In this week's video address, Barack and Michelle Obama sent a special message for the holidays. Last year's theme was "Shine, Give, Share." This year it's "Joy to All." As they describe: it's the joy of giving service to others; the joy of sharing blessings with one another; and, the joy of mixing it up with friends and families over the next two weeks. The Republican side of the house and senate could demonstrate that Joy for All spirit by agreeing to legislation that will prevent us from sliding off the fiscal cliff. more..

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Confession: posts have been few and far apart this year. One consequence, other than mixing it up with you, I've missed talking at all about this year's election. Don't worry, it's not a case of Romnesia. What's that I said.. Romnesia? It's a condition that President Obama diagnosed Mitt Romney with. more..

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Yesterday, Herman Cain got his wish, the subject changed; reporters moved on from questions about sexual harassment allegations and poked him for explanations about his now infamous, one minute fumble when asked if he agreed with President Obama's handling of Libya. At the one minute mark Cain answered the question with another question. more..

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Working in the Wall Street area, I had a unique advantage of seeing the Occupy Wall Street protests grow from 50 people in Zuccotti park to hundreds and sometimes thousands on a given day. Protests have spread across the country — Occupy Cincinnati started today — it's evolving into what NY Times columist Paul Krugman says could be a turning point in the political discourse. more..

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As we speak, the Obamas are in Hawaii for the holidays. However, early on Christmas Eve, Michelle Obama spent some time to answer phone calls from kids asking the question of the day: Where is Santa? The phone calls were part of the NORAD "Tracks Santa" program. "Track Santa" began in 1955 after kids in Colorado Springs, saw a Sears ad in the newspaper that invited kids to call Santa, with the wording, "Hey, Kiddies! Call me direct.. Just dial.. " more..

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Last night, Jay-Z sat down with Cornel West at the New York Public Library to promote his book Decoded. In Decoded Jay-Z explains the thinking behind some of his hit records and events in his life. Call it a memoir. He doesn't like to. The NYPL host who introduced Jay-Z, said Decoded is one of the 'more extraordinary books I have read in the last decade." more..

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On April 20, at the age of 98, Civil rights activist and educator, Dorothy Height left this (partially) green globe. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. I will not pretend to know the details of her impact in the civil rights movement, but those who fought for our rights as equal citizens of this country deserve to be acknowledged and thanked for their efforts. It's nearly impossible for anyone of the hip-hop generation - not to mention internet babies - to imagine the life of African-Americans during 1937. That's when Dorothy Height was 25 years old and just beginning her life as a civil rights activist. Martin Luther King Jr., sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, which sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and put the civil rights movement into full gear, wouldn't happen until, a rounded, 20 years later. more..

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As part of Let's Move, the campaign to end child obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama is taking on food deserts. Not dessert - as in chocolate cake and cookies. Desert - as in neighborhoods with any number of fried chicken spots, Chinese restaurants behind bullet proof glass, and corner convenience stores stocked with sodas, chips, 'cigar wrappers', and not much else. In short, a food desert is a place strangely absent of fresh fruit and vegetables. We're talking areas of the country you might live in and if you have ever ventured to 'the other side of town,' the differences in food quality is striking. As a result, people who live in food deserts resort to eating food tagged responsible for weight gain and later in life, health problems. more..

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After watching Michelle Obama make a guest appearance on the Food Network's Iron Chef challenge over the weekend, it occurred to me that the Obama girls haven't been pictured in awhile. Maybe they found their comfort zone, tucked away with school interests and whatever else White House kids get into. Kick that to the curb. more..

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Is there any reason why president's Weekly Addresses aren't broadcast on TV stations every Saturday? At five minutes, it seems like a no-brainer way to keep people informed of the state of the nation. This idea was relevant for George Bush's presidency, especially during the Iraq war, and boomerangs to the present with Barack Obama and the economy being devastated by Wall Street's financial crisis. I do know the answer to my question, but explaining it will lead into a four page Neil Postman discourse, cross tracks to a rant about rats wearing $300 ties, and just overall shenanigans. more..

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