It’s hard to believe it’s already 2010. But we’re here and there are still new things in store for this blog. When I started blogging, the main goal was to share information and hopefully open up dialogue on issues that affect the black community. I think I did that in some way this year, but it wasn’t to the extent that I’d done in previous years.
The goal for this year is to continue on the track of keeping the site informative. I plan on opening it up to others who are interested in sharing their point of view with the readers of this site. There are some talented, well-written people out there and I want to showcase them and get some real discussions going.
Late in the year, when I got swamped with projects for work, I fell off the blogging scene for a couple of weeks. Blogging can be a daunting task and coming up with things to write about can be time consuming (especially when it isn’t one of my strengths). So this year, I’m going to solicit your help. If you or someone you know are interested in blogging, but don’t want to manage their own site, email me at info @ theotalks.net. I’m always in need of someone to write and it usually turns out to be a win-win situation for both parties.
This year, I also want to focus more on minority small businesses. In these turbulent economic times, a lot of people are turning to owning their own business. I think that’s great, so I decided to start a list of some of my favorite small businesses. I’ll be highlighting small business owners throughout the year, so contact me if you’re interested in participating.
Finally, here are some websites that you need to keep an eye on for 2010. I’ll be blogging a lot about them and hope to be visible on most of them as time permits. Check them out when you get the chance:
Oh, no they didn’t! During the BET Awards, Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx put together a movie trailer parody that poked fun at their 90’s TV show characters Sheneneh Jenkins (Martin Lawrence Show) and Wanda Reid (In Living Color). Rumor has it that Screen Gems has approached the two actors to make a movie based on the BET spoof (shown below).
Personally, I liked the characters on their respective TV shows, but I really think that’s as far as it needs to go. As I type this post, I cringe because I think making it will push the careers of both actors back a step. They have done some great things since Wanda & Sheneneh and are beyond this. The characters they played in the past need to remain in the past. They made us laugh and gave us some funny one liners, but Madea is more than enough for today’s movie-goer.
I won’t be spending my $10 to go see it because I can think of better things to do with my money. I’m curious to see how many theaters will show it and wonder how the general public will react once it’s out. Chris Rock’s Good Hair movie caused a discussion and even got him an appearance on Oprah. I wonder is Wanda and Sheneneh will get the same opportunity? Only time will tell.
I don’t know why politicians don’t understand that, NOTHING IS EVER OFF THE RECORD!!! Here is video from CNN’s Rick Sanchez reporting about an off the record comment from President Obama about Kanye West’s treatment of Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards. While Obama may have been correct in my opinion, he should have known the comment would get out. Shortly after it was made an ABC employee twittered the comment out to everyone.
Poor, poor Kanye. People can only take so much of his big Ego. I wonder if the President will invite him over for a beer.
Last night Jon Stewart interviewed the Former Lt. Governor of New York Betsy McCaughey, who is a strong critic of the Obama Administration’s healthcare plan. They didn’t show all of the first part of the interview, but I’m sure if you’re a lawyer, you’ll be able to get what they’re talking about.
The funny thing about these Congressional bills is that they seem to be subject to interpretation and everyone seems to “read into it” differently. I’m glad the President is pushing the issue of reform. There’s no perfect way to do this and I hope that Congress can come to an agreement on what it will take to get every American health insurance.
Last night during our church instrumental rehearsal, I had the opportunity to speak to some of our soon-to-be high school Juniors about my education and career. While the purpose of our ministry is to use the talents we’ve been given to glorify God, the adult leaders in the group felt it was also important for us to make sure the youth could benefit from some of our life experiences as they prepare for college. We didn’t want to lecture them about the “old days” and we wanted it to be in a relaxed environment where they could ask questions. (more…)
I found the Mocha Dad’s blog on the blogroll of the African American Dad. I’d heard of the Mocha Mom’s organization, so it was cool to see another positive, black father sharing his experiences with his readers (it’s also a plus that he’s from Houston). This is a really good blog and the questions posed in his posts make you think about your role as a parent. Here’s a little more info on the Mocha Dad before you check out his site:
I am a native Houstonian who has traveled around the around the world. I graduated from Howard University and have worked as a mover, photographer, controls manager, quality manager, construction project manager, eBay and Amazon seller, and freelance writer.
In addition to raising kids and holding down full time jobs, I have published work in the books “Paper Thin/Soul Deep” and “The African American Book of Values” and in magazines/newspapers such as Essence, Upscale, The Houston Chronicle, Katy Magazine , Folio Weekly and Emerge.
I enjoy music, reading, photography, and surfing the web. But my greatest joy comes from spending time with my wife and three kids.
This will be the headlines in the next couple of weeks because Oprah is giving out coupons for a free two piece of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit at participating Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. Kudos to KFC on this deal because we know anything Oprah advertises sells out fast. This will definitely make the Chick-fil-A cows job a lot easier.
Just know this is a limited time deal only. The coupon is available for printing from 9am CDT 5/5/09 to 9:59pm CDT 5/6/09. You are limited to 4 downloads of coupon and it is redeemable at participating KFC locations in the U.S. from 5/5/09 to 5/19/09, excluding 5/10/09. Guess I know what my lunch will be for the next couple of days. Here’s the link.
Okay, I was up late last night working and happened to be watching the Colbert Report. This clip had me ROFL because it made so much sense. The original intent of the non-partisan TEA parties were to protest the excessive spending of both political parties. But it seems the Republicans took the cause on their own shoulders to remind everyone they are the party of lower taxes.
My question is, how many people who attended were really there to protest government spending? Government spending has been out of control for the past seven years, so why is everyone in a tizzy about it now? I’ve been saying for a long time, that future generations are going to have to pay for the choices made buy our government. You can only keep taxes low for a while. They have to go up at some point. Don’t they? You can’t fight the war on terror, fix the economy, fix the health care crisis and improve education without spending a little cash.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted something, but I couldn’t let this one go without commenting. I’m sure everyone is aware of the Rush vs. Steele battle of the words so I won’t go into it. I guess Steele finally found what his party really thinks of him and has been put in his place by the “real” face and voice of the Republican Party. I was doubtful from the beginning when he was chosen because it was an obvious move by the Republican party to put a black person in the spotlight.
While I’m sure he was qualified, Steele became a victim of tokenism. Now don’t get me wrong, being the token doesn’t mean you’re not qualified for the position. It’s not for everyone and most of the time it’s not worth your time. But it does allow you to open the door for others like you.
But in this case, Mike my man, you’re not doing so well. Apologizing to Rush is the worst thing you could have done. Yes he does have a huge following, but you should have stuck to your statement. Just ignore him like the rest of us do. We know he’s all about ratings. But what’s done is done and I’ve hoped you’ve learned your lesson. Like Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal, you need to learn your place in the Republican Party. You just can’t go off thinking you’re running stuff. You see how it worked for them.
This is pretty cool. Check out this photo of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address. Check out some of the snapshot images also. I think my favorite is the one of Justice Clarence Thomas sleeping. Chaney and Newt don’t look too happy to be there also. See if you can find them and others as you zoom around the photo. Talk about hi-def! Have fun.
I made this Gigapan image from the north press platform during President Obama’s inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009. It’s made up of 220 images and the final image size is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels.
** LARGE FORMAT PRINTS OF THIS IMAGE ARE NOW AVAILABLE HERE:
For more information from the photographer, send a blank email to pano@davidbergman.net
Date Taken: January 20, 2009 Date Added: January 22, 2009 Bookmarked: 105 times Total Views: 4189298 views Snapshots: 1755 Size: 1.47 gigapixels Field of View: 194.19 degrees wide, 80.09 degrees high
