A Heterosexual With Complications

A heterosexual with complications? What in the hell is that supposed to mean? I liked the first definition better ("I'm a heterosexual with homosexual attachments." Hmm-kay...). So he's attracted to men- nothing wrong with that, Theodore- and he's going through counseling- though I honestly don't know why.

But what gets me is that he just won't admit that he's plain bisexual. Instead, he uses excuses such as "I'm straight with complications." Whatever those complications are, Ted, I'm still trying to find out.

Perhaps, your buddy Pat Robertson can help...oh, forget it.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved Video Courtesy of CNN

Illinois Governor Headed For Unemployment Line

The US Senate seat vacated by then-Senator (now President) Barack Obama was a golden seat, up for grabs. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who- like Obama- is a democrat, apparently saw this as a golden egg too good to let go of. Besides, he didn't want this to fall back into Republican hands, right?

Well, the US Senate seat is still in Democrats' hands- Obama's replacement is a 71-year-old African-American. But Illinois state senators- obviously in a nonpartisan vote, of 59-0- decided that Blagojevich wasn't fit for office. So, as of now, Pat Quinn becomes the new governor of Illinois.

Blagojevich was arrested last month on federal corruption charges, for reportedly trying to sell Obama's senate seat. Blagojevich said that he didn't do anything wrong, but evidence- including several taped messages- stacked up against him.
But Blago did make a last second appeal to stay in office:

Blagojevich cannot run or hold public office in Illinois ever again. See what happens when you cheat, Mr. Now-Ex-Governor?

NBC 5 Chicago has the full report, just click on the title for the link. Also at the link are the transcripts from the wiretaps- get at least one of those on your external or internal hard drives (I have the entire 78 page affidavit on my flash drive. Makes for good reading...).

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Author John Updike Dead at 76

His Rabbit series of books were best sellers over the last 50 years, beginning with 1959's Rabbit, Run. He won two Pulitzer Prizes four two of those novels
Rabbit is Rich in 1981, and ten years later with Rabbit at Rest.
Over the years he has written numerous essays, short stories, and was a frequent contributor in New Yorker magazine, which included a 1960 essay about Boston Red Sox great Ted Williams' final game, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu. His final work, The Widows of Eastwick was released last year. That novel was a sequel to 1984's The Witches of Wastwick. A new work,
My Father's Tears and Other Stories, is due out this year.

Updike created the series about an angst-ridden car dealer in 1959, and over a 42 year period, wrote four novels, a novella about one time basketball star Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. The stories took place in a town much like Updike's hometown Shillington, Pennsylvania.

Updike was 76 when he died today, from lung cancer.

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. all Rights Reserved.

Ted Haggard's Next Sexual Mis-Adventure

Just as I'm hardly recovering from the debacle of our knucklehead mayor- who by the way, isn't throwing in the towel (hope you know what you're doing, Spam...the new nickname for Sam Adams), former church pastor Ted Haggard rears his ugly head once again.

You remember Rev. Haggard, right? Let me refresh your memory:

Magnolia Pictures/YouTube

He said it. Homosexuality IS WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Except he forgot one itty bitty, teensy weensy detail:
Borbnert/CNN/YouTube

Kind of funny, the shoe being on the other foot, isn't it, Ted? Your little drug and sex fest with a male escort got you fired from New Life in 2006.

Apparently, our favorite closeted gay pastor is now embroiled in another sex scandal. This time, a 20-year-old volunteer at the megachurch New Life Church had stepped forward to mention about a tryst he and Haggard had. New Life had paid the man to keep quiet- and pay for his tuition.

The reason the volunteer came forward is because a HBO documentary will air this Thursday entitled The Trial of Ted Haggard. Haggard himself will be on CNN's Larry King Live on Thursday to respond to the documentary- and likely the latest accusation.

Click on the title for continuing coverage from KRDO NewsChannel 13, which is probably airing the story live as I type this (Portland's only one time zone behind Colorado Springs) Also, click on the CNN widget for the latest update.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

I'm Calling You Out, Sam Adams!

Shall we dance, folks? This one goes out to the mayor of Portland, Oregon, the dishonorable Sam Adams. It's called, appropriately enough,
Liar, Liar:


starsurfrider/YouTube

Love them Castaways.

For the second straight day, Portland mayor Sam Adams has been a no-show at 4th and Jefferson (the location of Portland city hall), which leads me to believe that he's drinking a lot of Sam Adams beer (luckily, the beer isn't named after our hare-brained mayor...but if the beer's patriot namesake were still alive, he'd probably pop our Mr. Adams in the kisser for embarrassing him...)and tons of whiskey. Or not, I don't know. All I know is that I'm joining the chorus of the constituents who want him gone. He's a disgrace to the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and those who question their sexual preference, and even worse, he's the ingrown hair in the ass of the city of Portland. It's not that he slept with 18-year-old Beau Breedlove (that is, if Beau was 18 when Sam did the nasty with the boy toy). His sexual orientation isn't the issue- at least, not with me. it's the fact that he lied about it. I know I'm sounding like a scratched CD here, but I- like much of Portland- cannot excuse Sam for not being straightforward with us, especially when news of the scandal first hit in September 2007.

As of right now, I'm calling Sam Adams out- in fact, I sent him an e-mail. It may have been a bit nasty, but otherwise respectful. I want him to answer me personally- by e-mail or by comment to this blog- as to why he saw the need to cover up his relationship with Beau Breedlove. Especially if it was legal and between consenting adults. Why he didn't have the testicular fortitude (English translation: BALLS!) to say that, "Yes, Beau and I were dating, and he was 18 years old when we slept with each other. So, what's it to you?," in September 2007, and why is he in hiding now?

I still believe that there is more to this than Sam wants us to know. Honestly, I think Beau was younger than 18 when Sam had sex with him. Furthermore, I think Beau lied about his age being 18 on June 25, 2005, and that Sam coerced Beau to keep his mouth shut when running for mayor.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Beaugate

Over the past couple of days or so, we here in Portland, Oregon have been dealing with the misdeeds of our mayor, Sam Adams. As many know, he's the first openly gay mayor of a major US city with a population of over 500,000.

But instead of celebrating this milestone, a lot of us are calling for hias head for lying about his little lovefest with a legislative intern. Adams since apologized, but the consensus here is that his political future is on tissue thin ice. At any rate, I've spent the last day brainstorming on what names we could call this scandal.

I have one: BEAUGATE!

Yes, this could be like Zippergate, when President Bill Clinton got fellated by Lewis and Clark College grad and White House intern Monica Lewinski (I still can't believe she even went to school here in the Rose City). It's not Watergate, since Adams didn't break into any body's house (at least, not that I know of, anyway. Unless he had amateur porn tapes of him and Beau in action...somehow, I get the feeling that some gay porn producer is brainstorming some idea for his next masterpiece..."Hello, Mr. Mayor";
"The Mayor and the Intern", or even better, "The Mayor's Beau". If anybody have any ideas, relay them to me in the comment box).

No matter what, we here in the city of rain and roses are dealing with Beaugate right now. The Oregon Attorney General, John Kroger, is investigating; burning effigies of Sam are probably being prepared, and the folks from Westboro, Kansas are likely sharpening their knives.

See what you have done, Sam?

I'm very close to telling Mr. Adams to pack his bags and leave town, but I'll wait until the authorities- the aforementioned attorney general, and Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk- release their findings. But know this for sure, my respect for Mr. Adams is slipping further out the door.

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Sam, The Hole's Getting a Bit Bigger, Baby

Remember what I said last night about Portland mayor Sam Adams white little lie, and that i said that no further action was expected?
SwimmingPolarBear/KATU-TV, Portland, OR/YouTube

Well, as I enjoy the entree of crow- hey, it tastes like turkey and chicken mixed together, by the way- with a side of collard greens (which makes that crow taste more bearable), it looks like America's first openly gay mayor of a city of over 500,000 people may have his goose cooked (sorry, couldn't pass up that last bird reference...) as the embarrassment he's apparently caused has hit national news.

Let's start with the blog The Huffington Post publishing a story (for you HP fans, just click here to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/20/sam-adams-portland-mayor-_n_159289.html ). Of course, if you want to know more, just click on the title for the KGW NewsChannel 8 story. You, in the rest of the world, can see the story from our local perspective.

Then, there's Fox News, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Bill O'Reilly and Portland's equivalent, Lars Larson of KXL Newsradio 750 and nationally syndicated on Westwood One radio- are just licking their chops over this. And let's not forget CBN, who, thanks to Sammy Boy, has more ammunition to use in their fight against gay rights. Don't even get me started on those nutjobs from Westboro, Kansas. (I say this with my hands on the hip, and twirling finger in the face...had to bring out my inner black woman side for a moment...).

All that said, Adams is in more hot water, as Portland Police Bureau chief Rosie Sizer and Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk has asked Oregon Attorney General John Kroger to investigate to see if any criminal activity was committed.

Meanwhile, the calls for Adams' resignation continue to grow. The local newspaper, The Oregonian; and even the LGBTQ community's paper Just Out wants Adams 'just out' (sorry, Just Out folks, I couldn't pass that one up...). Out of office.

And if that's not enough, there's already a grassroots movement to petition a recall vote against Sam.

I'm beginning to wonder if I had made the right choice in voting for this man. We had to make a choice last May between Adams and his opponent, Sho Dozono. The latter strongly supports gay rights, as well as civil rights for others, so even if we had chosen him instead of Adams, the LGBTQ community would still be in good hands.

This fiasco began last year, when the newsweekly Willamette Week began looking into possible wrongdoing by Adams, who was at the time Portland city commissioner under now retired mayor Tom Potter. Adams said that he wasn't sexually involved with Breedlove, who was an legislative intern in Salem. Adams said that he only served as a mentor. But just when we Portlanders thought the story would die, several reporters from WW and one of the other weeklies, The Portland Mercury stayed atop of this. It must be noted that Mercury city hall reporter Amy Ruiz has been hired by Adams as adviser on sustainability and strategic planning (whatever that is...), and according to the cover story in today's WW, she had no idea that Adams may have done this to keep her mouth shut (think of this as, say, the Portland political mafia, if you like...).

WW investigative reporter Nigel Jaquiss- who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for his expose on former Portland mayor and Oregon governor Neil Goldschmidt's tryst with a teenage girl that took place in the mid-1970's- also stayed on the story. The full cover story can be read by just clicking here to: http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3511/12113/

Politicians lie- maybe with the exception of the current Commander in Chief, but the jury haven't even arrived yet on Barack- that's a given. But if Adams is lying about Breedlove's age at the time of the two-month tryst- and remember, this took place in 2005. Breedlove reportedly turned 18 in June of that year- and he knew about it, don't be surprised if a city as forgiving as Portland isn't when it comes to some of our leaders. Portland is a progressive city- and definitely a near-paradise for the LGBTQ community. But we're not ones who suffer fools gladly. If mayor Adams committed improprieties by abusing his authority, he must be voted out- and possibly prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Yes, I voted for the man. But I can just as easily vote him out.

Looks like your boyfriend isn't the only person you have to answer to, Sammy.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Hillary Clinton Confirmed as US Secretary of State

First lady. New York senator.

Now add to the list Secretary of State to Hillary Clinton's resume.

Only two senators- Republican senators David Vitter of Louisiana, and Jim DeMint of South Carolina- objected to Mrs. Clinton's confirmation over her husband's charitable organization. Republican senator John Cronyn of Texas prevented the Senate from voting unanimously voting because of former President Clinton's charitable organization. Mr. Clinton agreed to limit foreign donations and release annual disclosures, according to CNN.

Mrs. Clinton is expected to be sworn in Thursday, and one of her main tasks is to monitor the Middle East. Meanwhile, President Obama is expected to name a new envoy to the Middle East.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved. Video courtesy of CNN.

A Bit More Readjusting

A moment from the usual commentary business, if you please.

First off, the URL name has changed. This blog's new web address name is http://www.thehardcoreedge.blogspot.com/ . After three years of going with 'Alex the Grinch', I felt that this blog's URL name needed changing, and since Notes From the Hardcore Edge will be the permanent name of this blog, it made sense.

Second, in keeping with the hard news and commentary format, some blog entries will be moved to The DWA Musings over at WordPress (http://www.dwalex09.wordpress.com). On the same wavelength, the entries at the WordPress NFTHE site will be transferred to this blog site. NFTHE will be a Blogger-only site. Some of the entries at The DWA Musings will be move to NFTHE.

The comedic entertainment site The Trash Bash will remain a Blogger-only site.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Sam Adams Confesses to Relationship

In tomorrow's issue of Willamette Week, Portland mayor Sam Adams admits to reporter Nigel Jaquiss of a relationship he had with a then-18 year old intern .Today, in a press conference, Adams apologized for his actions, saying that the relationship was inappropriate and that he used poor judgment. The man Adams had sex with, Beau Breedlove, was 18 at the time of the relationship, and this happened while he was Portland city commissioner, and took place before he ran for mayor. The fact that he had sex with a young man of 18 isn't grounds for his being recalled, and I don't expect such actions will happen. Adams himself said that he won't resign

This is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Poor judgment? Maybe. Inappropriate, no.

While I think Adams should have beem more forthcoming about the two-month relationship he and Breedlove had in 2005, I don't think this is an issue in any shape or form. Breedlove was 18 at the time, and the last time I checked, when you turn that age, you're legally an adult. Nothing else can be said about it. Now, had Breedlove been, say 17 or younger, then it would have been an issue of character, and possible criminal charges and cause for impeachment. But nothing was done wrong in this instance. In fact, I don't think Sam and/or Beau should have even brought this up.

Having said this, I'll continue to stand by Sam Adams while he continues his duties as mayor of Portland. However, like the constituents of Portland, I'll keep an eye on him- even though I've voted for him.

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

The 44th President is Also The First

Let Tuesday, January 20, 2009 be a day of major history.

Other than what will likely be a comedy scene on this weekend's SNL...

...today's inauguration was indeed magnificent. Who would have thought that- in this lifetime (let alone this blogger's nearly 42 years' existence)- that a black man would become President. Who would have thought that- some fifty to sixty years after the peak of the Civil Rights struggle- this moment would happen?

This is all still a bit surreal to me, like I'm in some kind of dream. But this really has happened, and I could not have been more prouder to be a part of it, even as I've watched it on TV some 3,000 miles away. Yes, Barack Hussein Obama is the President of the United States! Yes! This is real!

While it's true that he's the first African-American to reach the office, let's make clear that he's truly is American in every way shape and form. His calm demeanor will help him in the tough times- and many say that we're there now. He appears to have a 'everyman' attitude, as if he genuinely cares about the 300 million who live in this nation. I truly believe that- when his time in office expires- history will look much more kindly on him.

As for the now-former President George W. Bush, even though I didn't agree with much of his agenda, I would like to thank him for his eight years of service to the country. He, too, deserves our praise and gratitude. I wish him and Laura the best as they return to private life.

Thank you, Mr. Bush.

Obama's inauguration means a lot to African-Americans. This means that another barrier has been shattered, and any excuse not to succeed has just blew out with the wind. The work and struggles of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Rosa Parks; Malcolm X; Medgar Evers; and others have no doubt crested up to this point.



When I watched the inauguration, I was reminded of another US President during his inauguration in 1961:
Johnny909/YouTube

I saw and heard a bit of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the speech of Barack Hussein Obama today. Kennedy sought to unite this country back in 1961. Now 48 years later, the message is pretty much the same. If Kennedy were alive today, at 91, he'd definitely be proud of the fruits of his labors. He- like Dr. King; Mrs. Parks; and others who devoted their walks of life- are probably crying tears of joy in heaven right now. Every slave who had toiled under the oppression of hatred and humiliation, and their ancestors thereafter, are lifting their hands and singing hallelujahs over the event that has happened today, January 20, 2009.

Obama has challenges ahead. We must- and will- stand at his side as he works to right the ship, and bring America back to respectability. He seeks to be inclusive, not exclusive. Bring everyone together, not tear them apart. This country will no doubt be in a much better shape, and when his term is over- be it in 2013 or 2017- I have the feeling that history will look more kindly on this man, this Barack Hussein Obama. And we will all be all the better because of him.

My prayer to God is to grant His/Her protection on President Obama. Give the President wisdom and guidance, and give him the love that God shares unconditionally to all of us. In the Sovereign name of Christ. Amen.

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams' Sex-Capade

In tomorrow's issue of Willamette Week, Portland mayor Sam Adams admits to reporter Nigel Jaquiss of a relationship he had with a then-18 year old intern. Today in a press conference, Adams apologized for his actions, saying that the relationship was inappropriate and that he used poor judgment. The man Adams had sex with, Beau Breedlove, was 18 at the time of the relationship, and it happened while Adams was city commissioner and before he ran for mayor. I don't expect a recall vote against Adams, and Adams himself said that he wouldn't resign.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a non-issue. Poor judgment? maybe. Inappropriate? No.

While I think that Adams should have been more forthcoming about the two-month relationship, there is really nothing to ride his ass about. After all, the last time I checked, when you turn 18, you're legally an adult. Had Breedlove been under 18, then I would raise serious questions on whether Adams is fit to lead a city.

Having said this, I'll continue to stand by Sam, but, as a man who voted for him, I will keep him under close scrutiny- like I do with all who hold public office.

Click on the title for the full story from KGW NewsChannel 8. There is a similiar commentary piece at one of my other blog sites, The DWA Musings. Click here at: http://dwalex09.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/98

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Bush Says Buh-Bye

President George Walker Bush thanked his constituents for allowing him to screw up the country for eight...okay, six years- the first two, he didn't do so bad. I'll have to give him credit for keeping us calm during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Bush said that he had "confidence in the promise of America because I know the character of our people..."

I was going to wait until Tuesday to do a final rundown of the Bush administration's accomplishments. Sure, like I said, he kept us calm during 9/11/01, but he kept us in Iraq a lot longer than we needed to be. Iraq seems to be headed toward civil war, and to add Morton salt to the wound, Bush made it harder for the incoming Obama administration to withdraw our troops until 2011. Hopefully, I'll make it to 44 years of age by then (hmm...I'll be 44 during the 44th Presidential administration...hurry up and arrive, 2011!).

Of course, he told FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) Michael D. Brown that he did "a heck of a job." Too bad the federal help didn't arrive for three days as New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Biloxi/Gulfport/Pascagoula, Mississippi region was drowning under the furious rains of Hurricane Katrina in August and September 2005.

I could go on about his wanting to put a federal amendment defining marriage as only a union between a man and a woman (too much brown nosing with Marion Gordon 'Pat' Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell can do that to you, you know...),and don't get me started on his view on stem cell research.

I like what he says about leaving the stage. And I can't wait until Tuesday at noon Eastern Time. 9:00 AM Pacific.

Good riddance, George!

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Sex Offender Wins Alaska Lottery

Maybe I should be a sex offender in the 49th state of the Union. Then, I'll be lucky as the three-time sex offender.

In what has to be a case of irony, Alec Ahsoak, who was convicted in 1993 and 2000 for sexual abuse of a minor, played in a lottery run by a group that helps sexual abuse victims. Proceeds went to the Standing Together Against Rape, a nonprofit in Anchorage that helps sexual assault victims.

He won the $500,000 lottery.

Ahsoak will reportedly give $100,000 to the center.

You can watch the story from ABC by clicking on the title.

But Ahsoak isn't the only sex offender to win big bucks in a lottery.

Last year, Fred Topous, who pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual penetration in 1999, and pleaded guilty for breaking and entering in 1984 and 1988, won $57 million in the multistate Mega Millions game.

And in Massachusetts, a man who was convicted for sex crimes committed in the 1970s and 1980s won $10 million last year.

On one hand, these men did gamble legally- apparently there were no stipulations preventing them from doing so- and won fair and square. So, yes, I'll say that they deserve the winnings. On the other hand, however, you have to question if there should be some oversight in who gets to win the prizes. But then, if you do that, you're going into privacy issues. In other words, there are no easy answers here. And I suppose there never will. The lottery commissions, and nonprofits in Alaska who do their lotteries as well, could make out a set of guidelines. But then, you're going into the risk of making generalizations.

Again, no easy answers.


Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Plane Crashes in New York City

A US Airways jet- Flight 1549- crashed in the Hudson River shortly before 3:30 PM Eastern Time. Reportedly, a flock of birds flew into one of the engines just when the Airbus A320 was taking off from LaGuardia Airport, where it was en route to Charlotte, North Carolina. The crash happened near the USS Intrepid.

All 155 aboard- 15o passengers and five crew members- survived. This can be credited to several factors:

• The pilot landed expertly- even if it was in the Hudson.
• Within minutes, first responders came on the scene. Some arriving before the plane crashed.

Several people were taken to Manhattan area hospitals for treatment of hypothermia.

Click on the title to the WABC-TV link for the latest.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Officer Involved in BART Shooting Arrested

Johannes Mehserle, 27, the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit District) cop who shot to death an unarmed man, Oscar Grant, 22, almost two weeks ago was charged today with intentionally killing Grant. The shooting has created outrage in the community.

Mehserle was arrested in Douglas County, Nevada Tuesday. He waived extradition, and was returned to the Bay Area today.

Click on the title for the full story from KGO-TV in the Bay Area.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. Video: Copyright (C) 2009 KGO-TV/ABC/Disney Stations Group and Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Ricardo Montalban Dead at 88

He was well known as Mr. Roarke on ABC's Fantasy Island...
retrorebirth/Sony Pictures Television/ABC

...and twice played one of the greatest nemeses in the Star Trek franchise, first, in the 1967 episode, Space Seed:

Labz4JMC/Desilu/CBS Studios/NBC

...and in the 1982 blockbuster Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan :


chargr2004/Paramount Pictures

Gotta love it when Khan gives Kirk fits.

The actor immortalized for playing both roles- Mr. Roarke, and Khan Noonien Signh- have passed away today at 88. In a career that started in 1941, Montalban worked in numerous roles, starting with a small part in the Tallulah Bankhead play,
Her Cardboard Lover. He was a member of the MGM stable of stars, and played steamy Latin lovers with stars such as Lana Turner and Esther Williams. For years, he also dedicated himself to changing Hollywood's image of Latinos. Almsot 20 years ago, he found Nosotros, an organization dedicated to advancement of Latinos in the industry.

He suffered a spinal injury in the Clark Gable film Across the Wide Missouri, that injury plaguing him later in life.

In addition to Star Trek, he played numerous TV guest roles in the 1960s.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Obama is the Black Persons' Moses

There is an extremely great article on James 'Little Man' Presley on this blog's news partner's website (you can click on the CNN widget, or on the title. Either way, you'll go directly to the link).

Presley talks of days in Sledge, Mississippi, and of his pride in seeing a black man voted into the highest office in the land. In short, his father died when he was five, and was forced to step up and be the "Little Man" of the house. The nickname stuck.

Presley, 78, sees President-elect Obama as a modern day Moses. somehow, I think the woman named Moses, Harriett Tubman, would wholeheartedly agree.

And frankly, so would I.


Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. Video: Copyright (C) 2009 Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Could Mardi Gras Become 'Mardi Petite'?

Ah, the wonderful sounds of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The krewes (social clubs) parading up and down the streets- mostly on the traditional Mid-City and Uptown route along South Carrollton Avenue, and into the Garden District on St. Charles Avenue. Trinkets getting tossed to screaming fans (some of them showing their melons...you know, girls, there's a street for that. Just when you cross Canal from Carondelet, then just go to the 700 and 800 blocks of the street that's mistakenly believed to be named for a Kentucky-based alcohol drink). All the major krewes- Zulu; Endymion; Muses; and the King of Carnival, Rex- endear over two million fans yearly (I know. I attended three of them in the early 2000's).

And the other parishes in the Bayou state- and as far as Mobile, Alabama- get in on the act as revelers give in to fleshly desires the day before Ash Wednesday.

But this year, it looks like Fat Tuedsay may be a bit less fatter as two krewes in suburban New Orleans have cancelled their parades. The krewe of Aquila, in Jefferson Parish cancelled their parade last month, and now, the Krewe of Gladiators, in St. Bernard Parish- just to the east of New Orleans and Orleans Parish- have called it quits on their parade. Both krewes cite the bad economy, which means that it could be a bit less laissex les bon temps rouler down in the Big Easy- which is apparently looking more like the 'Big Queasy'.

Click on the title for the full story from WDSU News Channel 6, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans.

(C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

BART Police Shooting- The Uncut Footage

It's another case of a police shooting of an unarmed man.

Click here for the story: http://www.ktvu.com/news/18409300/detail.html. For the video: http://www.ktvu.com/video/18425287/index.html (courtesy KTVU-TV).

At the Fruitvale, California BART station, 22-year-old Oscar grant was coming home from celebrating New Year's day. There was an altercation on the eastbound train, and police came to stop the fight. somehow, Grant got detained by officers, and apparently resisted arrest. Grant was shot and later died.

But a video from a cell phone tells a far different story. In the video, it appears that Grant was arguing with one of the officers, and an apparent scuffle ensued. at about 1 minute 52 minutes into this video, an officer- now identified as Johannes Mehserle- shot Grant in the back. when Grant was shot, he was in handcuffs.

Care to explain this one, Officer Mehserle? I understand that the police have a hard enough job as it is, and there's stress involved. But, did the officer overreact? Or was he just a cold hearted bastard? I'm really having trouble seeing the justification in shooting a man- who is already handcuffed- any place in the body, let alone the back.

BART police and Officer Mehserle are facing a $25 million suit, citing violation of Grant's rights.

Copyright (C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Canon Releases 11 New Camcorders at 2009 CES

There are eleven new camcorders coming our way from Canon. I'll reveal one from each format (Mini DV; HDV; flash memory; and hard drive).

Flash Memory: VIXIA HF 200. This is a high definition flash memory model, which takes up to a 32 GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card. Recording capacity up to 12 hours (on a 32 GB SDHC card); features include 15x Optical zoom at a focal length of 4.1- 61.5 mm (35 mm equivalent: 39.5- 592.5 mm), face detection, and records to full 1080i high definition. The HF200 will be out next month.

Other HD flash models are the VIXIA HF S10; VIXIA HF S100; and VIXIA HF20, all which will be released next month.

Just when you thought that Mini DV has gone the way of the dinosaur, Canon features two new models. On the HDV (high definition video) side, the VIXIA HV40, which is basically an improvement on the popular HV20 and VIXIA HV30 models. The HV40 records to both HDV and DV, and records in native 24p mode- a carryover from the professional line of camcorders (XH-A1; XL-H1A; etc). This will be released in March. On the standard def side, the ZR960 features a IEEE 1394(FireWire/iLink) port. This will also be out in March.

Three standard definition flash memory camcorders will be out any day. The FS22 has an internal 32 GB flash drive, with a recording capacity of up to almost 21 hours. More recording time can be added by just placing a SDHC memory card. The FS21 has a 16 GB internal flash drive, with capacity up to 10 hours and 20 minutes record time. As with the FS22, recording time is increased by adding a SDHC or SD card. And finally, the FS200 has a record time of almost 21 hours, however, unlike the FS21 and FS22, it does not have internal memory (damn!), so you'll have to buy the SD or SDHC card. But the focal length kicks ass, though. 2.6- 96.2 mm (35 mm equivalent: 45.8- 1695mm. which means that I can spy the hottie doing the strip tease on the beach from a much safer distance...what?...whaddaya mean I have a filthy mind? Like you're Mr. Clean yourself...sheeesh! Assistants!).

There are also two standard def DVD camcorders coming out any day now. The DC420 records up to 60 minutes on a single layer 1.4 GB DVD +/- RL disk, 108 minutes on a 2.8 GB double layer disc. same goes for the DC410 model, with the difference being that the DC420 has 550,000 pixel's to the DC 410's 680,000. The DC410 has a mic jack, but the DC420 doesn't- hmm-kay.

So now my question: which one would fit me? They're all nice, and- with the exception of the ZR960- will work on my Compaq Presario F700 laptop, which features the AMD Turion 64x2 processor. All I need is the right video software to edit my footage on. Pinnacle Studio 12; Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9; and Adobe Premiere Elements 7 look like pretty good candidates to use with these camcorders.

It's just a matter of choice.

(C) 2009, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.
FireWire is a trademark of Apple, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries; iLink is a trademark of Sony Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries.

Macworld Expo 2009 Starts Today (But Where in the Hell is Steve Jobs?)

Although I'm a PC- yes, that means that I'm a Windows person (and, by the way, Vista works just fine with me, thank you very much!), I'm still interested in the Mac- after all, I almost got another one. Which explains why I'm interested in this year's Macworld Expo at Moscone Center. I could ask the usual question, "What will Apple release this time?" But over the past year, the folks from Cupertino has revamped the iPod and MacBook lines- the lower end MacBooks now feature NVIDIA graphic processors, with the hard drive options including the solid state drives (the serial ATA drives are still standard equipment). According to Wired.com, the probability of Apple releasing a new incarnation of the lowest end desktop, the Mac mini, is pretty high, as is the possibility of the newest version of the all-in-one desktop iMac. The 17-inch MacBook Pro could get a new Intel processor. (to read the entire article, click here to http://www.blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/rumor-roundup-w.html ).

So, with that pearl of wisdom out of the way, there is one glaring omission at this year's event: one Steven Paul Jobs. For years, the Apple founder and CEO has been a ubiquitous presence at the Expos, releasing new products and version of Apple hardware.
euereka279/YouTube/Macworld Expo

But this year, Jobs won't be at this event, and there is speculation as to why. Is it because of the hormonal imbalance he has? Or is it something worse- as in his pancreatic cancer returning? Jobs says that he'll stay on as Apple CEO, so the news seem encouraging about his health.

Phil Schiller of Apple will deliver this year's keynote address.

Jobs won't be the only person- or thing- missing from Macworld. Next year, Apple itself will be missing from the Macworld Expo. How will that bode with the Mac and Apple faithful? We can only wait and see. But Apple says that they could do a better job marketing Apple products by just going to the customer. Small companies, with the absence of Apple in 2010, may be better able to feature their products.

(C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.