Choices

Open your eyes, put your head in the game.
then you will realize
that this is just a shell game
what a shame keep on
keep on the sky is the limit
we can have it all it just
takes allot of hard work
we also need to make good choices
choices are the things that keep us going
making choices will hurt or help you
just keep in mind if you choice the dark side
you must deal with it
do not turn back your choices
go with the flow
because it is on you to change the bad
keep on making choices
it is you who has to deal with
them.
Life if choices
fear them no enjoy them
then move on

Too big to fail

Too, big to fail is a dumb statement made by dumb fuck politicians. nothing is too big to fail, if you fail at something failure gives you a sense of knowledge and problem solving skills. What I am trying to say is that failure is a giant part of business and everyday life. No one is perfect if they that they are , then in return i will show you a liar. I have personal failed at many things throughout my life but failure has made me a better person because I have failed. If we do not face failure head on we will never be use to facing grief in our own lives. Also, I feel that we drop our giant egos we will finally see the bigger picture. Get your heads out of the clouds it is not about you It is about the treatment of others. leave the ego's at the door and we will all see a more powerful nation that no one is ready for. i do not mean use violence I mean lets end all the conventional thinking that is not working, and lets start living the ways that we all know that we can. Peace , love and happiness to all who wants it keep your head up things get better when you work at them.

2009 top ten sneakers

10.Nike 1/2 cents royal blue
9.Jordan 12 flu game
8.Nike Air Griffey Max 1
7.Nike Air Yeezys
6.Jordan 3's true blue
5.Supra Tk's
4.Supra Sky tops 2
3.Jordan flu game
2.Nike Foamposites copper or eggplant
1.Jordan space jams

Capricorn Horoscope 12-31-2009

This may be a good year to take it easy on New Year's Eve. The skies could be a little bit stormy for you, and you've already had enough intrigue for one year. Something small and intimate may suit you better than a big affair with lots of mixed energy.


Your Lucky Numbers: 1, 27, 28, 44, 12, 42

Daily Message 12-31-2009

New Year's Eve brings a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Cancer, kicking 2010 off to an exciting start! This is a good time to reflect on the past as you plan for the future, spending time with those closest to you before the year shifts gears.

Souls.

We are lacking the freedom of expressing ourselves. we feel that we must be accepted by all people at all times. That is so false we must like being in our own skin first then good things will follow. we all must look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves what do we really want from this life. We can get all what our hearts deserves but it takes time, space and a whole lot of energy. i know that i do not know everything but, I am willing to go and learn more so that I can finally have some sense of power. Power does not come to the one with the most money it comes to the one that the people feel a bond with. Everything I write comes from the heart with a lot of truth. I have seen a lot of shit with my eyes so I have the credit to go in depth into the soul. If we do not look in our own souls once and a while. The devil will take over and you will loose all control. Keep your eyes open and your hearts to the grind of your own path.

Daily Overview 12-23-09

The Moon in Pisces conjuncts exciting Uranus today, stirring up your emotions and instigating change. You may find yourself surprised at some of the feelings that arise today, as unexpected forces emerge to catalyze movement forward. This is a good time to connect with like-minded others to envision the future you want to create.

Quote of the day:
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.
Diane Ackerman

Come on

You ain't balling dog you calling your mama for a loan. Come on keep it real
do I still have to remind you dumb fucks money ain't shit. Come dummies stop sweating money if you are eating something has to be good. Get your heads out of your asses keep your eyes open. Realize that we are all pawns in this big chess game. Just try to make moves that are good for you. Stop judging me your name is not Judy maybe you should study more than we can finally have a conversation. Come on lets get on our grind stop wasting time thinking about the things that you want to have. It so last summer not to have a heart come on don't let no one run over you. We are all not in a permanent slumber open your hearts and minds and lets come on. Come on lets take this shit to a higher place that we all want come on.

An Og once told Me

An og once told me that
We must pay it forward
In this life of sin
It is not always about
Take some time out
Look around your problems
Are petty keep on keep on
An og once told me where’s
Your pride so you can
Glide others when they are falling down
Muth fuck having an attitude
You get more gratitude by
Being a real men
An og once told me that a man
Is not everything to be?
Be a man by doing the right thing
Fast money is cool at first
But you will be the dummy in the
End the wise up keep your
Head in the game
Remain humble
An og once told me we must
Always have fun
In this rat race we are just
Running in place
Be comfortable about yourself
But be willing to attack
When the time comes right
An og once told me
You will make it kid
You got a good head on
Your shoulders keep on
Fighting fighter till
You fill your hearts
Deservers

MadLib (One Voice)

Oops, I did it again gone
I’m off that lyrical vicodin.
Mutha fuck a gimmick I get
How I live coming
Down the middle like Emmitt
I ‘m in to win
So if you got it twisted
Don’t come around me
I ‘m tried of all the petty bullshit
I need a nice pretty young thing
To blow my mind
One Dimensional cat can’t feel
This I’m too real for you
So grab your mother’s hand
And get the fuck out my way
This is for all the so called
Loser and misfits
And misunderstood that is a little weird
Here is a voice for you
Peep it till the Casket
Drops.

JUstice, Truth and Values

Our country is in big trouble...huge trouble. It is time for Americans to take a hard look at our values, our conception of justice, and our standards for truth. This piece is intended as a first step in that direction. Values take Tiger woods as an example he admitted to having a affair, the liberal media is eating it up like a fat kid eats cake. Without strong values in the family sitting transaction are going to happen at a rapid pace. we must teach our kids more about values, than the value of having items. Next, it seems like there is no justice in America anymore. Justice one of the main principal that the founding fathers were huge on is gone. It is getting harder and harder to find a judge to hear you out. Without justice we are making criminals out of none criminals if that makes sense to you. We must have justice for the people who are really harming others. Stop faux arresting people who have not done a damn thing. Truth is key, for a society to thrive. If we are lying for personal gain we loose all sense of being. Truth is the backbone of a person charter if they are fast to lie what else are they willing to do. The lack of truth has to do with the lack of talking with each other from the heart. The main thing to remember when it comes to truth is: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Those are the words from John 8:32. The corollary of this brilliant piece of scripture should also be written. It would go something like this: "If you ignore the lies, then the lies will imprison you." Wake up, America. The time left for the truth to set us free is growing very,very short.

Corporate Lies

I am so sick of these corporate lies, how many soldiers have to die. All of my life I have been a victim to this game that these corporate fucks play. Devastation across this nation, kids thirsty for education but it is corporate lies that raise the prices so people can't dream. The satellite systems attracting the voices bar code GPS and the radiation from your cellphone, has a hold on you that you cant remove. Corporate lies have you seeing yourself as the bad guy, when it is them that is killing it all. Mass production equals depletion of the ozone Consumerism causing death to organisms. Mainly human and animal the war machine is cannibal. Why have you question the machine yet, are you sacred don't be. Military intelligence 2 words combined that can't make sense, The whole joke of JFK, this country has me going mad how many soldiers are going to die to make these corporate lies stop. Everyone with an accent be on the FBI's hit list. Homeland security an excuse to rule with an irony fist. Like Joseph Stalin economy collapsing bodies falling. The time is now we are here to fight back we don't give a fuck about you any more. No more soldiers will dieing, watch out, you don't when we are coming but we are . Lets end of these corporate lies and show them what hard workers are about.

Minor Threat.

I am here to express myself freely, fuck what you have to say i don't want to hear it.I am so over all of the bullshit, when it comes to push and shove fuck them all. I don't have to impress no one, i just want to make moves in this chess game. all of the test that the world has to offer I have past my share. I stand here waiting in the red room listen for the sonic boom to come. To that day comes I will always be a minor threat to you.

Stump speech

I know that my roots are planted in Africa. However i see my self as Black, my feet have not seen the pavement that Africa has to offer. This is my Stump speech I am here with a message that must be heard: Happiness starts with looking yourself in the mirror and telling yourself that you are not a big deal. We all want happiness but however,happiness does not come from books. Really go out search for yourself you are the only one that knows what is good for you. Drop the senseless attitude you will receive more gratitude by helping out others. Monetary gain is good but it does not last,be with the people who make you happy. slow your pace down all that you are doing is running place. This rat race is rough that is why we need to be together. Finally take a look around you and what do you see that this life is so beautiful. It only takes time and a sense of self that leads to pride. Share whats on your heart then everything will become clearer. It takes the lessons of someone who has fallen so others can learn.

Self-Inflicted

All of the pain your life is self-inflicted. All your troubles and all you do
All the evil you put out comes back to you. We are a evil species that preys on the weak so we can feel no pain. It's just another day for me I'm asking ya'll to pray for me, the gift of honesty is hurting me like a curse. People fear me because I am what they said that they were. We are all self inflicted. Let me tell you something about this life that you don't cherish you only live it once and through them hands you let it perish. This life is self inflicted.With all this pain in life I'm going through what the fuck you gonna do when this fate decides to come back on you. you realize your life has been self inflicted. From the pain that you living until the end of your visit on this earth.For what it's worth when your life don't mean shit
And all them lies that you telling it's a bottomless pit.It's kinda funny bout this life that we live. Terror remains positive and actions stay negative. This life is self inflicted.

From Carter to Reagan: Resurgence of the Religious Right

The source of anti-woman bigotry in the U.S. is not the particular capitalist party in power—whether Democratic or Republican—but the capitalist order that breeds oppression and bigotry as a necessary corollary to its system of exploitation. The emergence of the religious right in the late 1970s as the ideological leaders of the anti-sex witchhunt was integrally tied to the overall political and economic interests of U.S. imperialism at the time. Coming to office in 1977, the Democratic Carter administration kicked off an onslaught of domestic social reaction and a renewal of U.S. imperialism’s Cold War drive to destroy the Soviet Union, garbed in the call for “human rights.” The CIA’s war in Afghanistan was a key part of this.

Carter’s domestic policies reflected the attempt of the American ruling class to overcome widespread fear and loathing of the government following the explosive years of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the rise of the New Left, the women’s liberation movement and black radicalization, and finally the Watergate break-in that forced the resignation of Republican president Richard Nixon in 1974. For the American bourgeoisie, this all-sided social turmoil and defiance of authority were deeply disturbing, and the potential for an alliance of black militants and radicalized students with an increasingly restive labor movement was a threat that had to be stopped. Thus a major bourgeois ideological assault was launched to overcome the “Vietnam syndrome” and to instill an unquestioning acceptance of “free enterprise,” God and “family values,” including the desirability of dying for one’s country.

The Carter administration brought “born again” religious fundamentalism front and center into the White House. This was the national backdrop for an anti-sex witchhunt that cut a very wide swath: not only abortion was targeted but gay rights—for example, Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” anti-gay campaign of hate. Roman Polanski was first arrested at this time in the still ongoing 30-year witchhunt of this man. Under Reagan, all this rolled into a vicious persecution of AIDS patients, while day-care workers were targeted and jailed as “child molesters” in hysterical allegations of “satanic ritual abuse.”

As communists we oppose attempts to fit human sexuality into legislated or decreed so-called “norms.” The guiding principle for sexual relations between people should be that of effective consent—that is, nothing more than mutual agreement and understanding as opposed to coercion. All consensual relations are purely the concern of the individuals involved, and the state has no business interfering in human sexual activity.

Will The GOP win the House in 2010

The Democrats hold 258 U.S. House seats, the Republicans 177. In the last two cycles (2006 and 2008), the Democrats gained a net 55 House seats. To win back control in 2010, the GOP will need to pick up a net 41 seats. Can they do it?


It is likely that the GOP will lose some seats in the 2010 races. Even in the GOP sweep in 1994, when the party picked up a net 54 seats, Democrats won 4 GOP-held seats. The single most vulnerable Republican-held seat (in reality, the single most vulnerable seat for either party) is that of Joseph Cao in Louisiana-2, a district Barack Obama carried by 75%-23% in 2008 and where African-Americans make up 60% of the residents. The GOP will be hard-pressed to defend three open seats: Delaware's (Mike Castle), Illinois-10's (Mark Kirk), and Pennsylvania-6's (Jim Gerlach's). Obama won Delaware by 25%, Illinois-10 by 23%, and Pennsylvania-6 by 17%. Several Republican incumbents had tough races in 2008 and could face solid challenges again next year. Dave Reichert in Washington-8 and Ken Calvert in California-44 are two of a small number of such potentially vulnerable incumbents.


The reality is that the Democrats won most of the races they targeted in the last two cycles and in both 2006 and 2008. They had a target-rich environment. However, they have many fewer opportunities in 2010. Now, with sharply declining approval ratings for the president, increasing public unease about one-party rule, the Democrats' broad expansion of the federal government's role in many areas (the health care bill and the cap-and-trade legislation are particularly unpopular), high unemployment, and the growing annual deficit and accumulated federal debt, the Republicans are poised for a comeback. The question is not whether the GOP will pick seats in 2010, but how many.


For the GOP to win back control of the House, they will likely need to pick up at least 45 Democrat-held seats to account for a few lost seats of their own. That is no small order. But eleven months out, it is easy to identify enough vulnerable incumbents or open Democratic held seats for a GOP House takeover to be possible, if not yet classifiable as likely.


To come up with my target list, I identified vulnerable Democrat-held seats in four categories:


1) open seats;


2) Democrats first elected in 2008;


3) Democrats first elected in 2006; and



4) other vulnerable Democrats in Republican-leaning or tossup districts (based on votes for president in 2004 and 2008 and how competitive the last House race was in these districts).


Conventional wisdom borne out by recent House elections is that open seats offer the best opportunity for a pickup. Congressmen who have picked up a seat for their party (and are thus running for reelection for the first time) are also highly vulnerable. Given the strength of the Democratic waves in both 2006 and 2008 and the shift away from the Democrats that seems to have occurred in the last year, the 2010 races could be particularly challenging for Democrats elected in either of the last two cycles. The recent governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia suggest a dramatic shift in the political momentum between the two parties since 2008. President Obama won Virginia by almost 7% and New Jersey by almost 16%. The GOP won the two governors races in 2009 by 17% and 4%, a shift of 24% and 20%, respectively, in the margins in these states in one year.


Open Seats


Six open Democrat-held seats offer very good opportunities for the GOP. These are Kansas-3 (Moore), Louisiana-3 (Melancon), New Hampshire-2 (Hodes), Pennsylvania-7 (Sestak), Tennessee-8 (Tanner), and Washington-3 (Baird). John McCain won Louisiana-3 and Tennessee-8, and George Bush won both of these districts as well as Kansas-3 and Washington-3. Charles Cook rates Pennsylvania-7 Dem +3, New Hampshire- 2 Dem +3, and Washington-3 even. The other three open seats are Republican-leaning.

Of the six, Louisiana-2 is the most likely pickup, and Pennsylvania-7 is the least likely. But the GOP could win all six if the political environment in November 2010 is like it is now. Three of these seats opened in the last three weeks, and if more Democrats follow these three to the exits, the GOP's chances for a big gain in 2010 will increase.


First-Term Democrats


I have identified 31 vulnerable Democrats from the class of 2008 and from special elections in 2009. George Bush carried 29 of the 31 districts in 2004. 2010 could be a better GOP year than 2004 was. John McCain carried 14 of the districts. Seventeen of the 31 Democrats won by 5% or less in 2008. Charles Cook rates 24 of the 31 districts as leaning Republican. Of the seven Democrat-leaning districts, Cook rates three of them Dem +1, two of them Dem +2, one Dem +3, and one Dem +5.


The 31 vulnerable seats are:


Alabama-2 (Bright), Alabama-5 (Griffith), Arizona-1 (Kirkpatrick), Colorado-4 (Markey), Connecticut-4 (Himes), Florida-8 (Grayson), Florida-24 (Kosmas), Idaho-1 (Minnick), Illinois-14 (Foster), Illinois-11 (Halvorson), Maryland-1 (Kravotil), Michigan-7 (Schauer), Michigan-9 (Peters), Mississippi-1 (Childers), North Carolina-8 (Kissell), New Jersey-1 (Adler), New York-25 (Maffei), New York-29 (Massa), New York-13 (McMahon), New York-20 (Murphy), New York-23 (Owens), Nevada-3 (Titus), New Mexico-2 (Teague), Ohio-16 (Bocccieri), Ohio-1 (Driehaus), Ohio-15 (Kilroy), Oregon-5 (Schrader), Pennsylvania-3 (Dahlkemper), Virginia-11 (Connolly), Virginia-5 (Perriello), and Virginia-2 (Nye).


Of the group, Illinois-11, New York-13, Connecticut-4, and Oregon-5 are likely to be more challenging for the GOP than many of the others. Many of the seats in this category (as well as the category below) will be more or less competitive depending on the strength of the GOP candidates at the top of the ticket in senate and governor's races. If Rudy Giuliani or George Pataki is on the ballot, GOP challengers in the New York districts should do better in 2010 than GOP candidates did in 2006 or 2008. Pat Toomey is currently running ahead in the Senate race in Pennsylvania, and John Kasich leads in the Ohio governor's race. Republicans lost a net 16 House seats in these three states in the last two cycles, and big gains in them is essential for a chance at recapturing the House.


It is highly unlikely the GOP will win all of the 31 races in this category, or even nearly all of them. But all of them should be competitive. That means the Democrats will be on defense in far more races than those in which they will on offense, and they will need to raise and spend a lot of money to hold some of these seats.


Second-Term Democrats


I have identified 18 vulnerable Democrats of those first elected in 2006. George Bush won 15 of the 17 districts in 2004. John McCain won 8 of the districts in 2008. Charles Cook rates 14 of the districts as Republican-leaning, 3 as Democrat-leaning, and one as even. The three Democrat-leaning districts are Dem +1, Dem +2, and Dem +2. Clearly, in a wave year, incumbents in a virtually 50-50 district can be swept away. One of the 18 Democratic incumbents won by 5% or less in 2008, and five others won by 10% or less.


The 18 vulnerable seats are:

Arizona-8 (Giffords), Arizona-5 (Mitchell), California-11 (Mcnerney), Florida-22 (Klein), Indiana-9 (Hill), Kentucky-3 (Yarmuth), Minnesota-1 (Walz), New Hampshire-1 (Shea Porter), New York-19 (Hall), New York-24 (Acuri), North Carolina-11 (Shuler), Ohio-6 (Wilson), Ohio-18 (Space), Pennsylvania-4 (Altmire), Pennsylvania-10 (Carney), Pennsylvania-8 (Murphy), Texas-23 (Rodriguez), and Wisconsin-8 (Kagen). Minnesota-1, Indiana-9, Kentucky-3, North Carolina-11, Pennsylvania-8, and Arizona-8 will be more uphill fights for the GOP than some of the others.


Other Vulnerable Democrats in GOP-Leaning or 50-50 Districts


There are several districts that vote with big margins for GOP presidential candidates but keep reelecting their Democratic congressman. These seats are unlikely to turn until the Democratic incumbent retires, though the GOP may mount a more serious challenge to a few of the names on this list for the first time in years in 2010.


These districts include Utah-2 (Matheson), Tennessee-8 (Gordon), Tennessee-4 (Lincoln Davis), Arkansas-1 (Berry), Arkansas-2 (Snyder), Arkansas-4 (Ross), South Dakota at large (Herseth Sandlin), North Dakota at large (Pomeroy), Pennsylvania-17 (Holder), Kentucky-6 (Chandler), Oklahoma-2 (Boren), South Carolina-5 (Spratt), Mississippi-4 (Taylor), Missouri-4 (Skelton), West Virginia-1 (Mollohan), and West Virginia-3 (Rahall). Seven other, longer-serving Democrats could face tougher tests in 2010. They include Pennsylvania-11 (Kanjorski), New York-1 (Bishop), Pennsylvania-12 (Murtha), Texas-17 (Edwards), Georgia-8 (Marshall), Virginia-9 (Boucher) and Iowa-3 (Boswell).


In a wave year, there are always a few surprises -- a few incumbents thought to be safe who go down to defeat. That could be the case for several of the members listed above in 2010, as well as others not on any of the target lists.


In total, 62 Democrat-held seats are in one of the four categories (6 open seats, 31 Democrats first elected in 2008, 18 first elected in 2006, and 7 longer-serving incumbents). Winning 45 of these, or near 73% of the contests, will be difficult. A net gain for the GOP of 20-25 seats would be a more conservative forecast at this point, though this range, while lower, is by no means assured.


Charles Cook has come out with his ratings of vulnerable seats for both parties. He lists 84 Democrat-held seats as lean GOP (1), tossup (15), lean Democratic (23), and likely Democratic (45). Some of these likely Democratic seats can shift during the course of a year depending on whether the GOP finds a good challenger. This list came out before the announcement of the retirement of Brian Baird, which will almost surely move this seat from the likely Democratic to the tossup category. Only 26 Republican-held seats make Cook's list: lean Democrat (1), tossups (3), lean Republican (7), and likely Republican (15). Cook identifies three Democrat-held seats that I did not include in my list of 62 targets as only lean Democrat (hence very competitive): Missouri-4 (Skelton), Arkansas-2 (Snyder), and Tennessee-6 (Gordon). Throw these in the mix, and my list would contain 65 vulnerable Democrat-held seats.


Cook also compiled a list of Democrats who won with under 55% of the vote in 2008. Ohio-15 (Kilroy) and Virginia-5 (Perriello) were undecided at the time the list was completed, and including them, 30 Democrats won with these modest vote percentages in a very strong Democratic year.


If forced to answer my own question, I would say the odds favor the Democrats retaining control of the House. But the Republicans have a shot, maybe 25-33%, of coming out on top. If they manage to accomplish that, almost all of the turnover seats will come from the list in this article.

Be

Be, be here, be there, be that, be this
Be grateful for life, be grateful to life
Be gleeful everyday, for bein the best swimmer among 500,000
Be-nign, be you, be mom's mean pie, be little black sambo With bad hair
Be aware of what a lynch is, Be, be boundless energy
Be a four star ghetto general, be no one except I
Be a strong academic student, be an A student in Science
Be food for thought to the growing mind, be the author of your own horoscope
Be invited, be long-living, be forgiving, be not forgetful
Be a proud run, only to return to fight another day
Be peaceful if possible, but justice in ways (?)
Be high when you low, be on time but knowing to go
Be cautious of the road to college, taking a detour through the middle east
Be absent of wars at any past or present fought amongst themselves
Be visual of foreclosure over your shoulder while beggin
A nation built on free labor for reperation, Be a cartopogropher
Be a map maker, be able to find afro-american man
search thoroughly it may be close to black man
Be ammended 5/5ths, be ammended 5/5ths human
Be the owner of more land than is set aside for wild life
Be cupid, to world government
Be found among the truth, lost tribe
Be at full strength when walking through the valley
Be not foolish as tender 18 of the mountain tops
Be a brilliant soul, sparklin in the galaxy while walking on earth
Be loved by God as much as God loved Ghandi and Martin Luther King
Be that last one of 144,000, be the resident of that twelfth house
Be....eternal!

There are two kinds of people who stand out in the United States today: sheep and wolves. Sheep stay in their herd and follow their shepherd without questioning where he is leading them. Sheep trust that the shepherd looks out for their safety… Wolves, on the other hand, do not aimlessly follow a shepherd… Wolves question the shepherd and act in a way that forces the shepherd also to question his decisions. Wolves challenge government regulations, reject government assistance, and demand that the government recognize and protect their natural rights. They are rugged individualists who make the country go around and around. Without wolves all of the weak sheep's could not have work, it is the wolves who are the backbone of this great nation. Stop the hating on hard working individuals who want to see there nation at the greatness which we once had. The sheep are some what getting what they want government help. but the help from the government will hurt them in the long run buy raising taxes, stop the production of jobs, and last but not least we will loose freedom. You can call me a fear monger but, I do not care, i am here to state the truth. The truth hurts, but with all the rapid lies in D.C. right now it is our jobs to get them out, and to bring in some new blood the really reps us. In my final words I am a Wolf who is on the hunt,and i feel that change is on the way, and all of the fake leaders are going down. This is our time and the fake leaders know it. That is what they are trying to past fast bills that do nothing. Move on, tune in tune out of the misleading information.

History of Jordan Brand

In the beginning
Early in 1984, Nike was a struggling shoe company. The running shoe phenomenon that has fueled their sales in previous years was slowly dying and they needed a way to revitalize and reinvent themselves in order to appeal to another segment of the market. At the same time, rookie player Michael Jordan was already endorsing several products, but Nike hoped that his appeal would generate sales. Jordan, though, had other ideas. He had always preferred Adidas or the Converse shoes endorsed by North Carolina Coach, Dean Smith, and hoped to sign on with either company. Converse, with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on board as spokesmen, were not interested in offering a better deal than Nike, and Adidas wasn't interested at all at the time; perhaps due to Kathe Dassler's death the same year. While Jordan, himself, did not initially see the significance of Nike's offer, his agent, David Falk, saw a golden opportunity in Nike's offer to create a new line of shoes called "Air Jordans." and urged him to give Nike a chance.

Really Not That Interested
At that time, there was not a tremendous impact from a shoe endorsement, and few companies were willing to risk so much of their marketing budget to bet on one athlete to promote their products. An athlete as paid for wearing the products but little else resulted from an endorsement. It's possible that Jordan's reluctant attitude stemmed from this fact as much as his allegiance to Converse and Adidas products.

Nike saw something special in Michael Jordan, though. They saw a chance, an opportunity. He was a champion with personality, charisma, and heart, and they were willing to put the company on the line. They knew from the beginning that he would be a star and wanted to help him get there. Finally, after much persuasion from his manager and parents, the reluctant rookie agreed to fly to the Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon to view a special video presentation and proposal though he later stated in retrospect that he went with no intention of signing with Nike.

The video presentation featured slow-motion clips of Jordan's college career and some of his high-flying Olympic moves with a background of then hit music "Jump" by the Pointer Sisters. Nike Head Designer, Peter Moore presented sketches of AJ1 shoes, jumpsuits, and sports apparel, all in black and red. Michael's remarks upon seeing the designs were less than enthusiastic. He is reported to have said,

"I can't wear that shoe, those are Devil colors"

Throughout the entire meeting Jordan was reported to seem disinterested and bored, but as he and Falk left the meeting, Jordan said to his agent, "Let's make the deal."

A Legacy (and a Controversy) is Born
With those four words, the Air Jordan legacy was born. Nike signed Jordan to a $2.5 million deal for 5 years, plus royalties and other fringe benefits. Peter Moore created the first AJ Logo with a basketball with wings lifting it. The introduction of the Air Jordan I turned the athletic shoe industry upside down. Before the AJ I, most basketball shoes were white, but the bold black and red styling of the Jordan I flouted this convention. The NBA banned the shoe from the league in response, but Jordan wore them anyway, racking up serious fines of up to $5000 a game. Nike, of course, was more than happy to pay these to keep the shoes on Jordan's feet and in the public eye. All this controversy and Jordan's spectacular numbers that year served to put the Air Jordan line on the road to becoming a household name.

Changes
After winning 1986-87 Slam Dunk competition at Seattle Coliseum, the Jordan logo changed to the familiar Jumpman logo of today, but when it came time to talk about the Air Jordan III, Michael was ready to bolt. Reaction to the Air Jordan II, due in part to the high retail price, hadn't been stellar and designers Peter Moore and Rob Strasser had left Nike to start their own company. They began to court Jordan, hoping to develop the business around him This was a turning point for the line; a make-it-or-break-it moment. It was at this time that Tinker Hatfield stepped in to help the struggling shoe line. Immediately, Hatfield did something completely new and unheard of. His first instinct was to sit down and talk with Michael one on one and ask for his input about the design. Hatfield has stated that this was a very tense time. No one had ever approached the business of designing a shoe like this and Jordan had never had anyone ask his opinion until that time. Ultimately, though, it was the good advice of Michael's father that saw it through. It's reported that he advised his son to stay with the people who had done a good job for him. Eventually the process of designing the shoes and matching apparel drew Jordan in and helped reinforce his commitment to Nike. At Jordan's request, the Air Jordan III was a three-quarter cut basketball shoe made of high quality, lighter than average materials. This non-standard approach to the process of designing basketball shoes led the Air Jordan III to rocket off the charts with its popularity, and Tinker went on to design all the Jordan models up to the Jordan XV. With the release of the Air Jordan XV and Jordan's second retirement, both Hatfield and Jordan stepped back from the Jordan line and other designers took the reigns to continue to the legacy.

Moving Out
Air Jordan Shoes were a part of the Nike, Inc. family until late in 1997 Nike unveiled a new marketing plan and Jordan became its own sub-brand of Nike. To mark this change, the new Jordan Brand released the Air Jordan XIII, Air Jordan Team, and Air Jordan Trainers. From this point on, Jordan Brand products no longer featured the Nike name or Nike Swoosh, and their only connection to Nike,Inc is a fine print address for Nike headquarters to be used for insurance purposes.

The Shoes Changed the World
Air Jordan shoes have consistently been among the best selling basketball shoes since their creation in 1985. The Jordan brand is a household name and people of all ages and social strata line up eagerly for the release of the latest model. Some of this success can be attributed to the fact that the shoes, from the Jordan III to the most recent model, have always started with their namesake, Michael Jordan. The designers take his ideas, hobbies, and life into account and incorporate these feelings into the shoes. A number of Jordans have been designed after Jordan's cars and some of the more recent models, like the Jordan XXI (Jordan 21) on the way, some wonder when the Air Jordan line will be retired while others speculate that, in honor of the man, the last Air Jordan will be the Jordan XXIII (Jordan 23). No matter what happens to the signature Air Jordan line, it's a good bet that the brand and its tradition of quality, high-fashion basketball and athletic shoes will continue long after Air Jordans have retired.

Obama Five Fails

The Obama administration burst onto the presidency with a historic wealth of good will, hope, and change. It is now marked by one failure after another. Unfortunately, these failures are not without costs. The burden is borne by consumers, taxpayers, and generations yet to come. Nearly one year after Obama's inauguration, we have an economy heading in the wrong direction, unemployment rising, a deficit that will double, banks failing, a war command which is virtually ignored, 9/11 terrorists given Constitutional rights at a civil trial, and an administration hell-bent on destroying -- not "reforming" -- the world's best health care system. Not a bad turnout for an experienced community organizer.

1) Bank Bailout. The banks were bailed out to the tune of trillions of dollars with no oversight. The result: Banks continue to fail all over the country and lenders are not making any commercial loans, causing more business failures. Obama's score? Fail.


2) Auto Bailout. GM was given billions of dollars, and the government hand-picked its board of directors. Result: GM is still losing billions. A simple bankruptcy would have allowed GM to emerge with leveled books, without the need to have invested a single dime of taxpayer money. Fail.



3) Cap and Tax. This boondoggle is more commonly known by the misleading name "cap-and-trade." This scheme caps all CO2 emissions at a level 83% below the current level and punitively taxes any additional emissions. Even the left-leaning Brookings Institute predicted dramatic job losses, particularly in certain energy industries, of between 35%-40% as soon as 2025. I'm guessing this legislation was the brainchild of China, as there is no better way to encourage the few American manufacturers we still have in this country to pack up and manufacture overseas.


This discourages manufacturers from expanding their companies...not a great idea in the midst of a global recession. This will not only be a jobs-killer, it will force a huge tax on the consumers, who will have this tax burden passed on to them via higher costs. Trucking, flights, gas, electric, and everything else that is moved or manufactured will go up in price. Obama fail.


4) Health Care Reform. According to a Kaiser Foundation study, 89% of Americans are very satisfied with their current insurance plan. Creating a government-subsidized plan to compete with private insurers is not competition at all. It will destroy private insurers until only the taxpayer-subsidized government option is left standing. We all know how successful other government-run programs are: Social Security (failing), Medicare (failing), post office (failing), Fannie Mae (failing), GM (failing), bank bailout plan (failing), and creating more jobs after trillions in "stimulus" (failing). Even the Obama-touted but poorly planned Cash for Clunkers unexpectedly ran out of money in the first week.


Obama said he would veto any health care reform bill which added to the deficit, yet he believes the bill that's working its way through Congress will insure an extra 40 million people without a loss in quality or increase in costs. Was I the only one who saw The Wizard of Oz and the fraudulent wizard behind the curtain? "Nothing to see here." How exactly does costs for insuring an extra 40 million people not equal costs to the taxpayers? Of course they will. The bureaucrats will just juggle their books and pass the added costs to both the states, by getting them to cover the cuts in Medicare, and directly to taxpayers (particularly to the younger Obama-supporters) through new mandates.


Moreover, forcing insurance companies to take anyone with any preexisting condition sounds pleasantly populist, but what if you bought your car insurance only after you had an accident? How long will insurance companies stay in business? They won't stay in business at all, and that's where we have another "government rescue"...and another fail. Connect the dots on all of Obama's other big successes.


5) Global Warming. Anthropogenic CO2 makes up about 3.2% of greenhouse gases. New Zealand atmospheric scientist Augie Auer wrote that three-quarters of the earth is ocean, and 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is governed by water vapor.


Of that remaining 5 percent, only about 3.6 percent is governed by CO2 and when you break it down even further, studies have shown that the anthropogenic (man-made) contribution to CO2 versus the natural is about 3.2 percent.


So if you multiply the total contribution 3.6% by the man-made portion of it, 3.2%, you find out that the anthropogenic contribution of CO2 to the global greenhouse effect is 0.115 percent ... that's like .12 cents in $100. It's minuscule ... it's nothing.


Finally, the Obama administration would like to sacrifice business growth, at an astronomical cost to both the taxpayer and the consumer, while slowing down our economy further, in order to reduce our carbon emissions by 20%. But it's not a total waste; he will be satisfying his left-wing base. Assuming the entire world cooperates with Obama's plan -- which it won't -- this initiative will have a negligible effect on global warming. Another Obama fail.

Under the Rain

It's been a long time coming
and we stop singing We Shall Overcome and negro spirituals,
we are no longer humming
Just what are we becoming?
It pulls a piece of life up out of me
that for little or nothing you willin to battle me
and actually it's not an act
We unruly, shootin up schools, doin the fool, we got a knack
I been carryin guns since I was knee high
Till it all stopped, I stoped and now I'm watchin all my dogs die
This is the beginning of armageddon
We get high regardless, we Godless so how high are we gettin?
And we stay iced out in this land we on
See errantly on you, losing your arm over the diamond
Try em on, here go my shoes
Now check the ways of racism and be the first one singin the blues
Gods children are on every land we rhyme on
We share the same sky and gotta die, that's just what we got in common. Come on

We livin up under the rain... can't stop it from fallin down
They say you can not judge a book by it's cover
but it seems somehow we be judgin one another because of cover
Thinkin about the prejudice that plagues the human race
Even in God's grace, the people ain't safe with all this hatin that we face,
now check it
They say that Martin Luther King, he had a dream
But a dream is all it was because a race still comes between us
We never did learn, watchin the crosses burn
In his grave he would toss and turn
How many times can he return? Now we must..
Learn to stick together
and whether the stormy weather
We can never survive unless we can coexist together
A nation that is united, but all of its people divided
No more, we can not hide it, politically tryin to justify it

We livin up under the rain... can't stop it from fallin down

Freelance

With all of this anger we can not progress. If we take a minute to sit down and think about what is worrying us, we will see that it is all dumb. Look at the world around you we are just a small piece, and it takes a movement to really change things. Our own personal problems should be taken away from us. However, we do not try we as people we just mask our problems. If we face everything head on we will loose all of the dear in the headlights dumb looks on our faces, because we can finally see. When I say finally see, I mean that we will see that in this game of life nothing comes quick it all takes time. We all do not know it all we may seem like we do, but in the end that is just a away to hide our fear. I am not saying lets hold hands, but i am saying change is in the air. I can feel, I see it on the television and I know some of you outside is seeing the same things I am. This is our time we can make a difference like no other. This is our time we can really change things for the best all we have to do is try. drop your ego and let the good times roll.

Capricorn Thought of the Day 12-3

An opportunity may arise to help put on a children's Christmas pageant. This could not only fill an emotional need but possibly also fulfill an artistic one. Be open to laughing at yourself. It's the best way to show children that you aren't looking down on them.

daily Overview 12-1-2009

The Full Moon in Gemini today makes this a great time to get your point across. Say what you need to say to whomever you need to say it to, as this lunation favors communication, talking, and words, words, words. Now is the time to make your thoughts known.


quote of the day

There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.
Oscar Wilde

It's that Silly, Politically Correct Holiday Season

It happens every year at this time: the battles of political correctness. When a community puts up a Christmas tree, one of two things happens. Either there is a battle to take it down totally, or someone fights to get a Chanukkiyah (that's the real name, not Menorah), Kwanzaa candles, or a symbol of some other religion's holiday placed right next to it. Then Fox News follows by running stories about the latest battle in the "war against Christmas," and the ACLU starts suing any town whose mayor ever went to a church, mosque, and/or synagogue. Hey, ACLU: Give it up. America is a Christian country.


People who see December as an opportune time for the celebration of politically correct multiculturalism have to stop! I understand that people are trying to be fair, but it just doesn't make sense.


I can't speak for the other holidays, but I can tell you that nothing goes more against the true meaning of Chanukah than placing a Chanukkiyah near a "holiday tree" or using a "Jewish star" as an ornament.


The true meaning of Chanukah is the exact opposite of that multicultural rubbish. The Maccabees fought for more than getting the Greeks out of Israel and the cleansing and dedication of the Temple. The Chanukah Story also includes a civil war in Israel. Judah and the boys were fighting other Jews who had turned away from their faith by combining it with Greek/Hellenistic practices. The resulting assimilation caused a loss of Jewish faith and tradition. It's almost like today's Jews trying to celebrate Chanukah as the Jewish Christmas.


Let me suggest that if Matthias and his sons were alive today, they would be fighting every Jew who wanted a six-foot menorah next to a Christmas tree, a star of David next to a cross, or even the term Judeo-Christian values. There is no such thing! There are wonderful Christian values and wonderful Jewish values, and there are similarities, but there are also major differences (besides the obvious Messiah thing). For example, Jews "shalt not murder," whereas Christians "shalt not kill." This has millions of implications relating to war and to the death penalty. Some Rabbis interpret "Love thy neighbor as thyself" as a command to love yourself, whereas Christians emphasize the neighbor part. As Americans, we must celebrate those differences, not merge them into one hodgepodge of progressive mediocrity that celebrates absolutely nothing.


I would also suggest that all Jewish and mixed-marriage people who celebrate both holidays are also missing the meaning of Chanukah. The Maccabees were horrified when an idol was placed in the holy Temple. Rather than trying to fit with "modern" culture, they wanted to make sure that the House of God was a Jewish household. To remember the Maccabees, we should do the same with ours.


The Rabbis tell us that we are not to use the Chanukah candles for reading or seeing, as we would with a regular candle or a light bulb. The Chanukkiyah is supposed to be placed near a window so the light of God and his miracles will shine outward into the world. Mixing up Chanukah with other people's traditions diminishes the light and message of Chanukah as well as those other traditions.


And to my Christian friends: Please don't go get assimilated on me either. That tree in the mall is a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree. Santa is not a secular character; he is Saint Nick. You have a nice tradition. Don't try to make it politically correct by taking away its religious nature. Or as Judge Judy would say, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining!"


America is a great country. It is great not because everyone celebrates the same, but because we can all celebrate our differences.

A Small Compensation (a poem)

When teachers begin to attack the base
Of their own culture, its ideas and traditions,
Beyond mere criticism to full assault,
Poisoning its art with lethal theory
And deconstructing its literature, religion and history
In the light of an immaculate, elite morality
Born of the utter denial of its own darkness,
One could argue that the end is in sight:
What culture can survive such self-rejection
From the ranks of its tutors, curators and professors,
Teaching students to despise their own culture?
And I, for one, will grieve deeply
At the coming loss of the Western world,
Now hissing in the acid of its own self-loathing.

We shudder in shame at our founding fathers,
And once where we celebrated our common-wealth
We mourn the vision of our forebears' genocide,
Believing our foundations were laid in crime.
Colonial nations have no right to be
Proud or successful through the losses of others,
And thus implicitly forfeit their right
To exist. So be it. Let us curse our culture
As criminal and reap the punishment we deserve:
Enervation, corruption, dissipation, despair.

But as they say, every downside has an up.
And although I know it will improve nothing -
Once our criminal culture has been crippled
By its own self-holy hatred of its past
And the resulting power-vacuum filled
By the new-world's next colonising empire -
It will at least be quite diverting to see
The post-enlightened professors who hate
Religion, ritual, tradition and everything
Else about the West, cowered and kneeling
Under rifles towards Mecca, and the gender feminists,
After years of shrieking at the Western Patriarchy
For all its anxiety-inducing freedoms,
Happily barefoot in shawls and burkhas,
Content and relieved once more to be told
To shut-up and get back to the kitchen.

Time is Running out for Dumbfuck career politicians

In many and varied ways, Americans are tapping out the international distress signal to each other since Washington, D.C. isn't listening.


To all except the most zealous supporters of the Democratic Party, the intentions of the party in power have become clear in less than a year. It's also clear that there's not much we citizens can do about it until the 2010 elections. For now, we hunker down and watch the train wreck in slow motion. This is not defeatism. For now, it's reality.


Meanwhile, the noise surrounding the decline of the U.S. economy has taken on a contradictory surrealism of sorts. On the flip side, Law & Order actor Sam Waterston, a certified liberal, narrates a financial firms TV ad wherein he suggests that the recession is showing signs of being over. He mentions "green shoots" and hints that now's the time to jump back into the market. Of course, it's all qualified with maybes and could Be's. Most of us are not seeing short shoots by a long shot.


The president has recently declared himself concerned about the federal deficit. It rings as hollow as if Willie Sutton had said, "I've stopped robbing banks, even though I know that's where the money is and I still like saying 'stick em' up.'" The national debt will climb boldly through the foreseeable future. It's no longer the elephant in the room. It is the room.


Meanwhile, to divert our attention, NYC will pitch the big tent that's host a three-ring international show trial. The media circus will keep people entertained for months while the dollar shrinks and inflation stirs. It will be a perversion of Bob Hope's honorable gift to the U.S. military across many holidays and continents: Use a show to take their minds off the war.


Those Americans who align themselves with the GOP have watched their elected officials awaken to the warning signs many of us saw back during the election. Now Senator Lindsey Graham offers sound-bite criticism in his questioning of Attorney General Eric Holder, a man he once voted to confirm. Graham thinks the NYC terrorist trial is a bad idea. Like Detective John McClane, who in the movie Die Hard finally manages to alert the police to a hostage situation by dropping a terrorist's body on a patrol car from several stories up, our message to Graham is "Welcome to the party, pal." His friend John McCain, who wouldn't use candidate Obama's middle name during the campaign, is now so bold as to say the s-word: socialism. Welcome to the party, John.


In many and varied voices, Americans tapped out their S.O.S. to Democrat politicians at town hall meetings during the summer recess. Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) is the poster-boy for the overall discounting of constituents' opinions. We've written letters, waved homemade signs, phoned congressional offices, and gathered in large groups. But the train slows not.


Fact is, all that remains for the wreck to begin is for Democrats to make peace with each other, since they've had all the votes they need for a year. It's just a matter of lining them up with the proper promises, threats, and payoffs. Persuasion, Chicago-style.


Most of us probably have a friend or two who explained his or her pending vote for Obama by offering assurances that Obama would move to the center if elected and govern in bipartisan cooperation with a Republican Congress. That analysis looks silly and naïve in retrospect.


So it's neither to Republican nor Democrat politicians that many Americans are tapping out their S.O.S. We're messaging each other. Occasionally, even complete strangers. The angst felt by many for the future of the country, and for some the future that awaits children and grandchildren, grows daily. There are fewer jokes on the street about Obama than there were about Bush. For many of us, none of this has a humorous edge to it. Satire, occasionally. But humor, so little now as to be none.


Now that Joe Biden's caravans have gone to running over people and things, already killing one, it's even hard to find much that's funny about the guy assigned to ride herd on the impact of the stimulus bill. It's an impact now being felt in jobs saved and jobs created within imaginary congressional districts. Forrest Gump would be ashamed of the accounting.


It's clear that the clowns are in charge, and they're quickly giving away the circus.


So we're messaging each other, tapping out . . . _ _ _ . . . to the like-minded, regardless of any political party proclivity, any status in life or community, any vocation, any color, anything. Their name is Legion, for there are many of them. And their numbers are growing.


This should alarm the career politicians of both parties, for it makes their future much less predictable.

Should Lebron Give Up the Number 23

In what could be the sneaker marketing move of the century, LeBron James announced in a post-game interview last night that to honor Michael Jordan, he’ll not wear the same jersey number.

Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat, hung Michael Jordan’s 23 jersey in the Heat’s arena, paying tribute to a player who never even played for them. Riley contends that Jordan is hands down the best player ever and that his jersey should be hung league-wide. James, whose Cavs beat the Heat last night, maintains the same theory, saying that no player should wear 23, and the league should retire Jordan’s jersey, a la the Jackie Robinson treatment. In the same interview, he said he planned to wear 6 next year, which he wore in the Olympics in 2008, and to start a petition saying that no player should ever wear 23 again.

The show of respect by LeBron is not only humbling, but it has very interesting marketing implications for Nike, LeBron and Jordan Brand. In this Sneaker Synopsis, we look at the possible inspirations and outcomes of the move to the number 6.



You’ll recall that in 2007, Kobe Bryant wore a new number without switching teams. His change to 24 from 8 had numerous explanations. A very popular explanation is that the move to 24 was meant to one-up MJ’s 23. Consider the possibility that this is true and it puts a very new spin on the Kobe vs. LeBron battle that dominates NBA talk–Kobe competes while LeBron gives tribute.

Is LeBron looking to pay tribute to MJ only, or to further separate himself, as a player, in the span of history? Any player who has ever worn 23 has drawn comparisons to the great one, coming up short every time. With all his potential, could LeBron ever really be content with being remembered as “the other 23?”

Reasons for the switch to the number 6 vary. From an on-court perspective, LeBron reached his here-in peak in 2008, when he won a gold medal with Team USA in the number 6 uniform. But the number is more than just related to his own performances–”My second-favorite player was Julius Erving, and he wore No. 6,” James said. “I wore 32 in high school because Dr. J wore it at first. My first child was born on Oct. 6, it’s my Olympic number, my second child was born in June.” It’s clear that the reasons for the number 6 are numerous, but it is impossible to assume that Nike, marketing and the LBJ brand don’t play some part in this.

If LeBron changes numbers, a new logo will have to be created to replace the LJ23 Crown logo currently used. Associated branding must also be changes on all goods, which are multi-million dollar products for Nike and James. A new logo and number means LBJ fans “have to” replace their old gear.

It also means a new marketing approach for King James. With Kobe’s signature line expanding, and the recent acquisition of D-Wade by Jordan, things are getting crowded at the top. From a marketing perspective, Nike must appropriately place all of its stars along a pricing scale. Clearly, LeBron is at the top, with Kobe trailing closely and Kevin Durant further down. With a load of Wade marketing expected for Jordan Brand this year and his approaching first signature silhouette, a number change for LeBron is a great reason to “reintroduce” one of the most marketable players ever and re-saturate the airwaves with a new campaign.

The number change seemingly arose out of thin air last night, but carries major implications. Also, consider that we don’t even know where LeBron will be playing. A potential new team means there could be even more reasons to buy new gear. Stay tuned for more updates though March, when the deadline for a jersey number change is due to the NBA.

Marketing move or genuine MJ tribute? As much talk as there has been about LeBron to NY, perhaps there will be some new chatter about LeBron teaming up with D Wade in MIA? What do you feel are the reasons LeBron will or will not switch numbers for 2010 and on?

The Chase (Passion)

For anyone that wants to pursue a passion, do whatever makes you happy. I wasn’t happy, and if you’re not happy in one place it’s going to trickle down to everything else in your life. Make a change, and if you really want to do something different then work on it, figure it out and just try to do it. Owning your own business is going to be the thing of the future. If you can make money off of it then study it and figure it out because in the end, it will be a great payoff.

LeBron James and the Browns

LeBron James has been spotted on the sideline of many football games over the past year. He has been somewhat of a regular at games featuring the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns and the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, could we soon see ‘King James’ trading his fitted cap and sneakers in for a helmet and cleats?

Last night LeBron James, an all-state wide receiver in high school, stated that with time and dedication, he could be a great football player. “If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good,” he said Tuesday night, “no matter what team I was on.”

LeBron’s words quickly spread, and one person who caught wind of this was Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini. “I think he should come on down,” Mangini said.

What if James actually played in the NFL? If he played, how would this effect the recent number change discussion

Death of DeadStocks

Years ago, sneakerheads stored up buried treasure in the form of deadstock (unworn, unboxed) sneakers. Many Jordan collectors and SB enthusiasts alike would put classics on ice in hopes of them accumulating monumental value for resale or the ultimate neck-breaking moment years after their release. Across the world, shoe lovers would spend endless hours searching eBay and forum listings in hopes of finding an unworn pair of their holy grails.

At the height of the deadstock hype, a pair of $100 Air Jordan 3 Retros from 2001 went for as much as $800! Consumption patterns have clearly changed as sought after OG’s are seen going for similar rates to their retro counterparts. In addition, re-sellers are now taking hits by selling them for less than retail. With that said, are the days of deadstock dead?

Blogs- At the turn of the millennium, most closet sneaker heads found fellowship in the form of online sneaker forums. The days of hiding copies of Eastbay and KICKS under ones bed were over with the advent of websites like Nike Talk and ISS. Forums were a great way to discuss kicks with fellow collectors. Conversely, this dialogue created tons of hype and led to a competitive environment for showcasing pick-ups. Sneaker heads would turn to blogs for the most reliable and up-to-date release news. Blogs made it easier to find information by posting news as it released and cutting down on the silly discussion posts that often made it hard to navigate forums. Readers soon became enticed by new releases and quit chasing originals.

New Rule: Stop complaining about health care reform if you're not willing to reform your own health.

New Rule: You can't complain about health care reform if you're not willing to reform your own health. Unlike most liberals, I'm glad all those teabaggers marched on Washington last week. Because judging from the photos, it's the first exercise they've gotten in years. Not counting, of course, all the Rascal scooters there, most of which aren't even for the disabled. They're just Americans who turned 60 and said, "Screw it, I'm done walking." These people are furious at the high cost of health care, so they blame illegals, who don't even get health care. News flash, Glenn Beck fans: the reason health care is so expensive is because you're all so unhealthy.

Yes, it was fun this week to watch the teabaggers complain how the media underestimated the size of their march, "How can you say there were only 60,000 of us? We filled the entire mall!" Yes, because you're fat. One whale fills the tank at Sea World, that doesn't make it a crowd.

President Obama has identified all the problems with the health care system, but there's one tiny issue he refuses to tackle, and that's our actual health.

And since Americans can only be prodded into doing something with money, we need to tax crappy foods that make us sick like we do with cigarettes, and alcohol -- and alcohol actually serves a useful function in society in that it enables unattractive people to get laid, which is more than you can say for Skittles.

I'm not saying tax all soda, but certainly any single serving of soda larger than a baby is not unreasonable. If you don't know whether you burp it or it burps you, that's too big. We need to make taking care of ourselves an issue of patriotism. If you were someone who condemned Bush for not asking Americans to sacrifice for the war on terror, the same must be said for Obama and health care.

President Arugula is not gonna tell Americans they're fat and lazy. No sin tax on food on Obama's watch. And at a time when it's important to set new standards for personal responsibility, he appointed a surgeon general, who is, I'm sorry, kind of fat. Certainly too heavy to be a surgeon general, it's a role model thing. It would be like appointing a Secretary of the Treasury who didn't pay his taxes. He did?

And get this: Surgeon General Benjamin had previously been a nutritional advisor to Burger King. The only advice a "health expert" should give Burger King is to stop selling food. The "nutritional advisor" job was described as, "promoting balanced diets and active lifestyle choices" -- and who better to do that than the folks who hand you meat and corn syrup through a car window? When you have a surgeon general who comes from Burger King, it's a message to lobbyists, and that message is, "Have it your way."

Hard work is gone.

In the days of text messaging, and so called reality television shows. i have one question has our Country stop working hard. back in the day hard work was the cool thing to do, now people want hand-outs. Receiving a hand-out is fine but, you can not live on hand-outs, you will always be the government's bitch. That is why I personally choose to work hard everyday, like Rick Ross said he is hustling everyday I am working everyday. I know that 99% of work is showing up and that is the hardest part but, if you overcome that hard work is great. A honest day of hard work will give you a great sense of pride in your self, hard work also gives you a sense of accomplishment. It feels really fucking good when you oversee something getting done, last but not least hard work will give you pride. For all of you people who are down and out start something then look at your self in the mirror, and you can see the difference in your self. I know that we all need money but remember that money does not grow on trees,unless you are part of The Obama administration. We have to work to get case closed. In the end we all come from different backgrounds, but we must find a common ground or the divide will become greater. This Country was founded on the principle of hard work lets go back to it. We call can't be famous just realize that and it will be fine.

Top Ten Drunk Writers

#10 - RAYMOND CHANDLER [1888-1959]

#09 - FREDERICK EXLEY [1929-92]

#08 - HARRY CREWS [1935- ]

#07 - JACK KEROUAC [1922-69]

#06 - JACK LONDON [1876-1916]

#05 - F. SCOTT FITZGERALD [1896-1940]

#04 - EDGAR ALLAN POE [1809-49]

#03 - Tie: WILLIAM FAULKNER [1897-1962] & DOROTHY PARKER [1897-1967]

#02 - Tie: ERNEST HEMINGWAY [1899-1961] & HUNTER S. THOMPSON [1937-2005]

#01 - CHARLES BUKOWSKI [1920-94]

Does this list make you want to go to your nearest liquor store,and get some thing to drink. As i leave here is some final sober words for you to shot gun, I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

The Death Penalty must go.

With the D.C. Sniper being killed by lethal injection today, I have one question is it worth it. Some people would say he killed people therefore he should be killed. Those people are ignoring the fact the us the tax payers are paying for the Death Penalty. To me the Death Penalty should be removed it is a total waste of money. We can keep a criminal on death roll for way cheaper. Also, I believe that criminal's want to die, so why are we giving them what they want. Throughout history it has be proven all of the world that we the United States is way behind. This is a call to arms we need to personally look at ourselves before we try to police someone else. If our house is not in order what does it say about us. That goes for all you lazy ares in the House and Senate, it is time for you to do your jobs or you will be looking for new ones. Don't be a fool start listening to what people are saying. Read between the lines, then you will see that it is all lies.

Daily Overview

11-10-2009

The Sun in Scorpio squares Jupiter in Aquarius today, putting our need to spend time alone at odds with our desire to spend time with others. It is possible to do both and benefit from the enhanced creativity and energy that is also possible with this expansive aspect.

Quote of the Day

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
Mark Twain

Bush and Obama Quiz

Obama said he is nothing like Bush. However here is a quiz that my shed some light for you.
1. President Bush was famous for lacking "intellectual curiosity," while President Obama has been called "the smartest guy ever to become President." Who reads more books: Bush or Obama?


2. Bush was often considered to be in the grip of Big Oil. In contrast, Obama is a Harvard-educated lawyer. Which industry contributed more than five times as much as the other to politicians: the oil & gas industry, or lawyers/law firms?


3. Bush's Christian faith was at the core of his political identity, and he was considered to be in the grip of the "religious right," while Obama is considered more open-minded. In fact, Obama has said, "my faith is one that admits some doubt." Which one refers to Jesus more in public speeches?


4. Bush was criticized for excessive federal spending and running up huge deficits. Bush's deficit in 2008 was the largest in history. In fact, President Obama said,
It's a little hard for me to take criticism from folks about this recovery package after they've presided over a doubling of the national debt ... What I won't do is return to the failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place.
Whose deficit was more than triple the size of the other's: Bush's in 2008 or Obama's in 2009?


5. While Obama criticized Bush for "a doubling of the national debt," the federal debt held by the public went from 35.1% of GDP in 2000 to 40.8% of GDP in 2008 -- an increase of 16% as of fraction of GDP. What is it expected to be in 2016 under Obama's budget plan?


6. Obama criticized Bush for Guantanamo, military tribunals, wiretaps, troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "signing statements." Which one of these Bush practices has Obama ended?


Answers:


1. Bush. Obama started reading a book in April and had not finished it by June, putting him on a pace of no more than ten books per year. Bush read forty to ninety-five books a year while President, not counting a new and complete reading of the Bible every year. Bush scored 1206 on his SAT, putting his IQ in the 125-130 range, smarter than 95% of the population and in the company of Lincoln, Rousseau, and Thackeray. He graduated from Yale and earned an MBA from Harvard. Obama earned a law degree from Harvard, but has not released any of his academic records. Despite what you might have heard, we know nothing of his IQ, test scores, or grades from any of the schools he attended.


2. Law firms. In the 2010 cycle so far, Lawyers/Law Firms have contributed $33,779,866 (81% to Democrats), and the Oil & Gas industry has contributed $6,293,631 (34% to Democrats). In the 2008 cycle, the numbers were $233,499,989 (76% to Dems) from lawyers and $35,564,322 (23% to Dems). In all, lawyers contributed about six times more to politicians than the Oil & Gas industry.


3. Obama. Per Eamon Javers at Politico, "As president, Barack Obama has mentioned Jesus Christ in a number of high-profile public speeches -- something his predecessor George W. Bush rarely did in such settings."


4. Obama's 2009 deficit, the largest in U.S. history. It was more than three times that of Bush's record 2008 deficit. Per the Congressional Budget Office, the 2008 deficit was $455 B, and the 2009 deficit was $1,417 B. As a fraction of GDP, it was the largest deficit since 1945.


5. The CBO expects the debt held by the public to be 77.1% of GDP in 2016 under Obama's plan, or an increase of 89% as a fraction of GDP, and the highest level since 1950.



6. None.
•Guantanamo is still open and probably will be into 2010, maybe longer.
•Obama is keeping military tribunals and clandestine wiretapping programs.
•Obama plans to keep most troops in Iraq until the summer of 2010. Even then, he is talking of keeping about 50,000 troops there (compared to about 124,000 now). The number of US troops in Afghanistan increased from 37,000 in January 2009 to 62,000 by August 2009, and Obama is expected to send over 30,000 more. Total number of US troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan has increased under Obama so far (from about 184,000 in January to 186,000 in September).
•Obama has used signing statements himself.

Now after reading this what do you think, all Presidents are the same Imperial good for nothing. Learn more about politics and you will not be tricked by the dumb fucks in the media.

The Green Trend Must go.

Nowadays, the big trend is going green, I personally fuck that all these people who say that they love the environment are liars. If it is cool to go green why are their so many cars on the road, why don't people stop eating meat. To all you fucks with I went green shirts eat a hot dick with honey mustard. If some one is the ultimate green czar it has to be me. I have not driven a car in seven years, i do not wear animal products such as leather, lip stick, and wool there are some much more. As a nation we are barley cutting the surface of this green trend. P.s. before I leave as a nation if we really care about mother earth we would go nuclear. nuclear energy is the cleanest form of energy, but if you study politics you know that answer. To all you green trend bandwagon jumpers fuck you.

Leaders, Followers, and Doers

In life there is three kinds of people: followers, leaders and doers. These groups of people are very different in each sense, also in life we all fall into a group. Therefore, the talk that we are all individuals is nice but, it is not true. For our own mental stake we need to be classified into a group, thus it makes us feel like we are part of something. Now I will take some time talking about the different groups of people. The first, group of people is followers, we all know some followers. Followers are the group of people with no back bone they need help doing everything. Followers also have problems with entitlement they feel like that they are entitled to everything. However, the forget the fact that everything needs work to work. Let me break that statement down, if you don't work you get nothing case closed. The next group of people is leaders, leaders are the people who will look like they are taking control, but they just what someone to pay some attention to them. Leaders will get things done however, a leader is the first on to be brainwashed. A leader always needs all eyes on them. The last group of people is doers. This is the category i fall into. A doers is person who is going to do anything, people don't have to ask you. You have a sense of pride and others can see that. The downfall to a doers is that they do not believe in anything, in other words they are hard-headed. Now what group do you fall into, play your role well then life will be great.

Marcus’ Jordans Cause adidas to Drop UCF Athletics

As a sneaker head, this story is likely to elicit a wide range of emotions. At a superficial level, we’re a little jealous to see Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, wearing the ‘Rising Sun’ Air Jordan XII (12) even though we couldn't’t get them last month as expected. Take a look at the headlines, though, and you’re sure to be confused by what’s going on down at UCF’s Orlando campus.

Signed to a multi year contract with adidas, the University of Central Florida first told MJ’s ‘rising son’ that he could either drop his daddy’s kicks or face serious consequences. Since the Jordan family assets likely exceed UCF’s endowment, the lil’ Jordan kept right on going. Clearly, that didn’t sit well with Adidas.


Simple enough . . . or is it? Apparently, regional Adidas officials had told the young Jump man that he could rock his namesake kicks, a decision later repealed by executive management. The Rising Suns look awesome with UCF’s home unis, so should Adidas care that people are going to associate the team that includes Michael Jordan’s son with Jordan Brand?

Marcus even went so far as to white-out the tongue Jump man, leaving the only logos visible on his feet a small ‘23′ on each heel (dwarfed by the broad Three Stripes crossing his Speed Wrap ankle supports). This controversy begs the question, could Adidas have ever prevented Marcus from drawing that kind of attention, even in a pair of their kicks?

Free Weights or Machines?

The simple answer is both, if you have access. Bodybuilders use both, and obviously it works for them. Here's a review to help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each; plus, I've included information about alternatives to free weights and machines (your own body weight and exercise tubing).

Free Weights (Dumbbells and Barbells)

Advantages:

•You can do a variety of exercises for all the muscle groups.



•They allow for self-selected movement based on your anatomy (unlike machines which confine the movement). For example, if your shoulder joint is limited in range of movement, you can accommodate naturally to the limitation with a dumbbell.



•Free weights help build coordination because it takes skill to move and control the dumbbells. For example, if you're doing dumbbell presses, you must control the motion so that the dumbbells move straight up and not outward. If you're doing a squat, you must be able to steady yourself so that you don't fall.



•You may recruit more muscles than just the group you're focused on. Getting back to dumbbell presses, you not only use the pectorals, anterior deltoids (front of the shoulder) and triceps, but you may need other shoulder and back muscles to coordinate and hold your body steady during the exercises. Likewise, if you're doing standing front raises, you will naturally recruit muscles in your abdomen and back to steady your body.
Disadvantages:

•There is a risk of injury from dropped bars or dumbbells. A bench press with a bar can cause serious injury or even death. For this reason, always use a spotter when lifting free weights.



•If you are strong and require lots of weight, then you're going to need space to store all the dumbbells. You can get away with plates that load on bars to minimize the number of dumbbells that you need, but it's inconvenient and not much fun to continuously change weight plates while you're working out.



•It can get costly, with dumbbells costing 50 cents to more than $1 per pound.



•Free weights do require skill and knowledge, so it's a good idea to have a fitness trainer help you get started if you're a beginner.
Machines

Advantages

•They are simple to use. Just stick the pin in the weight stack and you're ready to go. If you need more weight, you just take the pin out and put it in the next weight.



•They are relatively safe (as long as you don't pick a weight that's too heavy and strain yourself). Even if you drop one, it won't land on you.



•They don't require lots of coordination. Simply push or pull on the bar or handles, and you're lifting weights.
Disadvantages

•They require lots of space.
•They are expensive.



•Each machine is typically limited to working just one muscle group, so you need lots of machines to cover all the muscle groups. The exception is the cable pulley machines. They are extremely versatile (you can do lots of exercises with them), and they are safe.



•If your body doesn't anatomically match the movement of the machine, you might injure a joint with repetitive use over time. For example, the biceps and triceps machines are limited in their range and can cause problems for the shoulder and elbow joints.
I suggest working through the gym and finding the machines and free weights that work best for you. For example, you might prefer cable rows with the machine to bent-over rows with dumbbells. Here's a list of some of the other exercises you can do with machines or free weights (listed as machine/free weight).

•pull-downs/two-arm bent-over rows



•cable upright rows/free weight upright rows



•seated chest press/dumbbell or bar press



•cable crossovers/flyes



•triceps press-downs/kickbacks



•leg press/squat

Daily Overview 11-7-2009

Daily Overview
Saturday, Nov 7, 2009 - Planetary Index: 4/5

Venus moves into Scorpio today, bringing an energy for depth, power, and intensity in personal relationships. You may find yourself focusing more on the emotional content of your relationships now, growing aware of the hidden messages that you are both sending and receiving.

Quote of the Day

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.
Cary Grant

Chasing Paper.

Here is some shit that i thought up, I thought it might work. Everyday is getting harder and harder no ones their own place in this world. It makes me want to give up so Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasing paper?
Even if it leads nowhere,
Or would it be a waste?
Even If i knew my place should i leave it there?
I have made up my mind even if it hurts me.
I don't care if I am right or wrong.
All of the love and the lust can't do
anything for me so should I give up
or should i just keep chasing paper?
Even if it leads nowhere,
or would it be a waste?
It is all I need so should
i keep chasing paper?

Obama and Islam

President Obama is playing out a drama on the world stage, addressing Islam as a virtual supplicant, and conceding serious issues, while getting nothing in return. Why?

The President demanded a complete freeze on Israeli settlement building, including in sections of Jerusalem, supposedly in return for some conciliatory gestures by the Palestinians and Arab states toward Israel. The demands on Israel hardened Palestinian attitudes, and the PA made a total settlement freeze a precondition for resuming peace talks. No gestures towards Israel were forthcoming from any Arab party. Instead, the Palestinians and Arab states launched a full frontal assault on Israel at the UN with the Goldstone Report as ammunition.


The President promised he would meet without preconditions with any foreign leader. For 9 months, he pressured Congress not to pass any tougher sanctions bill against Iran, while he floated his diplomatic offensive. When the mullahs stole the recent election, Obama was tongue tied, and avoided criticizing the brutal suppression of dissent, calling only for an end to violence, as if violence just breaks out like the flu. When the group of six nations meeting with Iran offered a plan for taking low enriched uranium from Iran to Russia for further enrichment (ignoring Iran's violation of prior Security Council resolutions that prohibited such enrichment at all), Iran stalled,, and blocked the deal. We have been slapped around and humiliated, which is what happens when you are taken for a weakling.


So why does the president adopt such positions bespeaking an inferior power seeking mercy from a great power?

Daily Horoscope: Capricorn 11-6-2009

11-6-2009

There could be a medical problem, so get an examination and head it off at the pass. These things are best dealt with as early as possible so they don't have time to get a hold in your body. When infections are just starting out is the easiest time to get rid of them.

Daily Overview

Friday, Nov 6, 2009 - Planetary Index: 4/5

The Moon in Cancer square Saturn and opposite Pluto last night brings an emotionally charged flavor to the day. This is a good time to work on healing old family patterns and release emotions from the past that may be holding you back from being fully present in the moment.

Quote of the Day

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
Mother Teresa

I Love This bar.

This my take on a popular country song by Toby Keith I love this bar. I guess I have gone country like all broke people. Here goes nothing, if you don't like it Leave America.

We got sinners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thirsty hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like whores

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

We got thugs, we got punks
Broken-hearted fools and suckers
And we got hustlers, we got fighters
Early birds and all-nighters
And the veterans talk about their battle scars

I love this bar
It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain't too far, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

I've seen thongs, we got stoners
Blue-collar boys and drunk rednecks
And we got lovers, lots of lookers
And I've even seen dancing girls and hookers who look like Cher
And we like to drink our beer from a mason jar

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Yes I do

NBA Should retire Jordan's number 23

Jordan's No. 23 should be retired throughout the NBA -- as hockey did with Wayne Gretzky's 99 and baseball did with Jackie Robinson's 42.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley retired Jordan's number throughout his organization -- and Jordan never even played there.

"In honor of your greatness and for all you've done for the game of basketball -- and not just the NBA, but for all the fans around the world -- we want to honor you tonight and hang your jersey, No. 23, from the rafters," This a statement from Pat Reilly in 2003.

The arguments for retiring his number throughout the NBA are many. Jordan transformed the game of basketball, inspired generations and is largely responsible for making the NBA the enterprise it is today.

What do you think? How would you feel about your team retiring No. 23? Is there another player in NBA history deserving of this honor?

Rant Vol 1000

I feel like I am a character in George A. Romero second film Dawn of the dead. It looks the a plague is upon us, and i am not taking about swine flu, I am taking about how the large corporations of American has the control of us. We are the walking zombies not caring about our future, because we have not really learned from the past. Until then we will always be zombies. The similarity's of Dawn of the Dead, and the current state of America is strange but, like they say art takes it's clues from life. If you do not believe take another look at the movie. Greed is going to be our downfall if we do not change.

Freedom and Responsibility

Every where you turn a person tells that freedom always comes with a price. I guess that is true, freedom is not free but what is the cost of freedom. To me the cost of freedom is responsibility, freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Let me tell why, with freedom you have to take on more responsibility, and if you really take to the challenge of responsible, people will give you more freedom. It is common sense the people who are the freest are the most responsible. The ones who say they do not have freedom they are ducking responsibility. In the end we must stop taking about things that we can not control, and start controlling the things that you can control.

What About the Poor

The left avers that many Americans are poverty-stricken, that we need to do more to alleviate their plight, and that the primary role of government is to help them. Let us examine these claims.


'Poverty' may be viewed as harsh deprivation, such as in Biafra or the Congo. Yet nobody in America starves to death. It is true that the standard of living of illegals from Mexico is far below ours, yet even they are far better off than the inhabitants of third-world countries. Nor do the poor in America suffer as did those during the Great Depression. Consider the article "How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the 'Plague' of Poverty in America" by Robert Rector, August 27, 2007. Using the Census Bureau definition of "poor," he shows that: 80% of poor households have air conditioning; 75% own a car; and these "poor" grow up to be an inch taller and ten pounds heavier than the GIs who stormed Normandy. Most of America's "poor" live in material conditions that were considered comfortable a few generations ago.


I would add that the monetary value of their benefits package does not include other sources of income. Many have jobs that are off the books, and income from dealing in drugs, gambling, prostitution, and fencing stolen goods. This is not to deny that there are those in dire circumstances. Rather, it is to claim that the media's description of the poor in America is inaccurate.


Then consider Dr. Rector's study on what "poverty" costs taxpayers, "Morning Bell: What The Poverty Advocacy Complex Costs You."


Over the next decade (2009-2018), President Obama will spend $10.3 trillion on welfare programs. Of this spending, $7.5 trillion will be federal spending and $2.8 trillion will be state government matching contributions to federal welfare programs.


Over the next decade, welfare spending will amount to $30,000 per person per year -- $120,000 for a family of 4 per year -- 56% of which (or $67,200) goes to the recipients.


Moreover, these direct costs do not cover the concomitant costs for enterprises. That is, many organizations apply to whole populations, although their justification is the needs of the "poor." For example, most people can afford education, but to guarantee it for the poor, there is public education for most, as well as subsidies. The same holds for establishing Social Security, Medicare, housing, health insurance, and industrial policy. There are then huge additional costs to the taxpayers and to the recipients of services who are not "poor."


All of the programs for the "poor" are forms of redistributing wealth. Support for this derives from the view that there is unfairness in life. Yet aside from criminality (which must be prosecuted), nature rewards productivity and punishes ineptitude. To deal with unfairness and happenstance, or to provide the opportunity for the poor to better themselves, private charity is best. Public charity (while imperative for emergencies) is far from local oversight and susceptible to moral hazard and fraud. Wealth distribution also derives from envy. Yet the desire to punish the rich, not to mention coveting what they have, is immoral and destructive to society as a whole.


Let us consider what would be optimal for increasing jobs and wealth in general. History (or natural law) has evolved tried-and-true techniques for doing so, such as the division of labor and the quantification of value by money (provided, of course, that private property and contracts are ensured). Herein, man utilizes land, labor, and time to provide desired products (while employing the intermediary capital goods to do so). Consequently, optimizing economics requires safeguarding our rights; furthering the time-tested methods for increasing production, distribution, and calculation (while in particular allowing entrepreneurs to experiment for profit); and letting nature take its course in weeding out failing and uncompetitive ventures. Surely this runs counter to intervention to aid the poor.


Yet the central issue is, "What is the role of government?" Most say it is to provide benefits, especially to the poor. Yet I counter that the true role of government it is to protect the freedom of the citizenry to earn their own benefits. Each of our institutions (e.g., finance, military, industry, medicine) has its essential and unique role. In no case is the role to be helpful to the poor. Our financial systems must be solvent, our military structures must protect against aggression, and our domestic systems must deal with emergencies (including harm to life and limb). Our Founders had it right: the role of government is to protect the inalienable rights of its citizenry. This includes ensuring that our cultural institutions (including charity) be free of government.


"Justice" is the cornerstone of civilization. It cannot be achieved by immorally distributing wealth or by rewarding failure. For liberty, it is imperative that people own what they have earned, rather than permit government to transfer it to others.

The Clown (Glenn Beck)

It may look like fun and games to the people in the stands, but this is serious business, and not just any clown can do it.
Much of what aggravates the Obama administration about FOX News is what Joe Biden would call a three-letter word: B-E-C-K.


Beck calls himself a "rodeo clown." That fits. A rodeo clown distracts the bull's attention to defend rodeo riders at risk. Beck believes the nation is at risk and he's out to distract the raging bulls, or the progressives in power.


In other cultures, matadors in tight pants use a red cape to taunt the bull into fatigue before the kill. Rodeo clowns face the bull wearing flexible, goofy-looking clothes and running shoes. When they succeed, they end up diving into the clown lounge. It's a heavy barrel of thick steel with a dense foam rubber lining inside. After the rodeo, they pound out dents made by the horns of one-ton head hunters (bulls that like chasing two-legged animals). Rodeo clowns look and act a bit like circus clowns. But when they're into their clown shtick, they keep both eyes on the bull. Despite the garb, they're really not about clowning around.


Some think Beck is a circus clown who emotes for affect as he toggles back and forth between funereal seriousness (critics say conspiratorially wacko) and Steve Martin slapstick. But he's no circus clown. And the bull's not laughing.


Beck's magazine is entitled The Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment. To his fans, that fits. He aims to enlighten his audience like no other political commentator of any flavor, on any channel, except Limbaugh.


It's unlikely that the White House inner circle of image-makers sees anything entertaining about Beck. It is likely, though, that the enlightenment side of Beck's shtick commands their attention and evokes their disdain. After all, he filleted and fried Green Jobs Czar Van Jones. That got the attention of New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson. When the legacy media had to report on the story after Van resigned she said, "We should have been paying closer attention." Somebody start a list. She also said the NYT was "a beat behind on this story." Stay a step behind the rodeo clown, Jill, and you end up rodeo kill.


Beck has been ending his shows lately with the words, "Goodnight, Mrs. Dunn, wherever you are" -- referring to White House Communication Director Anita Dunn, whose admiration of Mao Zedong Beck recently outed. Many viewers may not recognize that as a parody on Jimmy Durante's signature sign-off, "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are." Beck's occasional inside-the-Beck-brain humor is part of his charm to his fans.


For weeks, he's been constructing sort of a Unified Theory of Obamativity. He started charting it on a chalkboard, like Professor Jacob Barnhardt (actor Sam Jaffe) did in the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still until Klaatu the space traveler (Michael Rennie) entered the professor's study and easily finished the equation. This week, Beck is up to three chalk boards.


His fusion of entertainment and enlightenment is working, and it's driving up his ratings.


Beck, more thoroughly than any other FOX commentator, aims to connect the dots in a complex equation representing what "fundamentally transform America" means to the Obama administration. He's not fixated on the President because he knows Obama isn't leading the parade; Obama's riding the horse that's leading the parade. The horse is socialist progressivism. Beck looks for the most revolutionary progressives where the President has placed them. The traditional cabinet seats are reserved for the party apparatchiks like Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services. She taught us how to sneeze into our sleeves. Please, Kathleen, no toilet hygiene lessons.


Long a force in American politics, the progressive movement is reshaping the Republic in ways dreamed of by progressives throughout the 20th Century, flirted with during the New Deal and the Great Society, and now running at full throttle. More thoroughly than any other commentator, Beck stresses history and context. He invites academic historians of the Progressive Movement and the Great Depression onto his daily radio and television shows. He pumps out bestselling books like a hen does eggs. In short, he's the energizer bunny in his opposition to the progressive initiatives of the 44th President of the United States and his minions.


Beck had better watch out. Once upon a time there was another popular media personality who bucked a progressive President during an economic downturn. Father Charles E. Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest, broadcast weekly radio sermons beginning in 1926. Coughlin preached social justice based on monetary reform. He was an early supporter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, enthusiastically backing FDR's promise to reform the country's financial system. When the change that Coughlin hoped FDR would bring didn't come, he turned sour on Roosevelt. He called him "the great betrayer and liar," and he spoke (video) against the Federal Reserve. Millions huddled around their radios to hear Coughlin's weekly program drift from religion into politics. They sent him tens of thousands of fan letters weekly. The Roosevelt administration couldn't pressure Coughlin off the air by leveraging other religions personalities against him. So,Coughlin's anti-Jewish statements seriously tarnished his historical image and sharply distinguish him from Beck. But his widespread popularity and perceived threat to a progressive President's plans make him similar to Beck (and Limbaugh), along with a handful of other conservative radio and television commentators.


Beck's self-deprecating demeanor includes 'fessing up to his past sins. So unless he's hiding a felony conviction, his detractors won't find anything to discredit him by investigating his background. They're more likely to keep leaning on the sponsors of his shows, hoping to shut him up. Meanwhile, administration officials aim to marginalize FOX News by ignoring their correspondents and personalities.


To date, Beck shows no signs of letting up. FOX shows no signs of reining him in. And Rahm-Axelrod and friends aren't likely to relent in their campaign against FOX until Beck and others tap the brakes and zombie up like the other media outlets.