I hope our nation realizes that electing a new president was only the beginning of this new way of thinking we need to embrace. With a fierce battle waging between capitalism, socialism , Marxism, racism, terrorism, nationalism – let’s do more than just cross our fingers that the prevailing philosophy will be volunteerism.
classic halloween scary moments.
Mike Tyson & Bobby Brown sing the “Monster Mash” on The Jimmy Kimmel Show.
The “how many” on Halloween 2008 won’t be in regards to the amount of candy, but the amount of Obama/McCain/Palin/Joe the Plumber costumes I will have to come across. Happy Halloween, everyone.
Filed under new
unreleased beatles, biggie, & nas.
Just some lesser known gems from around the music spectrum.
Notorious B.I.G. – “4 The Macs & Dons”
Nas – “Jungle” feat. Olu Dara
John Lennon & Ringo Starr – “I’m the Greatest”
Bonus:
MGMT – “Electric Feel”
Focus – “Hocus Pocus”
Filed under new
american culture vs. john mccain
John McCain caught me off-guard with one statement he made tonite:
It’s time to change the American culture.
Should the president, who is only one man in a nation of millions, have the right to shape American culture how he sees fit? Isn’t he there to serve the people? Shouldn’t Americans shape American culture? The president is merely supposed to be the figurehead guide for the political process. If the American people decide as an overwhelming collective that we want to celebrate and integrate into our American culture that October 16th will be “National Wear-Your-Underwear-on-Your-Head Day” – doesn’t the president have a duty to serve our interests and not his opinion of our interests?
Related Links: Find out which presidential candidate represents your beliefs the best.
the definition of poverty.
In support of Blog Action Day, we should all take an opportunity to reflect on the reality of poverty. I definitely think there are two types of people when it comes to the issue of poverty: those who acknowledge it and have seen proof of it’s existence (and in some sense can probably relate), and those who exile the idea from their minds and simply sweep it under the rug. The basic idea of poverty is that you are unable to afford necessities. The homeless vagrants standing out front of 7-11 asking for change certainly exhibit traits of being poor. But, the reality is – people who have jobs, have cars, rent houses, have children, and vote – are also poor.
Every year the federal government is nice enough to tell us who is poor and who is not. For 2007, the imaginary poverty line for a single person under the age of 65 was set at $10,787 – and at $21,027 for a family of four. By this logic, someone who makes an astounding $15,000/year is actually fairly well off. But, with the average rent/mortgage payment in the U.S. hovering near $700 each month – how can someone making 11K per year not be poor, when devoting nearly 75% of their income just to the basic principle of shelter? I can remember being in this income bracket, with nothing but a 5 lb box of rice to tide me over – everything else was a luxury. How can someone muster up the gas money, application fee, and cost of books to go to college when a gallon of gas is equivalent to what they make in 60 minutes of work?
It’s time that the ‘powers that be realistically’ address the definition of poverty.
In the meantime, read George Clason’s “The Richest Man in Babylon” (pdf).
Find out what you can do to take a stand against poverty in your community.
And of course, whether rich or poor, don’t forget to vote November 4th.