The only face of President Obama

Some people just love President Obama. Others actually pay attention. Like when the President is at an official function and takes 130 photos with dignitaries across the world. (Including press photos with the children of Spain's President - which is illegal in their nation)

But the thing that catches the attention, especially with Eric Spiegelman, is the way President Obama is so rigid. Generally I mean that in his political policies and liberal ways. Still this video of the photos released by the White House proves that President Obama is unmoving beyond his dedication to socialistic views.



I'd laugh more if it wasn't the same ability that helped lead to his election in 2008.

Viacom zaps my Youtube channel again.

Well Viacom did it again. They really must not like me. Of course I have no love for the Corporation either. Which includes Sumner Redstone.

In fact I believe it was my huge uproar about BET and it's "programming" that put me on their radar. The fact that I followed all that up with a logical discourse against Jon Stewart, did not help. And now it seems they are upset with my coverage of Deadliest Warrior: Tshaka Zulu vs. William Wallace.

In each case, with greater speed than the last time, Viacom has blasted my Youtube page and forced my videos to be removed. In each case the video clearly noted that this was not my product, and there were several dozen other Youtube channels with the exact same footage. But I am on the hit list it seems.

Now I respect that they have copyrights. And I am acting according to their wishes in removing the material from my Youtube channel. But I just find it odd.

Because I have videos of other programs, and video of commentators like Bill O'Reilly, that never once drew the ire of thier copyrights. I note this because even when I criticize conservatives, or note racial insensitivity with other corporations, they don't flip out. Just Viacom.

Is it because Viacom hates to be shown as the most racially insensitive and demeaning company in the media industry - in my opinion. Is it because my audience acts upon suggestions to boycott BET, Flavor of Love, I Love New York (the woman not the city), and other equally insulting material that Viacom loves to fill the airwaves with? Is it because Sumner Redstone took my comments to heart - which he should have.

Well it could be all of that. Or just that I have a popular blog and they don't like the negative publicity. Still I will work around it where possible.

So if you see some of my videos in various posts, and they are disabled - blame Viacom. They don't want you to see the glaring racial insensitivity that I have found. They don't want criticism or discussion. They just want people to agree with their point of view, and make them money while doing so.

Oh well.

Dragonball – The Hollywood revision curse

Of course there is the very distinct fact that the upcoming Dragonball movie will be nothing more than a blatant attempt of Hollywood to collect a bunch of money on the hopes of the worldwide fan base. The word to use here is revisioning. And long-time readers know what I think of this now common Hollywood tactic.

But perhaps one of the best ways to discuss the fears of fans of DBZ is said best by this Youtube video.



I think that says it all.

Viacom (and maybe Jon Stewart) doesn't like Black Entertainment USA. Maybe.

So it would seem that Jon Stewart doesn't like what I had to say. Either that, or the lovely people at Viacom (the same joyous people responsible for BET, Flavor of Love, and numerous other insults to African Americans) finally got pissed off. I believe that it is a combination of both.

Now to be fair they have a valid reason for they have done. I had a video on youtube of a portion of the Jon Stewart Daily Show, where he interviewed Mike Huckabee. Those that visit my political website, VASS, likely read my post about their conversation already. I had the video to present the actual conversation, and then expanded on it with my views. There was no question that the video was of Comedy Central's show.

That said, I am unfamiliar with how often Viacom asks Youtube to pull a video. It wasn't something they found randomly. I can say that as there is no dearth of video clips of Stewart on his show on Youtube. Thus they specifically sought out my video for deletion. So I caught someone's attention.

Now I understand how they can claim this was copyright infringement. But I really would have enjoyed anyone from the Daily Show replying to my comments. I'm a big boy, I can take sarcasm and criticism. Even better I would have enjoyed an honest debate. Because this seems to validate my view that you can say anything to far-left liberals and their programs - as long as you agree with what they have to say.

And if it was the Viacom suits that came after me, I really would love to have them make comment. There is a wealth of issues I have with their programming.

Either organization is more than welcome to contact me, or leave comment, and have a discussion that I will provide verbatim to you my readers, if they have the balls. That isn't an insult, it's a challenge. And yes I will come to you if you prefer.

On the positive side though, it is nice to know that I am having an impact. I can't wait to see a response from 50 cent, Snoop Dogg, OJ Simpson, Caroline Kennedy, Senator Hillary Clinton, Representative Barney Frank, or any of the other celebrities, entertainers, politicians and people of note that I have discussed among my blogs and 1700 posts.

And I want to thank you my readers. You and your comments are what make my posts register on the radar of the powers that be. Now that we have their attention, let's see if we can get them to get some things improved.

Literature and the internet could have beat Hitler

The Nobel prize is an accomplishment of great order and a source of pride for any winner. Often an entire lifetime of work is summed up in this one award. And there is no question that colleagues respect those that have won.

For those of us in the general populace the Nobel Prize is beyond our expectations. Most of us do not work in various fields of science and mathematics that many past winners like Albert Einstein and such delve into. But in the area of literature we all can dream of witting that one, or several, novels that capture the essence of life and imagination. Thus many of those that have won for literature are well known to us all, or become so.

But this year, as has happened in many years past, the winner of the Nobel for Literature - Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio of France - has taken that dream of the populace and added something different. He postulated that perhaps, if the internet had existed in the time of Hitler in the 1930's, he might not have been able to do what he did.

Now this has of course drawn criticism of all sorts. I even read one article where many modern day despots and such ilk were discussed and shown to be without concern for the internet. So it is true that the internet by itself is not an answer. And that is the key.

Like writing fiction, life requires imagination. And it is the imagination of say the blogosphere that can ignite the inspiration required to buck trends and question authority. While it may not be possible in North Korea, or China, where the internet is censored and restricted to high levels it is possible in many free nations. And once that inspiration takes hold it filters to the rest of the world.

Maybe Hitler would have been denounced and ridiculed enough to prevent him from gaining an audience. Perhaps his faulty logic could have been laid bare by the comments and attention to detail the internet can provide. Perhaps it could have been as simple as a Youtube video of a gaff that could have dashed his hopes. Maybe not.

But it is the thought that it might have that is important. Because if it might have in the past, it could in the future. And that is the point I think Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio was trying to make. That if we can inspire it, and discuss it, it is possible.

The internet allows for the breaking of every barrier that has existed for millennia. Borders, language, trade differences, religion, and nationalism are all useless. And if we can have the imagination we can spark inspiration. Just like writing does and can do.

And I for one, if I understand this Nobel winner correctly, like that idea. Whether or not it would have worked in the past I can imagine it. And that can inspire us all for a better future.

Electric motorcycles - a good idea or just an eco-dream

With gasoline prices still high, and crude oil prices still fluctuating everyone is looking to motorcycles for greater fuel efficiency. Not my top reason to own a motorcycle but a reason none the less. But there are some eco-fanatical people that think this is not enough. Thus the idea of electric motorcycles was born.

News is out that Honda is looking to create a line of hybrid motorcycles that will be available by 2011 or so. The issue is creating engines that will fit the frame of a motorcycle. Honda believe it can miniaturize the engines used in cars, and create an even more efficient motorcycle.

Interesting but I have to wonder, how will it look and will it be able to ride?

Well that meant I wanted to go out to Youtube,and Google, to see if anyone had made electric or hybrid motorcycles yet. And I found several. Here is one that can do 75 miles an hour.



It looks like a bike, and seems to ride like one as well. Though it sounds like a child’s wind-up toy or a remote controlled toy. And the sound is part of the pleasure of riding a motorcycle. Of course the joy of a motorcycle is not part of the reason why some are looking for electric or hybrid motorcycles.

So what are the pros and cons of this new development?

Pros include:

• Significantly lower cost to run than gasoline. It is estimated it cost ¼ the cost of gasoline to run.
  
• Very quiet
  
• No exhaust fumes since there is not combustion parts (electric only)
  
• You can charge up at home
  
• Reduced or remove the need for oil changes and similar forms of maintenance
  
• Can drive in enclosed spaces without danger from emissions
  

Cons include:

• Very quiet (hey I like the way motorcycles sound)
  
• Short range compared to gasoline
  
• Extended recharge time
  
• Top speed is massively reduced
  
• Battery power fluctuates based on weather (less power in cold weather as an example)
  
• If you run out of power you may not be able to recharge the engine (notice there aren’t too many outlets in the middle of any downtown area)
  

That all says nothing of things like if you are driving, and other cars and trucks can’t hear you on the road and they don’t see you, well you can imagine what they will do. Or the fact that to buy an electric motorcycle is far more than the equivalent power regular motorcycle. And the question of parts is unknown. Where to get them, cost to install (and ease of installation), time to get the parts, ect.

I look at the video, and I see how an electric motorcycle could look like a bike. In the video I see how it could drive like a bike. Mostly. But I’m not sure it has the feel of a bike. And that makes me hesitant.

I want to hear and feel my bike. I want to be sure I have the extra power I might need on a bike. I don’t want to have to constantly be working out the math on how far I can go, based on what speed I am at. I don’t want to be stuck somewhere, push the bike 1 or 2 or 5 miles to a station and realize I can’t recharge it. I don’t want to have to wait an hour, or longer, as the bike recharges in potentially a bad place or during an emergency.

The concept is interesting. The reality is questionable to me. But in a mere couple of years reality will be in showrooms and on the streets.

But if you have an electric motorcycle now, I’d love to hear what you think of it.

In My Name - Will.i.am, celebrites, dignitaries, and you around the world

I realize that over the last couple of weeks the main issue facing the nation has been the bailout of the financial markets, and the mortgage crisis that spurred it. But that is hardly the only thing that has been happening in the world, or this nation.

While the major news media has been forecasting bail out deal after bailout deal, which keeps getting denied by various Senators and Representatives, and predicting what might or might not happen if the deal does or does not get done they have forgotten to cover celebrities, entertainers, and dignitaries that are reminding the world of the promises made to end poverty and combat disease.

In 2000 world leaders came together in the United Nations to create the Millennium Development Goals. The promise was to end poverty in the world, reduce those afflicted by pr the potential of diseases like Malaria and AIDS, increase access to healthcare, and improve the opportunity and quality of education by 2015. We are now halfway to that date, and far too many nations have forgotten about the promise they made. But concerned people have not.

Will.i.am has been in the forefront of multiple celebrities, entertainers, and world dignitaries and Youtube in generating attention to the promise made by our leaders. For 2 days he and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Scarlett Johansson, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Fergie, Angelique Kidjo, Kristin Davis, Elle Macpherson and many others, not to mention organizations including GCAP, Oxfam International, Save the Children and Comic Relief, have joined together to create the new channel on Youtube called “in my name”.

On this channel you the public and citizenry of the world have the opportunity to introduce yourself, your nation, and your message to the leaders of the world and your country to live up to the promises they made in 2000. Youtube will be accepting your videos, or video pettion if you prefer, until November 1st. At that point Will.i.am will be taking the best videos and mashing-up to form a single video set to the new song In My Name (dedicated to this cause) that will be presented to the entire United Nations.

We can only hope that world leaders will be moved by this expression of international care and attention. We must demand that moved or not, world leaders act as they have promised us they will. I am reminded of a line from a great movie you may have seen (and if you didn’t go see it) called V for Vendetta

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

The fear in this case is that we, the people have not forgotten what was promised on our behalf, nor those that are in need. That we hold the true power our Governments use, and determine how that power should be used.

The major media may not care that so many across the world remember the promises made, but I like many others do. And I believe that me must be held to our words. Because the world is not a varying number of individual countries but in the end just a collection of people, and none deserve to live in poverty or with sickness or in hunger.

Halo on a rainy Friday

It’s a rainy Friday for me and I needed something to pick up my spirits. So I decided to go back to Youtube to see if there might be something that would do the job. I think the following did it.

Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek all from a different perspective

There’s been a huge hustle and bustle of news and events of late and the tone to many posts I’ve written has been a bit darker than usual. So today I decided to slow down a bit and look at things from a different perspective.

Perhaps the best way to get a different perspective is to view things from a new way of seeing an old idea. So I sought out Youtube and checked out some of the mashed up movies there. I present you a couple of great ideas that Hollywood will never think of, done quite well by people just like you and me (actually I admit I don’t have the knowledge and perhaps the talent to do the videos you see below).

The Universe is big, so what would happen if some of the galactic travelers of sci-fi met up?



What if the culture of the Spartans never died, or at least in a galaxy far away a long time ago? How could they not be the forefathers of the greatest forces in the galaxy?



And for something completely different – and one of my favorites – what if JRR Tolkein wasn’t always a stand up guy?

Before you see Hulk or Batman

Ok, a dear friend just sent me this link and I've been laughing my a** off (I needed it after all the stress of late). This is funny. I have to give massive credit to the guys that created this.

Before I provide the link I will present just one of over 40 videos (that tell a couple of movie or comic book style stories) dedicated to Marvel and DC. If you don't laugh at this you are wound way too tight.



Oh hell, here is one more



Go see the rest here http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=ItsJustSomeRandomGuy&page=1

Repost: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK

Repost from VASS, my political site. You can also find information on the Presidential race and politics there.


Ok, I saw this in a clip on Fox News coverage of the West Virginia Primary. I knew I wanted to see it in full. Once I saw it I had to provide it for you my readers.

Enjoy, and may the force be with you.

What Black Men Think: Youtube videos - 3.1.2008.1

A friend of mine made me aware of a video that I think deserves to get far more attention. You can find it on YouTube under the title "What Black Men Think PSA".

Several of these ideas and issues I have covered here and at VASS. But some things can never be said enough. Especially with the major media making a point of portraying every negative they can, as often as they can.

But don't stop with this video or my blog. Seek out the information for yourself. Learn and revel in the fact that we are all more than the music videos present. We are not limited to just being entertainers and athletes.



And then there is this video for those of you that like spoken word and probably hip-hop. In checking out the above video I found the following. What it says about gangsta rap is near and dear to me.

I warn you all that it contains profanity, the N-word (which I still hate, but if it is the means to convey it's true meaning I will acquiesce), and fully concieved thoughts. But I expect all my readers can handle that.

[This video was found at What Black Men Think]

Who the Oscar Awards didn't honor - 2.26.2008.1

So the Oscar Awards are over, and most of America neither cared nor knew the films that won. I was going to mention how irrelevant the Oscars were this year. That there is often no connection between what is nominated or wins and what the world actually thinks is a good film. But something far more important has come up.

Yes there was Daniel Day Lewis winning best actor in a film you didn’t see, Javier Bardem (a guy you don’t know) won best supporting actor in a film you didn’t see. Marion Cotillard (don’t know her either) won in a film you probably didn’t know existed, and Tilda Swinton won in Michael Clayton – which you probably know because George Clooney was in it, but few actually saw. And No Country For Old Men won best picture.

Now it’s important to realize that between these films that have no commercial importance and the fact that the Writer’s Guild strike lowered expectations, that there were things that slipped through the fingers of the Awards show. A major mistake, that I feel was a deliberate and obvious slap in the face. And this has been completely glossed over by the major media.

Whoopi Goldberg was slapped by the Oscar Awards. And Hollywood counted on the fact no one was watching to do it.

In a montage highlighting the Oscar Award hosts every host was shown, except Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin. What makes it so much worse, in regard to Whoopi Goldberg, is the fact that besides being the second Black woman to win an Oscar since Haddie McDaniels (back in 1939), she is one of 10 people to have ever won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Whoopi Goldberg has been in 150 films, was the highest paid actress in the 1990’s, is a founding member of Comic Relief that raised money for the homeless, and was host of the Oscar Awards 4 times.

Now you might wonder how I learned this. Well it’s not from YouTube. You won’t find anything on it there. It wasn’t the major cable news media, they were busy discussing how Gary Busey gave a hug that surprised an actress who last starred in a film as Elektra – a box office bomb. Luckily it showed up on yahoo, and after a good deal of searching I found 2 sites that have the news of this slap in the face. One is an Asian site, the other in English. Here is the video clip.



So why did Hollywood make an obvious and intentional affront of one of the most famous, talented, successful, and respected Black female actress and comedienne? I don’t know why exactly, but I am sure they thought no one would notice because no one was watching.

But now that you know, what do you think?

The uplifting theme of 2007

I wanted to try and find something that could sum up 2007 in a visual and vocal manner. Something that could express the world and its current status. So YouTube was one of my eventual stops. And there were many choices.

I threw out all the fights and stupid human tricks. Out went anything that had to do with Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and the other dregs of humanity. Out went the political gaffes and posturing.

In the end I found a simple man, who works like everyone else, with ordinary looks. A guy that you wouldn’t notice on the street, and a manner that is best described as shy. He, Paul Potts, is my reminder that with all the turmoil and strife and idiocy in the world the human spirit can attain far more than what we see on the major news media everyday.

I share this with you and wish you a happy holiday.

An Arby's remix - 10.12.2007.3

Ok, I just had to add this. If you've seen the Arby's commercial with the monkeys that do the Irish Dance, and enjoy it like I do then you will enjoy this. It's a good remix.

Compare White and Black news coverage - 9.25.2007.1

I find it interesting what has been reported yesterday and today. The news has made a big deal on an issue that you probably have seen. It’s the beating of the 13 year old boy in Norfolk, Virginia.

First things first, I do not advocate the violence this case is about. There is no reason that 6 people should beat upon one person. I don’t understand why kids today feel the need for such kinds of fights, if they must fight at all. If it takes so many to beat on one person, either that person is a real badass (a la Bruce Lee) or the attackers are punks. My opinion, like it or not, group/mob attacks are mindless and cowardly.

But there is an issue here beyond the fight. Actually several. The major news media and I will use Fox News again as I watch them predominantly, jumped on this story Monday. That was the first I saw anything on this case. Today I have noted that there is further follow up. 6 minutes of coverage occurred at 2:54pm alone.

I’ve seen the video tape and an interview with the boy several times by the point of this post. The media is being very generous in providing the view (which the boy and family promote) that this was a racial attack.

Yet it seems that this is incorrect. But before I go there, here are the apparent facts. The boy, who is white, was going to a basketball game on Saturday with his friend (who happens to be Black it was reported). Somewhere along this route they ran into the 6 boys, who range from 13-17 as reported, who then ‘suddenly’ started beating the kid. Luckily there was a friend of the boy being attacked who stood there and videotaped the altercation. Portions of that videotape are what are seen on Fox News.

So, we have a portion of a fight, showing several kids fighting one kid. The attackers are Black. And the media is making a lot of noise on this. But why is the supposed friend of the kid taping this and not helping his friend? Is this another Youtube fight that went too far? The kid was beaten, but seems to walk away from the fight without serious harm, and seemed fine when interviewed Monday. I’m not excusing the actions, just investigating the facts as the news should have done.

Why would the 6 ‘suddenly’ do this? Was it racial? Well, today the police of Norfolk have stated, on air, that this was not racial. It seems there is something that the White teenager did previously that motivated the attack. So much for the racial claims major news media jump on at first. And the presumed innocence that they implied in the coverage. That doesn’t make it right, it just points out a bias.

Now I ask this, why was the major news media so quick to cover this story and totally ignore the Jena 6 situation? Both had a white kid being beaten by several Black kids. Both were allegedly over racial issues. Both were in the South. What is the difference? Think about that, what is the difference?

Continued in part 2...

Where are the straight answers on Darfur? - 7.25.2007.1

Excerpt from Vass, on Darfur. I will be following this subject from time to time on both blogs.

Some may recall that I recently raised the question of what is happening with HR 180 IH. You may not recall the name it has in the House of Representatives, but it’s also known as Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007. This is one item of several that are sitting in Congress waiting for some action to be taken by the nation. Not everyoe is aware of this but at least one person had his YouTube question presented to the Democratic candidates in their recent debate.

Only 4 of the Democratic hopefuls were given the chance to respond. They were Governor Richardson, Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, and Former Senator Gravel. In my opinion none were satisfactory answers, though they were decent soundbites….

As for Senator Clinton, she got a bit of all the best answers and combined them, mostly. She agreed on the need for sanctions. She agreed on a no-fly zone. But she would not agree to place ANY troops on the ground.

Senators Dodd and Obama (as well as Biden and Clinton) co-sponsored Senate Resolution 559 (introduced on Sept. 7, 2006), which encouraged President Bush to work with NATO and the UN in establishing a no-fly zone.

Ok, first off a no-fly zone just does not work. Not in England (Germans during WWII), Viet-Nam, Bosnia, Iraq nor Darfur. … Stopping a plane flying overhead does not stop AK-47 and machete wielding troops from killing people.

Economic and political pressure is one option, but like a no-fly zone it does not stop anything. Cuba, North Korea, and Iraq have all had (or have) sanctions for years if not decades. Yet North Korea has nuclear weapons, Cuba still is a Communist dictatorship and we attacked Iraq. …

Face it, it takes troops. Just like it did in Bosnia. …

Full post found on www.mvass.com

Where are the complaints, drugs and smoking - 3.6.2007.1

Well here is something I’d never thought I’d say, it may be a good thing most actors are White. Why in the world would I say that? Because of a recent study that has found that White teens are more likely to become smokers than African American teens. Let me get into the details of this a bit.

Given parameters of the study being equal, the more White teens watch R-rated movies and/or unsupervised television shows the more likely they were to smoke. The key cause of this is that there are almost as many scenes of smoking today as in the 1950’s. That’s important because, like any time since movies or television have existed, virtually all the characters are White. Thus impressionable teens take the lead from these characters and begin smoking as well, because they feel a deeper connection to the characters on-screen. [Mind you that any teen so weak willed as to do something because a character on TV does it has problems, in my opinion.]

I’ve commented several times in previous posts [Minorities, Television and 27 percent, German police and television programing - 10.05.2006.2] that the lack of diversity in television programming and theatrical movies is appalling. My own efforts to gauge the failure of diversity came up with roughly 2% of main characters in television being African American, Latino, Hispanic or any other minority. More official estimates claim that the diversity is a whopping 5% (though that value includes the number of minorities behind the scenes and not on-screen). I feel that movies are similar, though the behind the scenes crew-members are slightly higher (roughly 1-2% more). These ridiculous numbers have only one benefit, the fact that there are less Black, Hispanic, and minority teens starting smoking because of the visual images they are watching. [And an interesting aside is that I must conclude that they are far less impressionable and weak-willed.]

Now before anyone starts to freak out, whether in agreement of dissent, there is a problem that has far too readily featured African Americans recently – teens and parents teaching children to smoke pot. What is wrong with these people?

I have no doubt that there are White Americans that give their kids drugs (in fact I’m aware of a case out in this area where a mother was arrested for doing so, claiming it helped calm the kids down – idiot) but the media has made no bones about highlighting the YouTube video of the Black teens. The fact that this happens is insane. I’d rather see the teens smoking cigarettes. [But not sharing them with toddlers.]

What is happening to our society when people of any age think its ok to provide near babies with drugs. Because they can share this on the internet? Like this is a positive thing to do. As if it were ok for the teens to have the drugs in the first place. Where is the outrage from the NAACP and Rev. Al Sharpton or Rev. Jesse Jackson? Why hasn’t YouTube said that this is not condoned? Yes they were arrested but it shouldn’t have been possible in the first place.

I’m scared by the thought that if White teens can start smoking because of watching movies and television and identifying with the characters, what videos like this and others may cause in the Black community. Especially without the justified outrage they should inspire. Does it take a video of some teen doping a baby with heroin to get some reaction? And I’m not suggestion that this be done. If someone does that’s worth the death penalty in my opinion.

Neither of these things is good. There is no higher ground in either of these things. Everyone should be upset at all the aspects these 2 items display. And something should be done to prevent this from happening again. Not just editing or censoring the offenses, but active action to prevent this behavior.

[I feel I must mention that I am a smoker. I started in college and it had nothing to do with television or movies. I try to never smoke in front of children, or my mother for that matter. I do not recommend anyone to start smoking. I do not do drugs and wish that on no one.]

This is what I think, what do you think?