In an exclusive interview with President Obama, Brian Williams tackles the big question, “Is Obama a Muslim?” Obama responded that ” I can’t spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead.” What would Obama being a Muslim mean for America? What would it mean for you? Watch the interview below.

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Then, Obama went on to talk about Katrina which he called, “a stead progress.”

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Just thought we would share some of Kelly Rowland with you. Here is a lady that is really come into her own. We attended her listening party a couple of months back. In case you missed it, here are the videos and here are some photos to keep you honest. Download my favorite track on ITUNES, “When Love Takes Over.” Then, get prepared because the grown woman is back and ready for business. It is interesting to hear Kelly talk about growing up and discovering her own beyond the Destiny’s Child brand. It just goes to show you no matter how successful you are, you can always have doubts.

Today, get a little inspiration from Kelly Rowland and go for it! You have the talent and the energy to do whatever you want to do.

On August 28th, Glenn Beck led the RESTORING HONOR RALLY on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. He stood on the site of the famous Martin Luther King I Have a Dream speech and called on the crowd to remember “the power of the individual”. “One man can change the world!” he stated. The sad thing about Mr. Beck is that he is right. One man can change the world but the question is how would this one man change it. How is this one individual changing the world?

“This day is a day that we can start the heart of America again, and it has nothing to do with politics, it has everything to do with God,” Beck said, noting that God has sent “wake-up calls,” including the Sept. 11 attacks. “We must be better than what we’ve allowed ourselves to become,” he said. “We must get the poison of hatred out of us…we must look to God and look to love.”"Our fighting men and women do the things that most of us don’t even want to think about,” he said, before introducing speakers from (and asking for donations in support of) the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

In a surprise attendance, Dr. Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther’s daughter spoke at the RESTORING HONOR RALLY. She noted that Dr. King would be pleased at the rally encouraging the crowd to remember that we are “one human race”. Listen to her speech as she calls on the crowd to acknowledge the plagues of racism and greed that has affected America. She also noted that the foundation of marriage is being threatened and called on the crowd to remember that their faith and love must be in God.

She ended with her own I have a Dream speech calling that “America will repent for the sin of racism and that white privilege would become human privilege.” It was an interesting blend of conservative and liberal thought. However, still not certain if she knew the people she came to speak to. Did she realize who Glenn Beck is?

Sarah Palin also attended the event to award a “badge of merit” to three Americans he cast as modern-day heroes, among them an African-American pastor who called Beck a “servant of God.
She called on the crowd to look around, “May this day be the change point. Look around you. You’re not alone. You are Americans!” She lauded Dr. King’s work and noted his belief that “all men were created equal.” Does she really believe this?

Sarah Palin Speech

Does anyone see through this rally? How these “real” Americans came out to praise “real” Americans and call for “Americans” to stand up and honor God. There was no acknowledgment for the rest of the population who may not be Christian. Beck said, “It is time to start the heart of this nation again and put it where it belongs – our heart with God.” What is the underlying message for Beck. This was not a feel good rally. Something is brewing and maybe the rest of us need to wake up before the “America that is restored” retaliates.

Jane Lynch walked away for an Emmy for her portrayal as the mean spirited and witty Sue Sylvester in Fox’s Glee. ABC was not left out with a win for gay dad Cameron Tucker on “Modern Family”.” Modern Family” writer Steven Levitan also walked away with a trophy for writer for a comedy series. However, Glee was back up to bat again and Ryan Murphy, creator of the show, won for best director of a comedy.

Congratulations to my two favorite shows! Just goes to show you. Times are changing. Glee and Modern Family have been pushing the envelope with their bold depiction of characters from all walks of life. Glee has enough gay to feed the universe and let’s not forget it has a United Nations cast complete with a physically handicapped cast member that gets all the girls. If that isn’t enough, Modern Family has the cutest gay family to date with a child you just want to kidnap. The couple has enough sugar to make your diabetic while touching on some major issues for LGBT families.

Congratulations guys from Team RBC!

The (Red) Project has been working arduously on fighting the pandemic of the HIV/AIDS. This video shows the power a global movement can have. Please watch and share.

Wyclef answers the questions behind his run for President. It’s a great interview as Wolf Blitzer grills him on the unpaid IRS taxes and the 9 million he raised in the aftermath. Blitzer also asks the questions about the language barrier. Wyclef avoids the question a little but ends up speaking in Creole.

Des Moines police are trying to determine what led to a series of attacks outside the Iowa State Fairgrounds over the weekend that included the assault of two police officers.
At least three people were arrested Friday through early Monday morning. Other arrests may occur as officers investigate the incidents, officials said.

There are indications that some of the fights – which appear to involve mostly teenagers and young adults – were racially motivated, police said.

“We don’t know if this was juveniles fighting or a group of kids singling out white citizens leaving the fairgrounds,” Sgt. Lori Lavorato said. “It’s all under investigation, but it’s very possible it has racial overtones.”

Officials announced last week that they were stepping up security outside the fairgrounds after a series of attacks Aug. 14 that included a pair of stabbings. Investigators are still investigating those assaults and victims intend to pursue charges.

Sgt. David Murillo stated in a report on Friday night, “On-duty officers at the fairgrounds advise there was a group of 30 to 40 individuals roaming the fairgrounds openly calling it ‘beat whitey night.’ “

There is something brewing in Iowa and the question is what is that a larger reflection of? Has there been a feeling of dissent brewing among black people in the recent months?

What sparked the “beat whitey night”? Is this a mirror of the larger issue of what Bob Herbert calls, “A tragic crisis of enormous magnitude is facing black boys and men in America.”
Is this another moment where we really need to reflect and look at the realities of our nation? Herbert writes about what he terms is a “cancer” his recent article, “Too Long Ignored”,

This is a cancer that has been allowed to metastasize for decades. Not only is it not being treated, most people don’t even want to talk about it. In virtually every facet of life in the United States, black people — and especially black boys and men — are coming up short. White families are typically five times as wealthy as black families. More than a third of all black children are growing up in poverty. In Ohio, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty, the percentage is more than half.

There are myriad reasons for this awful state of affairs. As with so many other problems in American society, a lack of gainful employment has been a huge contributor to the problems faced by blacks. Chronic unemployment is hardly a plus-factor for marriage and family stability. And the absence of strong family units with mature parental guidance is at the very root of the chaotic environment that so many black youngsters grow up in.

The abominable incarceration rates among blacks are the result of two overwhelming factors: the persistence of criminal behavior by a significant percentage of the black population, and a criminal justice system that in many respects is racially discriminatory and out of control. Both of these factors need to be engaged head-on, and both will require a staggeringly heavy lift.

Are we ready to do the heavy lifting and finally heal from what is a painful past and a scary future? Race cannot be ignored.

Education in the broadest sense is the key to stopping this socioeconomic slide that is taking such a horrific toll in the black community. People have to understand what is happening to them before they can really do much about it. Young blacks who have taken a wrong road, or are at risk of taking a wrong road, have to be shown a feasible legitimate alternative.

Check out the Black Swan Trailer below. It doesn’t disappoint as Natalie Portman delivers another gripping performance as a dedicated ballerina who enters into a twisted relationship with a new ballerina(Mila Kunis) threatening to take her lead role in Swan Lake. Directed by Darren Aronofsky ( The Wrestler), this film should be as gritty and moving as we would expect.

There is even a little action between the women in the film. Between the story and the action, I am already certifying this as my new NOTES ON A SCANDAL. If you haven’t seen that film, you must NETFLIX it now.

So, I am a little of a craigslist junkie. I came across a posting for an intern for a new LGBT website. I decided to check out what this site was all about. There are two sites: www.imfromdriftwood.com and www.50statestorytour.com . These sites prove that story are still important and hearing other people’s story is what connects us. Luckily for us, a group of young men have decided to take on the challenge of telling the stories of LGBT individuals.

Take a look at words from the creators below.

So what’s the point of all these true stories by gay people from all over? There’s a story for that.

The morning after I watched the Gus Van Sant-directed, Sean Penn-starring, Dustin Lance Black-written Milk, would you believe I was inspired? But funny enough, what inspired me was Milk more so than Milk. An image I recalled wasn’t even in the film. It was a photo of Supervisor Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., riding on the hood of a car in a San Francisco Gay Pride march, holding a sign that reads, “I’m From Woodmere, N.Y.” The sign was intended to show how far people came to attend the San Francisco rally, but it meant something more to me. It meant that there are gay people in every small town and every big city across America and the world. I was thinking about that photo in between assaults on the snooze button and I responded to Harvey’s sign. I’m from Driftwood.

There are gay stories from every corner of the Earth and I think they should be told. But why? What does it mean??

To the gay teens struggling to come out and deal with their sexuality, who to this day still attempt suicide 4 times more than straight kids, it says “you are not alone.” Other people have dealt with similar situations, families, communities and churches, and have overcome and are now living happy lives. It can happen for you, too. It gets soooo much better, I promise. Hang in there, kiddo.

And to the people who don’t support equal rights, it says we’re not all that different after all. We all have stories and problems and loves and lives just like everyone else. So maybe we should all be treated like everyone else, too.

Check out the map of where the tour is headed!

Enlarge map in new window

Two young men help an elderly woman along a flooded path in the Swat region of Pakistan (Qasim Berech)Two young men help an elderly woman along a flooded path in the Swat region of Pakistan (Qasim Berech)

THE FLOODS which have devastated huge areas of Pakistan may be an act of nature, but the worsening humanitarian crisis that followed is a direct result of the failures of Pakistan’s venal leaders–and the impact of the U.S. “war on terror.”

According to official estimates, more than 20 million people have been displaced and another 1,600 are dead as a result of one of the worst floods in Pakistani history. In some places, the rains have made the Indus River 15 miles wide, some 25 times broader than normal.

The flooding started when the monsoon rains tore through the mountains in the northwest part of the country (called Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa). As the waters raged through the Sindh and Punjab provinces, they destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and over 1.7 million acres of farmland. Several large cities were also been submerged, like Naushera, Muzaffarabad and Abottabad. The people who have made it out of the flood-ravaged areas are crammed in makeshift shelters or in overcrowded government buildings.

Those who escaped the floods find themselves without access to food, clean drinking water, sanitation and medicine. All of this has exacerbated the crisis, as many more are likely to die as the result of diarrhea, cholera and other diseases.

Getting aid to many of the areas affected by the flooding has also been difficult, as the floods wiped out much of the infrastructure that relief agencies need: power stations have been flooded, gas lines have been ripped out, and grain storage areas have been made irrelevant.

Particularly disheartening is the fact that many of the people who now find themselves homeless are the very same who were forced out of their homes last year during the Pakistani military campaign in Swat against the Taliban and its allies in the region. Every single bridge in Swat has been wiped out, and many of the houses that were rebuilt after American drones bombed the area have again been destroyed. Moreover, Pakistan still hasn’t fully recovered from the effects of a particularly deadly earthquake in 2005.

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TWO INTERCONNECTED factors have made the flooding itself worse. First, the number of incidents of extreme weather in Pakistan has increased in the past several years, a fact that many scientists attribute to the effects of global climate change. Many commentators have linked the devastation in Pakistan to the landslides in China and flooding in Bangladesh, as part of a vast change in regular weather patterns in the region.

Second, the massive dam and canal network that threads through Pakistan was built in the interests of large landowners and big capitalists rather than the people. This has meant that infrastructure repair and emergency relief have been extremely lopsided, and organized around preserving the interests of the landed elite rather than around flood prevention.

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SOURCEL The Socialist Worker