obama's road.

Like the playoffs of any sport, I don't really follow anything of the American presidential race till the nitty-gritty. It's coming up soon. Here's a brand new short documentary of Obamaa's reign as the State's top dog.

prez calls kanye a "jackass"

..And then there was the fly thing.

t.o. to d.c.

One of the many locally based blogs I frequent is 1 Love T.O. Great site to check out. Artsy, Hip Hop stuff with an edutainment type of feel to it. Back late last year, they packed a bus full of like minded individuals and headed to Washington to see Obama get inaugurated. Here's the trailer to the soon-to-be-released documentary. One Love.

docs, doc and doc severinsen

Watching this really cool Obama documentary on NBC Detroit. It's pretty good. Supposedly they do this all the time when they get new heads of nations. I don't remember watching this type of doc before. Maybe because I didn't care before. Is that because of the pres? Maybe. Was it because I was younger and I was more into younger guy stuff? Sure. But it's great. Over the past few years I got more into shows that I thought I'd never get into because the older people watch them. I already told you my new fascination for Law and Order SVU, and Dateline and Nightline and Sundays on Bravo but I also search out little documentaries on the net. TED is my favorite. If you have a half hour to spare, check out the site. It's worth feeding your mind while eating or something. That's what I do. I usually check out one of their videos while having lunch or dinner or just a snack or just watching one when I'm bored and don't want to watch the tele just for the sake of watching it. You know? I used to do that, but now I don't. I feel like it's just a waste of time.

I'm getting this pain in my left side. I don't know what it is. It feels like a gas pain but it isn't. The more I try to drink water or anything, it hurts more. It makes this beating sound and I feel it move. Could it be stones? Maybe my liver? Could it be just a really bad gas pain that just isn't going away? I don't know. It's been three days since it started and it's getting rather annoying. I think I'll have to go to the doctor on the weekend if it continues.


While Leno left stage right on Friday, I thought back to 1992 when my father and I went over to my grandparents house and watched the last Johnny Carson show. Back then, I rarely stayed up after 11:00 much less 11:35 and never was able to stay up till 1am but I did. Even though I never watched a Carson show, I knew the night was special. I got caught up on the hype that was happening for the year following up to the special date and heck, I thought that the old guy was pretty funny. He reminded me of my grandfather. I sat there and wondered If I were going to do the same thing when I grew up and hosted my own radio show. If I would feel that emotional rush that millions around the television world did when Carson said goodbye to sidekicks Ed and Doc. Fast forward 17 years later, I'm watching the beginning of the second host to fill Johnny's spot. The forth to ever host the show. It's amazing how time flies when you're watching the tube.

short story: the block.

I couldn't find my wallet after walking out of the nearby variety store. I've been going to see Johnny Jr. ever since his father owned the place and Johnny was just a bit older than me and was just getting into high school. We never were really good friends. More acquaintances, I guess. We would do that obligatory friendly nod in the mornings when we would pass each other in the hallway. We would catch up when we would see each other shooting pool. We would bum smokes from each other when we were out. His father passed away a few years ago when someone robbed the place right smack in the middle of the breakfast rush. It's still hard for some folks to go into the store since the ghost or maybe I should say the legend of Johnny Sr. still lingers around isle three. Right by the mystery novels. John used to love all of them. I remember I would go to pick up a new mystery novel once a month at the store and then John would always tell me if it was worth the five bucks. If not, he would help me choose one. I think he wanted to be a policeman or a secret investigator as a kid and never really got rid of the itch. You can see how much he loved trying to solve little mysteries. He had a mind and the heart for it.

I love this neighborhood. I've been here since I was born. 24 years back when there weren't any Starbucks on the corner or those big name clothing stores that bring all the rich locals down from the west end of town. It was all Mom and Pop stores. Everyone knew everyone. We were a little family inside a large city of strangers. I go by the TV repair store where they're playing the Noon news. Swine Flu news is what the reporter is talking about now. Huh. Do you remember Mrs Latcher? The one who died from SARS? Yeah. She passed away. Sad story. Nice lady. I wish it was the women who lived beside her, though. That's Mrs Miller. She's one scary old lady. She would throw her cane at kids on Halloween when they tried to walk up her driveway to get candy. Mean old lady. From what I hear is that many years ago, she was really nice and then one guy who she used to like tried to kill her one night when she was cooking him dinner. Ever since, she doesn't like people. Young, old, middle aged. Men, women. Kids. Doesn't matter. She hates them all. People say that she tried to go to a shrink, but she started to hate her and hit her with the cane and the shrink charged her for assault. Funny enough, Miller got off. Didn't have to pay anything. Just well, had to go to a shrink. I won't get into what she did to the second one. That would take way too long. Let me just say Mrs Miller just got out last year but is still on home arrest. She's lucky.

Just passing Mr Goregis-- bah. Don't know how to pronounce his name. Long Greek name. Too long to remember. Too long to even comprehend. I've just been calling him Mr G since I met him five years ago when I first entered the our local bar. Tim's Tavern is a neighborhood landmark. That's the place where everything goes on after 9pm. Everyone used to leave their home and we would all have dinner together at Tim's. Tim would make us a huge feat and he would join all the tables in a circle and we break bread together. That's when the community was a true family. It's changed now. The tavern has been taken over by hipsters because one of the area kids became a promoter and started to do a club night there. And many of the old regulars thought that Tim sold out for letting them do shows at his bar. Tim said that he needs to bring in the money to survive. He said that he can't survive by just serving regulars. Whatever. I still support him. The shows are great and I meet some really cool new people there but yeah. I do miss the good ol' days.

I had to give some money to Mr. G. He's been doing our laundry for a few months since our washer broke down. He's a nice guy. We consider him an uncle, or grandfather or just a really good family friend. He's a good guy. I'm sad that we didn't meet in his younger days. I hear that he was a playboy. He flirts with my Mother all the time. My Mom giggles and says "Oh G, You're sucha' sweetheart" and taps him on his chest.


Heard that the rain is going to start soon. Should head back home. I've been walking this same path for years and I still haven't noticed that they put this new record store here. It looks like it's mom and pop owned. Good stuff. I should go there when I have more time. I like to dig for some good tunes. Especially when its on vinyl. Music just sounds so much better on vinyl. Ya'know? Better stop off to get my Mom her weekly gossip magazine and soap dish. She won't be able to live the week without those. Since she retired in 2008 she has became a couch potato. She deserves it though. Being the only female cop on a force of 20 for 30 years grants you a few years of relaxation. At least that's what she's been telling the neighbors. I'm just happy that I have my mother back home full time. I grew up without her. I would go to sleep wondering if she was safe. If I would wake up and find out that she didn't make it. Thankfully, she was a good cop and she survived. She loves telling the stories about how she once saved a fellow officer from the mafia and how she helped give birth to twins in a back alley by the Tavern. But her favorite was recently when she was able to meet Obama. Her Grandparents were slaves. My fathers father was one too. In the picture of herself and the President, you can see my mothers eyes swelling up and she just had this face of pride and joy and accomplishment. She tells me that the only three times she had that face was on her wedding day, when I was born and when she met Obama. Her three top men she says with joy. Ah. I'm here. Just in time for My Mom's jerk chicken and fried rice. Gotta get in. My Mom promised me that she'll tell me this one story about Mr Jackson from down the block.

I'll see ya guys around.

inside the white house

From CNN

It's early April, and President Obama is on his way to France with the nation's top diplomat at his side. As he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton converse in a private room aboard Air Force One, a photographer peers through the half-open door and snaps a candid picture of the formerly bitter campaign rivals.


President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton share a conversation on board Air Force One.

Photographing two of the most powerful people in the country up-close and personal may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to most Americans. But for photographer Pete Souza, it's a common occurrence.

"I try to photograph everything. Every meeting that the president does," Souza told CNN's John King on "State of the Union."

On leave of absence from his normal post as an assistant professor of photojournalism at Ohio University's School of Visual Communication, Souza is the chief official White House photographer for President Obama, meaning he has an all-access pass to the president's most intimate and private moments.

"I look at my job as a visual historian," Souza said on Sunday. "The most important thing is to create a good visual archive for history, so 50 or a hundred years from now, people can go back and look at all these pictures."

While he relishes his unobstructed seat to a historic administration, he knows his limits.

Souza brings a unique perspective to the job, having also been the official White House photographer during Ronald Reagan's presidency. He acknowledged that Reagan was probably more formal, but told CNN he sees similarities between the two.

"I think they're both comfortable with themselves, which makes them great photographic subjects. The presence of the camera in behind-the-scene situations didn't seem to bother either president, which is good for me," he said.

Souza released four never-before-seen photos on "State of the Union," including one of the president and the first lady sharing a moment on the dance floor at the annual Governor's Ball, the couple's first big event at the White House.

"Earth, Wind and Fire was the band and I think the president was singing along to the music. I think their intention is to bring some fun to the White House, too," Souza said while reflecting on the picture.

Previously a photographer for the Chicago Tribune, Souza began documenting Obama's ascension to the presidency in 2004 after a former colleague asked him to shoot the young politician's first year as a U.S. senator. Last year, Souza published "The Rise of Barack Obama," an extensive book of photos chronicling Obama's rise from junior senator of Illinois to the highest office in the country.

When asked to choose one picture as his favorite, Souza selected one of the president and first lady softly butting heads in a freight elevator, surrounded by staffers who appear to be avoiding eye contact with the couple. Michelle Obama is smiling playfully wearing her husband's jacket.

"I chose this one because it's a genuine moment. It was chilly in the elevator. He took his coat off, put it around his wife's shoulders and then there is this private moment going on between the two of them," he said. "It's just a complete storytelling picture."


Though the historic nature of Obama's presidency is not lost on Souza, he doesn't view Obama any differently than past commanders in chief.

"Certainly you feel a sense of history, no question about that. When I look at him, I look at him as the president. I don't look at him as the African-American president, I look at him as the president."

obama to sign reeve bill

From AP

President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill named for "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve that provides for paralysis research and rehabilitation.

Obama signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act on Monday as part of a bundle of bills designed to expand wilderness protection. Lawmakers brought together almost 170 separate measures together for Obama to sign at the White House.

The Reeve measure provides care for paralyzed persons and others with disabilities.

The late Christopher Reeve became as an advocate for embryonic stem cell research after he was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding accident in Virginia. He died in 2004 of heart failure.

His son, Matthew Reeve, attended the bill signing.

nme winners

From NME

Outstanding Contribution To Music - Elbow
Best British Band - Oasis
Best International Band - The Killers
Best Solo Artist - Pete Doherty
Best Live Band - Muse
Best New Band - MGMT
Best Album - Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
Best Track - MGMT - "Time to Pretend'"
Best Dancefloor Filler - Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris - "Dance Wiv Me"
Best Video - The Last Shadow Puppets - "My Mistakes Were Made For You"
Best DVD - Arctic Monkeys - Arctic Monkeys Live at the Apollo
Best Live Event - Glastonbury
Best TV Show - The Mighty Boosh
Best Website - youtube.com
Best Venue - London Astoria
Hero of the Year - Barack Obama
Villain of the Year - George W. Bush
Best Dressed - Alexa Chung
Worst Dressed - Amy Winehouse
Worst Album - Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer
Worst Band - Jonas Brothers
Sexiest Man - Matt Bellamy, Muse
Sexiest Woman - Hayley Williams, Paramore
Best Album Artwork - Muse - HAARP
Best Blog - Noel Gallagher
Godlike Genius Award - The Cure

in picutres: obama visits canada

Pictures from CTV and Canoe.

barack obama jokes are they funny?

Newsbit from CBC featuring the blogs good friend, Gavin Stephens

america's song - will i am, faith hill, seal, bono, mary j blige and david foster

2 million strong celebrate change

the pres' new site is now up..

And it looks pretty good. The Pres also has a blog. Pretty modern to have a President have a blog. I hope this new feature will carry through to give just another medium for the President to keep in touch with the people all over the world. The site went live just moments before he took his oath. To check out the Pres' new online digs go here.

day of change

text/video of obama's inaugural address

From AOL News

My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.


Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.


These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.


Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.


On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.


We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.


For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.


This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.


For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.


Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.


Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.


As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.


We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.


For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.


To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.


To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms
flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.


As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.


For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.


Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.


This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.


So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

the oath of change

This moment will last in the worlds hearts forever as the oath that changed the world.

inauguration day in pictures

All photos from CP24

more from the `we are one' event

When the video ends, just click the arrows to go back or forth to check out the different chapters from the We Are One event.

obama speech at lincoln memorial