Watching CNN "Assessing The Swagga" Of President Obama Was An Uncomfortable Moment For Me!

I know CNN anchors,Kyra Phillips & T.J. Holmes were attempting to do a cute,lighthearted story about President Obama,but one segment concerning his first 100 days was painful for me to watch.They decided to do a segment called "Assessing The Swagga".

I mean,Kyra Phillips even acknowledged that "they were not going to be politically correct" & boy was she right!The ridiculous story on President Obama's "swagga" was like watching a bad blaxploitaion movie with the typical black stereotypes in them.

And Ms. Phillips even said that they should have the "Shaft" theme playing in the background.The segment consisted of a round table type discussion with T.J. Holmes & some other black men who gave their expertise on the cultural identifiers that President Obama displays.

Even though she said that it was not "politically correct",it still was a very uncomfortable segment for me to look at.Because whenever people who are not black attempt to adapt some of our lingo,they appear to be mocking our expressions & culture.And the fact that Kyra Phillips asked T.J. Holmes if she was pronouncing "swagga" right is the perfect example of that!

It all just rubbed me the wrong way! Maybe I'm too sensitive when it comes to racial issues.But,I feel that this was one story that should never have been told.What was their point?!!

We All Better Brace Ourselves For An "Imminent Pandemic"

What is known as the swine flu outbreak or the(H1N1)virus is spreading like rapid fire all over the world.Because of this Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization has stopped just short of calling it a pandemic.But,that's what it appears to be.So,we all better prepare for what lies ahead.Limit contact with people & wash your hands repeatedly with either alcohol-based sanitizer or soap & water.

Here's more from ABC News:

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its pandemic flu alert level to five, signalling that a global swine flu pandemic is imminent.

WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan urged all countries to take immediate action, saying a pandemic would put "all humanity under threat".

The WHO said the alert level hike was a signal to governments, pharmaceutical industry and the business community to take action.

Dr Chan said countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparation plans but said the world was better prepared than ever to deal with a flu pandemic.

"No matter what the situation is, the international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to ramp up ... response," Dr Chan said.

"It is really all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic."

But she warned that current WHO antiviral stocks were too low and said the organisation needed more donations from companies and governments.

Phase five, one step short of a full pandemic on a six-point scale, is characterised as a "strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalise the planned mitigation measures is short," according to the WHO's global emergency planning.

A phase five alert means human-to-human transmission has happened in at least two countries."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

The Homeland Security Secretary Says The Swine Flu Should Be Called The (H1N1) Virus Instead!

The Homeland Security Secretary,Janet Napolitano,wants the swine flu to be called the H1N1 virus.That's because several countries are beginning to ban meat imports.Especially pork products.Even though it has already been established that you can't get this virus from consuming pork.Here's more from The AFP:

"The United States Tuesday warned trade partners against erecting barriers to US products amid the spreading global swine flu outbreak, saying pork meat does not transmit the virus.

"The American food supply is safe," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the head of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement.

"USTR and USDA are working closely with the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the situation carefully," they said.

Kirk and Vilsack pointed to statements by the World Health Organization and the CDC that there was no evidence of swine flu being transmitted by meat.

There have been no reports of the new deadly virus occurring in swine in the United States, they said.

"While there is no evidence at this time that swine has been infected with this virus, the science is clear that consuming or handling pork, consistent with safe handling practices, is of no risk to consumers," Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said.

Kirk, the top US trade negotiator, called on all trading partners to base any food safety measures taken to protect their populations on scientific evidence and urged them to keep their international obligations.

"Restrictions on US pork or pork products or any meat products from the United States resulting from the recent outbreak do not appear to be based on scientific evidence and may result in serious trade disruptions without cause," Kirk said.

Ecuador on Tuesday became the latest country to halt pork imports from Mexico and the United States amid the rapidly spreading human swine flu infections.

Russia on Tuesday widened its ban on imports of all meat products to five US states from three. It had already banned pork products from nine US states."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.