Tuesday, January 20, 2009

We are Ready to Lead Once More

The Inauguration of President Barack Obama will go down in the hallways of time as the most important inauguration in this country’s complex history. Unofficial numbers of over two million people attended the Inauguration from all over the world. By far the most ever. Partisanship aside, whether Democrat or Republican, Independent or Third Party, liberal or conservative the, the inauguration of a multiracial man that society identifies as black is proof that dreams can come true if you work hard and never give up. It is now, more than ever, tangible that a woman, Native American Indian, Latin American, any other minority or any other representative of historically disenfranchised people can rise up above the critics, above the naysayers, and above the hardships to assume their rightful place in the leadership of their and our nation.

First Lady Michelle Obama came to the White House with a present in hand for First Lady Laura Bush sparked a wonderful symbolism of democracy in that it is capable of producing a peaceful transfer of power.

Now to the speech itself. Normally an inaugural address would be full of poetry. This was poetic and had the a lot rhetorical detail likened to a State of the Union address. It was a powerful and moving speech as President Obama has become known for. Not however, the high flying oratory with little substance that his early speeches of his career had. This speech marked a maturity in Obama. A substantive dynamic to the lyricism that evoked. The President’s message was a summon to responsibility. He assured us that though times are hard and many problems are prevalent in the world, “They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.” He quoted First Corinthians when he said that it is time to “to set aside childish things,” meaning doing away with grievances, ideology, partisanship. Instead he calls to work together and just do what works. The most enthusiastic cheer came when President Obama talked about restoring our place in the world scope: “As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expediency's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.” The line that in time will be echoed along with great inaugural lines such as President Lincoln's "with malice toward none with charity for all," President Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” is when President Obama pronounced, “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.”

The remarkable historic value was summed up when President Obama said, “This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

Overall, an amazing moment in history. When a country who in its history includes slaves building the White House, where in 1838 saw the Trail of Tears, where in 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, where in 1942 Japanese Americans were put in concentration camps in the U.S., where in 1857 saw the Dred Scott Decision, where 1861 saw the start of the Civil War, where 1876 saw the birth of the laws of Jim Crow, where in 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, where in 1963 also saw fire hoses and attack dogs being set loose on protesters in Birmingham, where 1968 saw the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, we now have a country that is firmly behind its new leader and symbol: President Barack Obama.

At the funeral of Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Ethel Kennedy (wife of Robert Kennedy) leaned over to Barack Obama and whispered, "the torch has been passed to you." The then Senator Obama said that chills went his spine at hearing those words. President Obama now firmly has the torch of the entire American People in his hands.

The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Top Ten Best Uniforms In NFL

I have looked at all the teams in the NFL and have compiled a list of the best looking uniforms. I have not included any throw back or previous jerseys or helmets. All alternate jerseys have also been excluded. This means the San Diego Powder Blues and the Jaguar or Raven All Blacks are not included. The uniforms eligible are strictly current (at the time of this being written) color or white jerseys and current helmets. This is not a bias on favorite teams. Simply what i think are the best looking. I have not omitted teams because i don't like them (I'm not a fan of the Steelers at all and really really hate the Chargers). Without further ado:

10) Green Bay Packers - Green/Yellow

Classic green to go with their city name mixed with a non-gross/blinding yellow equals a spot in the top ten. Helmets are not the greatest, thus dropping a couple spots.




9) Minnesota Vikings - Purple/White

Natural combination of purple, white, and golden yellow trimming brings an ironically masculine feel to what normally would be feminine colors. Horned helmet a notch above Green Bay, but below many others.




8) Carolina Panthers - White/Panther Blue

The only "white" jersey on the list. It is a beautiful combination of a white base with Panther blue trim on the numbers and striking panther blue stripe on the sleeve. The helmets are amongst the best in the NFL.




7) Indianapolis Colts - Blue/White

Arguably the best looking natural blue in the NFL. Simple, clean, to the point. It works with the white helmet touched with blue on the stripe and colt logo.




6) San Diego Chargers - Navy Blue/White

The use of bolts on the pants and shoulder stripe are well used. Helmets also incorporate the bolt logo that smoothly represent the Chargers. Good looking navy blue. Though a good looking helmet, it is not one of the best. That's what keeps them off the top 5.




5) Chicago Bears - Dark Navy/White/Orange

An amazing combination of dark navy and white with touches of some of the nicest orange you'll ever see. Clean and classic helmets are amongst the best in the league. The fact that they have GSH (George Stanley Halas) on their sleeve brings historic value.




4) San Francisco 49ers - Cardinal Red/49ers Gold

A deeper red than uniforms of the past mixed with an original gold with white lettering brings a fluid look to the uniform. The "SF" helmets are in the top echelon of helmets.




3) Pittsburgh Steelers - Black/Yellow

Tradition speaks volumes when it comes to the Steelers team. The helmets are unique in that they have the team logo only on one side. Black base with a bold and deep but not blinding yellow catapults this uniform into the top three.





2) Cleveland Browns - Brown/White/Orange

Very close second to the number one. The best orange in the NFL combined with white and some of the nicest brown you'll ever see makes this uniform one of the best. Throw in the very simple yet effective orange helmet guarantees their spot in the top two.





1) Jacksonville Jaguars - Teal/Black

A great looking teal combined with black gives this uniform a beautifully powerful look. The helmets are amongst the best in the NFL. The shoulder sleeve incorporate a full bodied jaguar. And the hip of the pants have the Jaguar head also found on the helmet. Simply the overall best.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Top Ten Images of 2008

2008 was a special year. I have compiled the Top Ten images of the year that tell a portion of the story that was '08.



10) The Pope makes his first visit to the United States. Americans embrace the new Pope on a larger scale for first time during visit.








9) Hurricane Ike, third most destructive hurricane in United States history makes landfall.








8) Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain gets checked by security as he prepares to board an airplane. An image on the preoccupartion of security in the United States.








7) A Tibetan Buddhist protests at the Chinese Consulate. Many boycotted, protested and tried to stop the Olympic torch from making it to Beijing, China over the issue of Chinese oppression of the Tibetan people.








6) President of the Islam Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmandinejad wears 3D glasses as he is about to watch a program about an Iranian rocket during a visit to Iran's space control center in Tehran.








5) Image of tearful goodbye video of President George W. Bush's final term comes closer to an end.








4) Since 2004, Hillary Clinton was widely the favorite to be the 44th President and first woman President of the United States exits in a telling image as she loses the Democrat Party nomination to Sen. Barack Obama









3) Telling image of a man clutching his parished loved one in the aftermath of a Russian bombing attack in Georgia.










2) Gregory Gochtvott from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania decided to enlist in the National Guard at the age of 40 after he is laid off from his job at the Wachovia Bank during the economic crisis. He was shipped to Iraq in December.











1) Victory and a New Hope. Sen. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States and the first African American U.S. President. What began as a darkhorse chance against Hillary Clinton during the Democratoc Party Primaries on the steps of the Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois transformed into the hope of a nation.