HERE'S HOPING HOPE WINS

SOMEBODY IS ON THEIR JOB FOR THIS MAN! LOOK AT THAT GRAPHIC! THE VISUAL DIRECTION OF OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN COMPELLING, NARRATIVE AND CLIMATIC FROM DAY ONE!

Schely a Fake

I found this comment by blogspot blogger, True Harlemite in response to Craig Schely on Harlem World. Pretty informative in light of my last blog. I Guess I shouldn't feel so good after all. Shame on you Schely! You're still cute though. Dink!



First this must be said. Craig Schley came out of nowhere less than one year ago at a 125th Street Rezoning meeting. He does not really know Harlem. He uses the ideas and work of others who know Harlem to get over. He used the 125th Street Rezoning as a way for him to get a lot of media face time that he felt would help “position” him to run against Rangel.

Charlie Rangel needs to go but a seasoned Harlemite who really knows the Village of Harlem should replace him. Not an opportunistic and manipulative Harlem “newbie” who is trying to get a name for himself while attempting to “get over” on Harlemites.

This Wilhelmina Model man is attempting to hook on to the discontent of Harlem Residents with the present crop of sorry Harlem Politicians. He is also hoping that the Harlem Community does not carefully examine him and his past/present deeds too closely. In other words, as mentioned above, he sees this as an opportunity to “get over” on Harlemites because of their anger towards Rangel.

Harlemites should definitely be angry with Rangel but not so angry as to allow Craig Schley’s fake concern for Harlem and the 125th Street Rezoning to blind them to his (Craig Schley’s) manipulation of the present painful state of politics in Harlem.

This guy is slick because along with banking on the Harlem Community’s massive dissatisfaction with Charlie Rangel he is also attempting to “hook on” to Obama’s call for change. As indicated above he will use the ideas and work of others to push through his own (real) agenda. And also, as previously indicated, Charlie needs to go but this “Model of Distraction” should not be the one to replace him. Mr. Slick Schley has attempted to use the email of other groups to get himself known, piggy backed on other groups’ rallies to give a false impression that he is leading these groups, is the executive director of vote people that has abused human rights (although it claims to be for human rights) and has yet (it is believed) to stop using a web site to which it has not been given rights to.

Last this must be said, Craig Schley came out of nowhere and he needs to go back there for the good of the Village of Harlem.

TH
TrueHarlemite.blogspot.com

Craig for Congress

So I was walking home one day this week after the usual boring workday. I was dragging my tired ass along just glad to be one block from my apartment in Harlem when I heard the amplified sound of a voice behind a bullhorn campaigning for a political office in a slowly moving vehicle. It was Craig Schley. I remember someone handing me a few leaflets about his bid for congress a few weeks ago. I actually read them and held on to them for a bit before trashing them a few days ago. But, and I'm sorry for being superficial one of the things I noticed first was how fine he was and how good he looked for being in his forties. Same as Obama. Black people age so well.
So there he was riding around in his car at the opposite end of the block where I live. I was only a few feet away. I watched a white gentlemen approach him in the passenger side of the vehicle and shake his hand. Craig continued on announcing his run for Congress to the block and just as I turned the corner he called out to me on his bullhorn. "How are you today M'am?" I waved at him as I walked passed and up the block towards home. I really liked that. That made me feel good for a moment.

Diddy Twins For Obama

Something tells me that Diddy's relationships with grown women are not much different.

Obama and Nadja

Leave it to Obama (with his fine ass) to show up in a photo in Bazaar Magazine with one of my favorite long lost long legged models, Nadja Auerman, the ice princess.

He's got my vote 2 times!
YOU BETTA WERK!!!!

Human After All (Murakami Madness)

I recently received a French edition of Murakami’s “A Wild Sheep Chase” published by Points which I requested through my Bookmooch account several weeks ago. It came from someone in Finland so it took a while to get here. I don’t speak French but I’m kind of a Murakami fan and I love the variety of book cover design in the international publications of his novels.
On the back of the French paperback is a picture of a younger Murakami (looks like he’s in his thirties) which I have never seen before. The author photo they usually provide for Murakami’s novels in America is of a black and white portrait of a man well into his forties maybe even fifties. I’m always staring at the photo trying to link something of the incredible depth, complexity, darkness, beauty and unorthodox narrative of his books to any similar light in his eyes. But there’s no giveaway, nothing remotely special. His face is not so much sad or stern as it is closed off and resigned. But in this photo of him in his thirties I see for the first time that light which may have been steadily fading at the time. I see vulnerability and a kind of fragility which is a bit of a relief for me. Murakami’s discipline is intimidating but the irreverent humility of his protagonists is profound. I never fail to find something in his writing that connects me to myself.

I've been reading his latest book which is more of a memoir at Kinokuniya Books during lunch. I have ordered it of course, but sitting in Zaiya Cafe, I've already gotten up to chapter three so it's quite likely I'll be done with it before my copy actually arrives. I pick it up when I walk in and I don't put it down until my lunch hour is over.

What Makes Me White?

Ahem...
So tonight in my Inequality Privilege class which is growing more and more disappointing every week, our professor whom I will not mention by name showed a video entitled "What Makes Me White" and when the whole awkward thing was done talked about how this had to be presented to white people in a "non threatening way in order that they didn't shut down when confronted with their own racism. I told her that the whole notion that this had to be presented in a non-threatening way said a lot about the fucked up way in which we deal with race in this country and that that is something that needs to be addressed as well. When the lights came on and she looked up down at us with her arms crossed, I could see in her eyes that she was looking, not for our honest response but for a specific response that she had already in her mind. The general response as far as I could gather was like what's the big surprise? Listening to white people talk about white privilege may be a big revelation for them but we've known this shit all our fucking lives!!!! What am I supposed to do now feel sorry for some white woman who didn't realize that her black nanny was a human being until she attended her funereal and heard all her friends talk about all the contributions she made to her community. Oh give me a fucking break! Go cry to your fucking shrink! This is just going take me a while to get used do. I'm actually conducting a ethnographic project on the subject of Anti-racist white groups for my other class n Urban Cultural Diversity. I don't suppose this will be good attitude to go on in with. I'm just blowing off steam here because honestly, this was just the wrong approach in my opinion. I am just truly fucking shocked at how deluded some white people are! Man! Wow! I mean really! I'm gonna need a moment. I've been waaaaaay too sheltered.

....Shit.

Election Debate 2008 Twitter Style

Once again, my favorite Twitters on the last Presidential debate at Hofstra.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

sarahsmf21 Cindy McCain looks like a candy corn 10:32 PM Oct 15th from TweetDeck


Davida Fernandez
divafern Tina Fey On Sarah Palin: "If She Wins...I'm Leaving Earth" 10:28 PM Oct 15th from TweetDeck


The Turtle 
the_turtle What the hell is that thing in McCain's left cheek, Mail Pouch chewing tobacco, or a tumor??? 10:16 PM Oct 15th from NatsuLion


Ron Hogan
RonHogan OMG, McCain is so angry he's breathing into the mike. 10:16 PM Oct 15th from twitterrific


ourmaninchicago
ourmaninchicago McCain needs to stop talking about Joe the Plumber. He's starting to sound like John's imaginary friend. 10:04 PM Oct 15th from web


nolageek
nolageek Whenever obama is talking, McCain looks like he pooped himself. 9:56 PM Oct 15th from txt


Brandi
lollipopcrush You can almost see smoke coming from McCain's ears. 9:56 PM Oct 15th from txt


t_chrisburns
t_chrisburns mccain looks like he's on uppers 9:55 PM Oct 15th from Election 2008


alexaflotsam
alexaflotsam I think McCain is flirting with someone. Stop batting your damn eyes, sir. 9:55 PM Oct 15th from web


ingopixel
ingopixel Obama mustbe a racist because he's never been to columbia. Whereas mccain of course runs his own drug cartel and visits often. 9:54 PM Oct 15th from txt

New Black Mammy to the Rescue

So as you know I am a truly addicted fan of HBO's True Blood. I think, that aside from my romantic notions about vampires I also really like Sookie Stackhouse's character. Her ability to hear people's thoughts makes her a bit of a freak in a way that I think many women can relate to, especially in terms of their constant violation by a patriarchal society. And on a personal level, we can all relate to having a quality that makes us somewhat self conscious around others and wanting or finding someone who accepts them and let's us feel "normal."

But enter the token black woman, Tara (ha!) and we have again that familiar old stereotypical Mammy character who plays both best friend, guardian and bouncer to Sookie while also dealing with her alcoholic mother. She's tough and argumentative, loud and challenging and in love with Sookie's older brother. Sometimes I just get so sick of seeing this woman pop up in white media fantasies over and over again! I mean, it's not a character without nobility and strength, dignity and intelligence but it's also not the only one that black women can play! The white world would say that provision of roles like this for black actresses is proof that there are roles available for them but when they continue to be of a marginal, sidekick nature then it's just a new form of racism isn't it?

True Blood Episode 6 (SPOILER!)

So Sookie finally gives in to the inevitable, the proverbial grief fuck with Bill "The Vampire" Compton after her Grandmother is murdered in their home. All I wanna know is, are we to believe that she experiences sexual intercourse with the vampire or is it all just blood sucking or to put it another way: was it good for her?

The Union

Most Obama supporters have probably seen this footage before, Myself, I've seen it a couple of times. This morning though, I watched it for the first time and noticed a small detail that meant a lot to me. While he watches his wife Michelle give her speech about him at the DNC Barack sort of rolls his wedding ring between his fingers, like it's his unconscious way of connecting with her while she speaks. I don't know if he did that out of nerves or whether it was a strategic move for the camera or whether the camera man really caught a real moment without Barack's knowledge of it. All I know is I was moved to tears watching it. It's sad that we have to question so moments like this when seen through the eyes of the media but I try not ever question my feelings too much. When Biden got choked up speaking about the death of his family during his debate with Palin, there was the slightest doubt in my mind that his pause may have been strategic but the one thing I don't doubt is his deepest regret. And I don't for a minute doubt the love the Obamas have for one another. It's pretty plain. I can feel it.

OHOHOHOOOOOOOOOooooo YESSSS!!!!

Beautiful! Just Beautifully done. Thank you Anthony!

American Myth

“There is an illusion about America, a myth to which we are clinging which has nothing to do with the lives we lead and I don’t believe that anybody in this country who has really thought about it or really almost anybody who has been brought up against it—and almost all of us have one way or another—this collision between one’s image of one’s self and what one actually is is always very painful and there are two things you can do about it, you can meet the collision head on and try to become what you really are or you can retreat and try to remain what you though you were, which is fantasy, in which you will certainly perish.”
-James Baldwin
From “Notes for a Hypothetical Novel”
In “Nobody Knows My Name

Reading James Baldwin always makes me feel better. Because the issues he dealt with and discussed so eloquently and in such a relative way then are still being echoed right now everyday. His language was so nuanced and so inclusive of something which I believe sought to transcend the boundaries of labels we know so well and seem to be so comfortable settling for that it helps me to feel less alone in feeling that there must be so much more to me than what society would seek to define based on mere relational and occupational roles, more than gender, race and class constructs can begin to tell the story of.

Here is a great article in the New York Times on the collection of essays "Nobody Knows My Name" by Irving Howe

Biden/Palin SNL

Womanly VS Sexy

This weekend I was in bed with my laptop in the morning watching “Witness” one of my favorite movies. I bought the special edition DVD last week so that I could see the documentary on the making of. The director, Peter Wier spoke about the difficulty of casting the Amish female lead part. He said that he screened several young girls who were attractive enough but too hip for the part and who were quote “Sexy but not womanly.” That really impressed me. He said that when he thought of the word womanly, Italian women came to mind. And so they sent the casting director to Italy to find someone. By then Kelly McGillis had already arrived on the set and nailed it. The differentiation between womanly and sexy really grabbed me and I guess I was just also pleased to hear that a man really appreciated that or even noticed the difference. It was one of the many appealing aspects of Kelly McGillis’ portrayal of an Amish woman. Everything that women usually add to themselves in order to complete the image of “woman” in their mind is stripped away in Amish culture. It lets you see a woman as she is. The sexy part, which I believe is a social construction parlayed into a pervasive marketing tool to which I claim no considerable resistance is like the additives and preservatives found in pure food. Sensuality which I believe is natural is not exactly the same as sexiness. And womanliness is something else again. Apparently, according to Weir not all women are womanly just by default of being female. I began to wonder about the women I know who I feel are womanly and what that might mean to me.

ELection 2008 on Twitter

I'm totally biased so there are no twitters here for Sarah. FUCK THAT! I only Twitter for Barack/Biden! These are a few of my faves from tonight's debate.

chanunu
chanunu I may just have a sex change because of Palin 12 minutes ago from web

jackie
alae93 #vpdebate please tell me i hallucinated sarah palin's crass reference to joe biden's dead wife 13 minutes ago from web

Kelly Richards
ftsKelly If I hear the word Mavrick one more time I am going to punch Sarah Palin in the face. 13 minutes ago from txt

tayloransley
tayloransley Sarah Palin-YOU are a lame attempt at a joke. 23 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

riese
autowin Palin wins cutest debater, biden wins vice president 23 minutes ago from Election 2008

Nick
ImNickArmstrong In short: if McCain dies, Palin will take a momentary and solemn pause before dancing a jig on the American people. 24 minutes ago from Twinkle

whydowork
whydowork Everytime Sarah Palin winks 6 kittens are killed. 24 minutes ago from Election 2008

Mike Davis
IHeartMovies Palin tries so hard to be cutesy. "Gosh Darnitt" and more adorable sayings versus saying anything important. #current 25 minutes ago from twhirl

Jeffery Harrell
jefferyharrell Sarah Palin's winking is making me really uncomfortable. I think I need to speak to an adult. 28 minutes ago from web


Shoq Biden: "If I were to become President, I can promise you, I could spell President" 28 minutes ago from Election 2008

chrysb
chrysb sarah palin sounds like the mom from Bobby's World 32 minutes ago from web


john patrick calvert
jonnyquest45 palin is failin 40 minutes ago from web

Alexandra
aleellis One of these days, Palin's lies are gonna get her killed about 1 hour ago from web

Bradley Steinbacher
bmsteinbacher Palin's brain is a Teleprompter, only she's not writing the script. about 1 hour ago from Twittelator

Jarrett Gossett
jarrettgossett If Palin cries, I will take a screen grab of it and make it my desktop wallpaper. about 1 hour ago from Election 2008

GET YOUR TWITTER ON!

Choked Up (SCENE SPOILER)

Where else you would find a scene in which Colonial Williams burg Historical interpreters, sex addiction and a hand job coincide so succinctly but in a movie based on a Chuck Palahniuk book? "Choke" is by no means a great movie but I usually jump at anything Sam Rockwell is in and I really missed his grungy face and smarmy little smile. I haven't seen him in anything good since "Confessions of Dangerous Mind" which is a fucking great movie. In the "Choke" scene to which I'm referring, which I realize now is one of my favorites, Hank, whom Sam Rockwell plays calls in a favor of Ursula one of his prettier co-workers to give him a hand job in a barn, not because he has any romantic feelings for her but because he's been having some erectile dysfunction issues. In fact, while she's wacking him off, they talk very casually like friends about her deep affection for Charlie, one their other co-workers played by actor and director Clark Gregg. Shortly after she falls asleep on Hank mid wank, Charlie walks in on them. Clearly angry, he admits that he is in love with Ursula but states that his utter disappointment in finding her in this position has ruined all his previous notions about her. Sitting in the hay, penis in Ursula's sleeping hand, Hank actually talks Charlie down from his rage and in so many words convinces him to walk out and forget he ever saw them because the situation is not what he thinks. It's a masterful and at the same time hilarious scene. It would never happen in real life but because it's played so well, you almost believe that it could happen.