Talking on the phone

Whoever you want to credit for the invention of the telephone, whether it be Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, or one of those few Italians who some say created the telephone, you have to admit, they did a great job. The telephone has greatly enhanced the way people communicate and changed the way we communicated significantly. There was once a time where people had to be face to face to talk to each other. The telephone changed that. Before that, there was letters and telegraphs that were sent back and forth for correspondence. And before 40 or 50 years ago, people were limited with their mobility and talking on the phone at the same time. In comes the mobile phone, cellular phone or cell phone if you will. Now people can talk and walk, talk and drive, talk and do whatever they want without just staying in one place.

But now that we have the mobile phone, and all the technology that comes along with it, do you think we’d find ourselves going back in time, to a time where we hardly talk to anyone any more? Cellular technology along with compatible inventions and upgrades with the Internet, mobile devices, PDA’s or what have you, have given people a personal freedom in America that is hard to ignore. Its hard pressed to find a person in your social group that doesn’t have a cell phone. But think of the days when it was really catching on. Professionals used them, teenagers had wanted them, they eventually became involved in everyday use. There’s now a good portion of the population whose mobile phone have replaced their terrestrial “land-line” phone. But just  as those hard-wired bulky phones on your coffee table at home has begun to disappear, so is talking on the phone for anyone.

Mobile phones have given us the ability to send messages to one another. Just like a telegraph, letter or more recently an email does. But because everyone has a mobile phone, these messages go instantly to the receiver. Just as instant as it would be to simply place a call and talk to someone. But it would seem to many people, talking is becoming overrated. They say talk is cheap, but with mobile carriers offering better and better text messaging plans, texting could be even cheaper. If you have a mobile phone and you don’t feel like talking, or don’t have anything substantial to say, send a text message. Lets face it, it relieves us the responsibility of actually being sociable without having to create meaningless conversation when you run out of things to say. With some carriers, the receiver doesn’t even have to have a mobile phone to receive a text message. Computer generated voices read text messages and make automated phone messages to a landline.

Think about it as far as yourself. Of course there are those people who like to talk, who just can go on and on with anyone, but they also find themselves subscribing to the unwritten rule of text messaging. If you don’t anything substantial to say, or don’t want to get involved in a conversation with no bounds, then send a text message. Is it embarrassing to say, you could go through a relationship without physically talking to someone. And then we have tweeting and FB updating that’s essentially sending a text to everyone you know without missing anyone. These days we can tweet and update through text messages anyway. It’s the new way of talking to people and communicating. I sometimes get surprised when I do receive a phone call.

Not for nothin’, but text messaging can be good and bad. It would seem that its a detriment to the human ability to communicate, but at the same time it also enhances communication. It’s sad to see that people are becoming comfortable with sending messages back and forth as opposed to actually talking to someone. But really, with the 150 years of communication we’ve had with the progress of the telephone, shouldn’t it be the silences that we find comfort with?

FIFA World Cup

So here we are, June of 2010. Football still a couple months away, basketball is in the Finals, but they have an off day (my team isn’t in it anyway), baseball hasn’t heated up yet, and golf is…golf. So on a lazy Saturday, when you’re in the house wanting to watch some good ole’ fashion American sporting competition, I find myself watching the World Cup Soccer (I mean…football. Let us contemplate a bit on the sport of soccer (I mean…football).

It’s a game that got popular over one hundred years ago, primarily in Europe. But to be honest, we can likely attribute the 50 years from 1850-1900  as a time when competitive sports in general became popular. Baseball, football, the Olympics, soccer (I mean…football), and even basketball became the great skillful games that millions of us watch everyday today. But now the sport of soccer is the most watched sport around the world. Millions play and millions more watch. Part of the draw is probably it being cheap and easy to play the game. All you need is a bunch of people and a round ball. No pads, helmets, sticks, clubs, bats, rims, or hoops. You probably don’t need a goal either, just drawn a line in the dirt.

But in my American barbarianism, I must say I don’t understand the game. Sure I can watch two dozen guys kick a ball up and down the field for a couple hours, but where does it end. I’m watching this game and the clock is counting up, not down, no one is scoring, people are kicking each other which you’re not supposed to do, I can’t tell where they’re going with the ball sometimes. And seemingly the only time when people get excited is when a goal is scored. But that only happened twice in this game. You mean to tell me so many people watch this game just to get excited only a couple times throughout the match? Where’s the slam dunks, where’s the 50 yard bombs, can a brotha get a homerun, an interception taken back for a score maybe, a no-look pass…something, anything to add some flavor to the game of soccer (I mean football).

And with this World Cup match between England and the United States, it’s all everyone has talked about in relation to this year’s World Cup. unbelievably the first time these two met in the World Cup in 60 years. You would think that with the buildup, we’d see a hotly contested match, maybe a little drama. England scored once, the US scored once, they kicked around the ball some more, and then they stopped. Even the way the US scored was a bit uneventful. It looked like none of the players even realized it.

 But to add to my frustrations, the game ended in a tie. Yes, a draw, as in no one won, no one lost. Okay, so you I understand in this round you advance by how many points are scored, and not necessarily the wins or losses. But isn’t winning part of the competitive game? There wasn’t an overtime, no extra innings, no sudden death, they just stopped and called it a game. In a game there can be one winner. Two can’t win only one. I understand some formats for extra play after regulation time is fouled, but at least there’s usually a decision.

Not for nothin’, but Herman Edwards said it best, “We play to win the game.” It’s like in movies, I shouldn’t have to watch a prequel or a sequel to enjoy one single movie. I should be entertained nonetheless and if it plays out like its supposed to it concludes and ends with a resolution that can be enjoyed. Every story has a beginning, a middle and end. The millions of people who waited 60 years for this match can’t be happy with its ending. A draw. It’s a “to be continued” that might never be continued.

Those of us who work in television, know that its sweeps again.  For the regular person, let me explain what that means to you.  On your local news you could see a lot of well produced, sometimes over produced news.  Doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what’s new and current, or you might even miss out on the actual news of the day.  But enough with news, you don’t care about that anyway, what you care about is what comes on before and after the news.  Primetime for example, all your favorite TV shows are spewing some of its best material this time of year.  After the season premieres back in the fall, most shows took a break and show about a month of reruns.  Well you don’t have to worry about that, not this month.  Not for nothin’, but what you watch, is being watched.

2012 is just around the corner, just two short years away?  Will the world come to an end?  Who knows, but in case it doesn’t, we got a lot to look forward to.  Especially in the summer of that year.  We’ll see the men and woman from all over get together for the world’s most important competition.  It will be game after game, it’ll spark debates all across the nation, people will go way too far in support of their side.  And in the end, lets hope America comes out on top.  No I’m not talking about the summer Olympics, I’m talking about the general election.  If President Obama has been doing anything over the past couple of years of his presidency, its been building a case for re-election.  But he’ll have some competition.  Who will the GOP throw up this time around?  Palin?  Romney?  Jindal?  Will any of them matter?  Not for nothin’, but it’ll be a sequel to some of the best and worst we saw in the general election season of 2008.

In one of the big headlines of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the US Mens Hockey team has defeated Canada for the first time in decades.  Not for nothin’, but strike one, it’s hockey, strike two it’s the Winter Olympics, and strike three, I’m using baseball references to describe another sport.

Another car crisis this year?  Haven’t heard much from the big three, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler yet.  But this year it looks like Toyota owners have the big worries now.  Fortunately it’s not financial, well at least for the business, but the company looks to be announcing recall after recall for various different models.  Not for nothin’, but does this mean sales for Mercedes’ are going up?  Not saying that many of us can afford them even still, but we’re running out of options of good vehicles.

This past week wasn’t a good week to say you were once on the republican presidential ticket (was there ever a good time to make that claim?).  Bob Dole was hospitalized due to pneumonia.  Also new information release that has former Vice-President Dick Cheney resting comfortably after being hospitalized with chest pains.  Not for nothin’, but if the Lord is looking for republicans to bring to Heaven, might Sarah Palin be considered?  Okay, I’m kidding, lets not be harsh.  She’ll probably be a better fit in hell anyway.

And speaking of hell, CBN’s own Pat Robertson had some not so kind words for Haitians.  Apparently according to Robertson, Haitians are responsible for the earthquake that killed a couple hundred thousand people and devastated the country.  As if they weren’t devastated enough, Robertson says that a long time ago, they made a deal with the devil to become free from the French and have been cursed since then.  Not for nothin’, but not that I am that well versed with the history of Haiti, but they gained independence from France well over 100 years ago, and Pat Robertson is only 79.  There’s no way he was alive then to make that deal with the Haitians.

Not for nothin’, but its good to have your pulse on news and information of our time.  But some of that new information can take a toll on getting that pulse.  I specifically referring to myself being out-of-pocket from this web log that I treasure so much.  Every since I started, I took advantage of my position as a journalist to keep myself update on current events.  Like many other Americans though, I would find myself unemployed and the desire to get back into the ranks of the gainfully employed took front stage from me just keeping up with news and information.  So after dozens of resumes, 12 interviews, five trips for face-to-face contact, two offers, and a partridge in a pear tree, I was finally able to land a job.  Not that I was counting, but it only took nine months, ten days, and 22 hours.  Unfortunately it came at a price.  Just hours after I accepted the job, my girlfriend gives me the unfortunate news that her job is being eliminated.  Just when I thought it was safe to say the market was looking better, it was a cold reminder that the storm has not passed us.  Thankfully there are still some of us here still willing to tell our stories to help us through it.

Obama to meet with Crowley and Gates

No, I am not calling the nice lady who noticed a disturbance at a neighbor’s house a pink elephant, but it’s that pink elephant that has us all talking sparking up much debate over the last coupleweeks that has landed on the steps and into the White House.  It’s likely at the root of the Gates/Crowley story that was exclaimed by the arrestee from the start. 

“Racism,” is what according to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., started this whole thing on the behalf of Sgt. James Crowley and eventually led to his arrest at his home.  But it wasn’t racism that prompted 911 caller Lucia Whalen to be on the alert.  She just simply saw “two large men, one of them looked kind of Hispanic, but (Whalen) not sure, and the other one entered, and (Whalen) didn’t see what he looked like at all.”

Well that was in a bit of a contrast to what Sgt. Crowley has said and put on the police report.  In fact, Crowley was said to have met with Crowley at the scene, but now it appears that didn’t happen.  In another discreptancy, it would appear that the term “black men” did not come from her at all.  Well, naturally this isn’t congruent to Sgt. Crowley’s story of the events.  But we could be well beyond that now.

The President of the United States is involved and it is unfortunate that he’s the closest one to have issued some sort of an apology in this drama.  In his own admission, Obama said he could have chose more proper words to use when speaking on the events that launched a national discussion.  But as the trio of Gates, Crowley and Obama prepare for their own private discussion over a beer at the White House, the country awaits the outcome.  Will Sgt. Crowley apologize for arresting a man trying to get into his home?  Will Gates admit that he was way out of line in his rant and racist accusations that would escalate to his arrest?  Will this open a can of worms a new can of worms as the racial divide in America is examined in our cities yet once more?

Incidents like this put everyone in a precarious position.  No one likes to be labeled a racist, and it seems an easy out to call someone racist.  It’s hard to defend yourself from an accusation.  No should never have to defend themselves of that, but then again others should never have to bear the thought that his or her race was a deciding factor in how they are approached.  It’s the ongoing dispute but the fact is, we can never know what is truly on a person’s mind. 

Not for nothin’, but let’s just hope this is happiest of happy hours for Obama, Gates, and Crowley so that we can put this pink elephant back in the closet and move on.  Because no matter how much it comes out, it’ll never go away, so closing this chapter until next is likely the best possible solution.

Obama caught staring?

A picture is worth a thousand words…you have to see it to believe it…if it’s hard to believe, watch…Well if we are to take what we saw in a picture taken at the G8 conference in Italy, then I guess we have to say that President Obama was caught checking out the rear-end of a nice young lady just before a photo opportunity.  Or was he?

So we all know the stereotype that comes attached to most black men nowadays.  Thanks to Sir Mix-a-lot’s 1992 hit Baby Got Back, the notion that all black males are attracted to a nice voluptuous butt have been attached to the culture for years.  It’s not necessarily based on fiction either, many black men are attracted to a woman’s bottom, and so are a lot of other men of every race.  But, that’s nice exactly excusing President Obama, he apparently did give a quick glance at the butt of a Brazilian teen.  Should we blame him?  Many of guys have been caught staring at a woman’s back-end, particularly if it was something worth looking at.  Should we start making the comparisons to President Clinton?  Does this make him any less of a president?  Any less of a man?  Afterall, he is just that, a man.

But after further review and looking at the big picture or video and not just a snapshot, we could see what was actually going on.  As the crowd got together, including French President Sarkozy and Brazillian President Inacio Lula da Silva, to take a picture, the Brazilian beauty, a junior delegate walking up a staircase next to Obama, but at the same time the president decided to be chivalrous and help out another young lady down the same staircase.  Its just that at the time he turned to give his hand his head just happened to be turned toward the bum of the young Brazilian.  A case of mistaken picture taking.  No harm, no foul.

Not for nothin’, but I used to use the same misdirection techniques to check someone out when with another.  Does the phrase, “hey honey, don’t you have a dress just like that?” sound familiar to anyone?

Michael Jackson's Memorial

So here we are, two weeks removed from the untimely death of one of the greatest musical acts of all time, and he is probably getting as much media attention as he would if he was still alive, seeing that his “This is it” tour was to kick off around this time.  But the “King of Pop” has passed on and so goes on life and naturally the coverage of life after Michael.  But is this coverage taking on a life of its own?  And what do we make of it?  While its easy for anyone to say that the death of one of the best music performers warrants media coverage, there is certainly a varied opinion on how it gets covered.

The first question we have to ask ourselves, “how much is too much?”  And that leads us to what’s on the mind of many of the news watchers of America, “why all the hype and the ‘Michael Jackson Death’ coverage, can we move on now!”  And in our haste to find someone to blame for no other news of the day, or the countless interruptions of the regularly scheduled programming, we find it common to blame the mass media for publicizing the death of someone more so than what many of us have seen before.  But what exactly is it that the media is reporting?

Well it was widely assumed that daytime television would get a good interruption early Tuesday afternoon as networks all over broadcast the Michael Jackson Memorial event.  But that’s not all the media has brought to us.  In the past two weeks there has been wall-to-wall coverage, commentators making light of it, tributes, and etc.  But two specific things come to mind that the media has brought to our attention.  One, the comments that Republican congressman Peter King said as far as his views on the “Michael Jackson Death” coverage.  Pervert and child molester were just two of the colorful terms King used in saying that there’s something wrong with our country when we’re “glorifying” his death.  Excuse the slanted reference, but over 90,000 foxnews.com viewers agreed with him.  But speaking of Fox News, that brings me to my second point over recent comments made by Fox News flagship program’s host, Bill O’Reilly.  O’Reilly spent a lengthy segment ripping into Jackson’s lifestyle, spending habits, children, and it would seem natural that the topic of race would be paramount for him to get into in regards to the singer, but of course it would come with the O’Reilly twist has he denounced Jackson as not being a black icon.

Not for nothin’, I don’t consider myself to be one of Michael Jackson’s biggest or most loyal fans by far, but this is the second time this week I found myself defending him and/or the “media coverage” from his death.  It’s easy to blame the media as the scapegoat in force-feeding us the “Michael Jackson Death” coverage, saying that they are just after the ratings but ratings are there for a reason people…that means that actually what people are tuning in to watch!  There is so much media and other options out there, for us to make a choice, but time after time we chooseto watch what the media is “force-feeding” us.  Tell that to Mr. King who coincidentally is feeding the “Michael Jackson Death coverage” demon that he so desires to blast, and to Mr. O’Reilly who is apparently fed up with the excessive praise.

Michael Jackson is and will likely remain the model for what any musician strives to be.  Until someone sells more records than him (which likely won’t happen) then he deserves to be what he is, the best selling musical act ever.  His concerts didn’t sell out for nothing.  He’s probably not getting enough coverage, but then again there’s nothing or no one else we can compare this event to.  It doesn’t matter what he did in the past 15 years, its all irrelevant when you look at his career, what he’s done for people, what he’s meant to so many.  His legacy goes beyond music.

Sarah Palin to step down as Governor

We could only wish.  But as for ‘No More Sarah Palin’ as governor of the state of Alaska, our wish has come true.  Sarah Palin made a surprise announcement today that she will be stepping down as the governor of Alaska at the end of this month.  She made a brief statement and took no questions afterwards.  Of course no one expected this to come, as she would be up for re-election next year, but the time spent after being on the John McCain ticket as the vice-presidential nominee has been tumultuous at best and this move would also free up time as 2012 rolls around.

Sarah Palin stepped up on the national scene almost a year ago when the GOP candidate for president, John McCain, choose the first term governor of Alaska as his runningmate.  Every since then America has seen nearly day to day coverage of the darling of the Republican party.  Election day came and went, they lost the nomination, but she did not lose her limelight.  After November there was several instances of Palin-mania rearing its head, whether it was rejecting stimulus money, ethics complaints, or some personal Palin family drama.  We were even treated to more Palin when just a few days ago some new information of McCain campaign infighting show how frustrated she was back during the campaign.

So now with Palin resigning, what does that mean for her political future?  Well she says she’s doing this for the state of Alaska to avoid the “politics as usual,” because nothing is more important to her outside of her family and faith.  We all know of the talk that’s been rumored of a possible bid for president in 2012, but does this hurt her chances or increase it?  It certainly gives her room to campaign in the early primary states in 2011.  But this latest move has some worried.  What if we had elected her vice-president.  Would she have quit early in that position as well?  What if she gets elected as the nominee in 2012, are we to expect her to step down early then too? 

Not for nothin’, but a year ago, I like a million other people would have said that the chances of Sarah Palin becoming president are just as good as us getting a black president.  Crazier things have happened, I mean Bush got elected twice.  In four years if we’re saying President Palin, can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Michael Jackson dead at 50

In the late afternoon hours , several media outlets began to confirm that pop music icon Michael Jackson has passed away.  In the early afternoon paramedics responded to his residence in Los Angeles and found him not breathing in cardiac arrest.  He was rushed to the hospital where he would later be pronounced dead.  Michael Jackson was 50 years old. 

Widely recognized as the “King of Pop,” Jackson could arguably be the most recognized person in the world, as he has been in the public eye for most of his whole life.  Millions of people from around the world could identify with Michael Jackson, and his music has had an impact upon almost every living generation.  From the 1960s when Jackson performed with his brothers as apart of the Jackson 5 to the 2000′s where he’d collaborate with the likes of R. Kelly and Ne-Yo, and then of course what he was primarily known for back to back to back albums in the late 70s through to the late 80s when albums of Off The Wall, Thiller, and Bad were release and music records all over were shatter, his music career would become the soundtrack to the world. 

Later in his life Jackson would become known for his scandals and misfortune.  His image was threatened by mysterious public appearances, plastic surgery, and criminal allegations.  As much of a punchline he became to many he still had a fan-base around the world that could likely triple the base of any other entertainment act ever to grace a stage.  Jackson transcended so much through his music, his dancing, his words, his acts that it would not be an understatement to say the world is a better place because of him.  He preached of a change before Obama, he encompassed a musical legend to rival Elvis, he commanded more power than all of the Rat Pack, more recognizable than Tom Cruise, he meant so much to a lot of people.

Not for nothin’, but to say a person was the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be in their particular activity of choice is saying a lot enough to make a person an icon of the present, a legend of the past and a dream of the future.  Truly, the day when the pop music died.

Governor Sanford confesses in press conference

Or should we say, “Oh Mark, Mark…”  South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford finally came clean about his behavior over the past week.  The Governor apparently went missing for a number of days, to the point that no one knew his whereabouts.  His office would finally find some excuse, of him being on hiking excursion on the Appalachian trail, that they were forced to come up with even after they had not contact with him.  After hearing calls and pleas from the masses, from state legislators to the media, Governor Sanford, emerged back into the public eye, first at the Atlanta International Airport.  Just the next day the country learned of Sanford was up to…”Oh Maria, Maria.”

Mark Sanford admitted in a press conference that he was on a different kind of a wilderness experience.  This wilderness was much closer to the Andes mountain range rather than the Appalachian.  And this trail was probably the streets along a nice Buenos Aires neighborhood that led him to the residence of his mistress that we found out he’s in love with…”Oh Maria, Maria.”

Governor Sanford was rather open and honest during the briefing with media.  He described where he had been, the type of relationship the two have had and the impact it has had with his family.  He said that the two were familiar with one another for years, but only got intimate over the past year.  It is said that his wife was aware of the extramarital affair and that she asked him to move out in a trial separation.  It would only be hours after the press conference that we’d find out about the extent of several emails that were sent from Sanford that spoke of an “hopelessly impossible situation of love.”

Now comes to light the questions of should he resign and how were these trips to Argentina paid for?  Were they paid from Sanford’s own pocket, or was it on the tax payer’s expense.  It was uncovered that the his first trip to South America was state funded and legit, but were there any times where he provided some convenient excuse to get a free trip to see his lover?  If so, then it’s quite evident that his ability to govern is clouded.  He was one of the ones that made a big deal over President Clinton’s extramarital affairs and his ability to lead because of it.  Well by that rationale, we should do the same with him right?  Does he put a love affair over his position as governor of South Carolina?

Not for nothin’, but he was gone without a word and no contact whatsoever for almost a whole week.  Who was running the state then?

Autopsy report of Caylee Anthony

Two significant releases in the case of slain toddler Caylee Altnthony came out Friday.  The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office released the official autopsy report from the death and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee released additional forensic material.  The autopsy report that a judge ruled to have released brought to light some answers that many saw coming as far as the death of little Caylee and the manner in which the body was found.  The other report released Friday addressed the matter of what was supposedly in the trunk of Casey’s car before she was arrested.  Although they help, neither report comes as a slam dunk for the prosecution as the continue to build their case against Casey Anthony.

Since the discovery of the body in December, there have been several reports of where and how Caylee Anthony’s remains were found.  The autopsy report confirms much of that.  The remains were found with two plastic bags and another laundry bag.  Over the span that crime scene investigators spent in the wooded area, they were able to collect most of the child’s remains, save multiple small bones from the wrist, hands, fingers, and ankles.  The tales of decomposition were essentially true, including the fact about the duct tape that was found on the child’s mandible region, evidently place there before the decomposition process started.  And after all of this, they can only say that the child was indeed killed, but because they couldn’t detect any drugs in the system or see any trauma to the bones, how she was killed is still unsolved and will likely remain that way.

Something that does become a bit clearer is exactly what was in the trunk of the car, or specifically who.  The defense has been taking the side for months that a certain foul odor from the trunk of the car could possibly be explained due to decomposing pizza or a dead animal.  Something was definitely decomposing, but test show that it likely wasn’t pizza nor a dead squirrel.  Approximately 80 percent of the 51 chemicals found in a sample of the carpet were consistent with decomposition.  But was that decomposing material that of which was found in the woods less than a mile from the Anthony home?

Not for nothin’, but looks can be deceiving.  It’s not hard to try and figure out what went out and form your own opinion, but unforetunately our opinions don’t count.  As I said before, this is not a slam dunk, not a chip shot, nor is it a routine fly.  Any professional can tell you that there’s almost no easy out anywhere.  Just too many varibles to be considered.  Same applies here.  This time varibles could be the difference between a murderer going free or the life of an innocent lady in jeopardy.