It’s My Birthday, It’s My Birthday!
I’m a Leap Year Baby, so I only get to celebrate every four years, which means I got to do it big when it comes around. I made a pledge to stay away from my computer for a 24 hour period. No blogging, no internet, no e-mail, etc. I can count on one hand the times I’ve had to do that and most of the time it was for reasons beyond my control.
Shout out to all the Pisces out there. If you really want to show a brotha some love, check out this link or just leave a comment. Hey I ain’t too proud to beg.
Podcast: Why I Like Barack Obama – #37 – 02/28/08
Show Notes – Episode 37 – Why I Like Barack Obama
What I’m Talkin’ About
Why I voted for Obama in the Texas Primaries
Barack’s Bio
Leap Year Kid
Black History Hero
John Hope Franklin – Historian
Independent Music Showcase
“Love Train” by Kimberly Holloway
CD: Kimberly Holloway
Soul/R&B/Jazz
Los Angeles by way of Atlanta
www.myspace.com/kimberlyholloway
Purchase the CD
Announcements
I’m a member of a new social networking site at www.cre8buzz.com. I need to build up the black population, so come join me. It’s open to the public. Come see me at cre8Buzz > People > African American community
New Domain to Get to the Site – theotalks.net
I had to get a new voicemail phone number – 972.535.THEO (8436)
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 972.535.THEO (8436)
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
The Giving Movement
The Giving Movement is a 501(c)3 charity organization that was established to honor a living legend Minnie Ewing. TGM educates and fosters charitable giving and philanthropy in the community. TGM serves the needs of children and their families that live in impoverished areas and that rely on assistance for something as simple as their next meal.
I heard about it on the morning news and thought it was a great way to lend a helping hand. The organization was established to help individuals that need food, clothing, school supplies, books, toys, and other necessities of life. After receiving assistance they encourage those who benefited to pay it forward and help others in need.
On February 28th, TGM will be celebrating the grand opening of The Giving Boutique where they are partnering with Feed the Children to deliver 35,000 pounds of food and water to the store to aid in feeding the hungry in the Dallas metroplex.
Almost Free Breakfast at McDonald’s
There’s got to be another catch. McDonald’s is offering the New McSkillet Burrito for free with the purchase of a medium or large drink purchase on February 28th & 29th.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/features/mcskillet_burrito.html
I don’t really have anything else to comment on about McDonald’s. Just thought I’d share. Go get yo breakfast eat on! Then go exercise.
Texas Primary Information
I received an email about voting in the Texas primaries and caucus. Who would have thought lil ol’ Texas would be such an important state for the Democrats. For more information you can read What happens when I vote in the primary? How the Convention/Caucus System Works?.
FYI!!! This was sent to today and I was also at the Campaign kickoff Last night, my mom and I went to the Tarrant County Obama Campaign Kickoff meeting. It was fabulous. But, I learned something that troubled me. It troubled me because I didn’t know it and hadn’t known it in my history of voting in primary elections over the last 30 years.
I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know that Texas held both primaries and caucuses. Only 75% of the primary vote goes toward the delegate count. The other 25% comes from the caucus numbers. So, it is not enough for you to vote in the March 4th primary, you MUST return to your voting precinct at 7:15 pm for your Precinct Convention. It doesn’t matter if there’s only six people there to represent the caucus. Everyone present at 7:15 will be part of the caucus. A nice lady sitting at my table last night told me that precinct chairs or whomever’s running the precinct have sometimes herded a few “caucus folks” into a room after the polls closed and pretty much vote-in who they want as the caucus winner. Don’t let this happen in your precinct. Show up and be counted!
So, please, please VOTE in the March 4th primary and RETURN to your precinct at 7:15 pm to vote again in the caucus. DO NOT allow anyone to sign you up for the caucus before 7:15–not while the polls are still open (that is not legal). Also, if you cannot vote on March 4th, early voting begins February 19 and continues through February 29th.
Tarrant County Early Voting: Feb. 19-22 (8am-5pm); Sat. Feb 23 (7am-7pm); Sun. Feb 24 (11am-4pm); and Feb-25-29 (7am-7pm).
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERY TEXAN YOU KNOW!
Eyes on the Real Prize
Filed under: Blog Entries, My Thoughts, Society & Culture
This past Tuesday we buried my grandmother. She had four daughters and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She lived a good life and at some point and time watched over all of my cousins and me while our parents were off at work. She was generous in her giving and strict in her discipline. When she said do something, we had to get it done or else. She cared for over twenty foster care children and showed them love until someone decided to adopt them. She gave her all for others until she could no longer do so anymore.
In a post about the television documentary Eyes on the Prize, I was amazed at the stories that were captured and learned a lot about our fight for equal rights. But there was one thing that I didn’t realize and the opportunity is now gone. We all have a chance to capture history by talking with those who lived during that era. At the funeral I saw family members I hadn’t seen in a long time and met some I’d never met before. My black history lesson was right in front of me. All I needed was a recorder or video camera. It doesn’t take much and because of the podcast I have all the equipment I need.
I’m going to do better. There’s a lot of history out there and we need to get it before it’s gone.
Eyes on the Prize on PBS
This weekend I was glued to the television watching An American Experience Eyes on the Prize on my local PBS station. It is a television series that covers the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1985. It is amazing to see what transpired because these are the same people who fought for my rights as a Black American. I’d really like to buy it, but the series is out of my budget. For now, I’ll just have to watch it on public television. If you get the chance, I’d recommend this for everyone to see.
The programs in the series include:
Awakenings (1954-1956)
Individual acts of courage inspire black Southerners to fight for their rights: Mose Wright testifies against the white men who murdered young Emmett Till, and Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.
Fighting Back (1957-1962)
States’ rights loyalists and federal authorities collide in the 1957 battle to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School, and again in James Meredith’s 1962 challenge to segregation at the University of Mississippi. Both times, a Southern governor squares off with a U.S. president, violence erupts — and integration is carried out.
Ain’t Scared of Your Jails (1960-1961)
Black college students take a leadership role in the civil rights movement as lunch counter sit-ins spread across the South. “Freedom Riders” also try to desegregate interstate buses, but they are brutally attacked as they travel.
No Easy Walk (1961-1963)
The civil rights movement discovers the power of mass demonstrations as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. emerges as its most visible leader. Some demonstrations succeed; others fail. But the triumphant March on Washington, D.C., under King’s leadership, shows a mounting national support for civil rights. President John F. Kennedy proposes the Civil Rights Act.
Mississippi: Is This America? (1963-1964)
Mississippi’s grass-roots civil rights movement becomes an American concern when college students travel south to help register black voters and three activists are murdered. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party challenges the regular Mississippi delegation at the Democratic Convention in Atlantic City.
Bridge to Freedom (1965)
A decade of lessons is applied in the climactic and bloody march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. A major victory is won when the federal Voting Rights Bill passes, but civil rights leaders know they have new challenges ahead.
The Time Has Come (1964-66)
After a decade-long cry for justice, a new sound is heard in the civil rights movement: the insistent call for power. Malcolm X takes an eloquent nationalism to urban streets as a younger generation of black leaders listens. In the South, Stokely Carmichael and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) move from “Freedom Now!” to “Black Power!” as the fabric of the traditional movement changes.
Two Societies (1965-68)
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) come north to help Chicago’s civil rights leaders in their nonviolent struggle against segregated housing. Their efforts pit them against Chicago’s powerful mayor, Richard Daley. When a series of marches through all-white neighborhoods draws violence, King and Daley negotiate with mixed results. In Detroit, a police raid in a black neighborhood sparks an urban uprising that lasts five days, leaving 43 people dead. The Kerner Commission finds that America is becoming “two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal.” President Lyndon Johnson, who appointed the commission, ignores the report.
Power! (1966-68)
The call for Black Power takes various forms across communities in black America. In Cleveland, Carl Stokes wins election as the first black mayor of a major American city. The Black Panther Party, armed with law books, breakfast programs, and guns, is born in Oakland. Substandard teaching practices prompt parents to gain educational control of a Brooklyn school district but then lead them to a showdown with New York City’s teachers’ union.
The Promised Land (1967-68)
Martin Luther King stakes out new ground for himself and the rapidly fragmenting civil rights movement. One year before his death, he publicly opposes the war in Vietnam. His Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) embarks on an ambitious Poor People’s Campaign. In the midst of political organizing, King detours to support striking sanitation workers in Memphis, where he is assassinated. King’s death and the failure of his final campaign mark the end of a major stream of the movement.
Ain’t Gonna Shuffle No More (1964-72)
A call to pride and a renewed push for unity galvanize black America. World heavyweight champion Cassius Clay challenges America to accept him as Muhammad Ali, a minister of Islam who refuses to fight in Vietnam. Students at Howard University in Washington, D.C., fight to bring the growing black consciousness movement and their African heritage inside the walls of this prominent black institution. Black elected officials and community activists organize the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, in an attempt to create a unified black response to growing repression against the movement.
A Nation of Law? (1968-71)
Black activism is increasingly met with a sometimes violent and unethical response from local and federal law enforcement agencies. In Chicago, two Black Panther Party leaders are killed in a pre-dawn raid by police acting on information supplied by an FBI informant. In the wake of President Nixon’s call to “law and order,” stepped-up arrests push the already poor conditions at New York’s Attica State Prison to the limit. A five-day inmate takeover calling the public’s attention to the conditions leaves 43 men dead: four killed by inmates, 39 by police.
The Keys to the Kingdom (1974-80)
In the 1970s, anti-discrimination legal rights gained in past decades by the civil rights movement are put to the test. In Boston, some whites violently resist a federal court school desegregation order. Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, proves that affirmative action can work, but the Bakke Supreme Court case challenges that policy.
Back to the Movement (1979-mid 80s)
Power and powerlessness. Miami’s black community — pummeled by urban renewal, a lack of jobs, and police harassment — explodes in rioting. But in Chicago, an unprecedented grassroots movement triumphs. Frustrated by decades of unfulfilled promises made by the city’s Democratic political machine, reformers install Harold Washington as Chicago’s first black mayor.
Broke on Valentine’s Day?
I’ve never really been the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day and there have been many times when I’ve gotten in trouble over it. I’ll spare you all the details, but I’ve had to accept the fact that it makes my wife happy when I do something special for her. But with the economy as shaky as it is, I thought I’d do a post on some affordable ways to keep your loved one happy on Valentine’s Day.
- Make her a card on the computer and print it out at work. Get the clipart off the internet.
- Build a photo album of the both of you and burn it to a CD.
- Take her to an all-you-can-eat buffet and eat off her plate.
- Find a gift on freecycle.org.
- Write a poem and text message it to her in pieces throughout the day.
- Cook dinner. Ramen Noodles, spaghetti sauce and sausage makes a good meal. And it can be cooked in the microwave.
- Buy her flowers and a card at the grocery store after work (5pm) or whenever they start the discount.
- Make her a mixed tape with songs she likes from the radio. Make sure to stop the tape before the DJ starts talking.
- Meet her/him at work and sing their favorite song for them in front of their co-workers.
- Break up and get back together after Valentine’s Day.
Now I can’t be responsible for anything that happens if you try any of these, so I wanted to leave you with some more links on things you could do on a budget. Tell the people you care about, how much you love them. Today can be more about the gifts and what you can do for someone. If you’re willing to make the effort, Valentine’s Day can be every day.
10 No Cost Valentine’s Day Gifts
How to Spend No Money on Valentine’s Day
I’m broke and Valentine’s Day is coming quick!?
Podcast: Help Me Lower My Cholesterol – #36 – 02/10/08
Show Notes – Episode 36 – Help Me Lower My Cholesterol
What I’m Talkin’ About
Goals for this year
Cholesterol and How it Affects Us
Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol
AHA Cholesterol Statistics
Health Discovery Cholesterol Page
Low Cholesterol Diet
Delicious Decisions
Tax Rebate or Tax Advance?
Black Business Spotlight
TS Media
Black History Hero
Congressman Charles B. Rangel
Independent Music Showcase
“Hands Up“ by Preacha Boy
Holy Hip Hop
Representing Central Texas
www.preachaboyproductions.com
Announcements
I’m a member of a new social networking site at www.cre8buzz.com. I need to build up the black population, so come join me. It’s open to the public. Come see me at cre8Buzz > People > African American community
New Domain to Get to the Site – theotalks.net
I had to get a new voicemail phone number – 972.535.THEO (8436)
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 972.535.THEO (8436)
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
Tax Rebate or Tax Advance?
It looks like the checks will be in the mail around May. Congress passed a bipartisan bill that will send rebate checks to 130 million Americans in amounts of $300 to $600 for people who have an income between $3,000 and $75,000, plus $300 per child. Couples earning up to $150,000 would get $1,200. I’ve heard mixed stories about this”growth stimulus” package and wanted to everyone to be aware of what it is (or isn’t) before you get too excited.
I’ve seen some articles that say the tax rebate is really an advance on next year’s taxes. This means you could potentially owe on your taxes next year if you don’t plan right. I’ve also seen articles that state the rebate is free money from the government to stimulate the economy. Whatever it is, spend it wisely and keep your ears open for additional information until they are actually sent out. I’ve learned that nothing in life is free and everything has a cost associated with it. We’ll see whether this will work as a short term solution.
Whether it works or not, I’m sure we’ll hear all is well. Bush is out in a couple of months, so why should it matter to him? It’ll be the next president’s problem. I never understood how you can balance the budget, lower taxes, spread democracy across the world and increase spending at the same time? Something has to give and the burden will fall on the have-not’s of the world.
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