Earlier this month, the Electronic Village presented ‘The Arte y Pico Award‘ to this blog. I’m definitely honored because the Villager has one of the top black blogs out there and it is a testament to what online activism should entail. If you search my blog you will find a number of references to his site. He’s also one of the workshop presenters at the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta this weekend.

Here are the rules of the Arte y Pico Award:

• You have to pick 5 blogs that deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
• Each awardee has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
• Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
• Each award winner should provide a link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award

Here are five (5) blogs, in no particular order, that I think show Creativity, Fabulous Design, Interesting Material or Contribute to the blogging community:

1. Black In Business - JD is one of the first bloggers I’ve gotten to meet in person. His blog is full of good advice for business owners and he’s open and honest about his views regarding our society. I’m always interested in seeing what he’ll post next. A good guy and a good site.
2. Vanessa: Unplugged - Vanessa (I always want to call her V) has a blog that is very well written and designed. Her topics are right on point and most of the time we have the same views on things. I admire people who can write because it’s something I’ve been working on for a while. Another thing that got me hooked on her site was her commitment last year to blog every day for a year. That’s not easy to do!
3. Dallas South Blog - Shawn is a fellow Aggie, but that’s not why I selected his site. If you want to know what’s happening in South Dallas, this is the blog for you. This is another site that is well-written and he stays on top of the issues that black people need to be concerned about. Even if you don’t live in Dallas, his blog is one you should definitely check out. He will be an attendee at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
4. Black Web 2.0 - I like all things technology. This is one of the sites where I go to get my tech news fix when the need arises. Technology changes daily and there’s always something new to blog about. Angela and Markus are good at staying on top of the newest tech news and gadgets. When you visit the site you have to check out their podcast. They’ve gotten some really good interviews with some major players in the technology industry. They will also be presenting a workshop at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
5. Geeky Cyber Mom - Geeks are cool and so is this website. Anyone who carries a 4-port USB hub in their purse is alright with me. I “e-met” the Geeky Cyber Mom on Twitter. Her blog is fun to read and very informative. She also manages another blog and podcast called Tales of a Single Parent which is equally as good.

So this is my list of bloggers that deserve the award. I have more I’d like to add, but the award only calls for five. Visit their blog and let me know what you think. Thanks again to the Villager for choosing lil ol’ me.

The folks at MoveOn.org are giving away new Obama buttons for free, as part of a massive national visibility campaign. If you want one, click the button below:

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a post and after reading one at martyblogs.com, I knew I had to share this one with you all. In a post called Black Men and Cancer, Marty gets on us about knowing our family medical history and taking cancer exams more serious. I’ve blogged about my health before and how I get annual physicals because my family has a history of high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. I agree with him 100% because we tend to have a thing with self-diagnosing and not getting the medical attention we need.

I also know a lot of people who don’t go to the doctor because they lack health insurance or don’t trust the doctor all together. But that’s something we need to get over soon because our health depends on it. There are many programs out there to participate in, but you have to do the research. If you search the blog, you’ll even see a couple posted here.

So brothas, it’s time to step up when it comes to our health. Sure there are plenty of things other than health than can take us out. But if taking care of myself keeps me here a little longer, I’m all for it. Check out the post and take heed to what Marty is telling us. Also check out this track from Nas’s new CD. He understands the health struggle as do I. Yes, there is profanity on this track.

Why Reverend Jesse why? So you really want to castrate the guy? Now that’s gangsta.

I respect the fact that Jackson has paved the way for Obama to be in the position he’s in, but this comment shows how fake people can be. But this isn’t this what American politics is all about? I’m sure Jesse’s not the only one who feels this way. He just got caught slippin’.

I’ve posted before how much I hate to see people say something they really believe and then apologize when the public questions their motives. If he disagrees with Obama on a certain issue, then he needs to stick by it. All he’s done is given the media another distraction to take away from the real issues. I’m glad to see they squashed it. Talk about an uncomfortable situation. Jesse you just lost your cabinet seat.

Here’s a link to a video on CNN showing Jesse trying to explain his comment. I didn’t buy it. The Youtube video below shows the actual comment.

Recently I was reading an article on Yahoo! that profiled Black Conservatives conflicted with the choice of party loyalties vs. communal allegiances. In particular, JC Watts noted that the Republican party has largely ignored and forgotten poor and disenfranchised African-Americans. Other Black Republicans mentioned in the article included Joseph C. Phillips (Cosby Show’s Martin Kendall), Colin Powell, and John McWhorter from the Manhattan Institute. The aforementioned all have varying opinions on Obama’s campaign and his votability as a candidate, but they all see his candidacy as hope for the African-American community as well as the entire country.

Additionally, I read an interview with rapper Nas on www.hiphopdx.com. He discussed in the interview his aversion to politics. However, Nas gave Obama credit for giving birth to his interest in the 2008 elections saying, “You’re gonna start seeing more rappers evolve into politicians. If we have a change this year and it’s a positive thing, we trusting the system now. We believe in it more. We see something positive coming out of it that makes us want to get involved more. Five or 10 years from now, you might see somebody like me trust it more. Who knows? I won’t say for sure.”

These are just isolated examples of what I believe to be proof of a larger “political renaissance” in the Black community that hasn’t been seen in over 30 years. I still talk to people trapped in the “why vote when it doesn’t matter” concrete bubble. Those people have always and will always be present. Obama’s candidacy has caused a groundswell that is managing to unite peoples of a wide variety of colors and, even more so, ideologies without polarizing the majority of those who will never vote for him anyway.

Hopefully, whomever Obama chooses as a running mate can join his campaign and blend with his platform without being a token or lap dog. I think it will enhance his votability if he can find someone who will present ideas alternate to his own without becoming a distraction or threat to his power as president.

I received a video message from the Obama campaign announcing his decision to opt out of the public financing system. By doing this he will forgo some $84 million that would have been available to him in the general election. This is a big deal and something like this hasn’t been done since Watergate.

While $84 million is a lot of money, Barack has proved he can get over and above the spending limits set if he were to participate. There’s a lot of chatter on there about whether he broke his pledge about reforming the system. But I’m sure he’s taken everything into consideration and is trying to push McCain in a corner. Let’s get ready to rumble! You can listen to the video message and donate a couple of bucks while you’re there.

It’s Official: Barack Obama Opts Out Of Public Financing System; Did He Break His Own Pledge?

I was listening to a talk radio show this morning and they were discussing possible vice president possibilities for both candidates. One of those combinations was an Obama/Colin Powell ticket. When I heard them say, that I thought it would be interesting to see something like this play out. But one of the hosts on the radio show made a good point. He said he felt while America has come a long way, two African-Americans on a ticket would not win. I thought race and racism was still too big of an issue for them to win.

I was offended at first, but after thinking about it for a while, it made some sense. I have to admit, as a kid I thought I never would get the chance to see someone of color be a serious contender in a presidential race. It’s sad that I would think that, but it was the reality of how I viewed this country. I realized racism was real (my birth certificate shows ‘Negro’ as my race) and I knew that while I could rise above it, a glass ceiling was there waiting for me. But after seeing history in the making, you better believe I’m going to make sure my sons have a different frame of thinking than I did.

Can two very qualified African-Americans win the White House? Obama’s weakness is foreign policy and Powell has the experience needed to offset what Obama lacks. Would America vote for an “all black” ticket? Who knows. Obama is smart enough to choose someone who will help him reach his goal. This is not an easy task, so let’s hope he choses right. America’s watching.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell Thinking Of Voting For Obama

How to Pick a Vice President

It’s true when they say “don’t hate the player, hate the game”. Billionaire Bob “BET Booty-Shakin” Johnson is a business man and I can’t hate him at all for continuing the fight for his girl Hillary. He showed true feelings when he spoke out for her and now I guess he feels obligated to do his part in getting her in as VP. He seems passionate in his cause, but I’m wondering how many people he’s reaching in his efforts. To me, he’s just making the situation worse.

In a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus, Johnson urged “I, as a longtime supporter of Senator Clinton and the Democratic Party, urge you to do everything possible to unify this party to win the Presidential election in November. For me and millions of other Democrats, I believe that the most important step that you can take now is to encourage the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Senator Obama to select Senator Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate.”

I’ve always been down for an Obama-Clinton ticket, but as the primary moved along I’m not so sure it’s the best thing. It’s like she’s hurt because she lost and needs to prove to her supporters that she is a fighter. Okay, we get it Hill! Can you imagine them duking it out in the Oval Office over the best ways to improve our health care system?

I wish everyone would just let the chips fall as they may and let Obama make the decision on who to choose as a VP. Last night on television, I watched Lanny Davis make a plea for Hillary as VP. I’m sure all the petition signing and urging supporters to visit her website is making the decision a tough one for Obama. But in order to be President, these types of decisions have to be made. I hope whatever the choice, people will respect it and rally behind him to beat out John McCain.

BET founder to push for Clinton as Obama’s VP pick

by darrell.holmes

It’s even more fun when it comes to fruition. I know Barack hasn’t won the election yet. Still, it’s an amazing accomplishment for an African-American to win a major party’s candidacy for the general election. It becomes even more amazing when you consider Lil’ Jimmy Crow is only 50 years ago. I’m sure you’ve already heard that this election season has had record-breaking turnout around the country.

I have to admit that I’m elated by some of the comments that have surfaced from the candidates during this particularly soiled campaign run. Some comments rooted out what many of us presumed were archaic thoughts and beliefs when in fact they are just a part of the neo-recycling movement. There were things said that some people thought they’d never heard X candidate say about another group of people. As always, there’ve been several casualties of this war with many clergymen (along with their reputations) suffering from crossfire. Sometimes it’s better to just support the frontline that fire shots. Despite all the sideshows, Barack stands now as the presumed Democratic Party nominee for this Fall. None of us are certain of what the future holds but I hope that whatever remains will be an election based on the candidates and the issues that face our country. If, in the process, some old feelings find themselves recycled to the surface then hopefully it serves to father discussion that breeds real change and some healing. Maybe everything will look like the 5:55 mark on this Youtube clip from The Boondocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkobjj-uPSw

I hope everyone who had an issue with his being a member of Trinity is happy. This past Saturday Obama spoke of his decision to withdraw his membership from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. I’m sure this is a tough decision for Obama and his family and it’s sad that it’s come to this. Do people really believe he doesn’t have a mind of his own?

My question is how do you go about finding another church? Wherever he goes the ministers and the comments made by anyone associated with the church will be scrutinized. But I guess that’s politics for you. I’ll be interested in seeing when and where he chooses his next church home. Or maybe he’ll be like the other nominees and not attend a church that addresses the issues we have in our society.