Barackface

Monday, June 11, 2007

Obama-Clinton: Ali-Frazier

Muhammad Ali - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" .... His father, Clay Sr., painted billboards and signs, and his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, was a household domestic. ..... a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer ..... 12-year-old Cassius Clay fuming over his bicycle being stolen .... A principal named Atwood argued in his favor, stating to his colleagues that the boy should be given a Certificate of Attendance, given that "...one day he'll be making more money than everyone in this room." ..... From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. ..... He defeated such boxers as ... Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout) .... the cocky "Louisville Lip" ..... rumors that Clay had been seen around Miami and in other cities with the controversial Malcolm X ....... The Nation of Islam, at the time considered a "hate group" by most media and Americans in 1964 ..... Clay's colorful persona .... the 1975 book "The Greatest: My Own Story" by Ali (with Richard Durham). ...... "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" ....... "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see." ...... Liston regained some ground in the fourth, as Clay was blinded by a foreign substance. It is unconfirmed whether this was something used to close Liston's cuts, or applied to Liston's gloves for a nefarious purpose ...... two other Liston fights in which a similar situation occurred ..... the Nation gave Clay the name Cassius X (one who is worthy of praise) ..... On Friday, March 6, 1964, Malcolm X took Clay on a guided tour of the United Nations building (for a second time). Malcolm X announced that Clay would be granted his "X." That same night, Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played over the radio that Clay would be renamed MuhammadAli (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. ....... His schoolteachers at Louisville Central High were alarmed that a youngster with that much potential expressed interest in the nationalist faith. ...... In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub par. ...... "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." ....... Ali was essentially banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966. ..... During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name." ...... Ali's actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era's most recognizable and controversial figures. ...... Ali claimed that white people hated black people. ........ On April 28, 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission, after refusing to be drafted into the United States Army and he would not be allowed to fight professionally for more than three years. On June 20, 1967 he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. Over the course of those years in exile, Ali fought to appeal his conviction. He stayed in the public spotlight and supported himself by giving speeches, primarily at rallies on college campuses that opposed the Vietnam War. ....... In 1970, Ali was allowed to fight again. On June 28, 1971 in Clay v. United States the Supreme Court reversed his conviction. ...... he was granted a license to box in Georgia because it was the only state in America without a boxing commission ....... the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali had been unjustly denied a boxing license ...... Ali and Frazier fought each other on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as '"The Fight of the Century", was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. ...... before beating Frazier (who had lost the title to George Foreman) on points in their 1974 rematch ...... Foreman ... During the bout, Ali employed an unexpected strategy. ...... Sylvester Stallone saw the match in person and the concept of Rocky Balboa — an unknown club fighter who goes 15 rounds with the heavyweight champion — was born. ...... tingling in his hands, and slurring of his speech. The exam revealed he actually had a hole in the membrane of his brain. However, Don King withheld this report, and allowed the fight to go on. ....... Ali retired permanently in 1981, with a career record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses, and as a three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. ...... Muhammad Ali defeated almost every top Heavyweight in his era, an era which has been called the Golden Age of Heavyweight boxing. ...... a masterful self-promoter, and his psychological tactics before, during, and after fights, were very effective ...... when Ali was asked about whether he has any regrets about boxing due to his disability, he responded that if he didn't box he would still be a painter in Louisville, Kentucky. ...... remains a beloved and active public figure. Recently he was voted into Forbes Celebrity 100 coming in at number 13 ...... 1991. .. the most recognized American in the world ...... greets runners at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year. ...... the BBC Sports Personality of the Century Award in which he received more votes than the other four contenders combined. ....... His daughter Laila Ali also became a boxer in 1999, despite her father's earlier comments against female boxing in 1978: "Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here [patting his chest]. Get hit in the breast... hard... and all that." ....... "You ain't pretty enough to play me". ....... he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year ...... On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony. ....... Ali currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his fourth wife ...... a 1998 ranking in Ring magazine named Ali as the greatest heavyweight of all time. ...... On November 19, 1986, Ali married his fourth wife, Yolanda 'Lonnie' Ali. They had known each other since the early 1960s in Louisville, having first met when Ali was 22 and Yolanda was 6. Their mothers were close friends, although Lonnie Ali has publicly denied the popular notion that Muhammad Ali was once her babysitter. They have one adopted son, Asaad.
Joe Frazier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In The News

Powell Calls for Guantanamo's Closing ToTheCenter.com
Polls Show Top Hopefuls in a Statistical Dead Heat as Barack Obama ... Black America Web one national poll showing Sen. Barack Obama in a statistical dead heat with Sen. Hillary Clinton ..... Obama’s campaign coordinated an ambitious field operation over the weekend .... the first time that Clinton hasn't comfortably led the field of Democratic candidates ...... Obama supporters canvassed communities in all 50 states for a nationwide neighborhood walk, a grassroots effort to recruit volunteers for a long and expensive campaign season. ...... the community-driven initiative is unprecedented, adding the Obama camp is the only campaign to create a grassroots effort of this magnitude. ...... Obama is politically sophisticated and adept at merging state-of-the-art technology with old-school community outreach ...... a novel approach ..... "This Walk for Change may do just that since it is far more personal than Internet meet-ups or massive rallies." ...... a way to unlock the influence of online constituents ..... tantamount "to a heavyweight fight reminiscent of Ali-Frazier." ..... for Obama, it’s also about political stamina.
Obama Seeks Powell’s Advice on Policy Issues New York Times said Sunday that it was too early in the 2008 race to say whether he would back the Republican nominee. .... Powell said he did not want to serve in elected office but was less certain about a return to some government post. .... Powell also said he believed the United States’ military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become “a major problem” in the way America was perceived around the world. “If it was up to me, I would close Guantánamo — not tomorrow but this afternoon”
More doors for Obama volunteers Sunday Chicago Tribune "There were a lot of undecideds still," said Jeanne Uehling, an administrative assistant from Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. "But I only had two people who wouldn't talk to me at all." ..... Uehling said she knocked on 46 doors Saturday afternoon and figured she would do about that many on Sunday

Sarkozy poised for landslide parliamentary win Washington Post the strong mandate he had sought for the wide-ranging reforms he says are needed to revive the economy. ..... Sarkozy's ruling Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) and its allies would take 360-470 seats in the 557-seat National Assembly ..... The opposition Socialists, in disarray since the party's third straight loss in presidential elections ..... his "revolution" of tax cuts, strike curbs and labor code changes designed to slash unemployment and lift growth ...... Sarkozy's popularity has surged since beating Socialist Segolene Royal for the presidency, his ratings driven by his energetic image, a flurry of meetings with world leaders and a raft of policy announcements.
Bush calls for independent Kosovo Aljazeera.net The US and EU support an independent Kosovo, which is currently administered by the UN, while Serbia, backed by its ally Russia, opposes it. ..... The US has been particularly popular in Albania since 1999, when then president Bill Clinton pushed for military intervention in Kosovo. .... The city will name a street after Bush, and Albania has put his portrait on commemorative stamps.

Powell gives Obama foreign policy advice Boston Globe
Clinton's margin over Obama eroding slightly WJBC News Clinton had 33% in the poll; Obama 21%; former Vice President Al Gore, who so far is not a candidate, 20%; and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards 12%.
Clinton Loosing Ground to Obama WREX-TV
Hillary Clinton Takes On Health Care In Michigan Campaign Speech Bayou Buzz
US senator urges military strike on Iran MSNBC
Lieberman Favors Military Strike on Iran Washington Post
Google Buys FeedBurner for $100 Million in Cash SYS-CON Media The four-year-old Chicago company and its 30 people had raised $10 million in venture capital.
Bollywood star Rai loving life as a Bachchan South Asian Women's Forum she seems unfazed by her illustrious in-laws, saying they are just "family to me." ...... "I've been on world tours before which are always a fantastic experience because that's your opportunity to really interact with your wellwishers, fans, world over in person," she said. ...... has also starred in more and more western projects. .... In 2004, she was named one of the world's top 100 artists and entertainers by Time magazine and there is even a waxwork of her at Madame Tussauds in London. ....... Rai was nominated for the best actress award at the IIFA awards Saturday night for the hit action thriller "Dhoom 2," which also stars her husband. But she lost out to Rani Mukherjee in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna."

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier trilogy highlights
Muhammad Ali: The Greatest of all Time
MUHAMMAD ALI CAREER HIGHLIGHT REEL!!!!
Muhammad Ali vs. Cleveland Williams 1966
Muhammad Ali vs. Brian London 1966
Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston 1965
KO Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman 1974
Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman post fight interview
"The Greatest" Muhammad Ali

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Knock, Knock, Knocking On Heaven's Door

My Hood: The Brooklyn Neighborhood I Live In 20 min - Sep 22, 2006

Dinesh Tripathi 45 min - Nov 9, 2006

Long Walk To Freedom
Long Walk To Freedom: Just A Third World Guy Dazzled By The City

And so I showed up fashionably late. I did not intend to. I had set up my alarm clock for eight in the morning, and I was to show at 11 at Union Square. But I had stayed longer than usual at Justin Krebs' Drinking Liberally at Rudy's Thursday night - by the time I got back home, the sky was blue - and so my body clock got messed. A little extra sleep Friday during the day, and so you go to bed late Friday, and can't wake up early Saturday. The alarm goes off at eight, I turn it off, and then I am in half asleep mode, you know, that mode when you think, if only you will not fall into deep sleep, time will move slower.

This guy Justin Krebs, he sold me a ticket to the crown Laughing Liberally event of the year last December, and it was all good, that guy who acts like Bush was there, and so on. But I did not realize the ticket meant you automatically were subscribed to the New York TimeOut. And my two Estonian roomies are like, what's up with this guy, is he some kind of an intellectual or what, subscribing to magazines and s___? The magazine goes straight to the kitchen table.

At a few minutes past 11 I am right out the train. So I start to run after figuring which direction to run to. Union Square was only two blocks away. It is 11:10. I run from one end to the other. The Farmers' Market is in full swing. I am tempted to duck the walk and instead join the Farmers' Market. But I resist. Perhaps I am no revolutionary after all.

From one end to next, and back to the part by the Whole Foods' Store. I find three people. One a white male, another a white female, and the third a black woman. I overhear one of them say Obama. So I join in. We are all feeling left out. Looks like they already left without us.

They start talking labor unions. Some union is preparing to endorse Hillary. And the guy says, the unions also endorsed Dean, Kerry won.

Just then, two young, white guys show. They have Obama banners and placards and literature. They say Jeff is there on the other side, "by the Gandhi statue." I did not know there was a Gandhi statue.

Nobel Peace Prize 2007

Jeff Kurzon. I had emailed him the day before, him and the entire mailing list now made possible by MeetUp.com. He was the man in charge here.

He said many others had already left. He had us sign in, then he gave us material. The white guy from our original group said he instead wanted to go back to his neighborhood with the material.

So off I head on to Washington Square with two ladies. I cross the street and see a gyro, falafel, pizza place, and I beg off. "I will join you shortly. I am starving."

I can't find them anwhere in Washington Square, about 10 blocks south. I have all this Obama material in hand. And I am thinking, where do I begin? Do I say hello?

I sit on a bench and watch a music band play. There was this really, really young girl. She was with her father, but she was walking around on her own. She walked over to donate a dollar bill. And then when it was time for her to leave, she said to everyone and noone in particular, "See you later." I was impressed. It was as if she was aware everyone watched her donate the money.

Then this guy - black - approached me. "When is the election?" I said, well, the primary is on February 5. "When is the general? In November?" He knew. I think he liked it that I did not tell him the election was in November. He felt respected. He signed up.

Between the young girl, and this dude, I was feeling a little more confident now.

But at noon, the Hare Rama Hare Krishna people basically took over the park. They have me a wonderful opportunity to procrastinate, I thought. So I wallowed around. I went from booth to booth. One Hare Krishna guy - white - at the book stall noticed. "What is that? Oh, Obama. Forget Obama, follow Krishna." Obama got competition, I am thinking.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness - Wikipedia, the ...
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia, the free ...

I learned the guy who founded Iskcon started out in New York City. I did not know that. He is quite a success story.

I did not buy the book. I went over to the free food part and got myself some lunch. The stall preaching vegetarianism was quite convincing. I walked around some more.

And then I am thinking, my part of Walk For Change is over. Let's go home. So I walk over to the train station.

On the train I am thinking I will treat myself to some ice and Pepsi. I still have all the material in hand. And then the idea struck. What if I worked the neighborhood. I would stuff mailboxes. And if I met people, I'd talk to them. And that was the best part of the day.

It was a Eureka moment. I felt like I had a nugget to offer. Work your own neighborhood. Just focus on the block or two. Build neighborhoods. Let Obama be an excuse to talk to your neighbors. America lacks that sense of neighborhood. That is one of the things you notice about America coming in from outside.

I thought the material was great. It asked you to go to Obama's website. Or you could just fill in your snail mail address and mail it - paid for - to the campaign. Not everybody is online. Offline is where the action is even for those who are web savvy.

So the best part for me for my Walk For Change was right in my immediate neighborhood. There was this woman sitting outside. And there was this other woman standing a few feet away from her. I figured one flyer would be good for both. But the second woman followed me, me on the sidewalk, she behind the fence. So I gave her her own flyer.

Moral of the story: Let Obama be an excuse to talk to your neighbors.

Obama Hits Streets In Grass-Roots Effort CBS News, NY
Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort Boston Globe, United States
Obama hits streets MLive.com, MI
Obama Hits Streets In Grass-roots Effort Guardian Unlimited, UK
Obama Hits Streets San Francisco Chronicle, USA
Obama Hits Streets in Grass-Roots Effort Forbes, NY
Obama Hits Streets in Grass-Roots Effort Wyoming News, WY
Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN
Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort Centre Daily Times, PA
Obama hits streets in intense focus on grass roots KGAN, IA
Obama hits streets in intense focus on grass roots WQAD, IL
Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort Meadow Free Press, ID
Obama hits streets in grass-roots effort Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX
Obama volunteers fan out around South Carolina neighborhoods WQAD, IL
Obama Campaign: Thousands of Obama supporters to take to the ... IowaPolitics.com (press Release), IA
Obama mobilizes supporters for nationwide campaign World Peace Herald, DC
Supporters of Obama hold "Walk of Change" in LA Xinhua, China The L.A. volunteers were signed up to walk the precincts in and near the downtown area, joining door-to-door canvassers in 33 cities across the nation to register voters, chat with people about the Illinois senator, and solicit grassroots campaign contributions ...... A nationwide review of last week's political polls by the political web site Real Clear Politics shows New York Sen. Hillary Clinton 9.5 points ahead of Obama. The most-recent nationwide poll, released yesterday by Fox News, has Obama trailing Clinton by 13 points. Only the USA Today/Gallup poll, taken a week ago, has Obama in front, with a one percentage point lead.
Door-to-door Obama Chicago Tribune, United States
Obama rallies (foot) soldiers MSNBC
Obama Volunteers Door-Knock In South Carolina WYFF, SC
Obama and his backers to canvas for voters on Saturday Radio Iowa, IA
Obama rallies supporters for door-to-door campaign Washington Times, DC
Obama gives pep talk to Walk for Change leaders WQAD, IL

Pages

Monday, June 11, 2007

Obama-Clinton: Ali-Frazier

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Knock, Knock, Knocking On Heaven's Door