Rangel declared "guilty" on most ethics charges

The bi-partisan panel of the House ethics Committee considering charges against Representative Charles Rangel (NY-15) has determined that the veteran Democrat and former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee is guilty in 11 of the 13 counts of breaking House rules they were investigating.

Rangel's appearance yesterday before the subcommittee was highlighted by a self-non-defense, arguing that he needed additional time and funds to be properly represented. The subcommittee, chaired by another Democrat, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-16), was extraordinarily indulgent of Representative Rangel's repeated pleas; Rangel asserted spending approximately $2 million to date on his defense, but that expecting it might still cost half as much again his lawyers were unprepared to move forward, and that any "donated" defense provided by others would likely run afoul of FEC campaign donation limits.

The full House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct will hold a hearing to determine punishment and announce their recommendation to the full U.S. House of Representatives.

Consequences for Rangel could range from a House vote deploring Rangel's conduct to a fine and denial of privileges.  The so-called ethics committee is the only House committee exactly split between the two parties, and last acted to admonish then-Represenative Tom DeLay (TX-22) which seems to have resulted in then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert removing three Republicans. Reactions by Democrats arguably left the panel hobbled and ultimately unable to act in the cases of DeLay, Jim McDermott (WA-7), and the infamous Abramoff lobbying scandal, which resulted in such distrust of the GOP that they lost their majority in the 2006 elections.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, political strategist, and photographer who recently worked as the Campaign Manager on the Madore For Congress campaign in Minnesota's 2nd District. He contributes regularly to a host of other web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Depression & Parenting- Implications for your children by Dr. Christina Villarreal

Research studies have shown that children raised by parents affected by depression are at increased risk for academic and behavioral problems, as well as developing major depression themselves. These risks emanate from both a child's genetic predisposition for developing depression, as well as their stressful environmental upbringing, says Michelle Sherman, PhD, a clinical associate professor of psychology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and the author of I'm Not Alone: A Teen's Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness. "Children often assume blame or responsibility for their parents when things go wrong, like in depression or divorce" adds Sherman. Parenting is challenging on it's own, but parenting while coping with depression adds challenges that for many, become overwhelming and difficult to manage.

Parents suffering from untreated major depression are typically pessimistic and uninterested in life and social activities; they also frequently have low energy, and irritability- all of which make even the basic tasks of parenthood overwhelming. When mothers are depressed, they tend to be less organized, less responsive, more likely to express negative emotions, and less likely to be engaged with their children compared to non-depressed mothers, says Kate Fogarty, assistant professor of youth development at the University of Florida. For many children, this experience forces them to learn to care for themselves prematurely, and may place them inappropriately in the role of parental caretaker. Other children are less capable, and develop dysfunctional patterns of behavior and emotional disturbance as a result of ongoing parental neglect.

A study of 244 formerly depressed adolescents revealed that those whose mothers had a history of major depression were more likely to experience a recurrence of depression between the ages of 19 and 24, and had more frequent and severe depressive episodes. Depressed mothers had more of an impact on the adolescents' mental health than depressed fathers, according to this 2005 study by researchers at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Ore., although the sons of depressed fathers were found to be more likely to consider and attempt suicide. The effects of having a father with depression has not been studied to the extent of depressed mothers, says Fogarty, but she suspects that the effect would be similar for any primary caretaker. "If this was the father and he was depressed, I would suspect there would be similar results. Researchers look at maternal depression mainly because mothers are traditionally the primary caretaker, but that’s changing" she adds.

How to support children with a depressed parent, and decrease their mental health risks:
"Depressed parents and their families should know that there is much one can do to reduce a child’s risk for becoming depressed. Just one adult who’s available and willing to help support the child can make a big difference in a child’s life when a parent is depressed," says Sherman. Additional emotional support can come from relatives in the family, a child psychologist, school teachers, church members, or other role models in community groups. Spouses of depressed parents also need support, since parental duties often fall disproportionately upon them much of the time. Couples and family therapy are also great resources that teach healthy communication, as well as how to build coping resources and resiliency in all family members.

Grandparents can also be a great resource in mitigating the negative effects of parental depression upon a child. "Frequent contact between a child and his or her grandparents, especially if the relationship is warm and nurturing, lessens the likelihood the child will develop depression later in life" according to Fogarty. "It is important for children to have a strong adult who is consistent in his or her life" adds Fogarty.

Adults hoping to help should provide a structured environment whenever possible, most importantly, one that encourages a child to express their emotions. "That can be as simple as maintaining a dialogue with the children, keeping the lines of communication open. It can also be showing sensitivity to the child’s needs," says Fogarty. Children with a depressed parent need adults who can detect their emotional state, since they often struggle to notice their own feelings and mood. As children, they've learned to focus on the emotional states of others, as a way to anticipate the shifting moods of their depressed parent. "If a child comes home after a bad day and is visibly upset, a depressed caregiver might not be available to help them through that process,” says Fogarty.

Is there hope for children raised by a depressed parent?

Some of these children show incredible resiliency, in spite of the challenges they've faced being raised by a depressed parent. These tend to be children with higher than average intelligence, who learn early on how to utilize an array of outside resources for guidance and support. They are often capable of socially complex problem solving, appearing 'wise beyond their years.' Further, they are usually comfortable with stressful situations, making them well suited to careers that require them to anticipate and read others' emotions. They tend to be independent and self-sufficient, and are often 'the workhorse' and conflict facilitator in groups. As adults, they are usually sensitive and understanding of others with mental health issues. While children raised by a depressed parent remain vulnerable to depression themselves due to the aforementioned reasons, this experience does not mean they are doomed to repeating the life of their depressed parent. With sufficient support and early intervention, children raised by a depressed parent can go on to lead normal, healthy lives.



Please add your comments, insights and/or questions about this topic here. To contact Dr. Villarreal for professional referrals, please visit http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/59877 or www.drchristinavillarreal.com

Michael Vick | Mike Vick 88-Yard Touchdown Pass To DeSean Jackson

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick opened the ESPN Monday Night Football game against Donovan McNabb and The Washington Redskins with this amazing 88-yard touchdown pass to former Cal Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson.

The pass, a rollout to the opposite hashmark off play-action, calling for Vick to throw to Jackson on a post pattern, was a thing of beauty. Watch Vick set himself, and use the hashmarks in the classic way preached by the late San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh.

(Why 49ers Owner John and Jed York have went away from the system Coach Walsh made famous there is beyond logic.)

After the play LeBron James got on Twitter and tweeted Michael Vick for President.

Personally, I think President Obama's just fine.

Michael Vick | Mike Vick Eagles vs Redskins Talk Of News Morning

The Eagles vs Redskins ESPN Monday Night Football game, and then the recap of that game, ended somewhere around midnight eastern time, but it's still the media talk Tuesday morning. And why not. Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick, who LeBron James said should be President on Twitter, had a historic game.

"Mike Vick" became the first player in NFL History to have 300 yards passing, over 50 yards rushing (he had 80) and six touchdowns, four passing and two rushing, in one game. NFL.com said that's one of the greatest performances in Monday Night Football history, but if that's the case, who was better?

Vick Fueled By Redskins Insults

According to NFL.com, Vick and the Eagles were fueled by the taunting Washington Redskins. According to Philadelphia Center Mike McGlynn as told to the NFL, "Basically a guy tried to come over and intimidate us. It was (No.) 30 again. He said some things to our star player he shouldn't have said, and he got his. You can see on that first play. He got his."

What Eagles Cornerback LaRon Landry reportedly said referred to Vick's time in jail for dog fighting, but that's not only getting old fast, it's starting to look like an affront to God himself.  Landry was torched by Vick and DeSean Jackson for an 88 yard touchdown on the first play of the game.  That set the tone for what was to be a rout.

Vick's rise is a lot like that of Sarah Palin's, who seems angry for being disrespected in politics by the GOP. But that's for another blog post; this is Vick's time to shine.

Overall, Michael Vick has won every game he's played in and finished this year. His overall quarterback rating is 115, under 11 touchdowns, 1,350 yards, and no interceptions. In fact, Vick has not turned the ball over this year.

Michael Vick For NFL MVP? It could happen. But first, Vick and the Eagles have the New York Giants to deal with and they're not happy about losing to the Dallas Cowboys.

Wade Miquelon, Walgreens CFO: Heath Care Reform "Good For Us"

Want more proof that Walgreens and American Business is on board with President Obama's Heath Care Reform initiative? Look back to comments made by Walgreens CFO Wade Miquelon (photo at left) in the online version of CFO, the magazine for chief financial officers, and to Kate Sullivan, the author of an article entitled "All Eyes On Reform."

In the article, Miquelon said

"The U.S. health-care system, for whatever reason, is horribly inefficient. We're on board with the fact that reform of some type has to happen. The current system is not sustainable."

It's support like this, by the same large American businesses the GOP claims to favor, that calls into question Republican threats to repeal Obama's Heath Care Reform initiatives, which passed Congress during the last summer of 2010.

Walgreens estimates The Heath Care Reform initiative will bring 32 million new consumers of health care services into an already crowed market. At it's last Walgreens Analysts Meeting, Walgreens execs officially revealed that the firm's business model now is to become a health care provider, of sorts.

Walgreens operates Heath Care clinics at more than 700 locations nationwide, and Miquelon saw no need then to oppose Heath Care Reform; it's too good for their bottom line. "If more people are covered under some government umbrella, that is probably good for us," the Walgreens CFO said to CFO Magazine, "although there are likely to be (pressures to keep costs down."

Walgreens Joined By Walmart

While Walgreens and their CFO Wade Miquelon, and CEO and line executives are fully behind Obama's Heath Care reform plan, Walgreens isn't the only company that's openly supported the need for reform. Enter Walmart.

In Sullivans' article, Walmart is recorded as having taken a "high stakes" role in support of Health Care Reform. To that end, it helped establish a coalition of American Business firms called Better Health Care Together.

According to the website of Better Health Care Together, the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, what we call Heath Care Reform, lays out "a set of key principles for health care reform to which we remained committed through the entire health reform debate."

Walmart joined with AT&T, General Mills, Kelly Services, Qwest Communications, and Intel, as well as the Service Employees International Union and the Center for American Progress, in forming Better Health Care Together.

Why Is This Not Reported?

With all of this support for Health Care Reform from American Business, why are media outlets like CNN and Fox News not reporting this? CNN and Fox News seem to have championed pushing the idea that some people don't want Health Care Reform, even to the point of running a poll on November 9th 2010, in CNN's case. Of course, the poll doesn't report support for Heath Care Reform. (CNN's

But CNN and Fox News have not asked what American Business has done to embrace Health Care Reform. CNN, which claims to be an unbiased news source, really shows its bias here. Fox News is staunchly conservative, but even it has to answer for the fact that many conservative business organizations have been behind Health Care Reform.

It appears the real problem for the Obama Administration isn't American Business, it's the American mainstream media.

Stay tuned.

Davey D's Hip Hop Corner

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Manny Pacquiao the People’s Champ: Is that too Much for Floyd to Handle? Posted: 15 Nov 2010 01:49 PM PST The other night many got a chance to witness history in the making as the greatest fighter of all-time next to Muhammad Ali show and proved that he’s no joke. Manny Pacquiao let all doubters... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Oakland News: Mayor Elect Jean Quan News, City Slickers $4 Million

The election of Jean Quan as Oakland's Mayor-Elect has made her life far more complicated, and that's using her own words. Quan's newsletter, generally filled with news on happenings about Oakland, became a blog diary of her life since last Tuesday's news - one week after the election was held.

Quan Thanks Oakland

Quan explains that the voter turnout was greater than she expected, writing:

With a record breaking turnout of 121,927 voters, I was declared the next mayor with about 51% of the vote on Wednesday. About 30,000 more voters came out than predicted. I received 53,778 votes -- a record because of the fall election. Jerry Brown (48,124) and Ron Dellums (42,110) won in June elections when typically 40,000 less voters participate.

Sorry this editions is so late. As you may guess, my life has only gotten more intense since I was declared Mayor-Elect two days ago. My family, staff, and I are genuinely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and joy we have received. We see the outcome as a victory for grassroots organizing; we see our campaign as a movement of neighborhood leaders that will continue to organize for change.

For those who may feel that Quan's effort to win Oakland "block by block" was just a campaign slogan, she says a group of supporters - over 150 in all - met last Thursday to discuss how they were going to continue neighborhood organizing.

Toward that end, they reportedly broke into small groups divided by district and by issues (like public safety) that remind this blogger of Oakland Sharing The Vision, or what my friend Phil Tagami used to call "sharing the ham sandwich."

Oakland Sharing The Vision was an 1990 effort that attracted 500 Oaklanders to the Oakland Convention Center on a Saturday to hammer out a giant set of goals and objectives for the City of Oakland.  That ultimately became the foundation for a document of those goals and objectives, with timetables, and a non-profit organization headed by Executive Director Emile Durette.  Over time, OSV was watered down from a vision custodian, to a political "cover" organization for elected officials to say "See, we really are doing something," then to a firm that was not doing anything like it's exciting first role.  

Hopefully the energy of Quan's supporters isn't watered down in the same way.

Henry Gardner To Assist Quan

Former Oakland City Manager Henry Gardner agreed to help Quan by charing a "Transition Advisory Committee." Quan reports the group will "make recommendations on the priorities of the Mayor's Office for the first 100 days and first year," and include input from other mayoral candidates.  That's great, but I have the feeling such an effort's going to get bogged down in egos and jousting really quick.  The Mayor-Elect is better off having a simple plan of action that she allows to be altered "here and there" by the political movements of the city.

Jerry Brown had a simple plan that consisted of four objectives around the arts, public safety, services, and if memory serves housing.  That was it.  The lynchpin of his effort was the "10K plan" where Jerry wanted to add 10,000 units of market rate housing to Oakland.   He eventually did it.

But the point is Jerry's plan, which he already had in mind when he was elected, was not such that it could be altered. And he stuck to it.  Jean's all-inclusive approach is admirable, but from my experience in Oakland, it could backfire and create more hard feelings from unmet expectations and unstroked egos.

Does that mean Mayor Dellums "bunker of friends" approach was better?  No. The idea was to have various task forces which consisted of his friends form plans that the public never saw and never saw the light of day.  It was an abysmal failure that signalled the start of a number of perception problems for Mayor Dellums.

In my experience on the Mayor Dellums Sports Task Force, we had four other groups working on the A's issue basically behind our backs.  Moreover, the chair, who was a friend I talked to about this, was afraid to take a stand and go to the Mayor. That's why I quit.

Jean's got to make sure that kind of crap - a lot of people trying to jockey for position to gain her attention - doesn't happen. Her supporters are not seasoned political aides, so they don't know that just because they're in the advise giving role all of a sudden, doesn't mean the Mayor has to listen to them.

Let's see how this plays out.

City Slickers, the non-profit organization that's become one of the success stories of the growing Oakland urban farmers movement, earned a $4 million grant to buy land in West Oakland and build a farm. Excellent news! If you're wondering what the organization's all about, this video I created below will give you some idea. Warning: it's long!

Chevron Ecuador: Plaintiff's Video Claims of Evidence Tampering Questionable

Eager to counter the damaging Crube movie film outtakes pointing to fraudulent action on the part of American Lawyer Steve Donziger (in photo with sunglasses), the Amazon Defense Coalition came up with a novel approach: revisionist history.

Via PR spokesperson Karen Hinton, who failed to respond to emailed questions sent while preparing this blog post, the ADC now says in a press release it was Chevron who committed fraudulent actions in oil cleanup, evidence tampering and "lies to U.S. judges." The problem is the videos the ADC refers to only show claims made by Steve Donziger years after Chevron left Ecuador, which was in 1992.

This is the latest salvo in the ADC's attempt to extort money from the American Oil Giant. Chevron was an active oil producer in the Ecuadorian Amazon River Delta region. But, after pressure to leave the nation, Chevron turned over its oil production facilities to the Ecuador-owned Petroecuador, including nummerous oil wells, to Ecuador in 1992 and, after a clean activity left the country.

Petroecuador took over the oil well sites and continued work. And that leads to the problems expressed today as being caused by Chevron, when they were actually caused by Petroecuador.

There are two sources for this information: a PDF file provided by Hinton and called "DATA ON TEXPET’S CLEANUP Prepared August 22, 2008 by Stratus Consulting Inc.," and the fact that Steve Donziger is on record admitting he had meetings with Petroecuador executives in the early years of his campaign of extortion to earn a multi-billion paycheck.  (A statement made because Donziger admitted he expected to become a billionaire from this effort.)

The PDF files, on page 7, admits that Petroecuador "made changes to the pits after June 1990 (when Texpet ceased operations)." The document refers to tests done at several pits years later, when Petroecuador operated on fields and using equipment once owned by Chevron.

But the problem is the document leaves Petroecuador's post-Chevron activity as a dangerous wild card, especially when the study reads "PetroEcuador changed “site conditions” after the initial remediation survey work."

How? By drilling oil? That's not explained at all.

Thus, it's difficult, if not impossible, to take the Amazon Defense Coalition's claims seriously. It looks more like a hail mary pass attempt after the opposition offense has intercepted the pass and scored a touchdown.

Stay tuned.

"Michael Vick For President" Says LeBron James On Twitter; Ocho Cinco Weighs In

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick is having an incredible Monday Night Football game against Donovan McNabb and The Washington Redskins. So good, the Miami Heat's LeBron James got on Twitter and tweeted...

KingJames LeBron James
Mike Vick for PRESIDENT!!
19 minutes ago

But LeBron James wasn't the only famous athlete to use Twitter to issue an exclamation about Michael Vick. Dallas Cowboys Offensive Tackle Marc Colombo had a simple tweet:

marccolombo Marc Colombo
Wow!!
17 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Michael Vick's first nine passes produced 229 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Vick was 9 for 9, 229 yards, 3 touchdowns and an NFL Quarterback Rating of 158.33. But not to be outdone on Twitter was Cincinati Bengals Wide Receiver Chad OchoCinco...

OGOchoCinco Chad Ochocinco
Ok the Redskins coming back, God must have went to the settings and put the game on All Madden, got to check the settings before you start
5 minutes ago

OGOchoCinco Chad Ochocinco
Ok God put the joysticks down at 28 , that was Moses that unpaused the game n parted that next touchdown, 35-0, Its bed time
18 minutes ago

OGOchoCinco Chad Ochocinco
I went to use the bathroom and I come out to enjoy the game and it's 28-0 in the 1st qt. God need to put the joysticks down(only n Madden)
28 minutes ago

Rain Acts Like Krptonite To Vick

Since that amazing first quarter, the Eagles were up 35 to nothing.  Since then, it's been all Redskins, with McNabb scoring two long touchdown passes of his own to make it 35 to 14.

And yes, we're still in the second quarter of this ESPN Monday Night Football game.

Stay tuned.

Unemployment News: Credit Score the New “Mark of the Beast”?

As if it is not challenging enough to be unemployed, it seems a credit score ruined by the recession may be the new “Mark of the Beast” for America's long term unemployed known as the 99ers.

Being a 99er has many drawbacks. Poverty, eviction, homelessness and ultimately starvation or death by exposure. That is, of course, unless depression kills you first.

As a 99er, I have been basically unemployed about 3 years. To be exact, 158 weeks of scouring the want ads and internet for any job posted that I could possibly do - at any wage (including minimum).

Then some republican jerk in office (actually most every republican jerk in office) says things like this:

"The 99ers are a group of people out there who have already received 99 weeks of unemployment. You can’t keep people on unemployment. It’s kind of like the state of California right now, where you just keep giving more and more money and it becomes like drugs to a drug addict. So look, I’m all for people that lost their jobs, make sure that there are unemployment benefits out there, but 99 weeks is probably too long. We just can’t keep supporting people that don’t want to work."

[Republican Representative Devin Nunes from California during an interview on Fox Business’ Varney and Co.]

Well Mr. Devin Nunes, listen up:

I want to work! I need to work! In fact I have never worked so hard in all of my life as I have trying to find a job. ANY JOB!

It was not my fault that Congress deregulated the Wall Street banks and allowed them to crash our economy. It certainly was not my fault that the company I worked for wrote illegal loans to unsuspecting Americans that contributed to the foreclosure fiasco, which begat a substantial cut in tax revenues for all 50 states, which begat states cutting back on teachers, preschools, food programs, Medi-Cal
benefits and Police.

It was not my fault that California and many other states pillaged from their UI funds in better times and bankrupted that system. I did not create the collapse of the Sub-Prime Mortgage industry which caused me to lose a long held job as an Operations Specialist, which lead to 8 months of fruitless job search back in 2007.

It was not my fault that 1 day before I was to start a new job (landed after months of desperate searching), I was run over by an uninsured drunk truck driver while in a crosswalk in front of my home, which begat 8 months of rehab and left me over $60K in debt also costing me that job - as the new employer could not wait.

It is hardly my fault that once I was well enough to work again that my father took terminally ill and required me to be his hospice nurse for the last several painful months of his life, which begat his estate being bankrupted by his medical expenses.

It is certainly not my fault that the Congress cares so little about what their tax breaks for Corporate outsourcing has done to the unemployment rate and the resulting economic nightmare has done to the American people - let alone their credit rating. Nor is it my fault that a bill to end the Credit report abuse by employers for the unemployed has sat dead in committee for nearly 2 years now, which begat millions of Americans being discriminated against not only due to their age but now their credit rating.

I have spent untold hours looking for work, sending resumes, attending worthless job fairs, networking with friends and strangers just to get the chance for an interview, and of the few interviews I was blessed to get - I am turned down for at least a dozen jobs (mostly fast food and retail) because I am not bilingual. This is America but to get a minimum wage job at McDonalds or Sears I have to speak Spanish. I get it, I do - one needs to be able to communicate with the customers and I do live in Southern California. But it would have been nice if I was told of that requirement during the application process. Right?

However, by far the most absurd of all the hurdles I have met to finding gainful employment must be the credit report issue. In the past year I have jumped through every hoop the potential employer had set before me, passed with flying colors - as I happen to be an excellent prospective employee. I am prompt, articulate, intelligent, computer literate, driven, honest, self motivated, energetic and always have a great attitude. I am willing to learn, start at the bottom, do whatever is required and possess an excellent work ethic. But the economy, 158 weeks of unemployment and only 99 weeks of UI benefits has taken quite a toll on my credit rating. If you cannot afford to eat you certainly cannot keep your credit good.

In the past year alone I have had a half dozen employers take me as far in the process as any applicant can go - then I was disqualified because my FICO credit score was under 666. Sound familiar? 666 is referred to in the Bible as the “Mark of the Beast” as an impediment to being allowed to buy or sell, only now that same number 666 is preventing me from getting work.

This is a very strange threshold for FICO scores. Yes a FICO 666 can keep you from buying a car or a home - but should it keep you from being able to get a job so you can survive? And why isn’t it 665 or 667? The six employers and one volunteer position who quoted me that same number are in different industries. One was a temp agency, another was a non-cash handling retail position. The most recent was a part time clean up position for a burger chain. What does / should my credit rating have to do with whether or not I can sweep a floor or mop up a table?

Before the recession (which was man made by Congress and Wall Street), I was making over $40K a year working as a Legal compliance officer for a Nation wide mortgage company. I have not looked in that field exclusively since 2008. Am I to be discriminated against by possible employers not only for my age but also because of what the recession and unemployment have done to my credit rating? This is what millions of Americans are facing today. WE WANT JOBS - but even the few jobs available out there are not given to us (the longest term unemployed) for the flimsiest of excuses.

What exactly are we supposed to do? Lay down and die? This is unbelievable and inexcusable and I blame Congress for not passing Tier 5. The blood of the 99ers who do not make it out of this alive is on your hands Washington. This 99er thing is YOUR FAULT WASHINGTON and you need to clean up your mess by passing Tier 5 now and creating jobs for millions of Americans suffering beyond your limited understanding. After all...YOU lost them for us!

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Manny Pacquiao the People's Champ: Too Much for Floyd?

The other night many got a chance to witness history in the making as the greatest fighter of all-time next to Muhammad Ali show and proved that he’s no joke.Manny Pacquiao let all doubters including his opponent Antonio Margaritoknow that no matter how big, no matter how fierce and no matter how much heart you have, you will undoubtedly lose to a man far too many people have underestimated.

While the world watched and cheered, we’re sure a certain boxer with a big mouth and lots of money sat at home also watching. There is no doubt that Floyd‘Money Making’ Mayweather has come to realize two unshakeable truths. First, he can’t beat Mr Pacquiao. Yeah, yeah, we heard all the talk about how he’s a skilled precision fighter, a true student of the game blah, blah, blah…Save it. He knows it, I know and you know it. Mayweather watched and realized this past Saturday night this is man he can’t beat.

The other thing he realized is that he’ll never be seen as one of the greatest, even with an undefeated record. As a world champ, he misread history and what it means when you hold such a title especially as a Black man. The ring was always symbolic of power we did not have.. Even with boxing legends like Sugar Ray Robinson, part of what made him great was his accomplishments in the midst of hard oppressions. the accomplishments of boxing greats like Joe Louis and Jack Johnson became a symbolic victories for all those who felt marginalized and oppressed. Their victory was our victory.

Manny Pacquiao has captured that spirit globally. Sadly Floyd Mayweather has misread the signs of today’s times and missed the opportunity to be ‘the people’s champ‘. If Mayweather and Pacman were to fight and he somehow won, Manny would still be seen as champ all over the world. A Mayweather victory would be a hollow victory. Mayweather does not have the admiration of the people especially globally, and no matter how much he brags or ‘adroitly ‘plays the role of villan’ aka the ‘man you love to hate’, he’ll never be seen as a man for the people. What a wasted opportunity.

Understandably that assertion is hard pill for many to swallow, but it’s a truth that Mayweather and many who have come to admire him will have to come to terms with. There are a few thresholds that must be met to truly make a fighter GREAT. The standard is Muhammad Ali..

Ali was and will forever be the greatest even if we could make the case that he was not the ‘best’ to step in the ring. Yes, there were many who threw harder punches. There were some who had faster jabs. There were some who had better defense. Ali was the greatest because he combined all his skills transcended the ring and became a champ on the world stage. He knew how to seize the moment. He always had the pulse of the people. As champ Muhammad Ali came to represent the underdog. Floyd Mayweather as fast and as technical as he is, DOES NOT represent that..

He reps a shallow and ugly version of Americanism that quite frankly we as Black people should not be about. He’s ‘Money Making’ Mayweather when much of the planet including many of our own here in the states are impoverished, unemployed, under employed and clear that big corporation have done them dirty. He’s flossing when folks are starving, no different then the big Wall Street Bankers flossing and justifying bonuses after being bailed out and folks are losing homes.

Mayweather is not seen as the guy who makes the loot on behalf of the people. He’s not seen as the guy continuing the historic role of trickster who has out-thought oppressive situations and with each blow landed and each dollar earned has done it for those who have long done without. Sadly Floyd Mayweather has allowed himself to be positioned as the face of the ‘money making corporation. He’s the establishment. Someone best described him as a Black man who has lost his way.

Unless Floyd is doing some incredible work behind the scenes similar to the way Steelers corner back Troy Polamaluhas long gone out in the night to feed, cloth and give money to the homeless, he’ll always be known as the man who bragged and bragged without purpose or politic.

What eluded Mayweather was truly understanding the man who he borrowed a page from in terms of bragging. When Ali fought and bragged, a lot of the times there were political undertones attached to it. Ali became the ‘people’s champ’ by depicting all his opponents both Black and White as figures who were standing in the way of freedom and thus needed to be conquered. He did that with George Foreman. He did it with Ken Norton. He did it Sonny Listen. He did it with Joe Frazier. He especially did this with another boxing champ named Floyd.

Two time champ Floyd Patterson was quick, agile and had great technique, but he’ll always be remembered as the guy Muhammad Ali called an ‘Uncle Tom’ for siding with the system and refusing to call him ‘ Ali’ and instead insisted on calling him by his ‘slave name’ Cassius Clay.

For those who don’t recall, Ali born Cassius Clay changed his name upon joining the Nation of Islam then known as the Black Muslims. It represented him shedding a name imposed upon him and his family by slave owners and Ali was not shy in asserting this and demanding he be addressed by his new name. Most complied, but there were some white sports writers annoyed with Ali’s bragging who refused. For whatever reason Floyd Patterson also refused which led to Ali shrewdly pointed out that Patterson, a black man was Uncle Tomming for the establishment. When the two entered the ring Ali ruthlessly beat Floyd and humiliated him. With each punishing blow he could be heard yelling ‘Whats my name’?

Patterson became the symbol of a good man being on the wrong side of history and while no one is even remotely suggesting that Floyd Mayweather is an Uncle Tom, he’s definitely on the wrong side of history. He’s embraced a mindset and ideology of ‘greed’ and he has the potential to be better than that.

Some have said Mayweather with his flashiness and crudeness is simply representing today’s society. That may be true, but deep down inside he knows he can be so much more. being champ has always meant being so much more. The question is, with Mayweather refusing to fight Pacquiao is he really symbolizing that he’s afraid to step up and be a true champ? Is he afraid to really wear the crown and sit on the throne? Some folks simply are afraid of success on that level. They are comfortable just getting by. Is that how Mayweather feeling inside?

Sadly Mayweather via his actions has become the quintessential American; shallow, crude, materialistic and only about himself. We don’t see him taking hard stands on political issues. We don’t see him in Haiti? We don’t see him in New Orleans.. We don’t even see him in Detroit.. This is not to say he hasn’t done those things..We know he has a charity and this is not to say he’s required to do such things. Is that unfair to put that burden on him? Technically yes, but in the larger scheme of things ‘No’. To not rise to the occasion, Mayweather eludes being ‘Great’ and in many ways he actually cheapens his position. He’s not seen as rebellious or even street so he can’t play the role of being anti-establishment the way a Mike Tyson did.

Mayweather has allowed himself to be the face of a corporatist way of thinking that has long been problematic. He’s the hedge fund head of boxing and to be honest thats the real fight. On the other hand, Pacquiao seems to know what he’s come to symbolized and has continuously moved onto the world stage to be among the Greats.

Manny Pacquiao has come to understand that with much comes great responsibility and thus he’s been out and about doing things that transcend boxing. It could be him dabbling in politics, including being elected to office in the Filipines or it could be him having fun and dabbling in singing. Whatever the case Manny has made himself accessible and has positioned himself to be guy the working class poor person all over the world can relate to and will back up.

Say what you want, but at the end of the day, money and lots of it will only take you so far. Floyd Mayweather knows this. he knows that this is not just about matching skill sets in the ring. Mayweather has to figure out what he really represents. What does he stand for? It can no longer be just the money its got to be something more. Mayweather is wrestling with this knowing that the longer he avoids fighting the ‘people’s champ’ Manny Pacquiao the more he’s likely to wind up be just a footnote in the annals of boxing even if he remains undefeated

Something to ponder

Davey D

Facebook Email and Messages: Confused How To Use It?

Today, Facebook unveiled a new messaging system that includes an email component called @facebook.com. The system is one more step in the development of the giant "closed social loop" that is Facebook. Now, we have email.

According to the live presentation that just concluded, Facebook messages integrates text, chat, and email into one reportedly seamless affair. In that way, it's much like Gmail (Google Mail) which has a chat and a text component. But the main difference is that you can use the system just for your friend network in Facebook.

Some of the press seems confused regarding "level" of friends, and if people who they don't know can just email them. (That person, from NPR, probably isn't a Facebook user.) What you and that person can do is just set your privacy filter.

Message forwarding? Yes, it's there. You can forward your message to a friend. You can also include a friend in a group conversation.

The question is how do you get to this!

That's the unanswered question. You have to visit a page and ask for an invitation to use it.

You go here: http://www.facebook.com/about/messages/