Political Talks Takes Another Hit

TAMPA, FL-Political dialog has taken another hit in the media. One of the things you would like to get out of your political candidates is truthful answers that at least give you a chance to get to know what the candidates are like on the inside. You would think that with over 50 debates concluded during the primary process (between Republicans and Democrats alike) that we would have a pretty good idea of who the candidates are. But here we are in July and there are still unanswered questions about both candidates.

If that were not bad enough, in this internet and technological age in which we live, the candidates have to be weary of EVERY comment that they make on the video record because everyone from the mainstream media to an 7th grade videophile can take that video off of Youtube, slice it and dice it to make it say anything one might want to promote.

Case in point was the interview that Barak Obama did with Katie Couric during his recent trip to the Middle East. In that exchange, Couric asked Obama a couple of times about the military troop surge and how it did have an effect to help quell the violence and ethnic strife in Iraq. I believe the reason Obama could not admit that the surge was successful was because as soon as he were to say that, it would pop up in a McCain ad against him.

John McCain had a photo moment riding in a golf cart with Bush #41 and I'm sure that image will pop up in an Obama or 529 Organization ad tying McCain to the Bush Dynasty even though taking such a ride has nothing to do with the type of policies that McCain might implement.

The problem with such great advances in technology is that it makes the candidates less likely to say something meaningful. EVERYTHING is carefully crafted, rehearsed and presented and that is a sad thing for our democracy.

Obama and Couric Interview:

Tech: Fix For Failed Adobe Flash Player Installation

Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to install a critical plug-in for your web browser and having the system give you an error. Such was the case when I needed to install the latest Adobe Flash player in my Internet Explorer browser. Now I don't even use IE as my primary browser because of the security issues but I had to get the Flash player installed so that I could use Adobe Captivate to record some work processes that I was attempting to document.

Every time I tried to install the plug in from the download page I would get an error message saying that the Adobe Flash Player failed to install. I spent a couple of hours trying to set certain security settings per the support information posted on the Adobe website. Finally I Google'd my problem and got a link to www.fixya.com which had the exact answer that resolved the problem. I found my solution under the heading "55 Other Users Have The Same Problem".

If you are suffering from the same problem, this solution might just fix your problem. Once I typed the command correctly per the instructions, I was able to go back to the Flash install page and install the player with no problem whatsoever. I got so happy that I even went ahead and installed the Adobe Media Player. Don't know how I'll use it yet but it's installed!

With Flash installed for IE, I can now put IE back on the shelf and go on about my business with Adobe Captivate and resume my regular web browsing with my browser of choice: Firefox.

When Will Black Folks Get It?

TAMPA,FL-While the media will cover Barak Obama as an African-American (or my term black) candidate for President of the United States, you will never hear him play up this aspect of his candidacy. Why? Because while blacks and Hispanics are a significant voting block, the truth of the mater is that these groups are still minorities that could not elect a minority President outright.

Barak Obama is smart enough to stay about the racial fray and appeal to ALL Americans as highlighted in his recent television ad which shows promiently his white mother and grandparents and the Kansas heartland values that were instilled into him as a youth. He has to have broad support if he is to be the first black President which is why his win in Iowa at the start of the primary season was so stunning and critical.

Jesse Jackson Sr made the silly mistake of accusing Barak of talking down to black folks. I thought the comments were not necessary and have to wonder if there are some sour grapes from Rev Jackson because Barak is accomplishing what he was not able to do in the 80s during his presidential runs. If nothing else, Barak Obama has talked up to black folks and all folks quite frankly about the possibility for change in America. His verbal gifts have been used to elevate and not denigrate for the most part.

Be that as it may, I think that it is important for black folks to realize that just because Barak Obama may be the next President of these United States, it doesn't mean that his entire agenda will be focused on the black community per se. It is my hope that should he be elected to the highest office in the land that he would bring a different sensitivity to the plight of those who have been on the margins of our society for some time. It is my hope that he would give voice to those who have been without a voice. It is my hope that his policies would benefit ALL Americans no mater what their racial hue. It is my hope that if Barak Obama were to become President of the United States that we could finally say that what is good for America is good for all Americans and not just a privileged few.

See the segments on Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor:



Additional discussion:

Tech: A Practical Idea For Your Cell Phone Camera

TAMPA, FL-Let's face it, unless you have excellent lighting, your cell phone camera is probably not going to take a Pulitzer prize picture. I take outstanding pictures on bright sunny days as evidenced by the lake photo. A little touch up with Photoshop and it is serving as a great wallpaper for my computer's desktop at work.

But another practical idea for the camera on your cell phone is to use it as a memory jogger. I was in a used book store a couple of weeks ago looking through the religious section and found a treasure trove of decent titles that I am interested in acquiring. Rather than pulling out my Blackberry Curve and jotting down all of the titles, I pulled out my Curve and took pictures of all of the titles that interested me.




I did this a couple of times and find that it is much easier than typing because I get the author's name and title perfectly as well as what the book looks like. Try it sometime. You might not take an award winning picture but you'll save wear and tear on your brain cells.


Check out this book Defending Black Faith at Amazon.com