Chris Rock = John the Baptist?!!!
Please excuse the “Obama is our Savior” reference but I couldn’t resist.
Recently, my wife and I sat down to watch Chris Rock’s Head of State movie. For a while I’ve been thinking about the ironies of that movie and Barack Obama’s current and future campaign footsteps. You know…the opposition campaigning on the platforms of political and military experience without a true campaign foundation, White people in California storming the streets to vote to prevent a Black president, envisioning winning the election only to immediately experience an assassination attempt. Still, the movie amazingly hits more truer cords than that. Rock’s character Mays Gilliam actually raises real issues such as health care, childcare, underemployment, and war. Even more poignantly, Mays Gilliam calls out his competitor on his catch phrase, “God bless America…and no place else”. Mays flips the script to, “God bless America! God bless Africa! God bless Jamaica! And not the beach Jamaica. I’m talking bout real Jamaica. You know…stabbing Jamaica.”
I don’t know if Chris Rock knows something the rest of us don’t or if he coincidentally made a below average movie that just happens to hit at the heart of a presidential campaign 5 years after his film was released. Either way, Chris Rock may’ve been inadvertently setting us up mentally for something no one could’ve known would be so close to coming true now.
As high as tensions have stretched over the past months this clip helped me realize that sometimes we all have to take a step back and realize that we’re all people of the same country seeking many of the same things. The divisiveness and dilutedness of the political process drives frustration and animosity that belongs no where near deciding who should be the next person WE give the power to make key decisions for our country. When we fight amongst ourselves is when we are at our weakest. Unfortunately, so many of us are so used to losing we’re too blind to see how we can win.
Update on the Harper’s Home Situation
It looks like the Harper Family will be keeping their home. Earlier this month the Harpers were said to have reached a preliminary agreement with their bank to keep it from being auctioned. They’re not sure if they are going to sell it, but for now things seem to be all good. I wonder what will happen because now they have a loan to pay back. I’ve heard a lot of commentary regarding their situation, but it’s hard to be completely sympathetic. How do we get ourselves in these situations? They had the opportunity to really build wealth because they could have redirected the funds not needed for a mortgage, property taxes and a college education for the boys to other avenues.
But how can us regular working-class people build wealth (as opposed to just “being paid”)? In an earlier post this week, I talked about my experiences with investing in the stock market. But what if you’re on a budget and can’t buy stocks directly, here’s another way to get started.
About two years ago, I started using the Black Wealth Network(BWN) online. I heard about it on the Tom Joyner and thought I’d give it a try. The mutual funds are managed by nationally known black money managers, but what makes this site great is that you can invest as much as you want at any given time. There’s a monthly fee of $5 month and they take that out every quarter (that’s cheap). Other than that, I think those were the only fees I was charged. To get the most bang for your buck, you have to invest regularly (something I didn’t do) and rely on dollar cost averaging.
When I started using it two years ago, the site was very slow, but it’s gotten better. It takes a while for transactions to go through when you’re ready to buy and sell. It’s annoying, but I got over it after a while. I also didn’t like the limited amount of funds you could invest in. Other than that, I’ve had a good experience with them. Before starting I’d definitely learn what the NAV, how to exchange, redeem and other investing terms mean. It doesn’t take long and they have online help if you need it. Do your research and choose the best strategy that works for you. They also have managed funds which have extra fees associated with them.
As always, this is something I use and it shouldn’t be considered as advice. Invest at your own risk and get professional help from a financial planner if needed.
Mr. T Defends His Snickers Commercial
Filed under: Blog Entries, Entertainment & Sports, Society & Culture
For the past couple of days, I’ve been pretty drained and didn’t feel like blogging. I’m tired of politics and there’s nothing in the news that interested me. Until now. I saw this commercial linked on the NPR News & Notes website and had to blog about it.
Bill O’Reilly had Mr. T on his show to defend his Snickers commercial. Some people in the gay community thought it was offensive and it was pulled in Snickers’ Great Britain market. I’m not a big fan of Bill, but Mr. T is the man and I hate to see his name dragged through the mud. I grew up on the A-Team and he was tough guy who kept people in check. From the shows and interviews I’ve seen him on, he seems like a nice guy. If anything attack the Snickers marketing team for putting this together.
The million dollar question is, as a society have we become too sensitive when it comes to issues of race, sexuality, gender, etc? I’ve been watching this whole PC movement unfold and I don’t know if it makes things better or worse. Anything you say can be twisted and construed to mean something completely different than it was intended. Mr. T was obviously concerned about what people thought because he really didn’t mean anything by it. All he was only doing his job. I got ya back T!
What do you think? This is probably one of the funniest interviews I’ve ever seen.
Help Send Black Bloggers to DNC
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Community, Education, Politics, Society & Culture
The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado August 25-28, 2008. Over the past couple of years blogging has taken off as a newer form of news media. The beauty of blogging is that you get all types of opinions from people with varying life experiences and point of views. You’re able to get something beyond the corporation-sponsored news articles and at times you get the story the big boys overlook.
This year over 100 bloggers were invited to be credentialed bloggers of the DNC. Of that number I believe seven are black bloggers. When I attended the the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to meet three of the seven in person (I already knew Shawn). In talking with Shawn, there are costs for the trip and they have to cover all expenses. If they worked for a major news company it would be all good, but this is coming straight out the pocket.
History is being made at this convention and I want someone who can relate to the black experience covering it. If you visit their blogs which I’ve listed below, you’ll see they are definitely qualified. So check them out and if you like what you see, send a couple of bucks their way. I haven’t done it yet cause I’m waitin’ on my check, but (in my best pastoral voice) I am putting my ??? dollars into the collection plate. Not the kind that jingles, but the one that folds. Holla.
Shawn Williams
Dallas South Blog
Donate
Gina McCauley
What About Our Daughters
Michelle Obama Watch
Donate
Pam Spaulding
Pam’s House Blend
Donate
Don’t Click the Links In Fake CNN Alerts Email
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Community, General, Technology
Just a quick warning, I’ve been receiving these fake emails with ‘CNN Alerts’ in the subject title. Luckily Gmail was kind enough to place them in my spam box, so I didn’t open or click any of the links in the email. It looks like it’s been going on the past week and according to the article below:
Users who clicked on the “FULL STORY” link in the message were redirected to a fake CNN site, where they were told they needed to download an update to Flash Player, Adobe System Inc.’s popular Internet media player, to view a video clip from CNN.
Websense also said it had spotted traces of the campaign in blog spam.
If users agreed to download the bogus Flash update, they were trapped in an endless loop, where clicking “Cancel” in the initial dialog produced a second pop-up. Clicking “Cancel” there returned the user to the first pop-up. The only options at that point were for users to shut down the browser or give in and install the malware.
I might not have clicked the link, but if it were in my inbox I probably would have opened it. I tend to get a lot of emails from news sources. The Internet is a dangerous place. Be careful out there.
Fake-CNN spam mutates as attacks continue
White supremacists say Obama can boost cause
I guess all this talk about hope is inspiring all types of people. Richard Barrett, a 65 year-old democratic white nationalist hopes Obama’s win over John McCain will spur a racial backlash, giving their groups a boost. With an Obama win, he feels white people will realize they’re losing power and will “…rise up as they’ve never risen up before”. Really?
This is the type of stuff that pisses me off. I have no problem with people being proud of who God made them to be. Hell, I’m black and I’m proud to be black. But what’s the deal with this whole losing power talk. Obama’s race for the White House is not about power (although political conservative talk show hosts would have you thinking otherwise). Do white people really feel like they are “losing power”? I’d be curious to hear from someone who did. Obama from the beginning tried to not make his running about race, but as we all know race matters. When you live in a melting pot of immigrants, the topic is bound to be discussed sooner or later.
While we’re on the topic of race, I was bothered by the group who got up and heckled Obama about what he’d do for black communities. If Obama wins the presidency, he’s not going to be the saviour for all black people and communities. That’s not the job of a President. His job is to do what’s best for America as a whole. If that includes getting more jobs or funding for lower income communities, then so be it. But it’s going to take the black people in and out of those communities to come together to make a difference. The Civil Rights Act didn’t become law because a group of politicians thought it was the right thing to do. It became a law because black people got fed up.
White supremacists hope Obama win prompts backlash
White Supremacists Back Obama’s Bid (Video)
Brotha Calls 911 About Subway Sandwich
I guess I just needed to get my laugh on today and I’m politicked out for the day. Reginald Peterson called the Jacksonville Florida police and 911 because his sandwiches “did not include ‘everything’ as he had requested”. Needless to say he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of placing false 911 calls.
Why couldn’t they just make him another sandwich? People can be so difficult sometimes. Here’s some audio of the call to 911. The operator was very patient with him.
WWJD? What Would Jared Do?
Paris For President
Filed under: Blog Entries, Entertainment & Sports, Laughable, Politics
I’m not a big Paris Hilton fan, but this was pretty funny. Whoever wrote this for her actually made her seem kind of smart. I think she’s on to something. A comprehensive plan…
Check out this video also.
Getting Involved in Investing
Today was the second quarter earnings conference call for Radio One Inc. I wanted to get on the call because I just recently purchased some shares of the stock and the calls allow you to keep up with what’s going on in the company. In the post I did yesterday, Alfred Edmond made a comment about black people not being used to the idea of investing. I agree with him 100%, but times have changed. We have the capital and the tools to get involved, so why aren’t more of us investing in the market?
Are we fearful of losing money or is it that we don’t know how to get started? The stock market can be an intimidating place with all the terms and analysts throwing out numbers on those financial talk shows, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you aren’t interested in doing it yourself, there are a number of places you can go to get someone to manage your portfolio. Over the next couple of months, I’m going to get mention some of the services I’ve used and share the experiences I’ve had in the process. I’m no financial planner, so this isn’t advice. It’s just my personal testimony on what did and didn’t work for me.
I invested in Radio One (ROIAK) because I believe in the company as a whole. Their financial numbers aren’t the best right now, but I like the direction they’re going. According to the conference call, the radio industry is suffering and the revenue in ad placement isn’t what it used to be. They realize this and talked about their internet strategy which they hope will bring them additional revenue in the next couple of years. I like the fact that they have interests in TV One and I’m of the belief that you should invest in what you like.
Unless things start going terribly wrong, this is a long-term investment for me. Sure there’s risk and the potential to lose money, but this is just one way we can support black businesses. It’s easy to do and it doesn’t hurt that the stock price is in a place where I can get a good number of shares at one time. I’m always looking other publicly traded black-owned businesses because I think there are a lot of opportunities out there to support them and make some money.
To purchase stocks I use Zecco.com. They have low commission rates at $4.50/trade and if you have over $2500 in your account you get 10 free trades a month (end commercial). There are other services to use, but Zecco has really worked for me. If you are interested in checking them out, use my referral code because I get a little change if you sign up (a brotha needs all he can get). If you decide to sign up, let me know and I’ll email you my username so you’ll know who I am in the forums. It’s all about finding ways to build wealth.
Once again, this post is not financial advice and you can lose money when investing. If you’re not comfortable with it, consult a professional. Always do your homework on a company. If you’re interested in learning more about Radio One, listen to the Conference Call to learn more about them before making any decisions.
If you have any good investments you’d like to share feel free to leave a comment.
Radio One Website
Radio One 2008 Q2 Conference Call (Audio Archives)
Radio One Stock Ticker (ROIAK)
My Zecco Referral Link 
Got stocks?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Personal Finance, Society & Culture
I was watching some old DVR’d episodes of the Black Enterprise Business Report and ran across an interview with Alfred Edmond Jr. discussing black people and investing. He made some really good points and I wanted to share the video with you. I have more to say on this topic, but I wanted to save it for my Tuesday rant on personal finances.
Also check out the video below with Dr. Boyce Watkins on how to set up an investment club.
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