Venus Explores Uncharted Terrain

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Divided State

Because of the controversy created by Tavis Smiley regarding Barack Obama and his unofficial leaning toward Hilary Clinton. I, like many others had a lot of reservations the 2008 State of the Black Union. (to get an overview click here)

But its was clear by the second half that many of the panelist did not share the same feeling about the Clinton's as Smiley

Highlights

Dick Gregory apologizes to Bill Clinton the first Black President


Al Sharpton on changing the rules

Who are the Super Delegates

Click here for the complete list
Of this mysterious group whose vote is clearly more important than yours or mine

Top Ten Ways to Inspire Others to Be Their Best

by Michael Angier

We all know people who are inspiring. But just how does one inspire others? Here are ten simple ways you can inspire people to be their best:

1. Be a good example. People watch what you do more than they listen to what you say. Be someone worth emulating.

2. Care about others. People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care. Ask questions. Take a genuine interest in people.

3. Encouragement. Everyone goes through tough times. When you support people and encourage them through these times, you’ll be inspiring them to see the best in themselves and in the situation.

4. Be inspired yourself. Look for people, ideas, environments and knowledge that you find inspiring and motivating.

5. Share from your own experience. You have more to share than you realize. Mine the rich experiences of your life and share your wisdom from your unique point of view. You may be the only one who can touch someone with your inspiring message.

6. Be vulnerable. Be willing to share your failures as well as your successes. Others will relate to you. They’ll understand that they’re not the only ones with challenges.

7. Tell stories. Facts tell and stories sell. They inspire, too. We learn best from parables and we all need to develop our own inspiring stories.

8. Be a good communicator. Increasing your ability to communicate effectively is a critical element for you to inspire others. Watch how you speak and what you say. Invest in your communication skills.

9. Challenge people. Many of us have had teachers who at times seemed more like tormentors than mentors. They challenged us to do our best, and we were better for it. Practice "carefrontation"—the careful and caring confrontation of others.

10. Read. It may not follow that all readers are leaders, but certainly all leaders are readers. Stay informed. Share what you read with others. Tell people about books that have inspired you. Share the knowledge.

Thanks Presentation Zen

A City of God & Men

In CITY OF MEN, producer Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardner) returns to the Brazilian favelas of his Academy Award-nominated film, CITY OF GOD. Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their eighteenth birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met, while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shared past.

City of Men starts this Friday, check it out

Meeting Venus on the Road

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Obama Mural in Texas

Obama Mural

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Description: Painted by: GONZO247, Christian Azul, Mr. Bristle & Reginald Adams.

Artwork by: Shepard Fairey

Documented by: LecheQuemada

Location: Alabama @ Travis, Houston Texas

The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury

One of the most exciting characters written in comics, smart, beautiful, smart, tough and did I say smart

Click here to read writer Brandon Thomas interview

Click here to see the Miranda Mercury site

George Clooney Messenger of Peace

Follow George Clooney as he visits refugee camps and uplifts UN peacekeepers in his new role as UN Peace Ambassador. CBS's Harry Smith interviews the star about his journalist father and the hope he feels when he visits Darfur refugees.

Australia's Apology

"For the pain, suffering, and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants, and for their families left behind, we say sorry," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, triggering tears and applause throughout Australia. click 2 hear his apology

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has ruled out compensation, and lawyers say the apology passed by Parliament does not add anything to Aborigines' chances of successful legal claims.

Aboriginal leaders say the injury can never be fully repaired until the victims receive reparations for being taken as children from Aboriginal mothers. From 1910 until the 1970s, an estimated 100,000 children were taken from their parents under state and federal laws based on a premise that Aborigines were dying out. click here


For a history of Australia Stolen Generation click here

Jaime Lerner: City evangelist

From building opera houses with wire to mapping the connection between the automobile and your mother-in-law, Jaime Lerner delights in discovering eccentric solutions to vexing urban problems. In the process he has transformed the face of cities worldwide.

The (cartoon) art of living black

By Randy Myers

Staff writer

Article Launched: 01/27/2008 02:58:20 AM PST
Are black cartoonists given short shrift on the comics page?

A group of eight illustrators think so, and they're asking the public and newspaper editors to do something about it. On Feb. 10 -- in the thick of Black History Month -- a group of eight cartoonists will run the same cartoon, a move that challenges editors to not confine black strips into one particular category.

Darrin Bell, a UC Berkeley grad and cartoonist, pens two daily strips, "Candorville" and "Rudy Park," and says comic syndicates understand there's a need for diverse voices. The stumbling block comes with editors, he said.

"I haven't seen more than a handful of newspapers anywhere in the country that have more than two minority strips," Bell said in a release. "It's as if there's a two-strip maximum in most papers."

Got a point there.

The action has fueled a lively debate, but no matter what comes out of it, one certainty exists: It will encourage readers to look closer at the work of black cartoonists. Here, then, are a few standout comics and graphic novels written by and/or about African-American

Click for more

Character, Integrity & Action

Larry Lessig dissects the REAL differences between the Clintons & Obama
Powerful

Yes WE Can (the Soundtrack)

Total Black TV

An obscure site with unique video content check them out click here 2 get there

Obama is a Lot Like California

VOTE

Oprah Sums up Obama

VOTE

Black Cartoonists Plan Feb. 10 Comics-Page Action

By Dave Astor Published: January 08, 2008 3:00 PM ET NEW YORK At least eight African-American cartoonists plan to take part in a Feb. 10 comics-page action to draw attention to the way their strips are perceived and purchased. "Many editors and readers consider different 'black comics' to be interchangeable," said "Candorville" cartoonist Darrin Bell. This, he told E&P today in a phone interview, is among the reasons why many papers run only one or two comics by African-Americans and other creators of color -- no matter how many strips and panels are in their comics sections. But, Bell said, comics by black cartoonists are obviously as different from each other as comics by white cartoonists are different from each other. "Some are political, some are about friends, and some are about family," noted Bell, who organized the Feb. 10 action along with "Watch Your Head" cartoonist Cory Thomas. (Both are syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group.) For the action, the cartoonists will all do a version of one of Thomas' comics. The theme and writing in each strip will be similar, though "we're all plugging in our own characters," said Bell. The idea is to satirically protest the erroneous notion of many editors and readers that comics by African-American creators are interchangeable. What might the action accomplish? "I hope editors will start allowing minority cartoonists to compete for all their comics slots, not just one or two slots," replied Bell, whose 2003-launched "Candorville" strip runs in 60 to 65 papers. The cartoonist -- who also does the "Rudy Park" comic with Theron Heir for United Media -- further noted that strips by African-American cartoonists are enjoyed by many white readers as well as black readers. Bell said he's not sure the Feb. 10 action should be called a protest, noting that black cartoonists face a problem nowhere near as serious as, say, New Orleans residents still without housing after Hurricane Katrina. But it's still a problem. "It's like a weather forecast of mostly sunny with patches of racism," Bell said wryly. The action will be publicized beforehand by media stories, press releases from one or more syndicates, information on creators' Web sites, and in pre-Feb. 10 comics. Bell, for instance, plans to do a related strip for Feb. 3. Eight cartoonists have agreed to participate at this point, according to Jerry Craft, who tipped E&P off to the Feb. 10 action today. Craft ("Mama's Boyz"/King Features Weekly Service) said the eight include himself, Bell, Thomas, Steve Bentley ("Herb and Jamaal"/Creators Syndicate), Charlos Gary ("Cafe Con Leche" and "Working It Out"/Creators), editorial cartoonist Tim Jackson, Keith Knight ("The K Chronicles"/self-syndication), and Steve Watkins ("Housebroken"/Tribune Media Services). At least two other cartoonists were interested but could not participate because their Feb. 10 comic deadlines had already passed. (Sunday strips have to be done far in advance.) Of the more than 200 comics distributed by major syndicates, perhaps 15 or so are done by cartoonists of color. Why Feb. 10? Bell replied that the date is near the Feb. 14 birthday of renowned black cartoonist Ollie Harrington (1912-1995). Craft, after being interviewed over the phone, subsequently e-mailed this comment: "I think of all the different genres of comic strips, African-American cartoonists get pitted against each other the most. For many papers, it's like the Highlander syndrome where 'There can be only one!' "I hope to live long enough to see the day when I no longer hear of how 'Mama's Boyz' is 'like Curtis or The Boondocks.' With that said, it's great to be involved with so many talented cartoonists who unfortunately share the same fate. Hopefully one day that will change."

Venus Takes the Ladies Out

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