On the 50th anniversary of the Saul Alinsky's death, the book many believed he had written will finally see the light of day.  Saul Alinsky, the King Firebrand of Radical Change from the early 20th century, did indeed write his most personal thoughts for the world to read, but the executors of his peaceful Carmel, California estate have kept the pied piper of gloom's memoirs hidden from prying eyes for the last fifty years.  Aware that the memoir would upset Alinsky's most avid followers, Biff Dolittle, the nephew of Alinsky and head of Alinsky Corp. Intl., accidentally leaked word of the mysterious tome to a longtime NAMBLA playmate, Jimmy-Jimmy, who in turn coaxed the book into view and stole it.  Ending up at the New York Times office, Jimmy-Jimmy sold the manuscript to the Gray Lady for three hundred dollars and a pair of size 12 Manolo Blahnik pumps.  But the autobiographical bombshell wasn't about to go public just yet; The Times sent Alinsky's memoir back to Dolittle with a note simply stating, "Take better care of this -- it's worth a lot of money to the wrong kind of people."  And that was all it took for Biff to start shopping the book to the highest bidder.  Who paid top dollar is still unknown, but ReganBook's will publish the life story titled, I Can't Believe They Believe, and it will hit the shelves and Internet next month.

Today's press release from the publisher outlines the inward reflections of the author and what made a man so intent on radicalizing others (like his prize pupil Emperor Obama, now in his 13th year as permanent president of Omerika) with what Alinsky called the three C's - conflict, corruption, and [dis]content (many say Saul wasn't a very good speller due to his overactive left brain learning method, but his love of ethnomathematics and finger counting always ensured his arithmetic was correct up to the number twenty) - eventually end up moving from crazy Chicago to a hidden mansion in tranquil Carmel by the sea.  Did he also want to get away from the rebellious fray?  It appears that this is the book that will not only shed light on the often hypocritical rants of Alinsky, but also on, as he put it, "How he fooled several generations into Believin' what he was Sellin'."  The dropped "g" was a favorite personal expression of Mr. Alinsky with his close friends and family while he deplored its use in front of his academic apostles.  

As well, the memoir evidently offers tips on "Deprogramming the Silly Radical" and "How to make a fortune by earning it instead of taking it."  The latter is what lead Alinsky and his self named corporation to secretly become one of America's leading importers of Asian sex toys.  In reality, Saul Alinsky hated socialism with a passion, but believed it was easily sold to easily transfixed ne'er-do-wells who loved feeling better about themselves.  Alinsky refers to Socialism in his book as "Capitalism for Dummies" (a phrase way ahead of its time) with the following scolding: "If you want to be miserable in life, become a Socialist.  A socialist is no different from a capitalist, they're both obsessed with money, but one earns it and the other can't.  The socialist revolution is really just capitalism for dummies: they don't have to know how to make business work, they just have to usurp power over it; they take other peoples' money and become worshiped for spendimg it; they raise taxes on the wealthy by calling them names and never thank them for their already great contributions; and they won't cut a tax in fear of never getting it back, considering it money lost."

Mr. Alinsky touchingly ends his book by asking for forgiveness from his "disillusioned" disciples who so faithfully and secretly followed his manta of CHANGE though the years, and he hoped they would come to believe that true change starts with the truth.  He writes, "There should be no more angry rules of hate, no more community organizing by manipulating the less fortunate with devious and disruptive methods, and no more lying about your true motives.  Rules for Radicals was meant to be a joke, and we we're all worried that one day some misfits would misuse it for personal profit and power; it should be buried away forever.  We all just said some stupid things back in the day -- we were young and foolish and trying to impress the ladies, but then the whole rebellious thing got out of control and I couldn't stop it.  By 1968 it had all gone too far, and the real radical ones were on a slippery slope, moving from far left, to socialist, to communist, to the ultimate fascist.  We had a big meeting in downtown Chicago where I suggested we should all just Move On, but local organizers were raking it in by then and no one was going to take away their gravey train.  So I loaded up the truck, actually it was a Fiat, and got the hell out of there."

Rest well Mr. Alinsky, your truth is finally told.

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Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, retains a nearly insurmountable advantage in delegates who will select the nominee at the party convention in August. West Virginia had only 28 delegates at stake. Clinton vowed to keep fighting until the Democratic voting ends on June 3 despite her dwindling prospects and a mounting campaign debt.

Supplied by : http://www.reuters.com/

Plus că este şi filosof de-al meu! Şi mai provine şi dintr-o familie cu tradiţii de stânga. Eu îl apreciez sincer pe Tismăneanu pentru talentul său literar. Şi, de fapt, are şi o mare realizare profesională: nu este de colo să îi iei o carte de interviuri autobiografice lui Ion Iliescu!

În ce priveşte condamnarea comunismului, a se lăsa! Comunismul a construit Ţara asta, că altfel mai stăteaţi şi acum în bordeie de chirpici, dreptacilor! Eu personal şi familia mea nu am avut nici un profit de pe urma comunismului, că am fost şi vom fi bogaţi prin definiţie, indiferent de regim, pentru că Dumnezeu ne-a dat minte şi tupeu, dar, statistic vorbind, comunismul a fost o mare binefacere pentru milioanele de români analfabeţi pe care i-a luat de la ţară şi i-a adus la oraş, le-a pus ciocanu'n mână, i-a făcut domni etc. Problema este că omul în general nu este mulţumit şi recunoscător şi ei au rămas tot ţărani conservatori la suflet, aşa se explică aderenţa lor la Mitul populist Băsescu. Neam de traistă şi de doi lei perechea!

Dar eu îl înţeleg pe Volodia: aşa i-au ordonat stăpânii lui americani, aceiaşi care l-au adus în prim plan pe Marinel, aşa scrie! Poate, după ce voi lua puterea, îl voi lua cronicar de curte, că talent are, origine sănătoasă, nu mai zic! Să facă şi o frescă a potentaţilor anilor 2020... când va fi în deplinătatea maturităţii creatoare!

Şi o dedicaţie pentru fratele Volodia: Benny Goodman, These foolish things remind me of you...

Ain't that right?

Şi de la mine, pentru Volodia, cu simpatie: Alexandru Arşinel, Ce să fac dacă-mi placi...

I'm having a little huge bit of an issue today.  Meaning, I glanced at the news.  Stupid me.  When will I ever learn?

OK, I'm FAR from an avid news-watcher or reader.  I only like to glance now and then in order to keep up on any big, new shockers for the day, week or month.  Maybe the weather, but usually I can go outside and tell what the weather is better than local Johnny Weather here....  So, anyway, I do know that there was a big cyclone in Burma / Myanmar recently.  I know the details they have been reporting and I don't have to keep re-visiting it to know its horrendous impact on those humans who are still suffering.

So, here's my problem / issue.  I saw a little news blurb on the net today.  Annnd it went something like this:  "International fears about the plight of 1.5 million victims in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar deepened on Tuesday as the United Nations and Western powers suggested helpless people could have been robbed of food and other aid.  As if fears of shoddy aid distribution were not enough,..." 

OK.  WHOA.  EXCUSE ME???   NO...wait...  Excuse the effing HELL out of ME???

I don't have to be anything more than an illiterate deaf, dumb and mute human to realize that there's definitely a problem with this scenario.  Remind me where I'm living again?  I'm sorry.  I thought I was in America.  You know, the self-proclaimed 'World Super Power'. 

Huh.  *insert puzzled look here*  AMERICA, the SUPER POWER.  AMERICA, with the best, most advanced military and technology in the world, can spot a speck of dust in your home from space with their fuckingly awesome spy cameras, can supposedly (heavy on the supposedly) send man to moon, can control and/or destroy the world in the blink of an eye from anywhere in the galaxy or universe or something, can threaten the rest of world with nuclear devastation if anyone comes near, blah blah blah... BUT....:

...ummm.... we can't ship supplies to dying victims in another country successfully.  Sry.

Oh, and, mind you, this is AFTER every news station, every major internet SEARCH ENGINE home page (Google anyone?), every major anything anywhere has been begging for, AND collecting, OUR donations for victims of the Myanmar Cyclone.  HELLOOO???  Come on people.  We all need to wake the hell up.  Whose interest do you really think the leaders of this world have in mind?  Stop questioning YOUR sanity.  Start REALIZING THEIR LACK OF.

Compilation of gullible Americans saying very stupid things on camera. This also includes the President Of the United States.

"Mereka menanyakan beberapa hal termasuk tentang masih abadinya perdamaian di Aceh," ujar Gubernur Irwandi Yusuf kepada wartawan usai menerima kunjungan 13 mahasiswa Lemhanas dari AS tersebut, Selasa (13/5) sore di ruang rapat gubernur, Banda Aceh.

Para mahasiswa Lemhanasnya Amerika Serikat sedang menempuh pendidikan 10 bulan di negaranya. Di akhir studinya mereka melakukan studi tour ke Indonesia dan memfokuskan kunjungan ke Provinsi Aceh di Indonesia.

"Mereka memfokuskan ke Aceh karena dianggap daerah unik, daerah yang ditimpa bencana tsunami yang dahsyat serta konflik yang berakhir dengan perdamaian," ujar Irwandi didampingi Sekdaprov, Husni Bahri TOB serta Karo Hukum dan Humas, A. Hamid Zein.

Dalam kesempatan itu, Gubernur Irwandi menyampaikan beberapa hal yang dihadapi Aceh pasca bencana dan perdamaian. "Di bidang ekonomi karena daerah baru selesai konflik sehingga investor yang tinggal hanya agribisnis dan tambang," katanya.

Usai pertemuan, Michael R. Rousek, Consulate of the United States of America Political and Economic Officer menyerahkan plakat sebagai cendramata kepada Gubernur Irwandi Yusuf. Sebaliknya gubernur juga menyerahkan plakat Pinto Aceh kepada Rousek.[waspada]

But when one looks closely at a non-Saudi woman choosing to marry a Saudi there are so many variables on whether the relationship will be successful. There are vast differences in culture and customs and particularly so when the marriage is between someone from the West to a Saudi. Language and religion can be key factors as well. And additionally, family (on both sides) can have a major role and impact on the success (or failure) too.

I remember prior to when my Saudi husband and I married. There were a number of “nay-sayers” with comments like “what, are American men not good enough….why can’t you stick to your own kind….the majority of American to Saudi marriages fail…you know him now outside of KSA but when you get there you’ll find yourself married to a stranger.”

And in a post-911 world, US-Saudi marriages likely come under more scrutiny and not just by that embassy official looking at the passport when the Saudi husband wishes to accompany his wife on a visit back to the States, but by citizens on both sides. There are many (Americans and Saudis alike) who will raise the eyebrows and either with their words or expressions question why an American and a Saudi would wish to become involved in a post-911 world where additional scrutiny is taken on the relationship and there are so many from both sides who believe a US-Saudi marital relationship is not a wise move.

But on the main theme of this post, I don’t think there are specific distinctions whether the wife is American, British, German, Dutch, Japanese, Pakistani, Syrian, etc., and married to a Saudi. As long as the communication, love, respect, values and partnership is there, any relationship will have a good chance of success.

People will talk. In the same vein there will be questions or comments about the wife’s nationality or the husband being Saudi, even say when two Americans marry one another, people may find some issue to “bash” about if for whatever reason they do not respect or like the spouse. Yes; with diverse cultures and backgrounds there are the additional remarks made that can place pressure on a couple. My suggestion is to talk about this issue and determine how as a husband-wife team one would respond and present a cohesive front.

When Khalid asked me to post on this subject, he made a reference to a Saudi who was denied a visa when wishing to travel to the States with his American wife for a visit. Sure, one could easily imagine how such an action could change his perspective on the States and Americans, but instead, he chose to respect decisions made and not let that impact on his view of America and Americans. That is commendable.

]]> http://godwithus1.wordpress.com/?p=19 Wed, 14 May 2008 02:24:09 +0000 godwithus1 http://godwithus1.wordpress.com/?p=19

During this election season, I am reminded about the differences in American government and being a Christian in the kingdom of God.  America is a democratic nation where, at least in theory, the people have the power to elect people to represent them in government.  These elected representatives give the people indirect influence in the direction of America.  However, in the kingdom of God there is no democracy.  God rules and whatever He says goes.  He doesn’t take a vote and He doesn’t check with anybody to see whether they have an opinion or not.  As, T.I. would put it, He is the King.  As a Christian, His commands are ours to obey.  Agree?  Fair or unfair?

By the way, these two crack me up!!!

If you got here looking for something in a Search Site like Google... Probably you got here looking for dirty things... Maybe not... Can you comment in this blog saying "You got me..." and write the name of your country and what you were looking for?

So... HAHAHAHA... You fell from my joke... =P

Se vc chegou aqui procurando por algo em um site de procuras como Google... Provavelmente vc estava procurando por coisas indecentes... Ou talvez nao... Poderia comentar no meu blog dizendo "Vc me pegou..." e escrevendo o nome do seu país e oq vc estava procurando?

Entao... HAHAHAHAHA... Vc caiu na minha piada... =P

Strikingly, and even higher percentage of people, 98%, said that they would prefer to live next door to a Mexican restaurant rather than Mexicans.  When asked to explain his answer, one person who was polled said, "at any given time, there is most likely less people at a Mexican restaurant than at a Mexican household.  I just wouldn't be able to deal with the crowds."

More polls to come.

O'Reilly, Women's Shoes and a Cucumber

By SJR

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla) - An old Inside Edition video of Bill O'Reilly A.K.A. Bill O'Asshole - everyone's favorite loud-mouthed, racist, dickhead - surfaced recently and has been making the rounds on the web. The video exposes ole' Bill for the ill-tempered, douche bag he obviously is. The video-rant by itself is pretty funny to watch because Bill makes a real ass of himself by throwing a tantrum on camera.

CBS has removed the video from YouTube citing "copyright infringement,"...yeah, right. I can just see Bill now trashing his apartment and shouting at his computer screen while wearing his black leather gimp suit with the zipper mouth.

Anyway, what I found even more amusing were some of the responses that the video received, in particular one written by a blog commenter on Gawker known only as "VirusWithShoes". This shit had me laughing out loud. So, without further ado I present to you, "Bill's Special Alone Time":

"Every night, a naked Bill O'Reilly sits hunched over in a dark and airless closet surrounded by untold numbers of boxes of women's shoes. He opens up a pair of sling-backs, and sniffs them until he almost passes out. When his face is red enough he carefully boxes them away, childlike in his movements, already missing the feel of the leather against his face. Quickly, he then takes a rapidly softening whole cucumber and forces it down his throat, fighting the gag reflex while wanting even more. With tears streaming from his eyes, and his body shaking from the exertion, he mumbles a mantra of self-hatred inaudibly into the darkness and onto the cucumber. After 30 minutes of Bill's Special Alone Time he slowly pulls it out, enjoying the sensation of it moving from his throat, past his tongue and into the dank air of the closet, the smell of the vegetable and his fevered saliva reminding him of the time he fell out the sycamore tree when he was 6 and bumped his head on a rock - the exact moment in his life when everything began to make sense to him.

On May 14, Las Vegas will pay tribute to one of its most beloved entertainers, officially declaring the day, the 10th anniversary of his passing, as "Frank Sinatra Day." The proclamation is amongst a series of events planned to honor the entertainment legend, which begin with the dedication of the USPS Frank Sinatra Stamp:

TUESDAY, MAY 13

• 12:00 p.m. (PDT) - Tina Sinatra (Frank's daughter) joins Postal Service Governor James Bilbray and stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano at the Bellagio fountains main alcove to officially dedicate the Frank Sinatra stamp. Remote post offices at the Bellagio and Wynn will sell the first-day issue stamp and other merchandise.
• 12:00 p.m. (PDT) - Rossi Ralenkotter, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, will read an official proclamation from Mayor Oscar Goodman declaring May 14 as Frank Sinatra Day.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14

• Frank Sinatra Day in Las Vegas
• 12:00 a.m. (PDT) - Across the Las Vegas Strip, marquees at Bally's, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Fremont Street Experience, Golden Nugget, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, New York - New York, Palms, Sahara, The Mirage, Treasure Island and Wynn Las Vegas will post a special tribute to the man who helped define Las Vegas.
• 12:00 a.m. (PDT) - Steve Wynn to lead members of the Sinatra family and other guests in a special toast at a private VIP reception in Wynn Las Vegas.

Frank Sinatra's children will join U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Alan Kessler May 13 to celebrate the return of the "Chairman of the Board" - Frank Sinatra - as he is immortalized on 120 million 42-cent First-Class stamps. Dedication ceremonies will also take place in New York City and Hoboken, NJ. The events take place on the eve of Sinatra's death and are free and open to the public.

¡¡¡ BIENVENIDOS A COASTAL VACATIONS !!!

Soy Luis Ayala Sulca, Director Coastal Vacations y te doy la mas cordial Bienvenida y te invito a conocer nuestra Fabulosa Oportunidad de Negocios y Viajes, Te Ofrecemos Ingresos Mensuales de 5000 dólares en un principio y mas adelante hasta limites incalculables...ACOMPÁÑAME...!!!

Mas información gratuita en: http://www.ganaiviaja.com   suscríbete, te va encantar!!!

Este Portal puede cambiar tu vida, si tus sueños siempre fueron CONOCER EL MUNDO disfrutando de su implacable belleza, tener una VERDADERA LIBERTAD ECONÓMICA, que te permita UNA VIDA DE CALIDAD y que el dinero jamás te limite...Si deseas darle a tus hijos una educación perfecta y sobre todo, Disfrutar de una entera LIBERTAD en la vida,,,Coastal Vacations es para ti...!!!

Seguro te estas preguntando..PERO QUE ES COASTAL VACATIONS y Como puedo alcanzar esa libertad económica que me prometen,,,Verdad? Bien, te lo explicare!!!

Coastal Vacations es una Empresa Multimillonaria Internacional, que ha conjugado perfectamente EL TURISMO por el mundo, con la OPORTUNIDAD DE NEGOCIO; de esta manera puedes generarte fácilmente impresionantes ingresos mensuales en el orden de los MILES DE DÓLARES, desde tu HOGAR usando el Internet.   

Mas información gratuita en: http://www.ganaiviaja.com/infos   suscríbete, te va encantar!!!

Pero como puedo Trabajar desde mi Hogar y a través del Internet y ganar Miles de Dólares? es posible?...

Claro que es posible, para que logres tal fin, Coastal Vacations ha diseñado un SISTEMA EXCLUSIVO de ventas por el INTERNET, instalado en POTENTES SERVIDORES y asistido por el uso de ROBOTS E INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL de trabajo,,,Todo este SISTEMA te lo entrega TOTALMENTE A TU NOMBRE para que puedas DESARROLLARTE COMO DIRECTOR de Negocios Coastal, y te generes fortunas en ingresos del MUNDO HACIA TI a través del Internet

Entonces Coastal me entrega MI SISTEMA DE NEGOCIOS,,pero habrá algo mas que se me entregue al momento de iniciarme?...

Por supuesto, como miembro de Coastal Vacations además se te ENTREGA TU PAQUETE DE VACACIONES para que lo disfrutes con tu familia y seres queridos cuando gustes, conociendo los LUGARES MAS HERMOSOS DEL MUNDO, este paquete de vacaciones contiene:

25 VACACIONES EXQUISITAS en los lugares mas paradisíacos del mundo completamente GRATIS para ti.

6 CRUCEROS de ensueño por el Caribe para Ti y Tu Familia, Totalmente Gratis!!!

20 TARJETAS DE DESCUENTOS en Hoteles, Resorts, Campos de Golf, Vuelos Aéreos, y muchos Beneficios mas para que puedas usarlos en tus vacaciones o cuando prefieras.

Mas información gratuita en: http://www.ganaiviaja.com suscríbete, te va encantar!!!

Usted Podría describirme  exactamente el contenidos de los paquetes  de Vacaciones de Coastal Vacations?...

Paquete de Vacaciones Nivel I

 http://www.liberty-and-travel.net/ayala/es/level_1_package   

Paquete de Vacaciones Nivel II

http://www.liberty-and-travel.net/ayala/es/level_2_package

Y Una Persona Cualquiera que se encuentra en cualquier parte del planeta puede ser Director Coastal Vacations?...

Así es,, no importa  TU UBICACIÓN EN EL MUNDO, ni tu condición económica, ni tu raza, ni tu edad,, solamente importa TU DESEO DE ÉXITO,,hasta cuanto quieres lograr esa libertad en la vida,, si eres una persona Honorable, que te gustan los retos y estas dispuesto ha cambiar tu vida para siempre, entonces Coastal Vacations es para ti,, ya no dependerás mas de Jefes ni de trabajos convencionales,,, tu mismo serás el progenitor de tu éxito!!!

Mas información gratuita en: http://www.ganaiviaja.com  suscríbete, te va encantar!!!

Me interesa, pero como podría contactarlo??? donde puedo ver mas detalles de todo esto???

Mi Correo Electrónico:  miocidss@gmail.com

Mis Teléfonos: Casa  00511-3520103    Móvil  00511-995715042

Y como puedo recibir información sin compromiso sobre Coastal???

Bien,, solamente debes dirigirte a mi pagina Web Personal:  http://www.ganaiviaja.com/infos  y suscribirte al formulario, y recibirás información gratuita y sin compromiso de esta brillante Oportunidad de Negocios que es  Coastal Vacations. 

Aún no hay directiva nueva en Coapa, pero los rumores constantes de movimientos no dejan de darse a cada momento, la “nueva” por así decirlo es que al parecer hay alguien interesado (posiblemente un promotor) en que el actual jugador del Boca Juniors de Argentina, Neri Cardozo sea cambiado por el también argentino Federico “Pocho” Insúa.

La verdad es que si esto es cierto me parece un cambio poco acertado por parte de quien lo este haciendo, si bien Insúa no es ni de lejos un jugador que me haya llenado el ojo, pienso que debería quedarse un torneo más con las Águilas y entonces decidir sobre su futuro, sobre todo considerando que Neri no pasa por buen momento, seamos francos ni los propios aficionados de Boca lo quieren, así de fácil.

]]> http://abagond.wordpress.com/?p=1735 Wed, 14 May 2008 00:09:37 +0000 abagond http://abagond.wordpress.com/?p=1735 Dear Hillary Clinton:

Please drop out of the race for president. Now. For the good of the country. For the good of the party. For the good of your own name.

Face it: you cannot win at this point. Even if you got enough superdelegates, it would be a poisoned victory: too many blacks would sit out the election. You would lose anyway. You know it. And you would lose any chance of 2012.

Every day you stay in the race you are helping John McCain. Every day you stay in the race, you are dividing the party and giving it less time to become whole again. Every day you stay in the race you are eating away at your chances for 2012.

It is better to drop out now with grace for the good of the party, than be forced to it by Barack Obama, who will defeat you soundly in time.

You need to do everything you can to bring the party back together. You need to do everything you can to help Obama win. People are beginning to think you are putting yourself above the party. That is not good for the Democrats or for your own future.

You need to say you are sorry for all the unfortunate things you and your supporters have said that makes you seem racist. Like that Obama is just a black candidate. Or that hard-working Americans, meaning white Americans, love you. I know that is not how they were said, but that is how they came off to too many people.

By courting the white vote so openly you are cheapening yourself in everyone's eyes. It is sad to watch. You are becoming George Wallace in a pantsuit.

Just a bit of advice from this one voter: if you run in 2012, you need to be yourself, speak honestly, take the high road and put the interests of the country first. That is what Obama and McCain did for the most part. You did not - or at least it did not seem like you did.

People want a president they can look up to. You have lost a great deal of respect over the past months.

I am an Obama supporter. So, yes, I am saying this for his sake. But the time has come for you to support him too and bring the party together. You fought hard, but now is the time to fight for the party. It needs you.

I know Eleanor Roosevelt is one of your heroes. Think what she would do in this case.

I am sending this to you by email and post. I am also putting it on my blog. I hope you get to read it. I am hardly the only one out here who feels this way.

You can always reach me at abagond at gmail dot com.

Good luck and God be with you.

Regards,
Abagond
Tue May 13 23:12:42 UTC 2008

"..I'm talking checkbook, credit card, more money than a sucker could ever spend...."

How about "Good Times" by the 70's r&b group Chic (of "I Want Your Love" and "LeFreak" fame?) "Ya killing me, dawg." Yeah but I love it. 

..."a like Johnny Carson on The Late Show, a like Freddy Crocker in stereo....."

Three "fellas" from Englewood, New Jersey fell for the base line in "Good Times" and decided to run with it.

..."Hotel Motel, Holiday Inn. Now if your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend."

And they were "Big Bank Hank" and "Wonder Mike" and "Master Gee" and they could rock the house before houses (arenas/stadiums, etc.) ever were rocked. They were the SugarHill Gang and if you listen closely to their genre-changing hit, "Rapper's Delight," you'll hear that same bass line I talked about. From the song that helped usher in the likes of Usher, Run DMC, Mace, Jay-Z, et al,....namely...."Good Times" by Chic.

POSTCRIPT: I'd add the following songs as well (please feel free to chime in with yours): "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force," Pac-Jam" by the Jonzen Crew and "Numbers" by the German techno group, Kraftwerk. 

Of course, it wasn't fast food necessarily, and the fast food chains that exist today didn't stand in the '40s, '50s or '60s. And the reason why people were OK with the eating of the burger, fries, milkshake, and sodas is because there was actually a thing called exercise back then. Or, if it wasn't exercise, it was the invisibility of video games, or, as I am reluctant to say *gulp*, the computer. Everybody worked all the time and didn't have the chances to waste away hours in front of TV screens. Imagine if video games and computers were around then. How fat would America be right now? I don't know if I can pose that question in a regular sense so you can fathom the meaning of it, but if you think about it, politically correctness wasn't as screwed up as it is now. Sure, you had your hippies and other people experimenting on the new horizons that nobody had heard of before, you had World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War occur between those three decades, but compare it to the newness of today. People then are now considered old fashioned.

(By the way, I'm writing this post while listening to the Stevie Wonder/Temptations/etc. collaborated song Uptight/Everything's All Right. Y'know, just to spark some inspiration on my part for the good old days that I wasn't around to see.)

But if you look at the technological advances of today and how they've prolonged the growth of video game consoles and computers, you forget to look at the advances of food. You got all this new food coming out over the past forty to sixty (40-60) years that you don't pay it much heed when you give it thoughts. All this chocolate being branded into these new shapes (M&Ms or Easter Bunny Chocolates, anybody?). It's great for marketing campaigns, and once people started looking more into food, they took enjoyment into it.

I don't know what's up with everything compared to 'back then.' The majority of women are smaller now compared to what they were in those times. I guess the cheeseburgers, fries, milkshakes, and sodas from those diners done some damage, at least. But, if you look at the skinny women today, many are anorexic or have unheard of eating disorders. Not to mention the widespread use of drugs plays an immense part on the continuing of American history.

Look, I'm not a historian (that's for sure), but I've made my own judgments on America's food for the past 40-60 years, and the significant difference is freaking me out, and will continue to.

The South African History Channel ad reads: "Unfortunately, we do show repeats." playing on the popular saying — history repeats itself.

Via AMERICAblog.

Remarks in Denver, Colorado, at the Annual Convention
of the NAACP, June 29, 1981

Shop for great Reagan-themed gifts...
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"Probably the best natural athlete on the squad. A 192-pound Negro speedster, Hinton enjoyed a fabulous sophomore season last fall." Later in the guide, Hinton was asked how he got his speed. "I asked my cousin, from Meridian, Mississippi, what I couuld do to pick up speed. He said the best way was to run through Victor Village, a white neighborhood, at night. So I did. The sound of your own shoes hitting the pavement stimulates you. I never got tired." Things that make you go "hmm."

Jennifer Hooper McCarty disagrees. She discussed the book she co-authored, What Really Sank the Titanic, with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report tonight. After traveling to England for the research, McCarty found the board was under pressure at the time to find rivets to finish building the ship, so they used “substandard rivets” as well as “unskilled workers.” Read more about it here at the official Web site: CSI: Titanic. Read The New York Times article about it here: In Weak Rivets, a Possible Key to Titanic's Doom.

Also, my parents gave me a printout of a short article from Texans for Texas to read. Even though it's still some time before Memorial Day and Independence Day, it's too interesting not to share "The Cycle of Democracy" with you now:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From Bondage to spiritual faith;

From spiritual faith to great courage;

From courage to liberty;

From liberty to abundance;

From abundance to complacency;

From complacency to apathy;

From apathy to dependence;

From dependence back into bondage."

America, we are now somewhere between the "apathy" and "complacency" phase of the democracy cycle with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

Think about it.

Let Freedom Ring.