The 'Other' October Surprise - The Unemployment Rate

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WATCH President Obama's Full Ohio Speech on the Economy, Tax Cuts and Boehner

Black Males are falling deep into Social and Economic Degradation,

This hurts to read. Just when I thought things were getting better for Black men, I see this info:

Ever-increasing numbers of African-American boys and men are headed "toward in an ever-deepening pit of social and economic degradation," Bob Herbert writes in a searing op-ed that should be read by every concerned citizen in the country. Herbert writes with sorrow and passion about the full-blown crisis in the black community, the continuing descent of huge numbers of black males out of our public schools and into joblessness, poverty and incarceration.

In New York City and Philadelphia the on-time graduation rate from high school for African-American males has fallen to 28%. Nationally it is under half, at 47%. Over half of black men without a high school diploma have spent time in prison by the time they are in their mid-thirties. The statistics are clear. Black men and boys are losing ground in education, jobs and most do not marry or form stable families of their own. Herbert talks about the scourge of joblessness:

The astronomical jobless rates for black men in inner-city neighborhoods are both mind-boggling and heartbreaking. There are many areas where virtually no one has a legitimate job.

There's more, but I'll stop there. I know I shouldn't, but I do feel some guilt. I was lucky, my friends were lucky. That could have been us if we wasn't careful.

There has to be a way to remix this problem. They need their spirits lifted to get up, get out and do something. We are failing somewhere. Hopefully, we will figure this out soon.

This is America, Right Now! pt. 2

Skip Britney!

Skip Octomom!

And Who Gives a F*** about American Idol!

...When this is happening!

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The reality are people! People are suffering! We can't escape forever. If we can, let's help.

Act of Human Kindness

Henrietta Hughes is the woman who bared her soul at President Obama's stimulus town meeting yesterday. She pleaded for help and a miracle after losing her home during the economy fallout. After the nation heard her story, she received her heart's desire.

Henrietta was offered a home by Chene Thompson, wife of State Representative Nick Thompson. Chen said to her, "Just give me the opportunity to help you."

Some will say this was a political ploy, but I think it was really...kindness. Does that exist anymore? I believe so, I guess we all should. Maybe there is hope to come as we hit the bottom. It usually how it starts, right?

TV Channels that can Die

With the multimedia falling apart like good BBQ pork from the bone, I think it's time to get real. There are several TV channels and a network that can bite the bullet HARD and possibly put some money back in the Big Media's pockets.

So I have some ideas on have to save the dying multimedia.

• Kill MTV and give it a Pheonix Effect: Return MTV to it's natural state of VJs and videos. If they do this, maybe folks will try to get their videos on the network versus Youtube. Some of us grew up watching the latest videos and performances. If MTV drop the dumb ass reality shows and promote artists and real music, they would save tons of money.
• Drop CW: CW isn't making much dough. The network has been struggling for a while and is not making a bump in the big swing of TV. So move Supernatural and Smallville to Fox, move the American's Next Top Model and The Game to Bravo and WE, and drop the rest. Maybe they can put the other shows on the WB web channel.
• Entertainment channel must die: E! and other entertainment channels can cease to exist. We can get the same info from blogs.
• LOGO can go: This channel could be better, but it's not. They can save money if they join Bravo.
• Here!: A stain to the gay community and common sense...Die!
• Nickelodeon: At this point PBS, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network can handle it all by themselves.
• American Idol: Not a network or channel, but it acts like one. It's still gets big ratings but their winners lose their contracts. It almost has no purpose anymore.
• Spike TV: Men watch porn for free, ESPN for sports and Cinemax for action movies. Why go to Spike TV?

That's my ideas, crazy, but possibly helpful if considered.

You WON'T Have Mail

What is this? The Postal Service is thinking about stopping mail on Saturday and maybe on the weekdays too!

Postmaster General John E. Potter said the economic fallout is causing a declining volume and revenue. Here's more:

In fiscal 2008, total mail volume fell by more than 9 billion pieces - 4.5% -compared to the previous year, Potter said. And the agency suffered a greater-than-expected net loss of $2.8 billion last year, he added.

"The real problem is that the Postal Service needs reform," said Michael A. Crew, professor of regulatory economics at Rutgers University, whose 2009 book "Handbook of Postal Reform" argues for USPS privatization.

"The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 was supposed to make the agency competitive and bring regulations into the 21st century," Crew added. "But it just painted over the cracks, and they're still struggling."

USPS is "a vital economic engine in our national economy," Potter said, noting that USPS is the country's second-largest employer and the mail affects both jobs and commerce.

"We could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year," Potter told the subcommittee. That shortfall would exceed the Postal Service's credit limit under current law.

"We believe that legislative relief is necessary to preserve the nation's mail system," Potter said.

Wow...What else is coming down the line

The Keating 5: The Movie

Watch and Learn

Release The Keating 5

The games begin! Obama is bringing back McCain's political shame...The Keating 5.

Lets talk about The Keating 5 (with the help of LA Times)

McCain took campaign contributions and favors from Charles Keating who ran a savings and loan association. McCain got free vacations and other wonderful stuff from Keating. In return, McCain voted consistently against congressional efforts to tighten regulation of Lincoln Savings & Loan and in 1987, when he learned that Keating was the object of a federal investigation, he did everything to keep folks away from his main man.

Well, when folks start losing money, Keating kept that info from regulators. He tricked his customers to go from insured accounts to uninsured and broke bonds from one of his companies. In 1989, the company fell out and more than 20,000 of Lincoln's customers lost their savings.

Keating went to prison, and McCain's Senate career almost ended. Together with the rest of the so-called Keating Five -- Sens. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), John Glenn (D-Ohio), Don Riegle (D-Mich.) and Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), all of whom had also accepted large donations from Keating and intervened on his behalf -- McCain was investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee and ultimately reprimanded for "poor judgment."

That's The Keating 5. And it's a fair smear for smear I think. This linkage is better than the terrorists one because this one was a real deal. People actually suffered from this mess. And this issue speaks to the economic crisis and McCain's poor judgments.

See, throwing stones has brought a mudslide, McCain. This campaign is going to get very interesting.

Source

Times Are Rough for the EX-Rich

This is real, sad, but real. Someone is selling his "gay virginity" to pay the bills.

Who am I?
I am a 27-year-old straight white male living in New York City. I'm currently unemployed, having recently lost my position as a Business Analyst at a big 5 investment bank on Wall Street.

What am I offering?
I am looking to LEGALLY give my "gay virginity" to the highest bidder while retaining anonymity for both myself and the winner of the auction. (Please see legal terms and stipulations below)

Why am I doing this? In 2008, I was laid-off from my mid-tier position on Wall St. When I lost this position I had 28k in credit card debt. After some time of being unable to land another job, I now have over 32k in credit card debt. See "My Story" section below for the details on how exactly this happened.
What do I look like?
I am 5ft 11 inches tall and I weigh 155 pounds. I have brown hair with brown eyes. I'm a white male with a slim but toned build. It's hard to say this without sounding arrogant because I'm not an arrogant guy, but since I'm (literally) trying to sell myself here, I obviously need to be very candid so let me say that I'm a very good looking guy. I've had a bigger-than-average number of very good looking girlfriends over the years. The two celebrities that people most frequently say I look like are "Adam Brody" from the show "The OC" and a guy who started in a movie I've never seen called "Spanking The Monkey"

Adam Brody? So far he's raised 21,000 bucks.
Crazy times, Crazy times

Go here to see more

Interesting Quote: Michael Carpenter

Blacks ``have an ax to grind, and they are going to grind it,'' he said. ``If he gets elected, this country is in for some real troubles.'' Michael Carpenter, a 65-year-old tour-bus driver.

Well Michael, it seems that it is you with an ax to grind. Electing Obama is not our free slap a white person today card. It was never about that, it's about a change and a new direction for our country.

It amazes me how strong ignorance is in this day and age. If you are poor and suffering from the economy, would you want to continue suffering? No! You would want to get out, be financially stable and secure in your job, right? And would you let a foolish belief keep you from that freedom? I hope not, however that's not the case in these middle American towns.

My only ax to grind will be towards ignorance like this. This has to stop if we are going to get anywhere. If people allow mess like this to keep them down, then they can't blame the government or the president. They can only blame themselves.

Source

Now What, McCain?

According to the news, Congress has reached an agreement about the bailout, and hopefully the word will be out soon. But with this new info, will McCain get back on the campaign trail?

His "helpful" notion was suppose to provide leadership to the decision. For some reason he believed this was not about politics, but actually it was.

Looking at the events yesterday, McCain hoped that his efforts would showcase his leadership, however it drew criticism. It looked desperate and mirrored poor decision making. Of course it was political, if it wasn't, he wouldn't had a mini-press conference. He would've been in Washington yesterday, and he wouldn't try to broadcast to everybody that he's on top of this.

If the country was first to McCain, he would have stop this foolishness a long time ago. He's been in Congress for years and did nothing. This week, he said everything was great, then he changed his mind about the bailout, and admitted to not reading the documents. And now he wants to stop the debates, including Moose Mess's too, to fix something he just had a crash course in?

Oh, McCain...are you kidding us? That's not leadership, that a panic attack. You are not fit to lead.

Source

Reality Check

Today at the Bailout Hearings