Yesterday morning, the hit counter on my blog stood at 25,000 hits. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least! At this sentence, the count stands at 25,106 unique hits.
This is a major milestone for me, and for my blog. Actually, this is my 2nd attempt at blogging. I used to have a MSN Spaces page at one point in time (http://spaces.msn.com/bluesoapbox was the URL) which I discontinued as I didn’t feel too comfortable sharing my inner thoughts and feelings with the whole wide world at the time. What got me started again was the 2008 US Election campaign. I was really appalled some of the things that were being said (and done) during the campaign, and at the same time, I was really captivated by Barack Obama.
A few friends and I were discussing the campaign issues online and one posted a Slate picture slideshow entitled “The Soiling of Old Glory”. Those pictures invoked memories of a trip I’d made to a Southern US state in the 1990’s. Those memories helped me write “The Day I Met Jim Crow”, a recollection of the day I met Jim Crow for the first time. That’s the most widely read and referenced post on this blog to date, with close to 1300 views to date.
I’m really fortunate to have made a few acquaintances thru this second blogging stint; acquaintances I hope turn into friendships as time goes by. My blog stats tell me that my blog posts have been read from as far west as Alaska to as far east as China. That really… I don’t know… has me in awe? I really don’t know how else to describe it… how that makes me feel.
My blog will be a year old on May 24th. With any luck (and time) I’ll share some more facts and figures then. In these eleven months (approx), I also started Bobolee Pix, a space for me to share a few of my pictures. I’ve been stymied with my photography efforts though: someone sniped my camera last month and I haven’t gotten myself a replacement as yet! 😕 Really a shame… I loved taking photos, and my camera and I had just gotten used to each other’s quirks. I hope the new owner likes it as much as I did! 😕
I’m not a learned scholar, an author, a writer, or a journalist. Just a simple dude with an opinion (and a way with words, apparently). I have to warn you, I’m not always able to post as I like due to my real-world commitments! I wish I could do nothing else but share my thoughts and observations with you each and everyday… and I probably could, but I’ll have to leave my currently well-paying 9-5! At least, now with my Twitter feed, we can still share and communicate thoughts on a more impromptu and frequent basis.
Thanks a lot for visiting, thanks a lot for linking, thanks a lot for critiquing, and thanks a lot for sharing!
I was reading my email yesterday, when I came upon this gem on a web forum. I don’t know the original author, but I think he makes a good case for his reasons as to why he didn’t vote for Barack Obama.
As is my usual custom, I posted interesting and related links where I thought they’d be appropriate. I also included a few pix from my photoblog (Bobolee Pix) as well. I spent some time working on it this weekend, and I think it has a fresh, new look. Hope you like it…
I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with with nothing as immigrants.
I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades.
I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky (killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq).
I voted for Shawn, another who’s been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who’ll be going back to Afghanistan again soon — and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started.
I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school — it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been.
I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too. But mostly, I voted selfishly. I vote for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and once who has baseball practice at the same time.
I first read this in May, and I bookmarked it for later reading. I’ve read it often ever since. I’ve taken the liberty of copying it to share with you. The original can be found here. I’ve “hyperlinked through” the article with relevant references that I hope are helpful. This was written before Obama became the “presumptive” nominee of the Democratic Party.
I find it really calm, reflective and moving. I hope you do too. Enjoy.
By eternity’s standards, less than a second has passed, but by their lingering sense of how time passes on Earth, they have endured years full of speeches and celebrations crammed into one day. Both were moved to tears by Walt Whitman’s lengthy tribute. He was one of their favorite poets because of his deep knowledge of the American spirit.
They both mock-grimaced through President John F. Kennedy’s jokes told, as usual, at their expense. JFK still knew how to tease his younger brother. He also reminded Martin Luther King about needing a ghostwriter for his own 50th anniversary Martyrs’ Ball speech in a few years.
“Give me some words that Rev. Jeremiah Wright can’t make fun of and I’ll practice my delivery so that it doesn’t sound like his very bad imitation of my very good inauguration speech,” President Kennedy said as the heavenly hosts roared with laughter.
“One of these days, you’re going to have to stop holding me responsible for everything Rev. Wright says,” Martin said, eliciting yet another round of laughter and applause. Eternity is a place where irony is appreciated.
Standing at the great Reflecting Pool of Reality later that evening, Martin and Bobby look into its crystalline depths, causing the distance between heaven and Earth to part like clouds. Images shimmer into view. Loved ones can be seen. The secrets of men’s hearts are revealed. The political beast stands revealed in all of its nakedness.
Bobby gazes at the Democratic presidential candidate’s anguished expression in a time-lapse montage. “The grueling pace of the primary has made her careless. Her ambition is at war with her best instincts.”
Martin stoops to stir the waters of the Reflecting Pool with his index finger. He sees the face of a newborn baby. He smiles with pleasure. “My oldest son and his wife have named my first grandchild Yolanda Renee King,” Martin announces with pride. “That thunder you hear coming from the celestial mountains is the sound of Coretta jumping for joy.”
“Congratulations, Martin,” Bobby says. The civil rights leader stirs the waters once more. Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama’s face comes into view.
“It’s hard to believe a mere four decades has passed since we both slipped the bonds of Earth,” Martin says. “The evolution of America’s racial attitudes in a generation is as big a miracle as the two of us standing here reacting to it. We are witnessing a milestone in the nation’s history.”
“Is this truly Barack Obama’s moment, Martin? Is he the spiritual heir to your ‘I Have a Dream’ ethos, or will he succumb to worldly pragmatism and do whatever it takes to win?”
They listen to Barack Obama delivering the commencement address at Wesleyan University as Teddy Kennedy’s stand-in. They are impressed by his eloquence and his heart for changing America. It feels visionary to them. It feels familiar.
“My brother loves this man. Now I can see why. He is as charismatic as you once were,” Bobby says.
John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jnr.
“I beg to differ,” Martin says. “This young man definitely has more Kennedy in him than King.”
Suddenly, the waters grow dark and Martin and Bobby’s reflections return to the surface of the water. “Even we don’t have the right to see the future, Martin, but I still have a good feeling about it.”
Martin Luther King sighs. “Whatever happens — all will be well,” he says. “We have the rest of eternity to learn and absorb that truth.”
************
PS: I suspect that the Clinton camp will still try to usurp Obama’s nomination and confirmation at the upcoming convention. Let’s hope good sense prevails.
PPS: I had already ‘written’ and formatted this post, and was intending to publish it the day before the Convention was due to start, i.e., Aug. 24th.
Created history. First African-American to have the backing of a major political party for the post of president. He finally got all that dirt off his shoulder.
It still remains to be seen whether Black America will revoke his “honourary black” pass or not. He really didn’t do a good job in making the real Black President welcome!
Here’s a video from 1993… around the time when Billary reigned supreme in the White House.
Its by George Clinton (Relative? Who knows?), and called “Paint the White House Black”. I guess a lot of Obama’s detractor’s are perhaps quite fearful that he’ll do something like that!
Appearances by George himself, Ice Cube, Shabba Ranks, Humpty Hump, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis and a few other notables.
I came across this video today… I think its really inspiring.
Zoe Kravitz is the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. She kicks things off…
Peace.and.Much.Love.jw.
Other personalities making an appearance include:
Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Macy Gray,
John Leguizamo, Troy Garity (from Ice Cube’s movie ‘Barbershop’; Jane Fonda’s son),
Tyrese, Tichina Arnold (from ‘Martin’ and “Everybody Hates Chris’), and
The “always-on-fire” Kerry Washington and “my wife from a previous life” Regina King.
I really hope Obama gets elected US President come November 2008, and even though I’m not American, the message here is pretty clear. And I think it speaks to all of us.
Your age, race, sex, religion or class? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. Its up to us all to try, in our own little way, to leave the world a better place than we met it.
Peace.and.Much.Love.jw.
It starts with your first breath in the morning. Try to make each subsequent breath serve a higher purpose, be it in getting more educated, helping someone else in need or caring about the environment.
If we all keep that up, when we breathe our last, we would have accomplished much.
~~~~~
The Bobolee Chronicles 
