America remains enormous by any indicator. It does conclude the Civil-Rights Era, a long unfinished chapter of Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The conclusion, i.e. triumph of the Civil-Rights Era does not magically prevent any abuse from occurring in the future; work must be continuously done to hold on to its gains. This is why we support Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.
Booker T. Washington exhorted us to cast down our buckets where we are. Now is the time to finally let go. Not of the collective memories and historical record, but of the mental chains. Just as 19th century internal combustion technology ( diesel and gasoline engines) must give way to better methods, culture steeped in passive acceptance of slavery and resistance to exploitation needs to re-asses what is true and what is a big lie. No one person can will this to happen. It will be a movement of broad masses of people as they make a million decisions large and small everyday of their lives.
Theory is far behind reality and must now play catch up.
This essay is the prologue to Obama 2012, a collection of essays to be published later this year. Daniel Bruno Sanz writes about financial and political affairs. His areas of expertise include currencies, stock markets, Latin America, Japan and Russia. In early 2007, he predicted that Obama would win the Democratic primary when polls showed him 20 points behind Senator Clinton. He also forecast Obama would win 52% of the popular vote and beat the Republican nominee in the general election.
In an effort to reflect more of a diverse voice to Sunday morning talk shows centered around politics, Roland Martin has partnered with TV One to launch “Washington Watch.” The first episode will air on September 27, 2009 at 11:00am. Martin plans to feature guests from varied ethnicities and regions of the US- both demographics that he feels are not tapped enough on existing shows.
With our nation’s first African American president, Martin feels there’s an unsatisfied craving from the African American community to be plugged more into politics and government affairs. Like “Meet the Press” and other similar shows, it will be filmed weekly in Washington, DC; however, being aired via TV One whose focus is programming for African Americans, Martin will cater his show to cover politics with an African American target audience in mind.
UPDATE 3/21/09:Here’s a link that “jax” from the comments below provided. I do think it’s a good read as you formulate your position surround Obama’s joke about his bowling game and the Special Olympics.
Barack Obama spent time with Jay Leno last night. Below is the full interview.
“Obama on Leno: What are risks? rewards?”
Was this a smart move for Obama?
How do you feel Obama handled the discussion of AIG?
What do you think was Obama’s shining moment on Leno last night?
I thought Barack handled himself well. He has a gift for breaking down complex issues in laymen’s terms which helps the viewing audience at large understand what’s going on in this economic climate. He was witty at the right moments. Above all, I’m still impressed by Obama’s ability to remain grounded even after he’s taken the office. I know people are jumping on the Special Olympics comment that Obama made in reference to his bowling ability. I genuinely don’t think he meant that maliciously, although in hindsight, he may realize it was a poor choice of words.
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!!!
That’s right. I think so many people have forgotten Martin Luther King‘s actual birthday as we’ve moved holidays around here in the States over the years to fall nicely on the calendar. His actual birth date was January 15, 1929. He would have been 80 years old today. Kind of eery that Obama is making history almost in alignment with King’s 80th birthday.
My mom took me to DC on the Mall around 1982 or 1983 for a demonstration/campaign to make MLK’s birthday a Federal holiday. It was when Stevie Wonder sang his song “Happy Birthday (Martin Luther King, Jr.)” for the first time (I think…gotta do some research). In any case, I am still glad that I was a part of history as this demonstration was the one that resulted in MLK’s birthday becoming a Federal Holiday.
I know that you’ve both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn’t have let you have. But I also know that it hasn’t always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn’t make up for all the time we’ve been apart. I know how much I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I’d make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn’t seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you’ll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It’s a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
Love, Dad
Every time I think of how amazing Barack is on so many levels, it just brings tears to my eyes. I’m so glad to bear witness in my lifetime.
I was in Atlanta for New Year’s and you couldn’t miss all of the news clips of Ron Clark telling the story of how he received a donation to the Ron Clark Academy from Oprah for $365,000. A heartwarming story, and those kids are absolutely adorable. From the message boards, it seems like there’s a little bit of a split on how people are feeling about the Ron Clark Academy’s rise into the spotlight. I question it, to some extent, but am choosing to believe the best of intentions. I’d love to see these kids grow up and do fantastic things with their lives given the positive exposure they’ve received from their “You Can Vote However You Like” song during a historically significant election.
I don’t know Ron Clark, and I don’t anymore about the school than what I’ve seen from these kids on tv, but I think some black folks are tired of seeing the great white savior swoop into the inner city and “save” the poor underprivileged black children. That’s where I think some of the controversy is rooted.
An educator named Ron Clark almost didn’t notice the whopping check, which was included in a letter from the talk show host. Clark opened the private academy in 2007 in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Atlanta. Most students rely on private donations to pay the $14,000-per-year tuition.
“We teach school all day and fundraise at night,” Clark told the Associated Press. “To have an unsolicited gift come like that is incredible.”
Clark says the donation will pay for 26 students to attend the 80-student middle school for one year…
…The check came from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which handed out $4 million to educational programs in 2008.
I know from my own experience, and just life in general, that you have to hustle to get your voice heard, and if Ron Clark is milking his school’s 20 seconds of fame for the benefit of the school, then you can’t knock that hustle. I mean he worked the kids into the media circuit at a time that the nation was opening up themselves to change. Children are the best representation of all things are possible. Something warms our hearts to see kids tackle grown-up issues like the election from that happy “sky is the limit” perspective. Besides, the election was followed by Christmas so you just have to embrace the joy. I love Oprah to death, but I know she’s an opportunist with the financial means to justify it. God love her for writing that check, but I hope she stays in touch with Ron to see how the students are doing…and not just the shiny stuff like “We are the world” type jingles.
Well, the latest single from the children of Ron Clark Academy is “Dear Obama.” You can hear it in the YouTube clip below by skipping to about 3:35 in the clip…unless you want to hear Ron’s heartfelt story again told in the voice of “Kenneth” (comedian Jack McBrayer) from “30 Rock.” Maybe that joke is in poor taste given the subject, but I just want to know if any of you were thinking the same thing when you saw this on tv?
…”The Green Ball: Inauguration of a New Green Economy” will be held Jan. 19 at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
A draft version of the invitation, obtained by The Washington Times, urges people to join Mr. Gore to “bring together a diverse coalition of environmentally-forward organizations, entrepreneurs, scientists and advocates, celebrating a commitment to growing the New Green Economy.”
More than two dozen environmental organizations are listed on the invitation…
…Meanwhile, a second group is planning a “green inaugural ball,” calling it the first “eco-friendly” inaugural celebration. It is planned for Jan. 17 at the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium in Washington.
A press release issued Wednesday notes the catering will be “100 percent organic” and that the bars will feature both local and organic beverages. The food waste and floral arrangements will be composted and the lighting scheme will be energy efficient. The group will also pay for wind power offsets and carbon credits to make the event carbon neutral…
…The schedule of events includes:
Sunday, Jan 18: A welcome afternoon event open to the public.
Monday, Jan. 19: Mr. Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families “will participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C., area.” Those activities will be in connection with congressional recognition of the King holiday as “a national day of community service.”
Tuesday, Jan. 20: Traditional inaugural ceremonies, including the swearing-in on the West Front of the Capitol, a lunch in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall, the 56th Inaugural Parade and official inaugural balls in the evening.
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden will participate in a prayer service.
Hosted by Actress Gabrielle Union, “THE BET HONORS” Recognizes the Accomplishments of Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, B. Smith, Judith Jamison and Congressman James E. Clyburn Inaugural Ball to Support America’s Promise Alliance and Washington, D.C.’s Dunbar High School And the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Last update: 12:08 p.m. EST Dec. 15, 2008
NEW YORK, Dec 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — BET Networks kicks off the inaugural festivities in Washington, D.C., with the second annual BET HONORS on Saturday, January 17 and concludes with BET’s first-ever Inaugural Ball on Tuesday, January 20.
Hosted by world renowned actress Gabrielle Union, THE BET HONORS will celebrate legendary songstress Mary J. Blige (Entertainment), groundbreaking filmmaker Tyler Perry (Media), celebrated dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison (Education), businessman, philanthropist and basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Corporate Citizen), entrepreneur extraordinaire B. Smith (Entrepreneur), and the Honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn (Public Service). The second annual event will take place at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, January 17 and premiere on the network during Black History Month on Monday, February 9 at 9:00 p.m.*
“We are thrilled to kick off this historic inauguration weekend with the return of THE BET HONORS, a truly inspirational event that pays tribute to extraordinary individuals in our community,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. “And it couldn’t have worked out more perfectly that THE BET HONORS and the Inauguration are happening within days of each other, as President-elect Barack Obama epitomizes all that we had in mind when we first put this show together. I’m certain that this year’s BET HONORS will be even more poignant and powerful than we could have ever imagined.”
“THE BET HONORS recognizes excellence in achievement and celebrates inspiration,” said Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks. “Last year’s inaugural show had a number of leave-your-seat performances dedicated to our honorees. This year, we’re finding new ways to musically pay tribute so look forward to fresh, unforgettable moments. The pride will show.”
During the historic weekend and following THE BET HONORS, BET Networks will host its first-ever Inaugural Ball and will air a one-hour special, YES WE WILL! BET’S INAUGURAL CELEBRATION, on BET on Tuesday, January 20. Taking place at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, the Ball will be in support of our next generation of national and local leaders, with proceeds benefiting America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest non-profit alliance dedicated to the well-being of children and youth founded by Colin and Alma Powell.
Additionally, the Ball will support two institutions that are committed to the education and advancement of today’s youth in Washington, D.C. – Dunbar High School and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
“As we celebrate this historic inauguration and begin a new chapter in our nation’s history, it’s important that we stay focused on our most precious resource — our children and youth,” said Alma J. Powell, chair, America’s Promise Alliance. “We are deeply honored to partner with BET to raise awareness of the challenges facing our young people — and applaud those making a positive difference in their communities. We cannot afford to stand still as more than a million students drop out of high school every year.”
About THE BET HONORS
Last year’s honorees included Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks, Dr. Cornel West, Richard Parsons, the Honorable Maxine Waters and Janice Bryant Howroyd. Hosted by Cedric “The Entertainer,” the first annual event boasted performances and presentations by Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Blair Underwood and Vivica A. Fox, just to name a few.
Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks, and Lynne Harris Taylor, Vice President of Specials, BET Networks, are the show’s executive producers, along with John Cossette of John Cossette Productions.
For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit BET’s press-only Web site at www.bet.com/pr.
*All times ET/PT
About the 2009 BET Honorees
MARY J. BLIGE – Mary J. Blige is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress who has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
TYLER PERRY – Tyler Perry is a remarkable playwright, screenwriter, actor and director and producer known for his very funny yet poignant plays and movies. Over the years, many credited Perry with resuscitating (and reinventing) African-American theater. Perry’s first eight plays reportedly earned a cumulative gross of more than $75 million in ticket and video sales.
EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON – Earvin “Magic” Johnson is Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. Through strategic investments, partnerships and endorsements, Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE) provides products and services that focus on ethnically diverse urban communities. As Chairman and Founder of the Magic Johnson Foundation, he is dedicated to developing programs and supporting services that address the educational, health and social needs of those residing in minority communities. Mr. Johnson is universally known for his 13 year career in the NBA. His honors include: five national championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, three MVP awards, 12 NBA All-Star games, a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Mr. Johnson is also Vice President and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.
CONGRESSMAN JAMES E. CLYBURN – Congressman James E. Clyburn is an illustrious politician and House Majority Whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. In 1992 he became the first African American elected to the House of Representatives from South Carolina since 1897. He proudly represents South Carolina’s 6th Congressional district, the state’s only majority-black district, which includes Florence, Sumter and large portions of Columbia and Charleston. He is second African American (behind Bill Gray of Pennsylvania) and the first South Carolinian to serve as Majority Whip.
JUDITH JAMISON – Judith Jamison is a celebrated dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, and recognized by the U.S. Congress as a vital “American Cultural Ambassador to the World.” One of the most renowned figures in modern dance, she has led the Ailey organization to new heights with the opening of a permanent home in New York City — the nation’s largest building for dance. Dedicated to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, Ms. Jamison is an author and a recipient of a primetime Emmy Award and many of the nation’s most prestigious honors given to artists.
B. SMITH – B. Smith is a former fashion model turned restaurateur, television host, author, entrepreneur and entertainer extraordinaire who is widely regarded as an expert when it comes to casual but elegant living. A seasoned culinary expert who was recognized by Elle DA(C)cor as one of America’s 10 most outstanding non-professional chefs, Smith is the owner of three successful B. Smith restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., and the scenic Long Island Hampton village of Sag Harbor.
About America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership alliance comprised of corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, policymakers, advocacy and faith groups committed to ensuring that children receive the fundamental resources — the Five Promises — they need to lead successful, healthy and productive lives and build a stronger society. Building on the legacy of our founder General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our children is grounded in experiencing the Five Promises — caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others — at home, in school and in the community. For more information about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org.
About BET Networks
VIA.B, is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks – BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
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