Today’s photo of the day shows one the world’s biggest superstars back when he was a high school basketball player. Can you guess who it is???

(Again, if you already know who it is, please remain QUIET!!!)

Today’s video of the day is Fantasia’s newest single, “When I See You.” In addition to being a beautiful song, the video is tasteful and sweet. Enjoy!!!

Sunday night, I’ll be appearing on New York’s Hot 97 from 9-10PM to discuss violence, snitching, and hip-hop culture.

You point out my enemies, someone who’s into me
But not a hyper chick- someone with the proper energy
A girl that’s into me who won’t fuck all my enemies
And you could be the one ‘cuz I’m lovin’ ya energy

“Hey Nas”

Last night, MSNBC sponsored the first Democratic presidential debate. Although the candidates were fairly reserved and the cross-candidate banter was limited, there were still some interesting moments. Here are my thoughts:

• Overall, Hillary Clinton came out ahead of Barack Obama. Unlike Obama, who often failed to project strength and experience, Clinton was able to knock all of her questions out of the park. This was particularly apparent during the conversation about emergency responses to terrorism. Unfortunately, I don’t believe or agree with much of what she said.
• Obama responded well to Edwards’ jab regarding his previous failure to offer a concrete health care plan, as well as his “high falutin’ language,” by giving his most lucid plan to date. If nothing else, Obama has shown that he knows how to take a punch, dust himself off, and keep rolling. Unfortunately, his two-step around Israel and Palestine made me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit.
• I was disturbed by the lack of equal time offered to each candidate. Based on the debate, it was clear that only 3 or 4 candidates were taken seriously. This is unfortunate, as equal time would allow important but uncomfortable issues to be raised and resolved.
• Did anyone else notice how Hillary Clinton completely avoided the question about whether or not they agreed with Harry Reid’s assertion that America has lost the war in Iraq?
• Joe Biden made some interesting, accurate, and powerful comments about the war. Once again, he showed how strong a VP candidate he would be if he didn’t have such chronic logorrhea. That said, his one-word answer to the question about his discipline was the funniest line of the night.
• As always, Dennis Kucinich made the most sense with regard to the war and domestic policy. Unlike his opponents, the Congressman accurately pointed out the contradiction between opposing the war and implicitly reauthorizing it with new spending bills. Also, his comments about judicial litmus tests –he said that his appointments would necessarily reflect his ideology– were sober and honest. ELECT THIS MAN!!!!!
• Mike Gravel, the former Alaska Senator, reiterated Kucinich’s comments and added some concrete strategies for challenging a Republican filibuster. Also, his open challenge to the “mainline candidates” with regard to their stance on nuclear weapons was refreshingly honest and courageous. Unfortunately, he came across as an angry wingnut –imagine John McCain on PCP– rather than the principled and thoughtful politician that he is. As a result, Obama, Clinton, Biden, and Edwards were able to literally laugh off his comments instead of dealing with his claims.
• Although I appreciate the fact that Edwards has explicitly addressed the poverty problem in America, his story about not being able to eat at a restaurant as a child came across as sappy and trite. Also, his failure to hear (or understand) the question about Supreme Court appointments will definitely be fodder for late night comedians and pundits who continue to push the idea that Edwards is a lightweight pretty boy. If he’s not careful, he’s going to become increasingly irrelevant and unattractive to voters over the next few months.
• Unlike some candidates, Bill Richardson demonstrated his foreign policy experience by offering much needed comments about Iran and Syria. Specifically, his suggestion about bringing Iran and Syria to the table as part of a global peace keeping strategy was a critical point that stood in sharp contrast to the isolationist stragies that we’ve deployed in recent years. (I’m genuinely curious to see what Obama thinks about that.) Overall, he came across as one of the strongest candidates in the race and a sure-fire VP frontrunner. Side note: Why did they have to ask the one Latino about normalizing relations with Cuba?