What the President Has Signed Into Law – August 2007
Filed under: Blog Entries, Our Rights, Politics, Society & Culture
I had plans to do this at the end of every month, but August got away from me. But I promised to stay on it, so I will. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us.
On Monday, August 13, 2007, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2863, which authorizes the Coquille Indian Tribe of Oregon to convey land and interests in land owned by the Tribe.
H.R. 2952, which authorizes the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan to convey land and interests in land owned by the Tribe.
H.R. 3006, which modifies the State of Idaho’s authority to use the proceeds from its agricultural college land grants.
S. 375, which directs the Department of the Interior to issue a new quitclaim deed to two Native American tribes in Oregon.
S. 975, which provides congressional approval of a fire protection compact among specified Great Plains States.
S. 1716, which removes a statutory requirement that forage producers carry crop insurance in order to be eligible for crop disaster and livestock assistance for certain crop years.
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Jena Six Mychal Bell Out On Bail
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Society & Culture
After more than nine months in jail Mychal Bell is finally out on bail. The judge set bail at $45,000 which was paid by a local bonding company. This just shows what can happen when we all come together to help someone in need. He still has to stand trial and I wonder whether he will be able to receive a fair trial in Jena with all that has happened there. I’ve heard rumors that attempts to move the trial to another city were being made. If convicted as a juvenile, the seventeen year old Bell can be held until he turns 21.
In a nationally televised press conference, LaSalle Parish District Atty. Reed Walters told the press, “I firmly believe that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened”. What? If this guy isn’t racist, then he has a very skewed idea of the African-American race. Does he really think divine intervention kept us in line? I guess we’re all just unruly, uneducated n*ggers. In my opinion, Reed is the one who needs Jesus.
The Crackdown on Illegal Immigration in Irving
It looks like they are trying to crack down on illegal immigration in Irving, Texas by racially profiling people in order to stop them and verify their immigration paperwork. The first time I heard of this happening was when Irving police arrested several Hispanic men in an apartment complex for public intoxication. Since then, if you looked like you were breaking the law, you would go to jail. The police department has been enforcing a program which allows jailers to identify suspected illegal immigrants and refer them to immigration authorities. The police chief says they aren’t targeting specific groups of people because the identification of suspected immigrants is happening at the jail, not on the streets.
Racial profiling has always been an issue in the black community and it’s sad to see it being used in this manner. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and since the federal government has been silent on the issue, this is an example of how city officials are going to crack down on illegal immigration. Some of the people who were arrested were there for minor offenses which probably would have been overlooked any other time. While I agree everyone who enters this country should come here through the proper channels, those who have bypassed it and are working to feed their families should be allowed to stay. All they are trying to do is have a better way of life and earn a living. If it means having to illegally cross the border to do so, then so be it. We’re mad at the wrong people. I’d do the same thing for my family if I were in that position. Would you?
Hundreds protest Irving’s rise in deportations
Irving’s Illegal Immigrant Crackdown Sparks Debate
Podcast: What I’m Talkin About – #30 – 09/23/07
Show Notes – Episode 30 – Jena 6 Rally & Other Stories to Watch
What I’m Talkin’ About
Jena Six Rally. Is Jena a racist town?
Dallas South Blog
Scandals affect drop, but officials say decline is temporary
Protestors rally home of BET CEO Debra Lee
BET co-founder Dr. Sheila Johnson: “I’m finished with BET”
More Details Arise in W.Va. Torture Case
Black Blogger Highlight
Black Gives Back
Black History Facts
Black History Facts from www.yenoba.com
Independent Music Showcase
“Free the Jena 6″ by Jasiri X
Pittsburgh, Penn
Heard on Michael Baisden radio show
Announcements
I’m beta testing a new social networking site at www.cre8buzz.com. I need to build up the black population, so come join me. E-mail me for an invite.
Get discount prescription drugs at familywize.com
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Hear My Show on the Blubrry Network
Spread the word about this podcast
Contact Information
Feel free to leave comments on the website or call the voicemail line at 972-464-1899
Intro & Background Music
The intro & closing music clip was written and performed by PsykoSoul Music
“Family Affair” by PsykoSoul Music featuring CB Harris and Calvin
FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Card
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, General, Health
About a month ago, I wrote a blog post on a way to get up to 20% off on prescription medication. The only criteria was that your county had to become a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo). I was disappointed to find my mom’s county wasn’t a member, so they weren’t able to participate.
About a week later, I recieved a call on the voicemail hotline from about the FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Card. This is a similar program through , but there are no enrollment or eligibility requirements. I should mention it is not insurance, but a way to receive immediate discounts on prescription drugs at participating pharmacies. Simply present your card with each prescription from your doctor to the participating pharmacy at the time of purchase to receive your discounts. If you need to transfer a prescription, bring your empty prescription bottle or label with you to the pharmacy.
While the government continues to argue over what to do with the health care crisis, FamilyWize is making something happen. To print out your prescription drug card, go to the Where to Get a Card section of the website. Once again spread the news to those who need it. Much thanks to Dan for informing of this program.
Bloggers on the Move to Jena
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Community, General, Society & Culture
Who needs the media when you have live coverage from the blogosphere. Shawn, author of the Dallas South Blog will be making is way to Jena and will be posting live from the rally. He’s put together some good content and below I’ve listed some additional links to posts that he’s done on the Jena Six movement. It makes me proud to see black people coming together for a common cause. If this were not to happen, those six young men would just be another statistic in the criminal justice system.
All I’m asking is for a fair trial. In a radio interview with Mychal Bell’s father, he said there are a lot of issues regarding race in Jena. As long as Bell was running the ball on the football field, everyone loved and supported him. It was until this situation that his support dwindled and the town has turned on him. I hope things turn out well and the media covers the real reason behind the rally. This is a movement to make right some of the wrongs in the world.
Dallas Prepares for Travel to Jena
Judge vacates conviction of Mychal Bell
Small Business Owners Beware!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Education, General
by Darrell Holmes
For my industry, I am involved with organizations that provide consultation and support for the members of those various organizations. During a lunch meeting today, I was made aware of a franchise tax that was recently signed into law for the state of Texas. The intentions of the tax are well-placed. Essentially it would alleviate some of the financial burden carried by homeowners through property taxes without sacrificing funding to education. Believe me that as a homeowner I’m all for being relieved of some of the taxes I pay with my area having some of the largest homeowner taxes in the country. However, the committee that organized the wording of the new tax is putting a strange hold on small business owners who operate service-based corporations.
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Planet Earth by Prince
Prince is among the most easily recognized artists in the world. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, his first studio album was released in Spring 1978 and since then he’s released 24 studio albums. Among those albums he’s had five Number 1 singles, a litter of Top 10 singles, and four #1 albums along with some Grammy awards sprinkled in. He’s also produced for other top-selling artists like Whitney Houston, Sheila E., Alicia Keys, Tevin Campbell, Madonna, and The Time. He was named #28 on Rolling Stones Top 100 Artists of All-Time in 2004 and #5 on the Top 25 Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years. Having gone through several name changes, writing “slave” on his face over a dispute with his former label Warner Bros., and some interesting love relationships Prince remains an icon of pop culture. Planet Earth is his 24th LP.
Like most people I know I enjoy and appreciate Prince’s music but I’m not a “Prince freak”, excuse the pun. Certainly, his hits rival the catalog of almost any artist you can name. Part of his appeal is also that he appears timeless having turned 49 years old last month. Still, with Planet Earth I honestly didn’t quite know what to expect other than at least two singles that would likely be listenable. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.
The album starts off with a solemn lead-in to the title track Planet Earth. Here Prince does his socially conscious thing by using his instrument to speak on earth-friendliness, race relations, and war. I would expect nothing less from Prince. Whether you agree with his commentary or not, the track is a good R&B/rock mix that picks up nicely as you get into the song. Even if some may see the track as “preachy” it doesn’t weight itself down. Very nice guitar riffs at the end as well.
“Somewhere Here On Earth” is another track of note that has a well-infused R&B/jazz sound. Great muted trumpet solo at the beginning that has a very “Miles Davis”-like quality. The track itself will remind jazz listeners of a Billie Holiday sound. The track is very smooth, soft, and sexy but not in a pornagraphic way many of us tend to characterize Prince’s music as.
The next track “The One U Wanna C” is hard to pigeon-hole. Maybe a little Counting Crows meets Fishbone? Whatever, it’s still uniquely Prince. Possibly what Prince does the best on this album is rock and this is a song that maybe displays it best. If you liked his Superbowl halftime performance last year you’ll like this track.
***Star Track***
You may disagree after listening to the album, but my favorite track was “Mr. Goodnight”. CLASSIC Prince with a modern feel. Ya’ll they got Prince rapping and he did a good job! The beat and the mood of the song reminds me of “Big Poppa”, but again, it’s uniquely Prince. A strong headbobber that will draw in the younger listener who probably doesn’t remember “Rasberry Berret”.
I realize most people won’t consider this to be among Prince’s classics, but it has to go among his better releases. Prince manages to craft an album that simultaneously bridges the gap between younger listeners and his core base and brings in non-traditional Prince listeners by keeping the album PG. He also caters to the mainstream rock audience with tracks like “Lion of Judah” and “Guitar”. Prince again displays himself as a technician at production and pines out an album without any throwaway tracks.
I give Planet Earth an A rating.
Create buzz at cre8buzz
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, General, My Thoughts, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
If you listen to the podcast, then you know that I am a tech junkie. This is what originally got me into the blogger and podcaster world and I’ve met some really good people in the process. There is a major trend on the Internet dealing with social networking and the we now have the ability to communicate with people all around the world. The technology industry has come a long way and this is only the beginning. Marketing products and services is also changing and it’s easier to get the word out to more people than ever. Which brings me to the point of this post.
Through a contact of JD’s at Black in Business, I’ve been asked to help build up the African-American community for a new social networking site called Cre8buzz.com. When you sign up, you are able to showcase yourself, showoff, post your pictures, blog your opinions, and share your videos. As people view your content, they are able to provide their own ranking which allows for even more exposure (if it’s good). It’s like myspace, meets, youtube, meets flickr. The ranking system is pretty amazing and meeting people in other communities has been cool. I’ve been there for a couple of weeks and have personally talked to the Antman (yes, he’s real) and he’s all about getting exposure for the little guy. As of now, I’m the only one in the African-American community, so I’M #1!!!
I’m not trying to lose that position, so sign up and let’s create some buzz. They are still in the beta stages so the time is good to get involved. To sign up, you need an invitation, which I can email you. Just send your request to podcast[at]theojohnson.net and I’ll get it to you. I’ve already started publicizing the blog and traffic has increased. If you have any comments or suggestions on the site, let the Antman know.
Finally, when you sign up, I’m in the cre8Buzz > People > African American community. My name is tjohnson3. See you soon
Posted Wrong Podcast. My Bad.
I was just informed by JW at the Mandrake Society Radio that I linked to the previous podcast in my for Episode 29. If you’ve already downloaded the show in your podcatcher, you may have to try it again to pick up the right one. Big thanks to JW. I didn’t realize what I did.
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