53 Brentwood Blog

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Majority is the minority in 8 major U.S. cities.

Minorities are majority in 8 major U.S. cities.

Washington is among eight big-city metropolitan regions in which minorities became a majority in the past decade, according to a new analysis of census data showing white population declines in many of the largest metro areas.

Along with Washington, the regions surrounding New York, San Diego, Las Vegas and Memphis have become majority-minority since 2000. Non-Hispanic whites are a minority in 22 of the country’s 100-biggest urban areas.

By Carol Morello and Ted Mellnik, Wednesday, August 31, 5:04 AM

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I think I will call the White House

US President Barack Obama's uncle has been arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving, authorities have said.

Onyango Obama, 67, a half-brother of the president's late father, is being held without bail, subject to an immigration order.

According to the report, when taken to a police station and asked whether he wanted to make a telephone call to arrange bail, Mr Obama said: "I think I will call the White House."

Monday, August 29, 2011

Phud
28 August 2011 7:59PM

Hysterical 24 hour news coverage and seedy documentary series about policing in troubled areas with endless footage of hooded, tracksuit-wearing-baseball-capped teens hanging about on street-corners or litter-strewn concourses, doesn't help.

I live on a council estate and I see these sorts of kids every day; most of them are polite and respectful (and believe me, I don't look as if I'd give them any trouble), and I can tell you - they're just as scared as the rest of us. They hang about in gangs because it makes them feel safe. The only time we get any bother is on Fridays or Saturday nights when they smoke some green and drink too much cheap cider, but because we actually know them as individuals, they're less likely to be belligerent. Maybe it's because we're Irish and we have a better sense of community, I don't know. But remember, they're only kids going through adolescence - and that's traumatic enough without having the world judging you and calling you a 'national disgrace'.

If you point a TV camera at them, they tend to act up. And if you demonise them, they will act accordingly.

Don't get sucked-in by the hype.


PowerPoint

Switzerland could become the first country to outlaw PowerPoint presentations if a new party runs in the October parliamentary elections. Matthias Poehm, founder of the Anti-PowerPoint Party, claims that €350bn could be saved globally each year by ditching the scourge of public speaking. Poehm believes that the software takes people away from their work and teaches them little.


Julie Bindel - guardian.co.uk - Sunday 28 August 2011

'...I will not be boring my audience to tears with fiddly slides consisting of flying text, fussy fonts or photo montages.

Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in having a real discussion about ideas as opposed to force-feeding an increasingly sleepy crowd with numerous graphs and bullet points projected on to the nearest wall. Sometimes I wonder why we even bother showing up to hear a colleague elucidate on their thesis, when we are helpfully posted an advance printout of the presentation. As the speaker is building to a crucial statistic, delegates have long finished and are doing the crossword instead.'

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Notting Hill 27 Aug 2011 - 22:34

It doesn't feel right... Too many hoods...

Mr. Jobs was initially pegged as a technologist who didn’t understand the media and entertainment businesses, but his track record as an operator is pretty enviable. In 1986, he bought the company which would become Pixar from George Lucas for $5 million and invested $5 million more.

Mr. Jobs understood that all that technological processing power could be used in service of narrative in unforeseen ways: After two decades and many computer-generated blockbusters, he sold the company to Disney in a deal valued at $7.4 billion.

nytimes

Steve Jobs Reigned in a Kingdom of Altered Landscapes

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Red is the Rose

Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass
Come over the hills to your darling
You choose the rose love, and I'll make the vow
And I'll be your true love forever

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any

'Twas down by Killarney's green woods we strayed
The moon and the stars they were shining
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair
She swore she'd be my love forever

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any

It's not for the parting that my sister pains
It's not for the grief of my mother
'Tis all for the loss of my bonnie Irish lass
That my heart is breaking forever

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any