goodeboy06's Xomblurbs

In the NY Times article, In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters, David Barbosa reports that China's water are polluted. Believe or not China is one of the world's major exporters of seafood. The U.S. has signed an agreement with China to correct the environmental disaster. A professor at the Shanghai Fisheries University states that the cause of this irresponsible act is due to the strain of becoming industrialized and trying to raise GDP. The article states that fish in the ocean are declining and the demand for fish is increasing. The largest percentage of fish are harvested by the Chinese.

My cat likes Animal Planet and America's Funniest Animal Videos, so I can relate.

A town in India has come up with a way to use human feces to provide power to its residents. It actually breaks down the feces to extract the biogas methane. There is no smell pollution emitted according to local residents.

Watch the video!

Scientists in South Korea have come up with a way to make cloned cats to glow in the dark. They inject the mother cat's skin cells after fluorescentizing them into the mother's ova. Makes no sense to me why you would want your cat to glow.

What is fluorescence?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent

Watch the video:

A Change is Going to Come was recorded by Sam Cooke at a time of great civil movement, a time of change. Cooke was addressing the suppressed black man and the overdue change in fair treatment of the black man not only because of jobs but overall discrimination of the black man. It was 1963; the same year that President John F. Kennedy presented the civil rights in a speech he gave at March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, joining Martin Luther King, Jr., of the SCLC a activist group called the “Big Six”, which included such activists as who were instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, such as: Roy Wilkins, NAACP; Whitney Young, Jr., Urban League; A. Philip Randolph, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; John Lewis, SNCC; and James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). President Kennedy feared that the march would hinder the civil rights bill from getting an okay from Congress and King agreed to changing the focus of the march which caused further controversey. King addressed the mob of protestors stating, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'" He stated he longed for the slaves to be able to sit at the dinner table with their white masters. He longed for a time of equality among all God’s people. He first performed Bob Dylan’s remake of the song Blowing in the Wind; its lyrics questioning how many more years it was going to take before people were going to be set free. In response Cooke sang a change was going to come, a change was inevitable. Although, not released until after his death in 1964, the song and its meaning still provide a sense of hope not only to the black community, but still provides hope to all Americans; that thorough all tribulations, stay positive and a positive change will come soon thereafter.

Cooke had recently done a cross-over into the R&B music industry from the gospel industry. He had grown up in singing in church and had devoted the first half of his career to gospel music. He changed his name to Dale Cooke to cover up his identity since it was looked down upon by religious groups for someone in the gospel industry to perform secular music. Cooke was recognized as a founder of soul music. His music still showed hints of gospel music which allowed Cooke’s music to appeal to a much larger black audience; since soul music was just starting to plant it roots in American society.

Ironically, two hundred years earlier in 1763 The Berbice Slave Rebellion, which lasted for 10 months, marked the first serious attempt by a large group of enslaved black people to win their freedom from their white slave masters in Guyana, South America. Significantly, it was also the first organized attempt to win freedom on the entire American continent. Despite the division in the ranks and the eventual failure of the rebellion, from it emerged the first group of Guyanese revolutionary heroes who initiated the struggle against colonial oppression.

One hundred years earlier, in 1863, slavery was abolished by President Abraham Lincoln by the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln stated that all men were created equal. The Emancipation Proclamation was only valid during the Civil War. After the Civil War, then its positive effects were no longer recognized by the Southern States. In 1864, Lincoln was re-elected and fought for the passing of the thirteenth amendment of the American Constitution which strictly abolished slavery. The southern slave masters had a hard time adapting to the new legislation and still found ways to suppress the black man. In 1865, the Klu Klux Klan was reestablished and reined in the Southern states around that time. Although the imprisonment of the black man as a slave was eliminated, the respect and equality to the white man promised to the black man was long over due.

The South still witnessed segregation of the white and black man and strong conflict. There was a separation of blacks and whites in schools, in public establishments, such as restrooms, and often job discrimination. Lynching and hate crimes had instilled fear in many blacks, but there was a select few that decided that they had had enough. Rosa Parks had refused to give up her seat to a white patron on a bus which caused her to be kicked off the bus, which just heated the debate further. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the civil rights bill. Its establishment meant equal treatment of blacks and whites in all aspects of economic markets.

The song is presented in a slow rhythm very similar to those of slave spirituals sung by the slaves while working on their master’s plantation. Like the old slave spirituals it was meant to motivate and ease the racial tension caused by white oppressors. The song today is presented as an anthem to the establishment of civil rights among black and white American citizens. I believe the words of the song directed its meaning to a much larger audience in present day society. To me the song acts as a song of inspiration; even when times are bad, optimism promotes a positive change. This song should be an anthem to any repressed nation in the world. Keep your chin up for a change is going to come.

Sam Cooke on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Cooke

Berbice Slave Rebellion straight from its own country’s website:

http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/chapter30.html

The Emancipation Proclamation straight from the National Archives:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/

Lyrics for song with no pop-ups:

http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/american.studies.s98/a.change.is.gonna.come.html

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site:

http://www.nps.gov/malu

NAACP:

www.naacp.org

Youtube Video of Sam Cooke performing "A Change is Gonna Come:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKDgpxOHVhA

Youtube Video of Sam Cooke performing "Blowing in the Wind":

If you have seen the 2006 movie "Deck the Halls" with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, then you can relate to this real life Christmas Light Show.

Here is a preview of the movie:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809699130/video/903992/20060928/150/903992-300-wmv-s.28772862-173011,903992-1000-wmv-s.28772960-173011,903992-56.6-wmv-s.28772813-173011,903992-100-wmv-s.28772822-173011,903992-700-wmv-s.28772895-173011,903992-300-qtv-s.28773812

The light show below is the largest in Nevada and is sychronized to music. If have not seen the movie, I would recommend that you watch it. I bet their electricity bill is high. Enjoy!

Is there a house in your community that lights up the night sky at Christmas. Where is the best Christmas light show you have ever seen?

Here is a website with lyrics for famous Christmas songs. Just click on each song title to display the lyrics. This is great to print off for carolers or just a fun family holiday activity. Enjoy!

Christmas is a wonderful time for the entire family. However, most households tend to forget the pets in their families, especially with the busiest time of the year. Here is a website with pointers on how to ensure your pet has a safe holiday.

Don't fret. If the recepient has access to a computer and email, then send an e-card. This is a simple way to get that last minute card to that someone special. Most are free, some may require a small payment.

www.funny-ecards.com/cards/christmas

www.greet2k.com/festivals/christmas

For more just do a search for free e-cards

Straight from the North Pole! Here is the website for everything Christmas. This website even allows your child to send a letter to Santa.