Dispatches from the Washington ("Hinckley") Hilton

It won't be long before we know which two candidates will square off in the 2008 presidental election. This past weekend was the first step towards deciding who will represent the Democratic Party. And I was there.

(My Blue Jersey blog brother JRB reports, via dKos)--

Over at Blue Jersey, we shot nearly two dozen short videos at the 2007 DNC Winter Meeting. We talked to a lot of presidential candidates, a few strategists, and some members from New Jersey. Bloggers' Row was set up right in the middle of the lobby, which was noisy, but fun. We enjoyed meeting everybody. The best part of Bloggers' Row's placement was that random people came over and chatted us up. We met delegates, College Democrats, Young Democrats, guests and other people from Florida, California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, and more.

Of the headliners, we didn't get to talk to everybody, but we really appreciated those who made time for us. In order of appearance, we had:

• General Wesley Clark came by to say hi and talk about his potential candidacy. Since he was the first one to come over after a few others spoke and didn't (or couldn't), he took us by surprise.
• A short time later, we caught Representative Dennis Kucinich in the lobby. He's coming to Garden State Equality's annual Legends Dinner next month, so we asked for his opinion on the NJ civil unions legislation.
• Our neighbor to the south, Senator Joe Biden stopped by early on Saturday morning to have a few words with us.
• Former Senator Mike Gravel also had some things to say.
• Former Governor Tom Vilsack told us why his candidacy is different, along with what kind of taffy he liked as a kid. We enjoyed what Jay Lassiter coined as 'Populist Popcorn.'
• Finally, Governor Bill Richardson made an appearance, and he was a lot of fun.

Of the strategists we were able to talk to, we ran into Virginia's Dave "Mudcat" Saunders early Friday morning. He wanted to give us his two cents on Rutgers football, the Scarlet Knights. Towards the end of Friday, Donna Brazile was gracious enough to send a brief message, too. She talked about making Bloggers' Row its own room in the future, but what we had seemed pretty good.

All in all, we had a great time. Many thanks go to Tracy Russo for setting it all up.

So who do you like for president?

Black Histoy, Green Grass

February is Black History Month, that once-a-year opportunity for white people to remind ourselves just how culturally sensitive we can be. So this year I wanted to avoid another culture-bound, Euro-centric tribute to Black America. And since Afro-American History seems offered up mostly for Caucasian consumption, I wanted to share a sliver of black culture that would actually give Black folks something (new) to contemplate, as well. As a tennis junkie, it wasn't hard to come up with the perfect example.

Did you know that Black Americans have triumphed on the lily-white lawns of Wimbledon sixteen times? Yes, that Wimbledon, a place so seeped in vanilla tradition that a white-clothing-only rule is still strictly enforced!

Althea Gibson won the first of her five titles in 1957. (see photo) Her achievement was all the more remarkable as she was the first player of either sex to to shatter the color barrier in international tennis. But it wasn't easy. According to ESPN.com,

She was the first black to play in the national indoor tournament in 1950 and finished second, which should have won her an invitation to the U. S. Nationals. No invitation came until after a letter from former champ Alice Marble appeared in the July issue of Tennis magazine. "If Althea Gibson represents a challenge to the present crop of players, then it's only fair that they meet this challenge on the courts," she said.

She would go on the with the U.S. Open and become the #1 player in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1975 Arthur Ashe reigned supreme at Wimbledon , along the way thumping world #1 Jimmy Connors who at the time was at the height of his lofty powers. To date, Arthur is the only black man to hoist the Wimbledon trophy. He is also the only Wimbledon champ ever to sport a (mini) Afro. After Arthur's death from AIDS complications in 1993, scholar and writer William Rhoden offered this tribute,

First and foremost Arthur Ashe was an activist. His vision was that athletes, especially African American athletes, would play a pivotal role in shaping a society in which they command an increasingly visible presence on the global landscape.

Much like baseball's Jackie Robinson, Gibson and Ashe will likely be remembered more for breaking barriers than for athletic accomplishments. Fast forward 20 years and things have definitely changed.
Venus and Serena Williams have dominated at Wimbledon for the past decade. Both Williams sisters clearly benefited from their predecessors Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson who struggled for just for acceptance.

Venus and Serena not obliged to fit in. Not when they can stand out instead. And their record is astonishing: 10 Wimbledons, 3 Olympic gold medals, and over $3o million in prize money between the pair. Add to that the $4o million Venus (pictured here after taking last year's title) was paid to wear Reebok and Serena's $30 million deal with Nike and it's clear that their stranglehold on women's tennis has earned them top dollar in the sports marketing world, too.

The Williams' influence extends beyond Center Court and Madison Avenue, however. All over American little black girls are taking up the sport. According to Tina Tharpe, Coordinator of the Arthur Ashe Tennis Academy in Philadelphia (and my former boss) girls comprise 70% of the Academy's enrollment. I reckon it'll be another dozen years before be know the legacy of the Williams Sisters. For now, they're still adding to their trophy case! At 25 (Serena) and 26, the sisters still should have time to add to their legacy--both on and off the court.

Sports has always been a good medium for advancing social causes. And when you consider that Black athletic progress has long been a step or two ahead of Black social progress, I think we can look at the successes of the Williams Sisters at Wimbledon and be kinda hopeful.
(Picture: Serena checkin' out the hardware)

Photos courtesy of the Wimbledon website.

Lassiter Space Stocktips

I usually don't give stock tips, but just this once I'll make an exception. My money is on Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals, whose new marajuana-based drug for obesity (!) is slated to begin clinical trials this week.

CNN:

Cannabis is commonly associated with stimulating hunger. GW Pharma, however, says it has derived a treatment from cannabis itself that could help suppress hunger.

"The cannabis (pot) plant has 70 different cannabinoids in it, and each has a different affect on the body. (Amen!) Some can stimulate your appetite, and some in the same plant can suppress your appetite. It is amazing both scientifically and commercially." GW Managing Director Justin Gover told Reuters.

GW Pharma (whose marijuana plants are grown indoors in a secret location in Southern England) previously developed another pot-based drug: an under-the-tongue spray that diminishes some effects of multiple sclerosis.

Thank God this is only intended to be a stock tip (and not a social commentary) so I can spare you my opinions about medical marijuana or the so called "war on drugs."

So what are you waiting for? Call your broker!

(Next Tuesday, we'll return to the usual format discussing beauty tips and celebrity gossip.)

NJ Politics News Roundup, monday Jan 29

If it happens at all, propTax relief may only be temporary. Additionally, the state's mayors feel left out of the process which means we have a lot of bruised egos on our hands too. I am so sick of writing about PropTaxes I could puke. One day I hop the time comes when this topic won't dominate my morning roundups and we can get back to more important topics like beauty tips and celebrity gossip.

Here's some analysis about the Burlington County Dems and the "up and down" month they've been having. Any BurlCo peeps are encouraged to comment with some local perspective.

Sen. prez (and former Governor) Dick Codey will be immortalized today at the statehouse as his portrait is unveiled in Trenton. Hopefully while posing for the painting, Codey didn't wear a suit that will make my propTaxes look fatter that they already are.

On the topic of health care, Rep. Frank Pallone vows to make the uninsured a priority in Congress. As chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Pallone gets the "first shot at health care legislation and oversight over the State Children's Health Insurance Program, called SCHIP, Medicaid and other programs."

And finally, they call us the Garden State for a reason and one South Jersey farmstead has capitalized on the ever-growing ethnic foods market. Says Bill Sciarappa, a Rutgers agricultural extension agent, "Today's niche market is the future mainstream market," refering to the farm's bounty which includes Chinese eggplant, bok choy, cilantro and edamame beans.

Ted Kennedy on Republicans and Minimum wage

This is why I am a liberal.

Yikes!

This needs no words.
hat tip Pam

NJ Newsroundup

The Philly Inquirer says N.J. Democrats, GOP both carry vulnerabilities and that "handling of tax cuts could sway voters; loyalties pull them back." Are your state reps vunerable? Why or why not?

Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt issues his "state of the township" address. Nothing from his speech really rocked my world (he didn't say anything new about propTaxes) but he said all the right things otherwise. Cherry Hill is an awesome place to live, I hope Mayor Platt does his part to keep it that way. Incidently, Mayor Platt has previously said on record that he's happy performing civil unions as a matter of course. Shouldn't be long now?

Here's the latest about that Kearny HS teacher with a a radical worldview and a big mouth. Remember him?

Also the latest about the Atlantic City smoking (non?) ban situation. The main argument is that a ban would put AC gambling joints at a competative disadvantage to casinos in neighboring states where smoking is allowed. Funny thing is, it won't be long until smoking is banned in those states too.

The Jersey Journal reports that Bayonne's Dems are in some deep (and expensive) kudzu.

So that's the latest in New Jersey. If I missed sometime (or if you have some good gossip) please share!

Open thread and blogwhore away!

Statement of our Union

So how's American doing from your perspective?
Image courtesy of Bill Schorr

Me me media

It's not everyday that you wake up to yourself on the cover of the newspaper. (click pic to enlarge) This morning's cover story in the Courier Post -- which serves South Jersey -- was about yours truly, Jay Lassiter, blogger. You can read the story by writer Kevin Riordan here.

A snippet:

Lassiter taps the keys in a sleekly tasteful home office, where a vintage Grundig console stereo sits against one wall and a row of windows offers a view of the woods. His desktop is clear, except for an ashtray. "I call this the South Jersey Desk of the Progressive Blogosphere," he says.

You gotta love a reporter who says nice things about your blog and your house.

Now all the flattery to my ego not withstanding, this story does say a lot about the emerging blog phenomenon. One thing is clear: the blogoshere is growing all the time. Citizen journalism is alive and kicking.

Major Changes for South Jersey Catholics

Looks like my "Hail Marys" have finally been answered.

I read this article about some changes afoot for the Camden Archdiocese and it took some time for me to grasp the magnatude of what's being suggested by Bishop Cardinale.

Courier post:

Demographic shifts and a shortage of priests are causing Catholic dioceses around the United States to consolidate or close parishes and schools. In the Camden Diocese, Galante is asking parishioners to study the problem and come up with solutions. Planning committees stocked with lay people and priests have already been formed in each of the diocese's parishes and in 12 clusters of the diocese's elementary schools.

I am not an apologist for the Roman Catholic Church, but i do happen to be Catholic and I have always held out hope that the church would gravitate away from the Vatican towards the sensibilities the laypeople. It always seemed to me like that was the best chance the Church had to recover from its scandals and get back to ministering to the people. And that's exactly what seems to be happening at the Camden Archdiocese. And since I happen to live in Camden County, this is a huge deal for me personally.
For those of you who don't believe the interworkings of the Catholic Church matter to you I say this: the Catholics have stood shoulder to shoulder with liberal activists like me on issues like the death penalty moritorium and poverty and AIDS. Bishop Galante has personally been a leader on both issues and after hurricane Katrina, he was one of the first Catholic leaders to dispatch money and boots on the ground for disaster recovery and relief.

So yeah, the Catholic Chruch has its problems. In fact, the position they're in right now closing parrishes and schools is mostly their own fault. But whenever the steps made to right the ship are so progressive and monumental as these, it's worth a mention.