LoisLane's Metropolishttp://blog.llmetropolis.comQuick BlogSMACKDOWN!http://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/05/26/smackdown.aspx
Olbermann singlehandedly takes on Reigning Cracked Egg Supreme in a no holds barred commentary that points to why this man should be impeached and then prosecuted for war crimes against humanity.

KEITH OLBERMANN VERBALLY SMACKS IDIOT BUSH


Olbermann has restored a bit of my faith when it comes to news networks and the world of journalism at large. As I said to someone whom I shared the video, Olbermann didn't do it in a vacuum. The shirts at MSNBC approved this message, which says volumes. 

If you watched the clip, you no doubt got a kick out of his rant that called RCES' continued fear mongering 'bone-headed'. Or, perhaps you nodded in agreement when Olbermann pointed out the terrorism that exists in Iraq is American sponsored and his doing. Astonishingly, or not, years after being proved a liar, RCES still clings to the notion he was told that Iraq had WMDs. In a recent interview with Politico.com, he said he was told this by enigmatic 'people'. We the people have not been able to get a clear answer to this because it's a fallacy. Yet, Bush peddles that lie with impunity.

The best of the worst came when Olbermann called RCES on the carpet for lying about his golf game. When will this man stop lying to us and himself? Apparently, never. With the construction of his Presidential Library, it appears he will attempt to lie to future generations too. Anyway, in the same interview RCES claimed he quit GOLF (as if this should be significant) as a show of support to the fallen troops and their families.

That is about right for his family's history of support. Remember, dear old hag matriarch Bush and what she said about the people who were trapped in the Superdome after Katrina? Here's a paraphrased refresher. They've never had it so good. Pffft!

Not only is RCES' idea laughably insulting but it's another convenient lie, which was only too easy for the production staff on Countdown to prove. My personal favorite moment of the entire clip is, in fact, Olbermann's close. I thought he was going to use an expletive! I wish he had.

Olbermann used the RCES interview with Politico.com to show his viewers, who are staunchly Democratic, what a farce this administration continues to be. Sadly, he preaches to the choir.

Those of us with half a brain recognize how we were hoodwinked into a war that caused 4,000 of our countrymen and women to fall on foreign soil for foreign oil. Those who need to hear it, those elephants deeply entrenched in the GOP doctrine, let Olbermann's message and others like it fall on deaf ears. That's if they listen at all.

Still, my hat goes off to Olbermann and the Countdown team for having the balls to tell the unabashed truth. This administration is known to employ gangster tactics in administering its own brand of justice in the name of freedom and national security. So, those folks at MSNBC would be better to watch their backs.]]>Under CurrentLoisLane2008-05-26T05:56:54ZWomanhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/05/09/woman.aspx
I can't remember when I did it. It was, at least, 10 years ago. Yeah, yeah I know. It sounds a little weird but our relationship is anything but typical. It's different though, which is why I think she hated it, at first. I keep having to explain it is not demeaning or perjorative. In my strange way, it's meant as a term of endearment. Finally, it grew on her but I still don't think she actually gets it.

Woman knows what I will say and do before I do. This is quite a feat as I would like to believe my decisions are either quite spontaneous or individual. But every time she predicts my thoughts or feelings on a subject with extreme accuracy. Me and Woman have been through some rough and tumble times together. No need re-hash all that stuff here. It just should be noted.

What feels like most recently, she gave us all a cancer scare. Gladly, gratefully, she came through it and has been free of the 'Big C' for two years now. YAY! So why am I thinking about all this today?

Well, it's her birthday.

Back on Valentine's Day a good friend of mine sent me a video clip of John Lennon. When I heard it, it resonated with me for reasons I think you'll get. It's precisely why I named her, Woman. She is special to all who know her. For me, she is the woman in my life who means everything to me and will forever remain the only woman who does.

Since I haven't been able to convince her of the profound meaning behind her name, I figured, I'd let the genius who put it into song sing it for me, especially since I can't carry a tune two steps. I think it's a language she'll finally understand.

Happy Birthday, Woman.


]]>Potted LuckLoisLane2008-05-09T03:39:45ZGoal!http://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/05/07/goal-2.aspx
It was my goal to stay gone one year. It was my hope not to return for an indefinite period of time. For those of you who may not know, my journey carried me through the fjords in the land of the midnight sun in Norway, the ghettos of Paris along with the jardins of the Louvre, the pink sunrises, super yachts and fresh food of Antibes, the walls of Berlin, wild nights smoking shisha in Frankfurt, the hellish heat of Roma, hearing sex on my balcony in Barcelona, delectable paella  and sangria in Valencia, a primitive yet enchanting existence in Morocco and a two-week party in Malaga. I can't tell you about it all because I would be typing for days and you woudn't read it all. 




The year finished, surprisingly, with what has come to be life here in Prague. I have a growing network of friends like Kat and Kingsley. And it's starting to feel a bit like home.



This year has given me the greatest gifts: life experiences I will forever treasure. The traveling has slowed and I am learning what patience is.

After my doomed trip to Bratislava where the Czech Embassy was closed, a week later I learned the Czech government swooped in to seize all the paperwork there. Apparently, the embassy officials were extorting money from foreigners like me who wanted and needed work/residential Visas. Arrests have been made. Like I stated, papers were seized. Had I filed there, I would be at back at square one. So, the curse turned out to be a blessing.

However, another issue has presented itself. Now, I will be going to Dresden where the Czech embassy does things by appointment only. The trouble now is, I am not the only person being re-routed from Bratislava to Dresden where there are only a certain number of appointments to be had each week. So I am still waiting and waiting and waiting. I don't know how much longer I can take this because patience is not a virtue I possess in abundance. This must be the lesson I am meant to learn.

As I wait, I make good use of the time by writing and writing and writing. Some for money to pay the rent but most for free as I am planting seeds for my harvest. That was a lesson learned last year and it stuck.

As I gave up the life I had in search of the life I wanted, I now have it to some degree. I feel I am better for it in mind, body and, most importantly, spirit. Every year I should grow as much as I did during the year of my reckoning. I have a lot of people to thank for their love and support during the last year. You know who you are, so know I am extremely grateful.

Thank you. Tusen Takk. Merci Bo coup. Danke. Grazie. Gracias. Dekujeme. <---- (I told you Czech was hard to learn.)]]>The Road Less TraveledLoisLane2008-05-07T06:31:26ZBLACKed Outhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/05/05/blacked-out.aspx
Whether you realize it or not, you--we are seen as warmonging, imperialists who push our beliefs on smaller nations for profit. They believe this because of how our country is governed. Given that evidence, they would be correct.

The conservative right has a lot at stake to make sure they maintain the current power structure. Enter John McCain. What's more is they, at the very least, need someone in power who buys into the govern by fear and warmonging ideology. An insurance policy, if you will. Enter Hillary Clinton.

What they don't need or want, is someone who will lead this nation by truth, honesty and with a disdain for everything the current power structure represents. Someone with an understanding of how they have manipulated our economy to line their own pockets. Enter in the campaign to destroy Barack Obama.

The fact of the matter is, Obama is their worst nightmare because he IS black. I'm not agreeing with Geraldine Ferraro. But when blacks are united against a cause we create a very powerful voting bloc. That means that we--blacks have power. We have the power to impact the election, any election. It's imperative the GOP, the current power structure, stops us. They do this at every cost.

How can they do that? By disenfranchising black voters. There are laws prohibiting convicted felons from voting. So they turn as many blacks as they can, even those committing misdemeanors, into convicted felons or worse, those who haven't ever broken a law. 

Another tactic would be to have less voting machines in the precincts with more registered black voters, who tend to vote Democratic.

Yet, another would be to claim people's names aren't on the voter rolls for any number of reasons.

Even another is to list a law-abiding citizen as a felon.

Sounds impossible? Huh. It's happened.

In the movie American Blackout, we see how the GOP machine came after and destroyed the political career of Cynthia McKinney. She spoke out against government lies regarding Sept. 11, 2001. The GOP worked within the political system to legally marginalize unwitting voters. They backed a black woman to run against McKinney because it was Atlanta. A white candidate wouldn't have won in that congressional district.

On a larger scale, Clinton is getting the backing of the same GOP members. The GOP strategists convince Republicans to crossover and vote for her. So they can dictate who the Dem candidate will be. Again, this marginalizes the votes of those in the Dem party and, thus, keeping us from having the candidate we want. That's why she hasn't dropped out yet.

Don't forget this same power structure is in bed with corporate America. One of the biggest corporations in America is a media company. Now, consider the press' role in the Wright scandal, which had nothing to do with Obama himself.

It's a game people. They play to win. When will we?

Here's the whole movie. Watch it. You will see parallels between what they did to McKinney and what they are now using the media to do to Obama. In knowledge there is power. Now that we know we posses it, what will we--you do to claim it back?

             AMERICAN BLACKOUT
 

Let's talk about it.]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-05-05T09:22:14ZThe Favour Bankhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/05/04/the-favour-bank-2.aspx
Don't worry if you haven't read Wolfe's masterpiece, Bonfire of the Vanities, perhaps you've seen the movie, Pay It Forward or read another masterpiece by litery fiction writer, Paulo Coelho, The Zahir. Wolfe invented The Favour Bank, and Coelho made it a rule to live and love by.

The idea is simple: do things to help others without expecting things in return. In the 'bank' ideology that is called a deposit. People can make deposits into their accounts in a myriad of ways from the simplistic to the grandiose.

One of my favorite ways of making deposits is by using my networking skills. Over the years I have amassed a great web of friends and colleagues throughout several countries now and all from different walks of life. As the theory goes, if you righteously make deposits into your account when the time comes for you to make a withdrawal, somebody will make a deposit on your behalf. Most likely, it's not the person(s) whom you've helped. I'm not as genius as Wolfe or Coelho, at least not yet, so I hope that you get the idea.

Many of us live our lives like this without calling it anything. We help people because we are just good people. Those who are like that have the biggest accounts in The Favour Bank. Those are people I'm telling you about today.

I have written about Terrance Dean before, so you should know I am biased when it comes to him. He is a wonderful soul but beyond that, an extremely brave one. Dean has written a memoir, which coincidentally outs a great deal of Hip Hop moguls and personalities as being homosexual. His story is riveting, heartfelt and will change the level of acceptance in the music industry as it pertains to those with alternative lifestyles.


T's Book Cover


Visit his Web site, www.TerranceDean.blogspot.com. His latest book, Hiding in HIP HOP is available on Amazon.com and later this month, wherever books are sold.

I also would like to point you toward a new blog about the life of a young woman and her dating adventures. The blog is penned by five different women, albeit, anonymously. One of my friends is a contributor, although, she swore me to secrecy. It's fun and funny, so take a peek at The O Spot.

Finally, check out Bryant Monteilh, another good friend, who recently launched a video newscast for his radio station. Monteilh is a news radio announcer on the Michigan-Indiana border, known as Michiana. Check out his latest video clip, here. The pink poodle story is worth the click alone! LOL. A pink poodle, seriously.

You don't know these people and most of you reading this, don't even know me.

But ask yourself: What would it hurt to take a few minutes of your time by visiting these three Web sites and perhaps *gasp* leaving a comment?

You may learn something. You may even laugh. Most importantly, you will do something positive to help someone else. That positive energy will come back to you when least expect it but need it most.

If you have been keeping up with this blog (I thank you as I learned yesterday, my own mother does not *sighs*), you may know I needed desperately to edit my manuscript before sending it to an agent who requested it. I went to a message board to seek editing help where some evil critters ate me up before they spit me out.

This week, I went back to that site for the first time since that episode to delete my account. Waiting for me, was an email from a former English/creative writing teacher and editor to several published book authors. She offered to read my first few pages. She gave me fabulous notes and pointed me in the right direction to polish my writing. As if that wasn't enough, this godsend, fell in love with my book (it wasn't as bad as I thought!! woo-hoo!!) and offered to read and help me edit the entire 83,000-word manuscript. She offered this at no charge. Funny thing is, she said she was repaying all the countless hours her mentor put into her.

Welcome to The Favour Bank.]]>Potted LuckLoisLane2008-05-04T07:40:23ZThe Dutch Debatehttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/04/17/the-dutch-debate.aspxOk, ok, ok, here's my take on the Dutch Debate. *yawns*

First off, let me tell you I feel compelled to write about last night's Pennsylvania debate because it's technically news, although, nothing new was said in, or, resulted from it. Yeah, so what Ol' Hen Hill backhandedly admitted Egg Obama was fit for the White House. Um, last I checked, it isn't her approval he needs and it was something we already knew. Yeah, she apologized for 'misspeaking' about her arrival in Bosnia. Again, so what. Oh yeah, 'The Boss' endorsed Obama. Great! Is he a PA superdelegate? No? Well then, it's nice and all but who cares?

What everybody keeps missing, and I keep writing, is while these two do their prolonged dance, which has devolved into a pathetic shuffle, Egg McCain gains.

THEIR PROLONGED DANCE HELPS MCCAIN: "LOOK MA, WE CAN PLAY NICE."
Ol' Hen Hill and Egg Obama
Photo courtesy of Reuters

This Associated Press article, sadly stated this Democratic Primary could last for several more months. Oh lawd, please end it now! Just because it can, doesn't mean it should. The people are growing bored of these two and the longer they campaign against each other, the more opportunity they will have for gaffes like Obama's idiotic 'faith and guns' statement.

The idea he would say that about small town America while in big city San Francisco, proves he can pander, which as the headlines showed was his biggest mistake to date. It was, indeed, the gaffe the GOP waited for; a bigger gift than the Wright debacle because it fell from the loquacious lips of Egg Obama himself.

Meanwhile, back at the shit-kicker ranch, Egg McCain goes to those same, rural, small towns, where folks pray to God before hunting down the deer He created with some rifle approved by the other supreme entity worthy of their worship, the National Rifle Association, to campaign, not to the likes of blue-collar GOP voters, but to Dems who crossed party lines more than 20 years ago.

As I said in "Caught Up in the Packaging," McCain will get votes of centrist Dems and as another AP article confirms, not only was I right but he's started long before the Dem candidate is even decided. McCain and his troops are looking for some mythical specimens, who once sent that *ahem* 'great' Republican President Ronald Reagan to the White House, er, the "Reagan Democrats." Um, told ya.

THE ELEPHANT AND HIS 'HERO'
McCain and his 'hero'
Photo courtesy of AFP/Getty Images/Joshua Lott

So while Ol' Hen Hill and Egg Obama were going around in circles last night, McCain was cleverly sneaking about in Pennsylvania Dutch Country too, however, his speeches didn't fall on the ears of the bored and distracted. Instead, his words were gobbled up by the disenfranchised, blue-collar whites, who believe Obama to be that Harvard elitist they wanted him to be. These folks, who largely support Ol' Hen Hill according to one university poll, eagerly awaited a reason not to vote for Obama and he gave it to them. Now, McCain will benefit by having gone places where no other presidential candidate has gone before.

That's one in the win for the GOP. The herd eyes the big picture while the donkeys focus on minutae. It's a sure-fire way to squander the leverage eight years of Reigning Cracked Egg Supreme gifted to the Dems. Makes you wonder if the Dems even deserve the White House.

]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-04-17T07:20:12ZEgg Hatches Henhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/04/12/autosaved-125523-pm.aspxOprah. That was the first clue I wasn't reading something straight out of the National Enquirer. A line in the short and cryptic email read,

"What must God be thinking."

Well, um, if you believe in God then you are aware He doesn't think. He knows. Thus, whatever it is, He saw it coming. Remarkably, I was able to push my snarkiness aside for the moment and clicked on the link. What did I find, praytell? That, yes, indeed, hell has frozen over and women have lost their end-all, be-all of bragging rights.

A man is pregnant.

Oh, yes, lawdy. He's knocked up and worried about what the hell he's going to wear in the coming months because clothing designers don't make 'man-ternity'. Yeah, he said that.

THOMAS IS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT HE'S GOING TO WEAR
Thomas, the pregnant man
Photo courtesy of oprah.com

Here's the thing though before all of you start reciting the 'Hail Mary' and get your lips a-flappin'... Dude really isn't a he. He's a she, or a she-he or a he-she. Wait a sec, let me back up.

Apparently, at one point and time, he was a woman. That should calm you right down. Thomas, the first pregnant 'man' was born a female. However, for reasons I don't feel I need to get into here, he, um, er, she suffered a gender identity crisis. As an adult she had her first lesbian relationship and then started dressing as a man. Then she, or he, researched a gender transformation. It's important you stay with me here...His, uh, her lover then wondered why didn't she want to just be a lesbian. Now, that would have kept it quite simple for the retelling...but then there would be no reason to retell it. *smh* 

Moving on, Thomas found another woman, who is now his wife, and after -- get this -- taking pills his clitoris is permanently enlarged to the size of a penis. Here's what he told the good people over at Oprah:
 
"It looks like a penis," s/he says. "I can have intercourse with my wife."

Oh, holy clit, Batman! What must sex be like for them! Now, there's one for the porno collection.

In 2002, his breasts were removed and Thomas was legally acknowledged as a man. However, he never had his female reproductive organs removed. So, although, he never felt like a woman and went through the long process of a gender transformation, he refused to part with his female plumbing. As a woman, I get that. But I thought this was because he was convinced he really wasn't a woman? *Ahem* Makes no sense to moi, but OK it doesn't have to. Get this funny bit, all the men who know him, now say, they thought he was just a caring and sensitive man but definitely a man. Yeah, uh huh. Any man who thinks another man is caring and sensitive is telling his wife, "Yo, hon. That dude is gay." Being a woman, that's what the hell I would think. (Press tongue to side of cheek.)

Anywho, this couple now wants a baby. Being his wife has two grown children and no uterus --da-da-da dummm-- they decide to borrow some sperm and try invitro. After a failed attempt with the doctor, of which they had trouble finding one (Out of all the things in this story, that truly surprised me. Those doctor types like setting themselves apart by breaking new ground. *shrugs shoulders*) they decided to do the process themselves at home. Now, I don't know exactly what that entailed between two people with the same reproductive wiring but low and behold, Thomas is now pregnant and showing! See?

THOMAS, THE FIRST PREGNANT 'MAN'
Oops there it is!
Photo courtesy of oprah.com

If you can't get enough, see a video of one of his ultrasounds, here.

So my question to you is, how do you feel about all this? In the record books, technically, a man will have given birth to a baby girl in the coming months. Is this in fact the first sign of the apocalyspe? Or is it just a funny coinky-dink and we should refrain from getting our panties in a bunch? It's really not much different from two lesbians having a child, actually that is what it is, isn't it?

THE EXPECTANT COUPLE
The expectant couple
Photo courtesy of oprah.com

Seriously, he only looks like a man but he is biologically a woman. The mere fact her biological clock kicked in so severely that he went against all male instincts ultimately deciding to carry a baby to term, for me, casts his entire claim of a gender identity crisis in doubt. If he were really a man, he would not want to carry a baby. That is a woman's desire...along with proper maternity wear and a clitoris the size of a penis. Oh yeah! (Remove tongue from cheek to let it loll outside of mouth.)]]>The Egg ChroniclesTimes in LifePotted LuckLoisLane2008-04-14T07:11:37ZMarch Madnesshttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/04/01/march-madness.aspxI usually don't write long entries, but I am sounding off here, so this entry is longer than any other I have ever written. I understand if you can't sit through it and appreciate it if you do.

Whew! I barely survived March. Not sure what the planets were up to but they were certainly not in conjunction with my own natal chart. The month started out well enough with the expectation of blooming friendships and my manuscript being read by two separate agents in New York.

Before the second week was over, however, both friendships screeched to a halt as I realized neither was for me, despite how much I wanted them to be. Around the same time, one agent notified me she was passing on the opportunity to represent my book. Less than a week later, as my personal life began its terrific implosion, the other sent an email stating the manuscript's (ms) strong points--there were many--but admitted, she just didn't love the writing. Ugh. That's bad and earned my deepest concern.

I consulted an actual friend, a published author, who comforted me by telling me her opinion was totally subjective and I shouldn't change my story based on passing agents because there will be many who pass compared to the one who eventually signs me. I returned from the ledge to query some more. The ms submission process is frustrating, isolating and disappointing, at best. Then the Ides of March arrived, and Leah, my former roommate, packed her bags and left Prague for some little spot called Sophia. Reportedly, this place is the pinnacle of European violent crime but her time was up and she needed to get out of the Schengen, so to my chagrin, we bid each other farewell.

Immediately after she left, I arranged to go to Slovakia. Now, this isn't the grand trip it may sound like. I needed to do a turnaround just to file my paperwork for my Visa, so I can start pulling down some dollars and cease living like a pauper. I checked the Web for directions to the Czech Embassy with no luck but, at least, I confirmed their weird hours and was lucky that they were open all day. I bought my ticket, the price of which increased exponentially due to the spike in gas, so before I left I was over budget.
 
After the five-hour trip, I arrived in Bratislava and found there were no tourist maps or an information booth to get directions to the embassy. There wasn't even a bus map. The English-speaking woman at the ticket counter pretended she didn't know what an embassy was, or what/who/where Czech was either. This is obviously crap as the two countries were one until the early 90s. She directed me to the taxi stand. Being a hard-boiled New Yorker, I know better than to trust a friggin' cab driver. However, I was in a pinch, and obviously a foreigner, so I couldn't expect real help. I won't even tell you how much this bitch--yes, bitch--charged me. I tried my best to follow my big-city rules. I told her where I was going and asked how long it would take to drive there. Her answer: five minutes. Right. I know she got me.

The worst part of the entire episode is, less than five minutes later, AFTER I paid her, got out of the cab and tried the door to the embassy, it was locked. Locked! I checked the address then carefully studied the red, white and blue flag hanging outside of the building. Yep, I was in the right place. Then I heard this bitch behind me:

"Oh, you know, today is holiday in Slovakia. The embassy is closed."

WTF! She knew this BEFORE I got in the cab. As I sat behind her on the way back, I thought seriously about choking the life out of this woman. It was the first time I considered unleashing my frustration out on a person to the point of murder, and as a former Gannett employee, I promise, the situation presented itself more than once. Rage aside, I was dumbfounded on how people really abuse foreigners just to get their money. Forget the fact, I spent my grocery money to travel there without getting anything accomplished.

Like I said, March was a hell of a month.

So imagine my delight when I was invited to a party thrown by the Czech magazine I write for. *CLAPS* I was all too thrilled to get my mind off my life and immerse myself in food (YAY!), drink and...models? Oh-effing-pooh. I didn't think about WHO would be at this thing until I committed to going. I pulled some sad outfit out of my wardrobe, which looked the least of what I owned like a road map. As you may suspect, Prague is an up-and-coming fashion mecca. In my opinion, it's no longer coming but is one. The young women, opening the door at the swank venue were impeccable and there I was in my thrift-shop coat and wrinkled trousers. gee-SUS! Um, before you question, I don't own an iron and nobody in Czech owns a dryer.

I mustered up the courage to make it inside and ran for the coat check, which of course, was nowhere near the front door but through the main room and downstairs. Helpfully, the coat check was free as was the drink, of which I helped myself to plenty, and food. Not knowing anyone, I looked for the two who invited me.

My assigning editor wasn't there but the guy who brought me on board was. Embarrassingly, he was busy with the models and told me so right before turning his back to my face. Great. Now, I was to go out and be social with a bunch of people who didn't speak English. As I walked into the main room, I forced myself to dwell on the positives. I was in this great place, among the beautiful people even if I wasn't one of them. While gulping my red wine thingy (I don't know exactly what it was because it had bubbles in it and no one could tell me), I kept getting several STARES. This is not unusual, as it is perfectly OK in Czech culture to stare at one another. Being that I was the only black person (no Africans, Indians, Arabs AT ALL), I felt even more under study. Then this lovely man started talking to me in Czech.

"Anglasky? I asked pathetically.

"Oh, you speak English?"

YAY! There is almost nothing better than a person who speaks another language and finds someone they can practice their English with. As it turns out, Ales Lang, is some sort of semi-famous Czech photographer, who loved my look. Baaah! He is scheduled for an exhibition in May and started commenting on how exotic/beautiful I am and wants to shoot me. Um, ok? Doesn't matter if it's true, he made me feel like I belonged. After his test shots in the middle of the great room with plenty of onlookers, another man asked me:

"Escuse me but who are you?"

I cringed inside at my answer but said it because it seemed easier:

"Oh, I'm nobody. I'm not a model or anything."

"I don't care if you are not a model but who are you? You are simply breathtaking."

Bless you, Adriano. Bless Italian men, everywhere. You know what, Sumari? That alone is enough for me to give Roma another go. Adriano co-owns the swanky venue and made the rest of my night a dream. Glasses of red wine, special salmon (omw, protein?) from the kitchen and, most importantly, English introductions.

I have rambled on but I will finish my little story without the hope or expectation you will finish reading it.

As if Adriano wasn't enough, another highlight of the evening--month--was when I met Nick the Brit. (The aforementioned guy who was busy, later told me to find him because he spoke English. Thanks.) Nick has lived in Prague for 16 years and has a Czech girlfriend, who was just as friendly. He also plays chess every Tuesday and I am keen to go. My own little, Tuesdays with, well, Nick. At the end of my night, I ran for the last train like some absurd version of Cinderella. Brandy and Whitney were nowhere in sight. That was Thursday.

On Saturday, I received a request from another agent interested in my book. Feeling on the upswing, I decided to get a critique of my mss first five pages. Why I did this on the last day of a horrific month, I cannot say. Although, both critiques were bad, one of the two is the stuff suicides are based. No, I'm not back on that ledge. Truthfully, I rather get a bad critique now than after publication. I further realized if a few readers had problems maybe, just maybe, more might. I'm revising the beginning with the hopes of making it shine by April 10th, which is a feat now that I know I can barely string a sentence together. *SMH* After that, I will revise the rest of the ms.

As for March, it was the worst month I experienced since 2006, which was a historically bad year. I'll end with what I'm taking away from this madness: You can't be published if you don't write OR submit--to editors, agents or critters (slang for writing critics and quite fitting, I might add). You will never meet the Langs, Adrianos or the Nicks, if you never go to the party. You will never appreciate your real friends, if you don't ferret out the bad ones. And, you most definitely, won't recognize love when it shows up, if you never get your heartbroken.

I own March 2008 because it taught me valuable lessons and will make me a better writer and a braver person. I guess, I'd rather be an April Fool than a year round jackass.]]>Times in LifePotted LuckLa EscribadoraThe Road Less TraveledLoisLane2008-04-01T08:46:37ZThe Dunbar Fourhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/25/the-dunbar-four.aspx
The latest off-tempo move by Rev. Press-n-Curl involves a yet another rape case. This time, however, instead of being a teenage girl it involved a single mother, her young son and four teenaged boys. The setting is Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach, Florida.

As I come from the Roosevelt Houses in Brooklyn, let me explain how government housing gets named. To make them sound less like the hell on Earth they are, somewhere along the line, city officials decided to give them tags like, gardens, houses, or, village. These places do not resemble anything like the connotation that their names imply. Here's another helpful hint: West Palm Beach is the black bastard brother to Boca Raton, a rich, suburban white enclave just a stone's throw away.

Now that I have set the scene, let me fill you in on the details. This woman was gang-raped and sodomized in her own home, then forced by gunpoint to have sex with her own son. Her own, young son. Then, as if that wasn't enough, these monsters, poured nail polish remover, ammonia among other flammable liquids with the intent on setting their vicitms afire in the bathtub. But these geniuses couldn't find anything to set the blaze but did capture the episode on a cell phone video camera. I don't know about you, but this give me such high hopes for the future. Right.

Although they survived--I'm not sure I would want to--her son is now blind. Reportedly, neighbors heard her cries but no one moved to action or even pick up their fucking phones to call the police. The culprits were apprehended and are being held without bail. Thank the Almighty, for that one. So, why has Rev. Press-n-Curl opened his fat trap on this? Is it to come to the aid of the single mother and her son? Oh no, that would be too much like right.

CALL REV. PRESS-N-CURL, HIS INFO IS AT THE END OF THIS SHORT CLIP


In his desperate search for the next Jena Six, he descended on Dunbar Village announcing these black boys are being unfairly treated because in Boca Raton, where a similar crime was allegedly committed by non-black youths, those boys are out on bail.

OH MY FUCK! Rev. Press-n-Curl has finally lost his damn mind! Now, I'm not so simple to miss the point about a precedent. Once you let one injustice go without being challenged, it paves the way for others to escape correction. However, did it ever occur to Rev. P-n-C or the NAACP, that's helping him, the injustice here is the fact that the Boca Raton boys should never have gotten offered bail?

CONTACT THE NAACP, WHO SAYS BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME ISN'T THEIR AGENDA. INFO IS AT END OF CLIP


So we are left with boys who allegedly raped an incapacitated person free to do the same again and Rev. P-n-C and the esteemed NAACP wants the black boys to be able to do the same. *SMH*

Here's what I think: Take all of these bastard raping mofos, slice their penises off and make them eat them in a soup. Ok, ok, that's not justice either. But neither is, setting them free because the boys next door are--if only for the time being. Here's another idea: How about picking up the banner and calling for the bail in the Boca Raton case to be revoked? Stop focusing on the color of the defendants and seek resolution to the real issue. Tragically, Rev. P-n-C and the NAACP have sunk to a new low. Where's the justice for the mother and her blinded son? The entire scenario reminds me of parts in one of my favorite books: Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities.

In our grand quest for equality, we have forgotten about the real victims of crime and in my book, those are the ones we should be screaming from the mountaintop to help. Call Rev. Press-n-Curl (um, don't call him that when you ring him) and the NAACP to tell them what you think of this dastardly plan to set those boys free.]]>Under CurrentLoisLane2008-03-25T07:20:02ZWright is Righthttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/23/wright-is-right.aspx
All these pundits and 'intellectuals' get on my fucking, got-damned nerves. They are granted a voice of which they are blessed with the masses' rapt attention and they forever use it do to what, exactly? Spin to play politics and not very well is what they do. This latest hubbub over Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons are not taken out of context but they are misunderstood under the veil of the white majority's misplaced righteous indignation.

Well, it's my turn to be a little fucking indignant. I have white people in my family, whom I love but, let me tell you, the minute they--white or black--ever, if ever, step to me with anything remotely similar to what the talking heads on Fox or, even, black, Uncle Thomas Sowell has said about Wright and Obama, I will be the first to put them in their place. So, why not check a bunch of strangers? Couldn't find a reason not to, so here goes. 

Wright's sermons have been dug up, gone through and carefully vetted for ammunition to use against Obama. We all know this as it is painfully obvious that the GOP political machine is gearing up for the fight to retain its White House. All this rhetoric about the man who mentored Obama for 20 years, officiated his wedding and blessed his children is a smoke screen. Before you get hung up on Wright's line of "God Damn America" let's peel this onion and actually THINK about how he got there.

The following video is the full segment of one of the most aired 15-second clips from one of his parishoners.

REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT'S INFAMOUS SERMON (9 MINS 57 SECS)


Wright quoted Malcolm X's infamous, "Chickens have come home to roost." But has anybody stopped to think: did Wright lie? He said WE stole this country, WE did. He said, WE bombed Grenada, um, WE did that too. He said, WE started wars, yup. WE killed pregnant mothers and children, erm, yeah. He said, WE, WE, WE. Yup, yup, yup. The fact of the matter is, America did do all those things. And no, WE never batted any eyelashes while WE did it.

So, he gets called a divisive racist for speaking the truth. Yes, lawdy, the end times are near. Then he gets castigated on national television for calling out white mainstream America for putting both crack and AIDS in the African-American communities.

If you don't know, the war on drugs is a war on poor people of color. (Thanks to Reagan a president white people love and black people abhor for several reasons including trickle-down economics.) That's why the prison penalties for possessing as little as five grams of crack is about 10 years while the penalty for selling the cocaine crack is made from is the jail time equivalent of a slap on the wrist.

Still assuming you didn't know, people of color sell and use crack. Surburban middle, upper middle and upper class whites sell and use cocaine. It's that simple. Hence, Obama's record of not voting for stricter drug penalties because he knows they unfairly penalize people of color. (This will be one of the GOP's strongest arguments against Obama's bi-partianship claim. They will scream, "He's got a liberal record! He votes his party line!!" You watch.)

As recently as November, the US Sentencing Commission lowered the unduly harsh 10 years to 8 because prisons are busting at the seams. The GOP's plan actually worked. Now all those due to be released from prison, can NEVER vote in any election because they are convicted criminals although they have paid their debt to society.

The majority of America's white people from D.C. to L.A. freaked out and collectively, whether unspoken or outspoken, said, "Wright's crazy. Why would white people want to kill/destroy black people? That's just ludicrous!"

How easily the comfortable majority forgets the atrocities committed not that long ago. I know people experience selective recall but I'm not about to let our government with the help of these media buffoons forget these three words:

THE TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENT


A regular day o poisioning
Photo courtesy of minority-health.pitt.edu

Our government claimed to be administering a vaccine for spyhilis while dosing black patients with a placebo to merely observe how the disease spreads and kills. Other sufferers were given aid through treatment programs withheld from 399 black men who suffered. Our government only copped to this when the experiment was exposed.

This is the reality of America's black community. And when you hear blacks denounce our voting system, it stems from years of being subjected to poll taxes and literacy questionnaires whites weren't. And, the 2000 and 2004 elections weren't the only ones where blacks were disenfranchised. It happens in EVERY election and it will in 2008 too.

For those of you who buy into the idea Wright committed a wrong, I question how could you not understand? He spoke plainly with the vehement veracity of those who suffer injustice, generation after generation, yes. But when did he lie? Not once. The one thing on which we can all agree--from the ire his sermons have drawn--the truth still hurts.]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-03-24T04:44:46ZWe Shall Overcomehttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/22/we-shall-overcome.aspx
OBAMA AND GRANDPARENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
Obama and his Grandparents
Photo courtesy of classicvalues.com

In reading many articles analyzing his “A More Perfect Union” speech, where he was likened to Abraham Lincoln, this ABC News article, cites one Shelby Steele, a biracial writer who says Obama is confused about his heritage and can’t have any idea what it’s really like to be white despite his background. His reasoning for this is that people—obviously including him—see his skin color and stop there. Steele’s assessment of Obama’s balanced speech is antiquated and part of the problem that keeps us from a unified solution.

This issue hit home for me, as I am a biracial woman. My mother is black and my father is Puerto Rican. Yeah, it’s not much of a difference as I like to tell people insisting on knowing what I am “mixed with” (as if I am some type of effin' potion) that I am “black and blacker.” That’s my way of explaining it. But in Obama’s speech, he showed those of us born with dual ethnicities have a unique insight—that of the plights of two or more peoples and exposure to the prejudices of the same.

YouTube VIDEO OF "A MORE PERFECT UNION" SPEECH


As I watched the YouTube video of his speech, I nodded and felt my heart do—something. Does he know what it was like to be born in multicultural New York City then move to one-dimensional New Mexico where people openly and vocally questioned me and my last name?

“Torres? You don’t look Hispanic, how did you get that last name? You married?” This rhetorical question was asked of me by a Mexican-American woman with an afro kinker than my own nappy roots when I was in high school. After being subjected to that, upon return home to New York City, I was greeted with:

“You’re not Puerto Rican, you don’t speak Spanish.”

And those Nuyorican mofos, who barely spoke Spanish themselves were not kidding. Although rejected by my own, I was never confused about who I am or where I fit. I knew it was other people’s prejudices or perspectives that was the problem not me. The black community as a whole never rejected me—although there have been challenges—which led me to ignore my Hispanic heritage becoming militantly pro-black during my formative years. It wasn’t until my early 20s when I started going to the Latin Quarters in Harlem (a perfect mix for my perfect mix) that I began to proudly embrace the Latina in me, albeit solely through Salsa y Merengue for quite some time.

No, it’s not the same as Obama’s grandmother looking her black grandson in the face and telling him she was afraid of black men but the sentiment again hit home. My own PR grandmother didn’t care for blacks either. My mother once told me a story about how she described the way blacks looked while dancing: “like monkeys.” Ugh, how embarrassing that I am blood related to one who could even think that. I guess, it’s good she’s dead now as all of her grandchildren from my father—her son—are each more African-American than the one before. That was Obama’s point. These people were born in different times and raised with differing beliefs. It’s not an excuse, simply an explanation of the makeup that is America.

Being biracial is not a black-and-white issue. It is a discussion about inclusion, tolerance and rising above the ugly history coloring our nation’s past. So far, nothing has worked to heal those wounds. But before that cursed bullet took out Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he dreamt of a future where we were all one. And I bet in his dream that future was led by a someone like Barack Obama.

In the same ABC News article, some suggest Obama’s perfect speech was only to appease white voters regarding his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I agree it was his motivation for the scheduling the speech. However, his words went beyond appeasing bigoted, would-be voters. I rebutt with this article about the Clintons’ Washington machine playing up to the fears of white voters. Old Hen Hill’s tone has become increasingly more racially incensing and only because of recent backlash did she step lightly when addressing the comments made by Obama’s former pastor.

Even staunch Clinton supporter, NM Gov. Bill Richardson recognized either Clinton’s tendency to play to the fears of white voters or Obama’s unique ability to unify America by endorsing him earlier this week.

As for people like Steele, who believe there is no way to bridge this gap or move forward leaving our ugly history behind, you are simply not listening and definitely don't embrace your own biracial identity. Being of two worlds gives us the special ability to create a unified one rooted in understanding and mutual respect.

Obama’s words, eloquently characterized why the African-American community harbors such anger against the white establishment and, conversely, helped me understand why some whites resent that black anger. In this understanding lies the catalyst for progressive change. If Obama can get us to hear and understand one another, then he can lead the way forward—not so we can forget the past but to overcome it. The way Dr. King dreamed it.]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-03-23T06:11:49ZButt Ugly Sluthttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/14/butt-ugly-slut.aspxSpitFired!, I started poking around on the most famous piece-o-ass of the moment, Ashley Dupre's MySpace page. The hoe shit must be catchy because after 30 seconds there, I knew I was going to do two in one day.

The name of this entry is not what I think about her but the name of a profile song, done by an Ashley Dupre imposter. As a matter of fact, MySpace is flooded with Ashley wanna-bes. When exactly did people start aspiring to be outed puss peddlers? *SMH* Mojadeab, you are quite right. Dupre will be rich and famous just as sure as Steamrolling Spitzer is about to be flattened. The reason I can say that with such confidence is, Poynter Institute, a resource site for journalists, sent out, "Cashing in on the Governor's Call Girl" with tips on how to make this story sing! Thanks, Al.

Here's an excerpt from the "About Me" on Ashley's actual MySpace page, which logged 6.2 million hits since the story broke: 

"It started when I moved in with a musician during my odyssey to New York. One day, I was in the shower singing “respect.” He and his lead guitarist burst in, had me repeat it and it started. We wrote, rehearsed and toured. After recording a bit with them, I decided to move to Manhattan to pursue my music career. I spent the first two years getting to know the music scene, networking in clubs and connecting with the industry. Now, it’s all about my music. It’s all about expressing me. I can sit here now, and knowingly tell you that life’s hard sometimes. But, I made it. I’m still here and I love who I am. If I never went through the hard times, I would not be able to appreciate the good ones. Cliché, yes, but I know it’s true. I have experienced just how hard it can be."

I'd say she's seen some HARD times alright. Given her profession, I'd say there are some dubious claims in the telling of her own story. It's HARD for me to believe what her brother claims, "She's just trying to get through this..."

HARD TIME HOOKA IN ST. TROPEZ!
Photobucket
Photo taken from Ashley's public MySpace page

But I have little pity for Dupre as she has YET to privatize her MySpace page. Instead, her publicist sent out media notifications about Dupre's music site. And, her 'music,' which includes a terrible song called, What We Want outsold Barenaked Ladies (baaah! appropriate company) and Radiohead in one day. America has truly lost its collective mind.

More to the point, if she were mortified her page would be closed to the general public and/or gone. Hell, I binned a rotten egg and closed my page to avoid attracting others. She most definitely wouldn't be trying to cash in. This broad fucked and sucked a disgraced governor who may have used the public funds of the most highly visible state in America to screw her and she's out front-and-center wanting sympathy? Simple-minded heifer.

ASHLEY ALEXANDRA DUPRE: HARD TIME HOE ON BIG EFFIN' YACHT IN ST. TROPEZ
Butt Ugly Slut?
Photo courtesy of AP via Ashley's public MySpace page. Btw, pic is still there.

On to the Ashley imposter. More prowling around the fake hoe's page, and one can clearly see he wasn't out to hide much. That Ashley lists her occupation as "Prick." I'd agree. On MySpace, most people would see this as cheek, claiming she loves being an ass but being that pricks are, in fact, her line of work, it would have been a level of honesty, Spitz could only admire.

Here are some other tidbits from that fake Ashley's MySpace page:

Status: Married
Education: Grad/Professional school

Here's the doozie I love most:

Ethnicity: Black/African descent. ("Where's my shotgun!" That's what the fuck Spitzer would say if he EVER found that to be true. There are plenty of us, who can pass for white, just ask Karen E. Quinones Miller, author of the novel Passin.) But fear not, Spitz. Your favorite piece-o-tail isn't African-American. If she were she might have chosen the E-V-E and Satisfaction as her profile song. Here's a lyric:

"This hoe shit/is my shit, bitch/and I'm the captain..." 

I'd imagine this prick faked Ashley to cash in by getting more hits on his boring ass page. Or, like the rest of the fake Ashleys out there, who are so obessed with pop culture they will do anything to feel like they are a part of it.

I went to Ashley's page looking for evidence of her music, this supposed career that her sweat, semen and chastity were sacrified for, but sadly, what she calls music sounds like more digitized crap. While America gobbles it up, I think I actually preferred the Butt Ugly Slut.]]>Culture ClashLoisLane2008-03-14T15:57:07ZEpiphany: A Year in the Makinghttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/14/epiphany.aspx
Can you believe it's been that long? I can't but on April 7, LoisLane's Metropolis is no longer in its infancy as she officially turns a year old. Truth be told, she's older than she looks as she was really born in February 2006 on MySpace. However, branching out on her own was a thing of beauty as she truly blossomed. I have learned a lot in this year, stepped on the soil of many countries all while writing -- for the second time in my life -- for free.

I have been struggling with a way to make the Met pay for itself and pay me. However, it wasn't until recently, when a dear, old friend -- at least, I thought he was, hope he is but I digress -- asked me:

"Um, Ailene?"
 
"Yeah?"

"How are you planning to make money from your blog?"

Ugh. It was a question I struggled answering myself and at that time still hadn't. But last Wednesday, while at the pub with my former roommate, I had an epiphany. For over a week now with the buy-in from investors and collaboration with my partner Web designer extraordinaire, Eric Raddatz (peep his link in my Blogroll), plans are underway to turn what you read here and more into an online magazine, Metropolis. It will be sharp, witty and unlike what you read elsewhere but very much what you are used to reading from me.

It will be all fact-based, three-sourced opinion pieces not just from me and not just about news and politics. There will be AmBiSEXtrous, a women's sex issues column, Baby Mama, about pregnancy and motherhood, Eye Candy, about silly fashion trends, Oh, Lawd!, a column debunking Biblical contradictions, Sick and Tired, about America's failed healthcare and why the pharmaceutical along with insurance companies keep hoodwinking the public and "Sex Tips from a Gay Man to Straight Women" titled after a book I owned in the 90s. In total, there will be eight subject experts contributing, plus myself.

Don't worry because Under Current, about news and politics, Black Power, about the African-American influence on society, Times in Life, about varied social issues and the ever more popular, Misadventures in Cracked Eggland, expanded to include all of the downs of working in the world of journalism and The Egg Chronicles, about egg and hen relations will be featured monthly too and there is still lots more (think mixed media) I haven't mentioned. And the art for all this will simply put you there.

I owe you all a solid thank you for your support during the last year. Another look at my hits yesterday and I learned you have visited this blog 20,000 times in the last 11 months. Thank you ever so much, as I didn't do any site optimization or advertising, simply word of mouth, MySpace bulletins and email distribution lists.

This weekend, TheBlog@LLsMetropolis will move to a new host server as GoDaddy doesn't offer the FTP upload of custom designed pages. I am told it will look the same and there will be minimal to no downtime. Please bare with me as I move forward in this new direction and my blogging will be sporadic at best. (Unless, of course, more 'squeaky clean' steamrolling politicians are discovered doing dirt! LOL. Or more journalists decide to squat and shit anywhere but a toilet! *SMH* I'm still reeling over that one.) You will still be able to get here using http://blog.llmetropolis.com I think, at least, that's what I am told *crossing my fingers*.

After March 31, the domain 'LLMetropolis.com' will redirect readers to the new domain www.readthemet.net which will be under construction for the September launch of its premiere issue. You know I don't want to miss Election Day! Oh yeah, the Met will always be free to read as I am selling advertising space to generate revenue. So if you know anyone who would like to buy some space, tell them to get in while the getting is good.

My sincere thanks to you for reading,

Ailene Yasmin
writer, reporter, blogger -- and now, editor
Metropolis

All column names and ideas are the intellectual property of Ailene Torres and are protected under copyright. Duplication is strictly prohibited.]]>Potted LuckLoisLane2008-03-14T09:28:51ZSpitFired!http://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/13/spitfired.aspxContent note: Please be warned today's entry contains graphic language.

Lawd, lawd, lawd. All I can do is just shake my head. Whom do I even start with? Disgraced Eliot Spitzer or the other scandal-ridden politico, Ol' Hen Hill.

Spitzer's grandiose fall from grace takes the cake, so I'll start with him. How many politicians will end their careers like this? Why can't they learn from each other's mistakes? When will the media stop calling average men and women, 'squeaky clean?' Hahaha. Never.

ELIOT SPITZER AND WIFE, SILDA (OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN!)
Spitfired! courtesy of cache.boston.com
Photo courtesy of cache.boston.com

One of the problems I have with this entire scenario (besides the fact that I supported Spitzer from his glory days and apparently his first forays into percuring peddled puss), is that this man like all the others that get caught out there, didn't NEED to pay for the poonannie. He had a wife at home and probably several women willing to give it up for free. The idea he paid untold thousands for some 22-year-old ass is preposterously laughable.

ASHLEY ALEXANDRA DUPRE HIGH-PAID HOOKER ("YEAH, SUCKAS!!")
AP photo obtained from Ashley's own MySpace (baaah! idiot)
Photo courtesy of AP (They obtained photo from Dupre's own MySpace page. Ever heard of 'private'?)

There ain't no ass worth that much money. Well, perhaps mine but I'm not selling, so fahgedeboutit. His fascination for paying for the 'P' lay in the mere fact that he could. A man in power is a man corrupted. So what about him stepping down? 

"I won't let my personal shortcomings get in the way of the people's work."  

Hey, Spit! What about the people who elected you to do that job come hell or high water? Like that 22-year-old Ashley Alexandra Dupre, he just fucked 'em.

This is why the GOP has such a wonderful time kicking the ass of the liberal elite. Right when we convince the general population that Dems are God-fearing, rule-following sheep just like them, some rogue member of the male population pulls out his penis to swing the would-be, aisle-crossing GOP voters back to where they originated.

As if they actually needed help returning to whence they came, freaking loud-mouth turned outed racist, Geraldine Ferraro really screwed Ol' Hen Hill there. Hen Hill had just given the order to 'De-Spitzerize' her campaign's Web site of any evidence of her Superdelegate, when loser Ferraro says on freaking radio for all to hear that Egg Obama wouldn't be in the race if he were white.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro said.

NOW, this is a sore subject with me as I binned what I mistakenly felt was a kindred spirit over a similar statement.

While I was in Birmingham, this KS was in La Jolla trying to make a go at the whole journalism thing too. Unlike me, she followed a more traditional route. She went straight from college to an internship and then on to job search following graduation. As you know, I went from career, to career, to working at same paper FOR FREE where she did her internship for college credit (and I think some money), to the Freedom Forum program at Vanderbilt designed to diversify predominantly white newsrooms. After the program, I was hired for a job that I interviewed for within the same company I worked nearly a year for free.

During a transitional time for KS in 2004, while talking on the phone about her difficulty landing a job at a California newspaper, she said,

"I wish I were black so I could get a job. It's easier to get a job if you are black."

KS is probably the only natural blonde, blue-eyed, Nashville debutant to ever want to be black. But as if that wasn't enough, she continued ending with,

"Then I could get into a program too and be given a job."

Of course, her implication was the same as Ferraro's. I wouldn't have had the job I held at the time if I wasn't black. At that very moment, I realized my friend was going through some hard times. It was a long time after that, when we spoke again. But it wasn't until we met during my 2006 birthday weekend in Chicago when I asked her about what she said.

Surprisingly, but in hindsight, predictably, KS didn't apologize to me. Instead, she reaffirmed her prejudices saying in California it is easy to get a job if you are black. Oh, really? That must be the only state in the entire union where being black is a benefit. However, I fear KS has been drinking the 'Ask a Mexican' Kool-Aid the whites in California love so well. If you think I'm amiss, Google that column.

My point in the two scenarios is this. If you are white and in America you have no idea what it means to be black, so stop pretending you know. And, if you think we get anything because of systematic favors, um, that be YOU not US. Not only am I saying it again but many white-dominated op-ed news pages are chiming in. KS, I hope California hasn't drained you of all your intellect and that you can still read.

The mere fact Ferraro even thought that (and don't be fooled, Ol' Hen Hill supports the sentiment despite cutting Geri loose) means ALL she sees is color because Obama's MAMA is WHITE from Kansas. You don't get much whiter than that, except for maybe a debutante from Nashville.]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-03-13T10:29:57ZMedia Couphttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/03/04/media-coup.aspxdead weight in this prolonged primary is not off the mark, and now, others feel it too. A Washington Post article, states Howard Dean claims the delay of a clear leader will hurt the party in its inevitable face-off against Egg McCain and his 61 percent favorable rating INCLUDING plurality of Democrats. (Um, I said that in Caught Up in the Packaging. Ok, I didn’t use Cokie Roberts’ fancy words but the sentiment was the same.)

Today, 370 delegates are on the table in Texas (some say a Clinton stronghold), Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. In order to stay in this game, Ol’ Hen Hill must win 60 percent of the votes to catch Egg Obama. His camp says she ain’t gonna do it. Her camp looks toward April 22, as if she has already.

As these two duke it out in what could be the final round, the media has their fun. Stories abound about Ol’ Hen Hill’s vow to stay in despite clear evidence to the contrary. Her lack of viability as the candidate to get the Dem Nom nod isn’t slowing her down. What bothers me most though, is the media’s response to her two appearances on Saturday Night Live where she accused the media of unfair scrutiny tipping the scales in Obama’s favor. (I wanted to bring you this clip but the tight shirts at NBC pulled all the YouTube clips for copyright infringement.)

What does the Fourth Estate do? Do they take comedy on its face. Do they stop to use those big brains of theirs contemplating the Clintons are extremely plugged in to the pop-cult scene? Or perhaps two appearances on same show in less than a month signals a strategic move to influence the media's primary coverage? Of course not. The best and the brightest are too smart to actually stop or think.

Yeah that's actress Mary Steenburgen and graying hubby, who knows everybody's name, Ted Danson pictured below. The other folks with their mouths hanging open holding tape recorders are supposed to be unbiased journalists.
Courtesy Washington Post
Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com

Instead, these stenographer-type journalists actually feed into her campaign’s line-o-bull. A corrupt developer currently on trial once contributed to Egg Obama? Print that! We can misconstrue a Canadian official’s representation of a dubious-sounding meeting, in which, Egg Obama admitted he’s hoodwinking the American voters? Print that! Rash editors moved to rush that copy across the rim so fast they missed the little FACT that all parties involved confirmed said meeting didn’t even take place.

Here’s a shot for some balance. Try requesting those tax records again and see what jokes Hen Hill comes up with next. My point is just like the Fourth Estate kowtows to the current administration for fear of a shut out, they are doing same in dealing with Ol' Hen Hill.

What happened to the good old days of real reporting? When reporters pissed off politicians because they knew they were full of shit and told them so. Now adjectives like cantankerous and irascible are used for journalists formerly known as determined and aggressive. If we can’t expect our Fourth Estate to avoid becoming a tool right out of the campaign playbook in the Presidential Election they cover, what the hell are they good for?


Tom Toles Cartoon
The Once Mighty Hen, Hillary Rodham Clinton weighs heavy as a political corpse and the Democratic Party must cut her loose, whether she wants it or not. Every day the Dems don't have a clearly defined candidate is another day the GOP has to prepare. Even staunch Clintonian, NM Gov. Bill Richardson says she should pull out if she doesn't win big tonight.

Question is, after 10 straight losses why is she so sure she will win tonight? She was supposed to win Iowa and didn't. Could Davey D be right? Could Hen Hill be planning a coup like Dubya? If she miraculously wins 60 percent of the votes, I wouldn't put it past her, or her nasty campaign. And, if that's the case, the media will have helped her do it.

Do you think Hen Hill should drop out of race on March 5? To vote select “Liked” for an affirmative answer, or select “Disliked” for no. Those who are undecided should choose “No Opinion” in the poll box below.]]>Under CurrentLoisLane2008-03-04T14:17:10ZCracked Egglandhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/02/29/cracked-eggland.aspx
After penning Ranting Validation, a dear, old friend questioned whether anyone would want to read complaints about my old job. I have much patience for this friend, as he’s worked for the same company for the better part of  a decade, likes his job and admires bosses. (He is obviously not in news.) Thus, he is unable to understand what it is like waking up every morning, looking in the mirror, realizing one has to spend at least a third of one’s life around Gannett-trained managers in a Cracked Eggland. For you who also don’t know that's like:

Imagine five different levels of managers who spend several hours in daily meetings, devising ways to demean you, your existence and your craft. They emerge from said meetings determined to set you up for failure with an agreed upon but vague protocol causing their desired level of confusion, which succeeds in hiding their own ineptitude. It’s enough to cause people to stuff themselves full of unnecessary calories by way of sugar and alcohol.

So what gift did I receive? Note to dear, old friend: Not only does my January entry, Ranting Validation, STILL get daily hits, there is an entire Gannett Blog DEDICATED to exposing Gannett evils. Check it out and realize, I’m not sour graping; it’s the company’s mantra to make its employees lives a living hell and they need an outlet.

I was so elated to read the following I didn’t know whether to laugh, to clap, or to send cookies and a few bottles of Hennessy to the entire staff in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Read the latest post below:

I couldn't make this up if I tried. A reliable Gannett Blog tipster says Corporate sent a human resources representative to the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J., yesterday after the Big Cheeses in McLean, Va., got a letter describing a serious state of low morale in the newsroom. OK: We all know newsrooms are hothouses of unhappy journalists, so what could possibly have happened to raise such alarm bells?

In an earlier note, my tipster gives the backstory: "Two months back, it was discovered that someone defecated on the floor of the editorial men's restroom. It went 13 hours before being cleaned up, I might add. 13 hours. The 'evidence' was nowhere near any of the toilets, so one of the operations folks designated it an act of vandalism. . . . The event was christened 'Poopgate.' Fast forward to today when the same thing happened in the editorial women's restroom." ###

BAAAAAAAAH! Ok, I decided to be cheap about it and laugh my ass off! They say, don’t mess with Texas but you better not mess with those Jersey mofos either. My former boss, Detroit-bred EJ Mitchell pissed off them off so badly, they have SHIT, CRAPPED, POOPED, DEFECATED whatever term you fancy in the bathroom but NOT in the toilets. OMF!

After EJ was moved to that paper, I remember emailing a columnist there whom I liked. He asked what to expect and I attempted diplomacy. I’m sorry about that. I should have been straight witcha, but really, is he that bad? The shit says he is.

CRACKED EGG KOOL-AID ADDICTED MITCHELL
Cracked Egg Kool-Aid Addicted Mitchell
Photo courtesy of gannett.com

Well, see here’s the thing: EJ is quite an affable guy when he trades shirt and tie for regular clothes AND puts down Gannett’s special Cracked Egg Kool-Aid. However, being the ambitious guy he is, he learned well from his own mentor, The Tennessean’s reigning Top-Cracked-Egg-in-Charge, Mark Silverman, one righteous asshole. I’ve overstepped my bounds? I think not. I read in The Nashville Scene not too long ago, that this prick THREW a newspaper at an Extremely Gifted Hen, who over the course of her (nearly) 30-year tenure, refuses to drink the Cracked-Egg Kool-Aid other management types attempt to drown her in. Here are his own words on the subject:

CALLOUS NEWSPAPER-THROWING, JANITOR-BERATING SILVERMAN
Callous newspaper-hurtling, janitor-berating, Silverman
Photo courtesy of gannett.com

“You’re going to make me out to be a bully,” he tells Desperately. “And I don’t care.”

From the horse's, um, er, not mouth exactly, and since YOU don't care, I will continue. My own confirmation of The Scene's report, indicates the weekly’s version of the event was ‘tame.’ I have said it before, but after this little temper tantrum of Silverman’s, he AGAIN proves me spot on. Thanks, Mikey.

Upon Mikey’s arrival, a prize-winning writer who had the misfortune of previously working with both EJ and Mikey warned Mikey taught EJ his bag of tricks and was worse. I didn’t want to believe it but after my own run-in with that callous, newspaper-throwing, janitor-berating, bastard, I realized he was, indeed, correct.

The news of the whole bit is Gannett’s upper, upper management directly from McLean, Virginia booked flights to inspect what the fuck is going on in little ol’ Cherry Hill. Don’t expect much from these thoroughly addicted cracked eggs. Gannett’s Cracked Egg Kool-Aid is their concoction. They will probably fire poor, deluded, hooked on Cracked-Egg Kool-Aid EJ not for pissing his team off or eroding morale to the point they are shitting everywhere but the toilet, but for not crushing them under his weight resulting in the shit leaking out.

No, these management types, will show up in their Brooks Brothers suits, smelling of expensive hotel shampoo and conditioner, look down their rhinoplastic noses telling the troops, “We hear you and we will fix this.” And that's only because they fear CEO Craig DuBow’s $7 million-a-year bonus will deservedly be lost to a class-action lawsuit. I warn, don’t be fooled, by the Gannettese. They will simply replace EJ (for the second time in his career) with someone who is inconspicuously just as hooked on their brand of Cracked Egg Kool-Aid.

Speaking of lawsuits, the Tennessean Department of Labor encouraged me to file because I pointed out despite Gannett’s token window dressing, many people of color were unfairly treated at The Tennessean: JH, CJ, MR and me.

However, although I have grounds to legally fry a few eggs myself, I like having them on my menu, so much so they now have their own category, "Misadventures in Cracked Eggland." Possessing the freedom to lambast these bastards the second they step out of bounds, which is daily, makes all those mornings I dreaded facing them --and did anyway -- somehow worth it.]]>Misadventures in Cracked EgglandLoisLane2008-02-29T08:08:08ZDouble Visionhttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/02/27/double-vision.aspx
J. Lo and Marc Anthony
Photo courtesy of a.abcnews.com

Last year, the aforementioned Baby Daddy Egg welcomed twins, celebrating their arrival by revealing to his model baby Momma, Kim Porter there was other baby onboard after she hatched his mirrored offspring. Here's what she told People magazine about his latest failed relationship:
 
“I wasn’t even coming from the place of who, what, why,” Porter tells the magazine. “I laid low and did what women do: I did my background work, collected information [about the other woman]. But I wasn’t even on it like that because I was pregnant, and what was bubbling inside me was a blessing from God. I couldn’t let my energy be on that. I didn’t have time for any drama, trauma and bull—-.”

As Porter was to learn, the other baby was born five months before Porter and Combs’s twins arrived. The mother was Sarah Chapman, 33, who lives in Atlanta, worked in fashion and knew Combs for several years, her attorney tells Essence.

Of Combs’s behavior, says Porter, “It’s not an original script. He’s not the first man who’s cheated. He’s not the first man who’s had a baby outside of his relationship. He’s not the originator of this. But at this point in my life – I have girls now – it’s a different program.”

Diddy Does It in Twos
Photo courtesy of mediaoutrage.wordpress.com

Ultimately, Combs did approach Porter with the news, but it was after their twins were born, she says.

“He told me that he may have gotten himself into a situation and he may have fathered another child outside the relationship and I said, ‘Really? Well, I already knew. I’m glad you decided to be a man,’ ” recalls Porter. “I was like, ‘Dude, this is so wack I can’t even respect you right now.’ And for me, once the respect is gone, I’m not even listening to you.”

In a surprisingly, albeit uncharacteristic, tender move toward his X Hen from the Block, Bad Boy Egg X offered J. Lo his twins' wardrobe. Awwww, goes to show what we already knew to be true: that mofo still hearts her. Remember this?

I know THAT feeling
Photo courtesy of ll4.com

Um, look at HER face. I know THAT feeling and well. Ugh.

As a 33-year old child of a twin, this 'Hollywood' trend as one online magazine called it, really hits home. As I see it these women: Oscar winners, Marcia Gay Harden, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie (reportedly expecting twins) and their contemporaries, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon and Marcia Cross have at least one thing in common with me. They were all over 30 when they dropped two eggs.

As my temporarily, singleton friend Amy said in a comment about eggs gone cracked:

"I'm more worried about the eggs I'm losing monthly, ya know!"  

It's no secret the older we get, the more prone we are to drop a pair o eggs at that certain time, leaving both, or ARGH! more, ripe for the fertilizing. As careers, failed relationships and trips abroad prolong any hope of reproduction at earlier ages, I think many late Gen-Xers, and possibly beyond, will eventually see rattles, bibs and Diaper Genies in double vision. Some say the average baby goes through at least 12 diapers a day! Oh, poo!

Again, as child of a twin coupled with the fact my Grandmother bore, not one but two sets of twins, I am prepared for that possibility, which exasperates my own fear of procreation. I just don't know if I could handle two at a time. Sheesh. Five minutes around my nieces and nephew, who are staggered in age and I'm crying, "Where's yo mama!"

But seriously, if twentysomething young Jessica Alba can sanely handle the idea of baby in duo, than most certainly with my brains and courage, I shouldn't be so skittish. Although she possesses the ability to disappear and reappear in the most crappiest of flicks, my own honeyed moves prove I am quite capable of being SuperHot SoccerMOM. Ick that doesn't even sound right. Alas, as I am not knocked up, I need not worry. Whew!

I would be better not to be misguided by pop culture's iconic deeds, as it seems many are now getting preggers to rake in moolah newborn baby pics generate.

Cha-ching! Get those babies working!!
Photo courtesy of a.abcnews.com

J. Lo's latest act will reportedly earn her a cool $4-$6 million from People Magazine. This tops what the magazine paid to snap away at Brangelina's spawn, Shiloh. Didn't offer to pay anything fo photos of their little black baby, did they? Anywho, as those two brew their own Doublemint Twins, there's undoubtedly more deals in the works. Now that's a sure-fire way to ensure you've got enough money for child support! 

]]>Culture ClashLoisLane2008-02-27T07:59:29ZDead Weighthttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/02/26/dead-weight.aspx
Although, the above isn't a direct quote, basketball fans are familiar with the scenario. Today, it’s important because it seems Ol’ Hen Hill takes her cues right out of the NBA playbook. You don’t see it? That’s why you read me. You know I’ll clue you in.

I already mentioned this weekend’s NYT Op-Ed piece “The Audacity of Hopelessness,” about Hen Hill’s imploded cluster*uck of a campaign drawing parallels to the equally botched Iraq War. Aside from her mess of a campaign rife with its own brand of insurgency and cluster bombs, Egg John McCain and the GOP machine are chilling in the cut aligning their darts readying for their inevitable onslaught on Egg Obama.

At this point, everybody knows Obama is the Dem Nominee. I know it, you know it and the look on Hen Hill's face along with her latest smear campaign against Obama proves, even she knows it.

Old Hen Hill Cacklin
Photo courtesy of gothamist.com

One more loss and Hen Hill doubles Guiliani’s number of primary losses. Even the devil pulled the plug on that at six. So, why she’s still in? Now enter in that playbook. Like the Suns, Hen Hill knows she’s toast but she’s got to keep on keeping on because of the money she accepted. In lieu of a championship, the Suns get bonuses for longer series; Hen Hill gets donations.

Hen Hill wears Obama down for the Championship Series with McCain by forcing him to spend more on ads, diluting the strength of his message in yet another debate—this time in all-important Cleveland—when she knows it’s over. Obama should be sharpening his strategy against McCain, not giving the GOP machine ammunition for potshots at him while singing to his own Democratic choir after 10 straight wins. It’s an exercise in futility as he will simply beat his opponent who will never win a ‘Ship a la Suns.

"Baaaah!You lost 10 straight! You're never gonna win."
Hill Billy Egging
Photo courtesy of nypost.com

What heats me up about this whole thing is the referee sits on the sidelines gleefully watching this lop-sided match. Where the hell is the Democratic National Committee Chairman Gov. Howard Dean? Why isn’t he picking up the phone calling for Hen Hill to pull out? One person told me it’s because she’s a Clinton. Perhaps, but it’s my guess Hill's Billy Egg wishes she'd resign simply to disconnect his moniker from such a debacle. If this were the other way around, Dean would be YEE-HAHing into the phone telling Obama to move out of the way, the same if it were Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.

I’m not suggesting it’s based in racism but like TV it is good ratings. Everyone expects the Suns to fall to the Spurs. It’s only a matter of when. In the meanwhile, everyone watches the series, at bars or at home with friends surrounded by stacks of delivered pizza and wings. This match between the first white woman and black man to seek the Dem nod captured the attention of the politically interested in the same way. Everyone is engaged. Everyone’s talking about the Democratic Party's Primary saga. It’s free advertising and who better to appreciate anything free than the DNC, organizers of the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

How should we, the Dem Party voters, deal with this political dead weight? Same as the basketball fans. When they tire of watching the Suns struggle barely making a Game 6, they skip Game 6 altogether and watch Game 7. Some wait longer watching the Spurs wipe the floor with the Lakers while others only tune back in for the rock-em, sock-em action when the Spurs finally meet the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons.

Just like the 2005 Spurs, when Obama finally meets his match, he’ll dethrone the GOP but he won’t need a Game 7 to do it.

Victorious Egg Obama
Photo courtesy of img.metro.co.uk]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-02-26T13:48:16ZWhat's in a Namehttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/02/25/whats-in-a-name.aspxIf you read this weekend’s bonus entries, you know I don’t shy away from unconventional thinking. A conversation thread in Saturday’s, “Got Crabs?” actually gave me an idea to apply some of this out-of-the-box pondering in an extremely practical, if not, useful way. If you didn’t learn anything else, I hope you learned that is the Virgo in me.

In the aforementioned thread, a reader suggests Ol’ Hen Hill isn’t the best choice for President as she’s a Scorpio ruling the 8th House and her birthday 26, adds up to: 2+6 = (AH!) 8. Being my rational, practical self, I forced a halt to my knee-jerk reaction of, “So what?” To discover the whole number 8 thing ain’t good. I missed that one by (AH!!) 8 hours. Nevertheless, I’m thanking my lucky stars I arrived on the 7th. Whew. Close one.

In my reply, I jokingly said I should email the idea to Egg Obama’s camp so he could use it in his next debate.
 
"And my opponent, rules the 8th house and her birthday adds up to another eight. We shouldn't do anything in eights, as eights have more changes in their lives, campaigns, policies and decisions than I change my tighty whities!"

However, after mulling it over as I predictably analyze and rethink everything, I thought about what it, in fact, added up to. There is evidence numerology existed in ancient China, Egypt, Rome and Greece long before Greek mathematician Pythagoras came on scene. But he’s the one credited with the most common form for numerology, the Pythagoras System, which assigns a 1-9 numeric value to each letter of the alphabet. Each letter in a person’s given name takes on this assigned value, the numbers are then added together and finally, reduced to a single digit. The final number lends meaning and insight to that person’s psyche.

Balderdash, yeah? Not so fast. My own number reveals a whole hell of a lot about me. Recently, I was told by a friend/reader I was a 6. She said I should embrace this number as I probably see it everywhere. Everywhere? Um, hadn’t noticed. Yesterday, I followed the exercise confirming not only am I a 6 but it stared me in the face. Check it out:

A I L E N E      Y A S M I N      T O R R E S
1 9 3 5 5 5     7 1 1 4 9 5      2 6 9 9 5 1

Ailene = 28; Yasmin = 27; Torres = 32: 28 +27 + 32 = 87; 8 + 7 = 15; 1+5 = 6. Booyah! Did you notice all of my names have 6 letters? So there’s my example, now let me tell you what it means. I gathered the history, the how and the what the hell it meant from this numerology Web site (CAPS are from site).

6 - SERVICE
Traits: Domestic, responsible, careful TEACHER, conventional, provider, healer
The number 6 symbolizes the principle of nurturing, caring, and harmony. It signifies the need for stability and a solid home-base with comfort. It is the teacher, trainer, and parent. It is happiest in conventional or familiar surroundings, opinionated and frugal or anxious when insecure. The 6 is rarely selfish, and may take on the burdens of others unnecessarily. It loves tradition and is health-oriented.
Gifts: Caring, Ability to compromise, Reliability
Challenges: Anxiety, Being over-controlled, co-dependency, guilt
Personal Goal: To provide for others' well-being, to create security and harmony, to love and be loved
Fears: Lack of resources and love; world going to hell
Succeeds as: Parent, educator, caterer/restaurateur, nurse, body worker/health consultant, traditional professional, counselor, coach.

Some of the above surprised me and some of it didn’t. The fact I am a 6 period compliments, or exasperates, most, if not all of my Virgo characteristics. Any of my friends will tell you, I’m quick to invite you over and feed you until you beg to go home. Now you see, I can’t control it. It’s a sickness. I must get my fix.

Not so quickly getting on to my point, I wondered about Hen Hill and Egg Obama. First, I did look for that born leader, the 1. The quintessential person destined to rule the world, or at least, a country. What about past presidents, leaders, dictators and wanna-bes? I think you'll be surprised who THE ONE was. 

Mike Huckabee: 4 Practical.
Ralph Nader: 7 the Investigator.
William Jefferson Clinton: 3 the Optimist.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: 9 a Universal.
Martin Luther King (Jr.): 2 a Partner.
Malcolm X: 3 the Optimist.
George Walker Bush: 6 a Servant.
Abraham Lincoln: 6 a Servant.
George Washington: 7 the Investigator.
Napoleon Bonaparte: 4 Practical.
Adolf Hitler: 2 a Partner.
Saddam Hussein: 1 a Leader.

Because of who Saddam Hussein was I had to show you the characteristics of this person who is 'destined' to come out on top.

1 - LEADER
Traits: original, independent, courageous ACHIEVER, strength, creative.
The number 1 symbolizes the principle of BEGINNING or initiation. It signifies that a person must learn to stand alone, be assertive, and achieve recognition for his or her talents. Therefore, the 1 is ambitious, an achiever, and fares best when it is allowed to demonstrate its own ideas. It is self-sufficient, inventive, willful, and dominant. Its energy is masculine, focused, and rational.
Gifts: Self-sufficiency, invention, mastery
Challenges: Stubbornness, egotism, bluntness, ambition, dominance, willfulness, impulsiveness
Personal Goal: Establishing individuality; making a name
Fears: Being overlooked; not using talents
Succeeds as: Writer, director, inventor, president, public figure, business owner, designer

I’m in seriously mixed company with Reigning Cracked Egg Supreme and another war-time, slave-owning, slave-freeing-for-his-own-benefit, Abraham Lincoln. Those are dubious associations but to my credit, at least, I am NOT a 1. Those are some characteristically-speaking, dangerous mofos. By the by, RCES is a 6 in Leo, which has its own host of issues I gratefully do not share but does shed light on his vendetta against Hussein.

Back to our main program Hen Hill and Egg Obama. These two want to lead our country, so what do their names say about them? You know I used Pythagoras’ theory here. If his other theorems were this fun and interesting, I would have sailed through 6-period (BAAAH another 6!) geometry. Being you are supposed to use birth names, for this exercise I used Hill’s maiden name, Rodham.

She is not an 8 in this instance but, like John McCain, a 9. That to me is quite important, as Egg Obama’s camp labels her as the same old, same old type of leader. Did they do this too? What is a 9 anyway, you ask?

9 - UNIVERSAL
Traits: Generalist, multi-talented, teacher HUMANITARIAN, healer, artist, old-soul, actor
The number 9 symbolizes the principle of a universal philosophy or consciousness. It is the dreamer, and feels at home in the realm of the arts, medicine, religion, drama, and philosophy and metaphysics. It is a healer and educator, acting always for the benefit of others. The 9 looks for solutions from the inspirational, intuitive, and creative worlds. Its energy is loving, compassionate, diffuse, and global.
Gifts: Understanding, communicating, influencing
Challenges: Drifting, tolerance, losing focus, bad habits
Personal Goal: To make an impact in a big way; expansion
Fears: Restriction of any kind, losing control of emotions
Succeeds as: Minister, occultist, health/body worker, counselor, artist/craftsperson, world/community leader.

Hen Hill fears losing control of her emotions? Hmph. The way she crocodile teared it after losing New Hampshire, I wouldn’t have guessed. Hen Hill probably should stick with that one, as I think she lost votes when she lost it. If you note the challenges, both Hen Hill and Egg McCain exhibit drifting, loss of focus and, quite recently in Hill’s case, some bad habits. The NYT Op-Ed piece, "The Audacity of Hopelessness," likened her campaign to the debacle that is the over-but-not Iraq War and as written, a very good analogy, I might add, although tragically. It further proves she is more like the establishment than not. They are both pre-destined to make huge impacts and be either world or community leaders. Double hmph. As they are already US Senators, I think their impact peaked.

What of Obama, then? It is only fair we see how he adds up. Predictably, he’s not like them, he’s a 5. This happens to be in line with what he claims to be and the proof lies plainly in his name. Here’s what the site says about 5s:

5 - PROGRESS
Traits: Freedom, activity, influence ADVENTURER, sensualist, promoter, flair
The number 5 symbolizes the principle of multiplicity, progression, and passion. It signifies the need for change, variety, and new growth. It is the broadcaster -- disseminating information and asking questions. It is a public number -- outgoing, fast-moving, and mercurial. The 5 is active, daring, non-conventional, unpredictable, and attracted by the physical senses and indulgences. It is pragmatic and opportunistic and very persuasive. It may be undependable.
Gifts: Resourceful, magnetic, motivated, competitive
Challenges: Restlessness, procrastination or activity with no direction, lack of follow through
Personal Goal: To win, to experience life to the maximum
Fears: Growing old, not seeing the world, boredom
Succeeds as: Public figure, developer, speculator, designer, news work, performer, change agent.

Read it again. These characteristics suit what we know of this man so well it draws a picture of his campaign rising from the bottom to where it is now, floating on top while he avoids resting on his laurels. His challenges are disconcerting, however, as President, one would imagine there’s no time for restlessness or procrastination. His unapparent lack of follow through—the possibility of which we all worry—is remedied by surrounding himself with the right people.

I have said it before and am saying it again, if there is anything this country needs it’s change and we all know it. We need a progressive thinker, someone naturally motivated to win, gifted with resourcefulness and a true competitive spirit. They say numbers don’t lie. Do the math. He’s the public figure this country needs.

On this scale of 1 through 9, we need a 5. That's O-B-A-M-A.

]]>Black PowerUnder CurrentLoisLane2008-02-25T11:37:06ZJust a Little Reggaehttp://blog.llmetropolis.com/2008/02/24/a-lil-reggae.aspxThe following is a short story that may, or may not, be true.

Dianna Prince walked into her regular Praha haunt looking to unwind from a week tied to the computer where third-world Internet bested her along with a few hiccups in Internet etiquette. The dingy yellow walls painted with Bob Marley murals were, indeed, a welcomed sight.

“Ah, Dianna! Ahoj!”
“Mohammed! Good to see you, a-hoj!”

Sitting amongst her friends, she felt strangely at home in this most, foreign of places.

“So, where have you been my love?” he said.
“Busy working, nothing fun just a lasso here, a boomerang there with a few clicks in between.”
“You’ll work yourself to death, my dear. You must take break.”
“This is why I’m here, Mohammed, this is why I’m here."

The two laughed as he left ordering a couple of drinks. Dianna unbundled settling in for a couple of hours of good talk and drink in the smoke-filled den. Before she knew it, a group of her buddies surrounded her at the little table where she sat.

“Chuck, man, where have you been?”
“I’ve been here? What of you? How was your holiday?”
“Wow, it’s been that long, eh? Holiday was lovely. Were you here or in Nigeria?”

And on it went. As their conversation kicked up, Bob Marley jumped off the walls as his voiced filled the room.

Could you be loved and be loved?
Could you be loved and be loved?

As the conversation progressed, perhaps, it was good ol’ Bob’s sound of urgency that got Chuck to thinking, but it was likelier the large pint of Czech Staromeska boosting his confidence.

“Why I never see you with man?”
“Ah, that’s because I don’t have man.”
“You must be pretty strong woman to go without man for so long...like Super or Wonder or something,” he said.
“Actually, it's a bit of both,” Dianna replied with a sly wink.

Dianna looks cautiously around for a little help in subject change from Mo and his crew.

“Hahaha! You don’t have man?” Mohammed said proving he was clearly of no help. “Why not?”

As the silence fell once again, Bob sang from the rafters.

Don't let them fool ya,
Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
We've got a mind of our own,
So go to hell if what you're thinking is not right!

“Don’t you want someone to make you happy? Everyone needs someone to make them happy,” Chuck persisted.
“Um, well, sure. Everybody wants to be happy, don’t they?” Dianna replied.
 
Could you be loved and be loved?
Could you be loved, wo now! — and be loved?

“So, Mo—” Dianna said attempting a switch in gears.
“I would be willing to help you with that,” Chuck cut in eagerly.

Bada ba ba-ba dum dum dum
Bada ba ba-ba dum dum dum
Could you be loved and be loved?
 
“Huh? Help me with what?”
“You know, making you happy. I would be willing to work with you there.”
 
Oh, holy shit. Now what to do? Looking around for help, Dianna received none as all of her friends quietly awaited her response.

The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too,
So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you
Love your brotherman!

Now is not the time Bob, Dianna thought.

“Ok, well, thanks. I'm a think on that one, k?” she laughed lifting her glass in a toast.

Chuck smiled clicking their glasses together as Dianna turned back to Mohammed believing she eased out of that one by the thin skin of her supersuit, which instantly started to chafe. In Mohammed’s conversation, everything was as it should be: he and his crew considered buying the latest hot item from Mark and Spencer’s from a representative not working for Mark and Spencer's.

“Are these stones real? One of them asked.
“Baaaah! For 24 Euro? Hell no, those aren’t real,” Dianna said barging into their conversation.
“How long do you need to think about it?” Chuck wondered aloud blowing smoke in her face.

In the stunned silence that followed, Bob's serenade continued as Dianna waved the smoke away wishing she could do the same with the question.

Don't let them change ya, oh!—
Or even rearrange ya! Oh, no!
We've got a life to live.
They say: only —only—
only the fittest of the fittest shall survive—
Stay alive! Eh!

DAMN IT. Old Chuckie boy didn’t pick up the hint. There wasn’t enough time to think about an easy let down so Dianna decided on ye old faithful—the gawd-aweful truth. A truth she painstakingly avoided admitting to other people.

“See, Chuck. Here’s the thing. It’s quite complicated for me as I’m wanting something long-term, something special. As I get periodic calls to serve, I don’t know how long I’m going to be here and I don’t see the point in flinging it around while I am, if you know what I mean.”

His face dropped reminding Dianna of a disappointed Thumper from Disney’s Bambi.

“But when I see you, I’m always happy to see you and when you are not here, I think about you,” he said.
“Oh, um, well, I didn’t know that. That’s really nic—”
“Hey! Where can I sit?”

Oh, thank heaven. Dianna’s good friend finally arrived pulling up a chair between her and Chuck, thus, saving the day.

You ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry;
No matter how you treat him, the man will never be satisfied.
Say something!

Taking Bob's advice, Dianna decided on saying this:

“You wanna grab something to eat?” she asked her saviour.

On the way out, Dianna weighed the cost of speaking her heart instead of her mind. No, it wasn’t what she expected—all her secrets outed—but that’s how Reggae often was and that was why she liked it. There's always a lesson and this time she learned it. She told the truth and the world didn’t end in castrophe. In fact, it kept on spinning right along with the party.

Could you be - could you be - could you be loved?
Could you be - could you be loved?

Yeah Bob, she could be love and—*gasp*—be loved, she hummed as the music suffocated in the smoke-filled room behind the closing door. Dianna went home alone to strip of the blue suit she wore under her regular clothes but not empty. Everybody, even those full of superfluous wonder, needs a healthy dose of self-inflicted truth just like everybody needs a little Reggae.

THE END

]]>The Egg ChroniclesTimes in LifePotted LuckLa EscribadoraThe Road Less TraveledLoisLane2008-02-24T09:21:46Z