The Great Blog of Kéto was started by Kéto 20 August, 2008. My blog interests are politics & social issues. I started TheListbyKeto e-mag May 06 & inform over 2,000 weekly readers in the Tampa Bay USA area of local events & biz advertising, so blogging is the next step. I'm addicted to Google news & live on Facebook.
I was born in the northern mountains of Haiti in 1980. Came to the USA for life saving burn treatment in 1985, learned English, moved to Florida in 1990, began college at age 16, graduated with an MBA/Entrepreneurship, MIS & Adv Management in 2005. I'm a proud father. I started this blog because I love writing.
Florida's Republican rulers spend money on every thing else & hand out tax cuts like candy, and oh wow, now Florida is $2.3 billion short for education, mental health, and other critical infrastructure needs in Florida. And of course, of course, like good Republicans the first things that have been cut from the budget are education and healthcare. I guess no one else's education or healthcare matter when your family is already taken care of. My wife works in mental health management and tells me that hiring is abyssmal across the industry and budgets for care and reimbursement for clients have been dramatically cut. So the people who need assistance the most are now on their own. In her case, she has gone from a case-load of 60 clients to 30 clients.
It all boils down to something that the GOP has never understood. When you're always cutting taxes, the money you were SUPPOSED to allocate in the budget for critical projects and day to day operations HAS to come from somewhere! If you don't replace that money (especially during times of budget crunch), you have a shortfall or deficit. It's the same idea with federal government just on a more massive scale. Which of course is why when Democrats are President, we have growth, job creation, balanced budget & sometimes surplus (See Bill Clinton vs. George H. W. Bush & George W. Bush). When Republicans are President, we run a national deficit like no one's business. Look at your history and tell me if I'm wrong.
Recently a fellow alumni posed a question to other college honor society alumni regarding the current U.S. recession and it's duration. I responded to him as follows:
Q: Does anyone have any thoughts on when they feel the economy will get back on its feet?
A: Bradley, That's a great question. I'm not sure if I'd go as far as Richard, however consider the following. The National Bureau of Economic Research tracked back and say the current U.S. recession started in December 2007. Normally a US recession lasts between 8 and 16 months (based on the history of US recessions), however we are currently in a worldwide recession (as evidenced by the collapse of Iceland's govt recently, the worst recession in Japan since WWII, bank bailouts in Europe, etc) which lasts at least 2 years minimum. By that count, the world (and the US b/c the world economy takes it's cues from the US/Wall Street) will be in recession until at least 2010. Likely longer.
However, regardless of how horrible the economy is, there are fields where folks are still making great money (healthcare, IT, etc) while other fields (automotive, recruiting/HR, marketing, banking/finance, real estate/housing/construction, government, etc) are taking a hit. When corporations & businesses again gain confidence in federal governments, then you'll see Wall Street & by definition world markets respond in like manner.
Today was historically significant in the history of my life as well as the history of the United States. Dr. Ronald E. McNair and fellow crew members died when theChallenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch. Even though I was 6 yrs old in 1986 when the Challenger destructed, one of astronauts will forever be a hero to me. Dr McNair was the inspiration for the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, a federally funded (TRIO) grant program for high-achieving undergraduate students underrepresented at the doctoral level. The McNair Program at University of South Florida (USF) paired me with MIS & Business research mentors and helped me gain access into my graduate school network through which I attained my MBA.
Dr. McNair was truly a Renaissance man, and the world is better because of enterprising men like him. At a time when White America was still struggling with Civil Rights laws, integration of public schools, and accepting Blacks as more than just second-class citizens, Dr. McNair was a research scientist, pioneering astronaut, family man, jazz musician, karate expert, and a good Christian. Dr. McNair was a genius, was the first African American to gain his PhD/Physics at MIT as well as 3 other honorary doctorates. My favorite quote by Dr. McNair was made before the Massachusetts State Legislature regarding education, "I believe that in our urban and rural cities there are great minds and talents with hands that can control a spacecraft with the same dexterity that they control and handle a basketball. These talents must not be wasted."
A major positive experience that led to my success in business school was my research training through the McNair Scholars Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at USF. I had the opportunity to learn research methods and study with leading scholars in my field prior to enrolling in business school. Another positive experience was the unofficial orientation to my graduate programs provided by fellow scholars who were already enrolled in graduate school. Twelve fellow Scholars and I were inducted into the 1999-2001/2002 cohort at University of South Floirda. All of us were already honors students and involved in campus & community leadership. The Program made our certain path to success straighter by providing us with a network of grad school contacts and scholarship/fellowship information from all over the country. The biggest value of the Program was that staff such as Dr. Joan Holmes taught us HOW to navigate the grad school applications process which can take a year or more of time. As well, students have the chance to be published in national academic research journals and present work at national conferences depending on the quality of research. This research experience is extremely important because it disseminates graduate level research methods which are necessary for earning one's future graduate degree. When I started grad school, I had no problem adjusting to "real" research because I had already learned these skills in the McNair Program.
The program also assists Scholars with a stipend every semester. Also, there is an opportunity to qualify for and attend the McNair Summer Research Institute which I also attended. It is at this time that students at the University of South Florida (other Programs may differ in their curriculum) take 3 senior level research classes (my classes were Research Technical Writing, Independent Research, & Research Design) and begin work with their Research Mentor (unless they have already begun research through the Honors Program in which case this research is continued) as a Research Intern which is similar to a Research Assistant (RA) position. My Research/Role Model Mentor and I conducted a study, "Burnout: A Mediator Between Role Stress Fit and Satisfaction and Commitment? (2001)" for which I won Superior Research recognition as well as the opportunity for both of us to present at state and national research conferences. Another benefit of the Summer Institute is the graduate prep classes, which are offered to give students test preparation and waivers for the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, etc.
Yet another benefit was access to a private computer lab with brand new state-of-the art equipment including new Toshiba laptops which students could use not only for their Honors and McNair Scholars coursework but also for their major coursework. Resume building was also encouraged with the "average" Scholar involved in community service, honor societies and student organizations, the arts, or other extracurricular activities, and opportunity to compete for travel to research symposiums at USF and other host universities.
As the saying by Sir Isaac Newton goes, "If I have seen further [than certain other men] it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." and for at least 13 of us, and many thousands of current honors students and alumni of the 160 partner colleges & universities, we all stand on Dr. Ronald E. McNair's larger-than-life shoulders!
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.
They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Today at 12:00pm, January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated the 44th President of the United States of America. In my brief 28 years of life I have not witnessed a more publicized or more anticipated Presidential Inauguration than that of Barack Obama. The human interest in this event is a testament to the good will and excitement that people of all races, nationalities, religious beliefs, political pedigrees have concerning the transformational Obama. On November 4, 2008, the American voters elected Barack Obama by a landslide. By the numbers, Obama won African Americans (96%), Jews (77%), gays and lesbians (71%), first-time voters (68%), Latinos (67%), Asians (63%), voters under 30 (66%), union members (59%) and women (55%), along with a significant number of independent voters, Republicans, conservatives, and Evangelical Christians.
Election night was certainly electric and filled with the realization that the hope of countless millions of Americans was about to be realized. For the first time in over 400 years, the idea that the best man could ascend to the highest office in the land and therefore take leadership of the world's most prosperous country despite his race or cultural background was no longer just a dream. Obama is not just an American, he is also an African-American and though some would like to paint him as a post-racial President, that is not in fact how the rest of us see it. He stands on the shoulders of giants such as Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Harriett Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, Aretha Franklin, Benjamin Banneker (who designed Washington, D.C.), Frederick Douglass, and many other historical African-American figures who could not see this day, but hoped for it.
In 1900, the poet James Weldon Johnson penned the following words to "Lift Ev'ry Voice & Sing" now called the Negro National Anthem. Only if he were here to see his poetry become life!
Stony the road we trod,Bitter the chast'ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat,Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past,Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
My wife and I had considered attending the Inauguration, but decided against it and settled for watching it on TV due to having school-age children. I went to work just like any other day and at 12:00pm watched the Inauguration live on CNN on our office projector because CNN.com/Facebook Inauguration feed was over capacity. Outside I was standing calmly in my conference room, but inside I was excited and wanted the moment to last forever but satisfied that this has happened in my lifetime for my children to see. Even the sightings of outgoing President Bush and Vice-President Cheney could not dampen my spirits. President Obama took the oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, and although Roberts flubbed a portion of the Oath of Office, Obama completed the Oath correctly, then proceeded to give his Inaugural speech.
Obama's Inaugural speech was filled with hope for the future and a change in the way that government interacts with its own people and the world while focusing on themes of sacrifice in times of crisis and renewal of ideals such as liberty, hard work, perseverence, unity & equality that made America great. He ended the speech with the statement, "Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations." Following Inaugural festivities, President Obama's first official action was the declaration of January 20, 2009 as "National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation."
The Capitol is illuminated in the early morning hours before the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (David McNew/Getty Images)
People gather to watch US President Barack Obama's sworn in as the 44th US president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
This image provided by GeoEye Satellite Image shows Washington D.C.'s National Mall and the United States Capitol (top), in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 taken at 11:19AM EDT during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The image, taken through high, wispy white clouds, shows the masses of people between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. (AP Photo/GeoEye Satellite Image)
Barack H. Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States as his wife Michelle Obama holds the Bible and their daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama look on, on the West Front of the Capitol January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Chuck Kennedy-Pool/Getty Images) Spectators in Times Square watch President Barack Obama take the oath of office during his inauguration Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
U.S. soldiers watch the U.S. presidential inauguration via a webcast from Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan January 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Bob Strong (AFGHANISTAN)
People gather for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America on the National Mall January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
U.S. President Barack H. Obama greets guests after he is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on the West Front of the Capitol January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images)
Vertie Hodge, 74, weeps during an Inauguration Day party near Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Houston on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 after President Barack Obama delivered his speech after taking the oath of office, becoming the first black president in the United States. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Mayra Beltran)
President Barack Obama signs his first act as president, a proclamation declaring a national day of renewal and reconciliation and calling on Americans to serve one another, after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States during the inaugural ceremony in Washington Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, Pool) Pakistani Christian children hold portraits of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama during a prayers ceremony for global peace in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo)
U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk in the inaugural parade following his inauguration as the 44th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
Sasha Obama waves through the limousine window as she and her sister Malia leave Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests at the "Biden Home States Ball" record the moment as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Washington Convention Center in the nation's capital, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance their first dance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in Washington January 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)
There are a few things I never thought I would see in my lifetime, a Black President, Tiger Woods speaking out on politics or social issues, or a sober Whitney Houston. Lo and behold, and least two of those things will happen in 2009. Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes in the history of individual sports is averse to the spotlight when it comes to expressing any opinion on politics or issues of social import, even waving off the very stereotypical racist comments made by Fuzzy Zoeller as a mis-speak made in the heat of the moment. Woods refused to let Zoeller's comments detract from the historic nature of the 1997 Masters as 21-year-old Woods became the first African American to win a major professional golf tournament.
With these in mind, I think I speak for everyone in registering my surprise that Woods accepted an invitation to speak at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial Opening Celebration for the 56th Presidential Inaugural". This free outdoors concert will feature stars as Beyonce, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, and other notables. Woods is one of those rare figures that transcends athletics and life just as did Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and other notable figures before him. Because of the respect and personal good-will he has earned the world over, millions of people will take to heart anything that Tiger says. Yes he has already opened many doors by becoming the first successful Black golfer in the world history of professional golf, but Tiger can raise awareness of the most important issues of our times by speaking out when his voice most needs to be heard.
And so...after a brief hiatus, we continue the "Picture of the Day" series. Today's winners are courtesy of my firm's IT department. You do have a little bit of IT knowledge to appreciate the humour, but I'll notate each picture to make things a little clearer.
Problem Solving Flowsheet
Well actually, I'm not going to explain this one, but it demonstrates the thought process flowchart for problem solving in many IT (information technology) departments and projects. Like they say, if I have to explain it...
Linux Symposium Statistics: T-Shirt Size There's always the joke expressed via stereotype that IT people are not the most fit specimens. Say "computer guy" and average Joe thinks of a nerdy, balding guy with glasses who lives in his parent's basement, wears ratty jeans with pocket protector, and couldn't score a date to save his life, but mostly the imagery that comes to mind is that of a fat middle aged man. In this case, reality reflected perception. There are annual technical conventions for users of Linux, an open-source operating system that rivals Microsoft's Windows. For one such convention, organizers kept track of how many shirts attendees ordered of each size (S, M, L, XL, XXL) from 1999-2008. It's apparent by the bar graph that attendees went from mostly wearing small to medium shirts to wearing large and extra large shirts nine years later. Well it's sad but true.
Coach Stoops, while certainly one of the best college coaches in America risks gaining the label of other very good but underachieving coaches like Ohio State's Jim Tressel, Michigan's Lloyd Carr (retired), and a few other big-time coaches. It can be said that while he has a prolific regular season record and has produced many big-name college football stars that have been drafted in the NFL such as Adrian Peterson (star rookie RB for Minnesota Vikings), Big Game Bob can't will his teams to win when it counts the most. In the meantime, Gators coach, Urban "Legend" Meyer simply builds on his legend and a great program established by Steve Spurrier by winning his 2nd national championship since he arrived at Florida 4 years ago. The Legend just wins and wins big wherever he goes.
For old times sake this blogger presents my Top 25 Favorite blog posts of 2008 from The Great Blog of Kéto. I have also included a preview of each article with the title. Enjoy yourselves!
Soledad O'Brien contrasted the disparities as well as the striking similarities between the have's and have nots of Black America. As a bi-racial American, she was the perfect face & moderator for this expose, fitting though since CNN (which I've had the pleasure of touring) is based in one of America's most prosperous Black metropolitan areas, Atlanta.
While it's true that maybe the color of the President should not matter, unfortunately it does due to to a variety of historic, social, economic and political factors. After all if it didn't matter then I'm sure we would have had a Black, Native American, Latino, or Asian President w/in the last 400 years, seeing as how those were the people that built the America we enjoy today.
The Republican party keeps successfully using the abortion issue (as well as gay rights, guns, affirmative action aka "Stop those Blacks from taking our jobs.") election after election, and the American public is complicit in letting them get away with it.
...this weekend marks the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina of August 29, 2005 whose effects were exacerbated by an incompetent, do-nothing government which had billions of dollars in aid overseas the day after after the Indonesia tsunami of December 26, 2004, but took 3 days to even react to Hurricane Katrina just a few thousand miles away and after President Bush's August 28, 2005 Katrina briefing on the possibility of a category 3 hurricane breaching the levies in New Orleans.
One year ago today, I began officially dating Shirre A. (Miller) on Saturday, September 15, 2007. So today is another good day in a long sequence of good days.
Recently, Tim Wise, the author of "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son" expounded on what it really means to have "white privilege" in the United States of America even in the 2000's, when many people would like to believe that we have transitioned from a racist (read racially conscious or race-charged) society of the 1960's and 1970's to a "post-racial" society which embraces all regardless of race, religion, or cultural background.
Gen. Colin Powell, during his televised endorsement of Barack Obama recounted a picture he saw of a mother kneeling at the U.S. military graveside of her son, a casualty of the war in Iraq. What Powell said about the picture speaks volumes about where we are as a nation when our prejudice allows us to generalize the "terrorist" label without batting an eye to people who may not deserve that label simply because they belong to a particular culture or religion outside that of mainstream America. In this light, Muslims have become the new Blacks--the "others" of the 21st century.
Its been eight long years since the boys said wassup to each other. Even with the effects of a down economy and imminent change in the White House, the boys are still able to come together and stay true to what really matters.
This weekend I received an email from a close friend of the family whom I have known since age 5. As always I was glad to hear from him, and this time he sent a poem "T'was The Night Before Election" which rhymed that Obama was a socialist and McCain was the only reasonable choice. Naturally, my blogger sensibilities go the better of me, so I sent a quick note back to him and several folks that he had copied on the same email.
It's nice that McCain was a POW and all, but I have news for you, being a POW is not a magic benchmark that somehow makes you more qualified for President. I know a number of other former WITH COMMAND EXPERIENCE such as General Wesley Clark, General Colin Powell, etc who actually have overseen thousands to hundreds of thousands of troops AND multi-million and multi-billion dollar defense budgets. Does that automatically qualify them for the Presidency too?
For those of you who are actually undecided at this point... Do you mean to tell me that after nearly 2 years of non-stop political campaigning, over 20 Presidential Debates, and after each candidate has long ago put their major policy positions on their website AND distributed them through the various media, that you still can't make up your mind?
Obama won majorities among African Americans (96%), Jews (77%), gays and lesbians (71%), first-time voters (68%), Latinos (67%), Asians (63%), voters under 30 (66%), union members (59%) and women (55%), along with independent voters, all numbers which are the largest since Lyndon Johnson, thus consolidating the various bases of the Democratic party into a potent electoral coalition. Further, Obama won key battleground states by taking 10% of Republicans, 20% of conservatives, and 33% of evangelical Christians.
Once I arrived at my destination courtesy of Google Maps directions, I was amazed to see how open voters were. I certainly expected to have a few doors closed in my face, but almost everyone who was at home, Black, White, or Latino acted like they were glad to see me, and let me know that they or their relatives had already voted for Obama earlier in the day or had early voted in the previous two weeks.
The Iraqi's in a gesture of hope and "Hey we've got to spend some of that $70 billion budget surplus" have decided to defy death and good common sense by building a subway system in Baghdad. Well, I admire their capitalistic flair, but dang what could possibly go wrong with this picture?
I do not plan on shopping this Friday after Thanksgiving. I feel that the holidays have become so over-commercialized that the joy has been taken out of the true meaning of America's religious and traditional holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc even though according to almanacs and historical records Jesus was not born on December 25.
This week, The Great Blog of Kéto (TGBoK) celebrated a pretty cool milestone! On Wednesday, we reached and then passed 1,000 readers from around the globe.
he honeymoon officially is over! The grand high potentates of my Homeowners' Association (HOA) known as the Board of Directors have taken it upon themselves to chastise me for having Obama-Biden yard signs in the area next to my porch.
[During my MBA studies] I had the good fortune to lead a team of fellow MBA's and I've presented a summary of our research in the presentation "How to Do Businesss in Haïti" below.
Is O.J. Simpson 9-33 years worth of guilty? I don't think so. Frankly, the story of OJ's trial is more indicative of race relations in this country than it is of OJ's boneheaded, bad decision making.
...life is too short to walk around being hurt all the time. Life is also to short to walk on pins and needles wondering if the next thing you say is going to offend someone.
I am writing because I feel the Notice of Violation is in error as it pertains to certain facts of the supposed violation. I am also under the impression that my townhome has been singled out possibly due to my political affiliation which would indeed be an unfortunate fact were that the case.
Chatting the Pictures: The Climate’s Dark Harvest
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As striking as it is ominous, this disorienting photo is a powerful
indictment of the social and environmental impact of extreme heat.
The post Chatting ...
iPads In The Cockpit
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We, in the back of the plane, still can't use our iPads and other
electronics fully from gate to gate (for at least a couple months, anyway),
but pilots ...
No Time for Tuckerman
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Time. It is precious, they say. It flies, they say. And former Republican
Party Chair, former Dunleavy Chief of Staff, and now former University of
Alaska ...
Return of the Cheap Blogging Crutch - 8.16.10
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*Right? Right?*
*Slate*'s William Saletan dismantles the flimsy arguments against the Ground
Zero Mosque Lower Manhattan Islamic Cultural Center with unsur...
West Wing Week 1/19, or "Obama, Farewell"
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On our last, full day here at the White House, here is the Obama
Administration's 388th -- and final -- episode of our weekly round-up
video, West Wing W...
Posts
This week there was a modern day horror story regarding the state of Florida's educational budget shortcomings. Apparently, during each of 7 periods, students in a central Florida High School are sent to the gym in groups of 200 because the principal does not have money to pay substitute teacher due to budget shortfall ordered by the GOP-run State Legislature. But should this really be a shock to us? No! it's what happens when Republicans run Florida gov for 8-12 years. As Obama said, "Instead of prosperity trickling down, pain has trickled up." In this case from state to county to city, so forth.
