Haiti’s Plight

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti suffered a mighty 7.0 magnitude earthquake ripping Port-Au-Prince sending shockwaves as far as the United States and Jamaica in the Caribbean. I did not feel the quake but I do feel the pain and the agony that the Haitian people must be feeling. Imagine a country with poor infrastructure, poor people, ¾ of the population unemployed, most government agencies destroyed, mass graves etc etc. That is how impoverished the Haitian people are today. Forget about the US dollars you hear they live on, when it rains in Haiti it pours causing major flooding. I am grateful that it isn’t raining there because it would have been a worse position to be in for rescue efforts. To say their lives were better would be an understatement but in 30 seconds everything changed. As one survivor puts it “it happened so fast”.

President's Palace

Before Tuesday none of us were thinking of Haiti, we may have known the grim realities there. We were busy trying to ride through our own mountains – unemployment, recession. For now, others are suffering and they need our attention. Today and for many more months and years Haiti will be seeking all the help they can get to rebuild the country they once had.

In the past days, many charity organizations and corporate entities have been furiously soliciting funds and clothing for the millions of people who have been dislocated from their homes. Jamaicans, Americans, Canadians, Russians and others around the world are playing their role in assisting the Haitians. Because of Jamaica’s proximity to Haiti it will be the last check point before all the donations arrive in Haiti from the Caribbean region.

I must say I have been addicted to the coverage of the Haitian Earthquake on CNN and online (Twitter and the various online news agencies) and I am now taking a break to pen this post. It has been a wonderful coverage from CNN. They may be low in ratings on politics in the US but they are performing excellently in bringing the latest news over there in Haiti. It was reported earlier today that the Haitian people are becoming more frustrated with relief efforts. This and many other things like looting, breakout of diseases, more of the injured dying etc can be expected as the country still without basic amenities like electricity and water supply heal from the tragic event.

We may never go to Haiti or see the place with our own eyes. I am sure you have seen the images and videos from the area as they tell a grim tale of what happened on Tuesday. As the days go by we will be bombarded with advertisements pleading to donate funds to help with the relief efforts there. You can HELP!

Tips on Helping Haiti

1. Donate only to established agencies.
2. Do not provide confidential information when donating funds.
3. Be wary of scammers who are on the loose because more people are giving.
4. Give with love and a grateful heart.

You may be wondering how you can help. I would suggest sending money. There are many text lines open to donate to the Haitian people in their darkest moment.

I texted to my local line here in Jamaica and it felt good. I received a text later saying that “To date Jamaica has raised J$2.3 million for the Haiti Relief Fund.” That is equivalent to US $25, 813.69. Oh damn. I seriously thought it would have translated higher. Oh well, there you go. Goes to show how weak my Jamaican dollar is.

I texted 'HELP'

To the Number 162

Confirmation

Further Confirmation

Go donate. You can HELP! Watch your money feed those hungry people.

Water Cooler Ed 12.

Welcome to the twelfth edition in the series of the Water Cooler – appears every Sunday on this blog. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion.

Here we go.

Politics

The speech at West Point was disappointing. Obama has pledged to send 30,000 more troops to the Afghan war. Here is a President who campaigned with his whole heart and who convinced many around the world that he would have ended the war. In his speech Obama mentioned he was against the war initially but with him being in office his actions shows the opposite.

There is no way anyone can support this war at this time. It has been going on for who knows when and no one knows for sure when it will all end because you don’t end a war in a night. The withdrawal of the thousands of troops is another war in itself and a new process. I support conservatives and Republican beliefs sometimes and support those issues important to Democrats alike. However, this decision to continue a war goes against everything Obama stands for. His support to continue the war pushes America in a deeper recession and those developing countries and developed ones that depend on the growth of the USA are also terrified about their future. The situation of skyrocketing unemployment figures and the housing sector is going to get worse. The fact is the trillions of dollars that could be spent on supporting national security (God Bless Lou Dobbs’ heart), generating small businesses, getting people back to work etc those monies are shipped overseas to support a losing war. No one expects the USA to win the fight against terrorism. They are fighting ideologies and a radical movement that will continue indefinitely. I would support a decision to end the war and secure your own borders because we all know, not even the borders of the USA are secure.

The effects this will have on Obama will be disastrous. This week I read a report where Angelina Jolie spoke out against Obama being a one term President. When you have Jolie making a statement like that – things are bad. It’s not a statement that you laugh at, it may be reality. Obama needs to take stock of the situation. What we are seeing being played out is straight politics. Whether that will hurt Americans in the future, who knows? As a generation we need to make decisions that the future generations will look back and say they did the right thing.

Entertainment

What would we do without a Cheetah I mean Tiger Woods?

Red turns him on. Just do it!

The drama surrounding Tiger Woods gets deeper and deeper and wider and deeper and wider. This week was a roller coaster ride for the best golfer we have ever seen in our lifetime. Let me first start out by saying that Tiger Woods will go down. There is no way he can keep all of his endorsements. Tiger Woods is a brand and that brand in public opinion has been tarnished, dragged in the tabloids dirt and there is no way he can recover from this one. When you project an image of ‘the best’ and ‘refinement’ and when those qualities are questioned, you have a problem.

What a pity! To have everything the world could offer and live a nasty lie, it makes you look silly. I do not think she will come out supporting him. Instead, I hope she divorces his ass, receive the millions she is worth and then have those endorsement deals end. All of this is a sideshow. My concern is about the children because we never can underestimate the impact this will have on the kids for their entire lives. To have their father cheat on their mother not only once but the tens of mistresses that are coming forward and forward I want them to.

No matter how it’s sweet to hear how good and endowed he is and his freakiness in bed that does not comfort the many lives he has wrecked. His family must be hurt, not to mention his immediate. This is a message to all those who live a public life. You do not use the media to promote yourself and then blame it when you have suffered pain. I want the media to drench the internet with his messy lifestyle and ensure this guy does not benefit in the future.

I overheard people talking this week about how wicked the media is and they should all leave him alone. Leave him alone for what! I also blame his wife.

Love & Relationship

I blame his wife for not doing enough. Many men and women enter marriages and they are clueless. Through the mistresses that have come forward we are learning how freaky Tiger can be. I have no problem with someone being freaky and wanting to explore. If Tiger’s wife Elin is a holy-ghost, spirit filled, Christian, conservative in bed then we know why Tiger left the matrimonial home to satisfy his needs. The days are gone and times have changed, you better be willing to satisfy your partner or suffer like many other wives and husbands who leave their partners to satisfy themselves. One of the mistresses from Tiger’s past reveals he like red underwear and how he likes it in different places. It may be too much information but this whole story shows a man who is desperate for love or he loves a good time. My advice to dating and married couples are you better be willing to satisfy your partner, change things up, mix things up, go somewhere else, because God knows if you won’t someone else will. The world may come crashing in or cashing in when you find out.

HOLD ON! How could I have forgotten other cheaters. You remember Kobe who when he cheated on his wife bought a house for her finger – the ring. Well I have a suggestion for Tiger Woods. This song was leaked to the internet and I think it is so appropriate for Woods now. The song is by Alicia Keys feat Beyonce – Put it in a love song.

Extra

How could we foget? The hungry wanna be celebrities who crashed Obama’s party. I do not think they should be charged for anything. They should have been turned away and not allowed to enter the area. I like SNL’s take on the issue and who knows what you will see in the video could have gone down at the Whitehouse.

Inspiration

Be kind one to another. Sharing is caring.

Water Cooler Ed. 9

Welcome to the ninth edition in the series of the Water Cooler – appears every Sunday on this blog. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion.

Here we go.

Politics

There is never a dull day in politics. I mean today you’re in; tomorrow you’re out with the possibility of getting in again. Just a few days ago republicans were celebrating their wins in the governor races, last night they lost the bid in reforming health care. This is a win for Obama and I’m sure he rested well on Saturday night. The fight isn’t over as yet though. The bill goes for a fight in the Senate and then we will see what becomes of the unread bill. I didn’t believe the bill would have been passed but congratulations for to the Democratic Party and to Nancy Pelosi for bringing on the fight.

I did not see the news coverage on the vote in its entirety but I certainly heard the cheers from the Democratic supporters who have wanted this for a long time. It may be good timing and it may a political disaster for politicians.

I am not going to fight the bill this week just to say that politicians owe it to their constituents to read the bill in its entirety. The lies that were told about this bill were outrageous. We cannot even trust news agencies anymore to provide the factual details on the bill. Moving on I only hope the truth about this bill, its effects on taxpayers will be told.

Entertainment

Rihanna Speaks

Below are videos that show the 20/20 interview by Sawyer. This interview was intimate, damning for Chris Brown, and it made Rihanna look amazing. From a PR point of view, this is what you want to accomplish in an interview like this. This interview outclasses the Oprah, Whitney Houston interview by far – made it look like a joke. This will give Rihanna the comeback she deserves from the battering Brown gave her on that night. It also makes Brown look bad, with his career in limbo.

Inspiration of the Week

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. – Lord Byron, 1788-1824

Obama’s Nightmare!

Just mere hours ago two republican representatives won their governor races. This is an exciting time for the Republican Party since their landslide loss in the general elections. This means that Obama will have a harder time passing his agenda based on the politics.

With this the only election before 2010 the media was excited about this ‘local’ election. I watched wall to wall coverage on Fox News and CNN as they delved in on the issues and messages within the wins. It is a horrible time to be President because of the myriad challenges Obama faces. He has failed to deliver on stimulating the economy and what is being stimulated aren’t jobs, jobs, jobs which the people really need.

Today, Obama is looking back wondering what went going wrong. Is the honeymoon all over?

If you noticed, liberals and moderate democrats have been distancing themselves and the President from the democratic candidates – which is only politics. However, Obama campaigned especially for the former Governor – Corzine. So to say Obama’s role was absent should not accepted as an argument.

It is interesting to see how future elections will go since the two democrats who affiliated themselves with Obama lost. It is an exciting time for politics and we just can’t wait for 2010 to come.

Interpretation of this win

People are upset with Obama. He ran a campaign saying he was different and he was about to change Washington. The truth is this is all political talk and he has failed to change it. He has pushed forward legislation which increases spending at a time which governments should be cutting back. As this goes on, more jobs are being lost, more homes in foreclosures and people are struggling. These wins are intended to send a signal to Obama that hey it’s not all democratic country yet. Weeks ago there was a report saying that republican numbers are dying. Well we saw what happened. Republicans are on the rise and are back on track.

Will we see more republican representative elected in 2010? Or will be see democrats retaining their seats?

Time will tell. The fact is if Obama continues on this road of high spending, higher taxes, he will not see a double term. Was he ever thinking of one?

Water Cooler Ed 6

Water Cooler Ed. 6

Welcome to the sixth edition in the series of the Water Cooler – appears every Sunday on this blog. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion.

Here we go.

Politics

Whitehouse vs. Fox News

Winner: To be Announced

Obama

The Obama administration got off to a blistering start. They delivered on fixing the economy, the debt is down, American citizens are back on the job, manufacturing is good, no worries about the new levels of unemployment, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are successful and the next move is to pull all the troops and the vote to secure health care reform is on the way. Barack Obama is also seeing great favourable figures and most of his critics are visioning a double term for the current President.

That is far from the truth and Obama faces more issues locally than he is fighting internationally. The Obama administration has been a failure in regards to lies about the stimulus package, the new rates of unemployment never seen, the rising debt and now a fight with a news organization. How clever of Obama?

First Obama ignores FOX NEWS on his media run to push health care reform (remember that) and one would think that this disrespect would continue because after all who watches Fox News. Annita Dunn, a member of Obama’s communication team said this in a CNN interview about Fox News saying Fox is like “a wing of the Republican Party”.

Now, all good thinking, objective media junkies may agree that Fox News’ coverage on major issues may lean to the Republican Party. There is nothing wrong with that conclusion, after all, all the major networks CNN, MS NBC etc are all in favour of a particular position. So to go all out against Fox News is rather cynical and makes the Obama administration looks immature and afraid of the opposition’s views. Obama’s war with Fox News will see his image diminish more and his policies will be scrutinised more.

This is the reality with the news media in the 21^st Century. No longer are they objective, fair, balanced, the most trusted name in news or a world leader in breaking news. They have become so invested in presenting opinions that most of their coverage is twisted along these lines misleading millions in the way they present news. So instead of airing 100% opinions on issues (if they like that version) they have mixed journalist reports with their opinionated pieces which blur the real purpose of journalism.

The news media can be good and it can be bad. Certainly Obama isn’t benefiting in any way from the right winged reporting of Fox News, so to hit them where it hurts, Obama sends his communication team to bash Fox News saying they are not a real news organization. Like CNN etc are. I wished the Obama team could talk about health care reform like how they bash news agencies that does not support their socialist thinking.

I am disappointed in Obama. I expected much better from the Noble Prize Winner who is becoming more of a warrior than a ‘Mother Theresa’. For Obama to claim that Fox News isn’t a legitimate news agency is simply playing politics. Will he succeed with an all out war against Fox? He cannot, people should see this as him not being able to accept the truth.

TV & Entertainment

Do you know the Heene family? No. I’m sure you know them, they are the ‘balloon hoax team’, now you know the Heene family.

I will not go over what happened with the family in the past week but just to say that it takes nothing to be a celebrity these days. I was watching cable news recently and they covered a car chase for hours on end. I am not surprised that they were obsessed with this story. Don’t we love crazy families with interesting stories? This just makes my point that ridiculous behaviour will always be rewarded, this was just hot air. The world is so crazy that most people immediately thought of this family having their own reality show. J I think they should get their own show, why not?

With the drama they created I think they would make great reality t.v. The dad gets crazy when he’s upset and the boys are used to the screen.

Photo

Portland, Jamaica

10,000 Hits!

Today, October 9, 2009 marks a huge milestone for the Corve DaCosta Blog.

To date you have given the blog more than 10,000 hits. This calls for a huge party celebration and for this I am grateful to every viewer and everyone who took the time to give feedback and comments on the posts here.

This celebration is not for my blog alone, it’s for all the other bloggers who visit these pages that feel inspired, entertained and challenged in someway.

I know the congratulatory comments will be submitted. Thank you.

To make the 10,000 Hits celebration interesting I want you to plug your blog in the comment section. Why should visitors click to your blog?

Share it below.

I look forward to the next 10,000 hits and hope you will ‘click’ post after post after post. Spread the word.

Merci, Gracias, Thank you, Thanks y’all!!!

Water Cooler Ed. 5

Welcome to the fifth edition in the series of the Water Cooler – appears every Sunday on this blog. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion.

Here we go.

Others in the Series:

Water Cooler, Water Cooler Ed. 2, Water Cooler Ed. 3, Water Cooler Ed. 4

Politics

On Friday October 2, 2009 the Obama administration traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to encourage the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to choose Chicago, USA for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Competing with Chicago were Madrid, Tokyo and Rio. With local issues behind and pundits crying out for him to stay and focus on the problems affecting the country, Barack Obama flew to Denmark to make the case for Chicago his home state.

Later in the afternoon, the first round of voting eliminated Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 games. Many people especially Americans were shocked and flabbergasted by their early elimination. The energy surrounding Chicago’s bid and information that the media reported was that the decision would have been between Rio and Chicago. Oh how they were wrong?

When I heard the words “Rio de Janeiro” to host the 2016 Olympic Games I had mixed emotions. I am happy that the South American country will be able to host the games of such magnitude there and it shows great leadership and planning on the part of the Brazilian team. The twitter world was lit up by this announcement with IOC, Chicago and Rio as trending topics. What also struck me was that many people seemed happy that Chicago had lost the bid. Were these sentiments ‘un-American’? Were theses feelings driven by conservatives?

In this post I want to share the information that was presented to the International Olympic Committee. I am doing this to give readers a front row seat in the presentations that were delivered. Below are the video presentations and speeches of Chicago and Rio to host the 2016 games.

I must say hands down the presentation by the Rio team was concrete. It articulated a phenomenal approach to the games. The video presentation outlined to the delegates was unique and displayed quality images to show voters what they would expect from Brazil hosting such a game. The video presentation made you believe that this would be spectacular; it challenged your imagination and made you believe that athletes would live their passions in Brazil. This was followed by a moving speech that was delivered with such emotion and one that would make the delegates move to action to choose Rio as the perfect destination.

The Chicago bid was different from the Rio presentation. In that it presented the information but was low on substance – imagery.  The presentation would be what my lecturers accuse my classmates of having – it was all over the place. It was not compelling and not believable. As we saw in the Rio presentation a focus was on sporting activities and the athletes; I did not see that in Chicago’s bid. I got the impression that they (the athletes) would be spread across the city like nomads. In Rio’s presentation, although they (the athletes and games) are in four areas, it had an aim in mind. I watched the videos carefully and nowhere in Chicago’s video do you see people. They talked about humanity and friendship and one would have liked to see two people laughing or sharing something. The video showed buildings, google earth graphics and animations the entire time.

Speeches by the Obama’s and the others didn’t help. Michelle Obama before her trip to Denmark said the Obama team would be taking the bid as the Iowa primary. What was their focus? Clearly they thought these delegates would have been bought by their fame and shared ignorance of what the Olympic Games are all about or they are still in campaign mode. The Chicago team sent the wrong signal expecting everything to change with Obama’s presence; in their words “to put it in the bag.” With Michelle Obama lies and a groggy President Obama the speeches clearly made the delegates cringe. Michelle Obama stated that she sat on her father’s lap cheering on Carl Lewis etc. Which 20 year old sits on a father’s lap at that stage of their life watching the Olympics? Barack Obama’s speech didn’t help. He focused on his ego and him winning the election, this is not what the speech should have surrounded. He should have emphasized more the decision that they had to make and how Chicago is the best option. Obama wants to step a few blocks from his home with Michelle and his girls to welcome the world. Wouldn’t it have sounded better if he stated that Chicagoans and Americans want to welcome the world to their shores?

Who would you have voted for? What do you think?

Love & Relationship

Many people would agree that compromises are the hallmark of all relationships. Sharing an environment like a home isn’t always easy for couples; living together or dating. Couples who face this challenge face a real divide especially when pets are at the heart of the issue. A dating partner may compromise on one pet, but what should be done when the other keeps adopting more animals? Surely, pets should be cared for and deserve a home. Should your partner keep adopting pets ignoring your preference of having none at all? Or shouldn’t it be an issue once you are not allergic to one?

Having pets is surely a rewarding experience for those who love them but it should never be at the expense of your partner’s happiness or experience.

Inspiration

This week’s inspiration has to deal with taking care of our bodies. We have one life to live and one body to experience it with. Eating the right foods and exercising regularly should be everyone’s focus as we get older. We are busier than ever these days with family obligations, our own education pursuits, workplace issues etc. We should however take some quality time in taking care of ourselves. If it means taking a well needed check-up at the doctor, a massage at a spa, that visit to the dentist, for women – that pap smear test and for men prostate exam. You have one body; take care of your health this week and on.

Jamaican Journalism: Bleeding to mediocrity

For many people who have visited or have heard of Jamaica, some of their thoughts are positive while others are negative. Jamaica is a wonderful paradise when you get to appreciate all the interesting scenes and places the island has to offer. However, just like many other countries around the world, we all have our issues. The USA has to deal with a recession; Cubans have to face living in a communist state. Well, Jamaicans face a plethora of issues that our previous leaders and present ones have all failed to correct. Not only do we face a recession like most countries but we encounter high levels of criminality daily, corruption in the public sector including politicians, average literacy rate, low productivity, high unemployment, the acceptance of illegal activities, a dying media that is in need of high journalistic standards and the list goes on.

As you may know Africans from the West Cost of Africa were shipped against their will to the Caribbean region. History reminds us that the most rebellious of the tribes came to Jamaica. This is one theory that is used to interpret our high crime levels over the years which continues today. Although politicians played a major role in the distribution of guns early on they have either failed to correct our crime situation or cannot right the issue of crime.

Jamaica is recognized as a third world country and it would appear that everything we do reminds us that we are in fact a developing country. Journalists in Jamaica are trained by a local media school at the University of the West Indies (UWI) called Caribbean Institute of Media and Communications (CARIMAC). In a recent column in the Jamaica Gleaner Carolyn Cooper who heads the department of Literary and Cultural Studies at UWI recently stated that the University of the West Indies is the only ‘real, real’ university here in Jamaica. For those who may not understand what she alluded to, she means the University of the West Indies is the only local institution that should be regarded at a ‘university’ bearing in mind we have many.

With a high crime rate like ours the newscasts are filled with stories reporting criminal activities. Moreover television newscasts go beyond the call of duty to record and report the bloody images not only in print but those aired on television. In recent times there have been attempts to have news agencies in Jamaica become more vigilant in how they report stories surrounding the topic of crime and violence since children, families and adults are all exposed.

For the past week in Jamaica there is an interesting discussion on whether a newscast on television went overboard in showing graphic images of a Rastafarian man chopping a cab driver for $20.00 (Jamaican) equivalent to $0.23 cents (American) and $0.24 cent (Canadian). The incident is not only shown once but is repeated more than three times in the news item. Although the presenter warned viewers of the graphic images in the story they should have shown more responsibility, compassion and journalistic character.

With the levels of crime and violence in Jamaica, some Jamaicans would appreciate if newscasts ignore some of the heinous incidents that happen daily. Personally, I do not know how comforting or ideal this would be but journalists would not agree with that position. Journalists should report on what is important to the society. This is not the first time this news agency has shown graphic images of incidents not fit for airplay. They are creating a bad name for themselves while degrading journalistic standards. I do agree that these incidents do happen (a clip slips through the cracks) but when it becomes a trend, viewers will stop taking you seriously. The media in Jamaica does not only suffer from low standards of journalism but we are out of control in airing outrageous  lyrics on the airwaves. That is a whole other issue for another piece.

Jamaicans and Snitching

What is also startling in this story is how Jamaicans respond to violent incidents. In this video you can hear a woman shouting the man’s name “Bobby”. However, if you look carefully you will notice that people are not shocked or moved by what is taking place. No one rushes to call the police or 911, 811 or 119 here in Jamaica. They are going about their business as usual. Even moments after this incident takes place, eyewitnesses claimed they did not see anything. This is the reality Jamaicans live in. If they speak out about violent acts, they will be hunted down like hawks and killed for sharing information. It is not surprising that with a police station 15 feet away they were not aware of this incident till hours after. It is so sad living here.

Personal Note

I contemplated for long placing that horrific video on this blog. I thought about it and I am placing the video below. This video contains graphic images of a man chopping an innocent cab driver. After receiving multiple chop wounds the cab driver later drives his car to a nearby hospital where he was admitted in critical conditions. The driver is still alive today with the Rastafarian in police custody who was found with a bald head. This video grossed me out completely and has the ability to make you cringe in your seat. Just by looking at the screen shot below tells how graphic this gets.

Water Cooler Ed. 3

Welcome to the third edition in the series of the Water Cooler. This feature will highlight what’s hot, topical and up for discussion. Here we go.

Politics

Last week politics in the USA was great for a news story. I mean Jimmy Carter – the gift that keeps on giving, the Rep. Joe Wilson story got a run and Obama not granting FOX NEWS an interview. Oops how could we ignore ACORN?

Jimmy Carter

Carter’s presidency is no way to be admired. He ended his political career with one of the lowest approval rates in history and has not been admired by many even after leaving office. His statement on Obama may have some truth to it but is not entirely what Obama wants to be hearing at this moment. If you recall, Obama did a speech on racism earlier in his presidency – which he got high points for doing, well executed. After months of that speech, Obama wants to think that his race is behind him. The fact is racism will always be present. We cannot ignore the colour of ones skin although we would want to think that we are going to start judging people by their heart and not their skin. Even Obama is wary to agree with Carter on this issue. The fact is Obama is pursuing political ideologies that are unpopular with republicans. They have deemed it fit to express themselves with tea parties etc. However, when you have a wide scale opposition march on Obama it makes people riled up and we have seen the various racial images that are present at these rallies.

The media is so driven by sensationalism that these images allow us to discuss and major in the minority ignoring the elephant in the room. The major issue that republicans and others are having is that the president wants government to take over health care. No matter what Obama does, he will have opposition. It is nonsensical to think that those who will not side with Obama are racist and have racial thoughts. Sorry Jimmy Carter we would rather agree with you on another issue, not this one.

ACORN

So if you lived on Mars for last week you would have missed the ACORN story driven by the most trusted name in news CNN. Oops if you were tuned in to CNN you would most likely have missed the story of the week but thanks to fair and balanced FOX NEWS they drove the story home when the other networks didn’t see it fit to cover it. This story is huge because of many reasons and most democrats are not seeing the significance of it. ACORN is a group that is supported by the government – taxpayers monies and provide homes for the less fortunate. A pretending thug and a prostitute went into the offices of ACORN across the USA to peddle a child prostitution ring and instead of being challenged by the ACORN employees; they opted to give these undercover journalists tips on how to carry out their illegal activities. If this isn’t news tell me what is. I try to be objective and when I see a wrong I call it by its name. News networks who claim they are charged to deliver what is important to people must refocus their organizations. Hint – CNN.

Obama TV

Obama’s presidency is currently lukewarm. He is bent on being popular but will pay the price for appearing so many times on television. The position of being President is by no means an easy task especially when you want to pass health care reform. Today, September 20, 2009 Obama is appearing on 5 networks to push his health care reform except the top rated network FOX NEWS. The FOX network isn’t taking the snub likely and went after Obama calling his administration “cry baby” and “petty.”

Obama certainly had a choice of where he wanted to place his message but opting to cut FOX and including an unrated network was brave. Obama at this moment needs to be convincing the same people he is snubbing, those who follow FOX News. A recent poll showed that FOX has a more balanced viewership than CNN etc. Obama snubbing FOX is huge; it might be interpreted to be snubbing the American people.

I think Obama needs to relax a bit. He is so focused on being the face of the administration which he is but it will begin to affect him. He needs to send Gibbs and VP Biden etc to do talk shows. When he sells himself so cheaply people will not care to tune in when he needs them most.

Love & Relationship

Couples today have to juggle work and creating a balance at home in their relationships. The Water Cooler this week is suggesting an idea that will have both partners engaging in effective communication while rekindling that love at home. Most working couples find it hard after a long day at work to arrive at home to cook dinner and do all the home chores that one needs to do.

It is true, couples need to spend quality time with each other. One way they can achieve this is by cooking together. This is simple, easy and shares the stress of fixing the evening’s meal. Sharing the duties in the kitchen will enable both partners to become aware of what happened in their individual days and allow them to share experiences. You will be so surprised how far this discussion will take you. It will also get you to know things about your partner that will allow your bonding and relationship to grow.

Inspiration of the week

The weekend is already over and wow aren’t we ready for the week? Do you ever have a perfect day? Well most of us don’t. Something are always off and sometimes things go pretty well. For this week try your best to keep a positive thought. Activities and duties may not be perfect, a supervisor may get on your nerves and you may be pressed to meet that deadline. Think about the positive in the situation – you are blessed with life, a job and a home – not to mention lunch.  The moment you break away from your momentum other things will get off. You may begin to give a little attitude to your co-workers which may never be a good thing. I am not saying you will never face reality and notice the file isn’t opening or the report you thought you had finished is incomplete but hey, think of a solution and move on. Are you going to be stuck on the file not opening or beat yourself up for not finishing the report?

To view others in the series:

Water Cooler Ed. 2

Water Cooler

Double Life: Dating a Murderer?

Listening to newscasts day in and day out makes you immune to the weirdest or ridiculous news stories. One thing I have found interesting all the time are murder cases. I find them so interesting because most times close friends or relatives do not even know that the person was capable of committing such an inhumane act. It is not surprising that these accused however can lead such a double life with those who are closest to them – clueless they could act in such ways.

Accused of killing Annie Le

I find it baffling though that people who lead normal lives – have a job, join the latest social websites, enjoy going out, attend family events, church etc can turn around in a split second and hold an airplane hostage or kill someone and stuff their body in a wall. How gross?

I would not want to know that one of my closest friends killed someone. I would be shocked, saddened, flabbergasted and just confused as to how I didn’t see the complete picture. How could I miss that my friend was able to maim and kill someone? This is the reality that many people face in their lives as their friends are accused and later charged for killing or committing heinous acts of violence. I do not judge people and would not encourage people to do so. I usually am naïve when it comes to putting the whole picture together. I usually wait for the person to show their real colours. I do not have the guts or the ability to see things before they do happen; some of my friends can by the way.

The major stress in all of this is coping with the fact that your friend lied to you all along. The fact that they have kept their double life a secret pains you even more because you do not want to see this person suffer especially in prison where they will end up. This ridiculous situation makes you look stupid because here you are willing to put your life on the line for the person when they are able behind your back ready to kill, rape or abuse someone.

The cases are then dragged through the court system which makes the pain even harder to bear because most friends and relatives are called upon to be apart of the defence. The defence typically proves that the accused lived a normal life and was a great individual with a bright future. Sometimes it is hard to prove your innocence because of the overwhelming case of the prosecution; but the defence’s arguments may be used to lessen the time behind bars or allow you to walk free.

It doesn’t help that people nowadays have crazy turn-ons. Whether it is sexual, visual etc the weirdest thing turns them on making them into addicts. More than ever it appears that being abused – emotionally or physically is a trend. This horrible cycle affects all parties. This encourages the abuser to continue especially when s/he is able to hide their double life’s activities. Revealing it to the world is furthest from their minds and so they do everything to keep it private; whether they are going to be alone or seek ways to entertain their negative ways – online or with a group.

I hope people who are close to these accused men and women will begin to see warning signs from early on to help them get over their issues. We have tendencies to overlook these instances where they mention something crazy, or we witness them doing something which could in the end lead to their own detriment. It is time we take a stand for our friends and relatives and ensure that we do whatever we can to help when we see warning signs glaring in our eyes.