Farrakhan revels in the spotlight of Million Men March

October 16, 1995
Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke for over two hours at Monday's Million Man March, telling hundreds of thousands on the Mall in Washington that white supremacy is the root of the country's suffering ( 199K AIFF sound or 199K WAV sound).

"That makes you sick," Farrakhan said, "and you produce a sick society and a sick world."

The response to his call for a day of atonement and reconciliation for black men strengthened his position as a leader in the African American community, Farrakhan said, "like it or not."

The U.S. Park Service estimated that 400,000 heard Farrakhan and other speakers in the all-day rally.

And while Farrakhan may have been the inspiration for Monday's Million Man March, he wasn't necessarily the reason huge numbers of people showed up. In interviews with CNN, several African-American participants said they hoped the rally would generate self-reliance and black unity. "We're not here to overthrow anyone," said John West, an educator from Chicago. (111K AIFF sound or 111K WAV sound).

Organizers claimed attendance at the rally exceeded the million mark but that estimate could not be immediately verified. U.S. Park Police were expected to release their own figure on the crowd size later in the day. Despite the gathering's name, there were many women speakers, including civil rights movement pioneer Rosa Parks and poet Maya Angelou. Several children also addressed the crowd. (180K AIFF sound or 180K WAV sound)

The crowd was entertained by pulsing African drums (88K JPEG photo) and music before it heard uplifting speeches from a platform set up just below the congressional terrace where U.S. presidents deliver their inaugural addresses. (1M QuickTime movie)

Speaking in Texas, President Clinton praised the inspirational goals of the rally but he rejected "one man's message of malice and division" -- a reference to Farrakhan, whom he did not mention by name. Farrakhan has angered Jews, Catholics, gays, feminists and others with his comments over the years. He has called Judaism a "gutter religion" and recently defended his use of the term "bloodsuckers" to describe Jews, Asians and others who open businesses in minority communities and take the profits elsewhere.

But those who poured into Washington by bus, car and train shrugged off criticism of Farrakhan as they massed shoulder-to-shoulder in a festive mood on the vast Washington Mall, cheering and applauding as speakers shouted "March on, black men!" and "God bless the black man!"

"Many of our young people are in prison or dropping out of school," West said. "I would like to send a message to them that there is hope and there are people who care about them. If we all pull together as a community and as a race, I think we can lick some of these problems."

Farrakhan conceived the rally as a "a day of atonement" in which black men would repudiate the crime, drug addiction and family abuse that have crippled American black communities and dedicate themselves to a self-started economic and spiritual resurgence. With the "Million Man March" slogan, he had set out to achieve the biggest public demonstration in Washington history, surpassing the legendary civil rights rally led by the late Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963.

"We who are at the bottom of the pile need to climb out and not wait to be lifted out," said one Farrakhan aide, Abdul Allah Muhammad. "In the process of doing that, we must ask for God's help and be worthy of God's help. That's why this is called a day of atonement." (more from Muhammad on Farrakhan's message to African-Americans - 94K AIFF sound or 94K WAV sound)

"I'm here for atonement," said Stephen Jones, an assistant school principal from Chicago. "I'm here to unify the black community, to be role models for our students to let them know there is hope in America. We are here to inspire all people of our country to get an education." (179K AIFF sound or 179K WAV sound)."

"It's not about Farrakhan," said Philip Branker of St. Paul, Minnesota. "(It's about) black men uniting for a cause." There's "a need to unite," he said, because "there hasn't been a strong (black unity) movement for some time now."

That's also why Jerry Parries of Cleveland drove to Washington with friends. "What motivated me was the African-American brothers getting together, doing something for their community and supporting one another," he said. "It's an economic thing. ... It's not about Louis Farrakhan." (more from Parries (119K AIFF sound or 119K WAV sound)

Many federal employees arranged to take Monday off. Several government agencies and local school districts reported a high absentee rate.

Milion Men march ,1995

Clinton: Racial rift 'tearing at heart of America'

President voices concerns in black and white

October 16, 1995
Web posted at: 2:15 p.m. EDT

AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- While thousands of African-American men marched on Washington, President Clinton issued his own challenge to both white and black Americans.

In a powerful speech touching on such cultural hot points as the O.J. Simpson trial, America's legacy of slavery, welfare reform and Monday's Million Man March, Clinton urged all Americans to "clean your house of racism."

"In recent weeks," said Clinton, speaking at the University of Texas at Austin, (170K AIFF sound or 170K WAV sound) "we've all been made aware of a simple truth. White and black Americans often see the world in dramatically different ways."

Clinton said differing reactions to the Simpson verdict had served to highlight far deeper divisions, rifts that are "tearing at the heart of America." But they had also helped provide a window for communication and reconciliation.

"Today we face a choice," he said. "One way leads to further separation and bitterness and more lost futures. The other way, the path of courage and wisdom, leads to unity, reconciliation, and a rich opportunity for all to make the most of the lives God has given them."

Clinton issued a poignant reminder of the history of blacks in America, one that stretches from lynchings and trumped-up charges to Rodney King's beating at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department. (168K AIFF sound or 168K WAV sound)

"White racism may be black people's burden, but it is white people's problem," charged the president. In a reference to former Los Angeles Police Department detective Mark Fuhrman, he said, "The taped voice of one policeman should fill you with outrage. So I say to you: clean your house of racism." (250K AIFF sound or 250K WAV sound)

Noting the traditional economic disparity between the races and current efforts to end affirmative action, he said, "It is so fashionable to talk today about African-Americans as if they had been some sort of protected class. Many whites think blacks are getting more than their fair share in terms of jobs and promotions. That is not true." He pointed out that black Americans still earn, on the average, only 60 percent of what whites earn. Moreover, he said, more than half of African-American children grow up in poverty.

While acknowledging the roots of black pain and anger, the president also gave voice to white concerns. "Blacks must understand the roots of white fear," Clinton insisted. "It isn't racist for a white parent to hold his child close in a high crime neighborhood."

And he urged the black community to take responsibility for its problems, and for people of color, too, to cleanse their minds of ugly racism: "Again, I say, clean your house."

Clinton hailed the men participating in Monday's Million Man March, but offered thinly veiled criticism of the events' organizer, Louis Farrakhan, known for anti-Semitic remarks.

"One million men are right to be standing up for personal responsibility," he said. "But one million men do not make right one man's message of malice and division."

In a powerful speech that sometimes resembled a parental lecture, Clinton ended with a call for a united America.

"Whether we like it or not," he said, "we are one nation, one family, indivisible. For us, divorce or separation are not options."

Related story

FRom Stallman

pRON ON MAC MINI

Opening up the Intel Mac mini

Our first Intel-based Mac minis have arrived, straight from the Apple Store, and what was the first thing the cold, cruel alien intellects at Macworld did with one of these innocents? That’s right. We got out our putty knife, popped it open, and spilled its guts out faster than you could say “CSI!”

So before we get started, be sure you’ve read our clever list of things you need to know about this new machine. You might even want to read my first take on the new Mac mini (hint: I’m excited about its use in a home theater set-up), or hear me yammer on about it in our latest podcast.

All set? Okay, without further ado, here’s an extremely quick tour around the patient’s insides.

From this vantage point, the Mac mini hasn’t changed much from its previous version. However, there’s one gigantic change that may not be apparent from this angle: the easily-accessible RAM slot on the left side (A) is gone. Or to be more accurate, they’ve been turned on their side and hidden from view. (More on this in a moment.)

On the far side of the case you can see the new infrared receiver (B) right at the end of the optical-drive slot.

The Mac mini’s Bluetooth (C) and AirPort (D) antennae are still in place, although these versions seem a bit more robust than the we-just-taped-it-together feel of the previous model. There’s one other change that’s a bit hard to see from this photo, but it’s just beneath and behind the AirPort antenna (E): the Mac mini’s Bluetooth card, relocated to the top of the drive cage.

Next, we remove the drive cage (four screws, just like the previous model) and gingerly lift up, removing the interconnect card from its slot and disconnecting another cable carefully. Folding the drive cage back, we reveal the inside…

Things are a bit different under here. We’ve got two large heat sinks (F) (one for processor, one presumably for video circuitry). There’s a little perch (G) at the back for the new “penthouse” on port row, belonging to the audio-in and -out ports. Just below the interconnect slot (H) is the built-in AirPort Extreme card (J) (you can see the antenna snake off to the right). At the front left you can make out the two RAM slots (K), one on top of the other. SODIMMs slide right into here, laying on their side. It’s a tight squeeze, but SODIMMS like to snuggle, so it’s okay.

On the flip side, here’s the bottom of the drive cage. The 2.5-inch hard drive (L) is still here, although now it’s of the Serial ATA, rather than parallel ATA, variety. To the right resides our old friend the fan (M).

And that’s your lightning-quick, shotgun tour of the new Mac mini. She’s in the hands of the Macworld Lab now, being tested as we speak. More on that — including a full review — later on. Got more questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comment thread attached to this story.

The PlayStation 3 delay meme, part VI: Variety sez holidays 06

Posted Mar 6th 2006 1:12PM by Ryan Block
Filed under: Gaming

There isn't exactly a pull quote from Sony's head, Sir Howard Stringer (or Howie Stringy, as we like to call him around these parts), but Variety's latest profile on the man at the top pretty clearly states that despite Sony's claims to introduce the PlayStation 3 this spring, it'll be delayed into the holiday 2006 season -- and that's presumably for Japan, America could be any amount of time later than that. We've more or less come to terms with this as truth by now, we just wish Sony'd admit it or launch the PS3 already, and stop yanking our chains. So don't be surprised when, as usual, some Sony talking head chimes in about their sticking to their spring 2006 plans, and that so and so had this and that totally wrong about what they've got going on to launch on time. After all, a company like Sony just loves holding its cards to its chest, we know this, but did we mention we're already a month into spring? This concludes today's PlayStation 3 delayed post, everyone, thank you for your attention.

Solar USB drive and MP3 player to rise at CeBIT

Solar USB drive and MP3 player to rise at CeBIT

Posted Mar 6th 2006 2:17PM by Marc Perton
Filed under: Portable Audio, Storage

Taiwanese manufacturers A-Data and MSI plan to unveil solar-powered flash devices at CeBIT, though we're not quite sure either one is a shining example of bright new ways to harness the sun's power. A-Data's offering, the Solar Disk USB drive, is a fairly generic thumb drive with a solar-powered LCD that displays its available capacity. Given that USB flash drives with LCD displays are becoming fairly common, and that the use of a solar cell to power such a display isn't exactly earth-shattering (we seem to remember picking up our first solar calculator about 20 years ago), we can't exactly see this feature commanding a premium. Meanwhile, MSI plans to demo a solar-cell MP3 player. While that sounds like it could be promising, the solar cell won't be the sole source of juice for the prototype player; rather, it'll help charge a conventional lithium battery. And given the amount of time audio players spend in pockets, backpacks and purses, we somehow don't anticipate this giving the player much of a boost.

There were a few revisions to the script, so at times it seems disjointed, something I'm sure they'll fix in the editing process. The film opens up with a fight scene featuring the latest heavyweight champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon taking out another inferior opponent. The crowd is disgusted. It seems there's no one left for this man to fight and it's become tiresome (irony?). This is all written as if our ADD-riddled country is still interested in boxing. Don't get me wrong, I loved "The Contender" last year simply because it was real and bloody. But I also know why it failed.

Cut to Rocky, in a graveyard, mourning. Who's dead, you ask? Probably whoever said no to this project (see Talia Shire). Yes Adrian (that's how Sly spells it) is dead and Rocky makes periodic visits with a lawn chair to sit at her grave and talk to her. This was all probably dialogue that was supposed to be interactive until she declined involvement. He also drags Paulie along but he hates it. Surprisingly, Burt Young was available! Not only was he available, but he also gets more screen time in this film than he did in any other outing. Is this a good thing?

So Rocky owns a Philadelphia restaurant and basically every night people want to hear Apollo Creed stories. I, myself, would rather hear Mr.T stories because that was a better movie, but that's another story. Meanwhile, Rocky's son, Robert (oh no! shades of Rocky V!) is kind of embarrassed by him and keeps his distance. This puzzles me because who wouldn't want this guy for a dad?

Meanwhile, the rocket scientists at ESPN have designed a computer program that pits current fighters against the classics. After using CGI to pit Mason Dixon against the Philly slugger, 'analysts' realize they have a great fight on their hand.

Back in Philadelphia, Rocky has befriended a single mom. She has the obligatory, disgruntled son who also doesn't care for Rocky. If you've seen a movie before, you can guess how that relationship develops.

After hardly any prodding, Rocky decides to fight Dixon and re-applies for his license. There are subplots about Dixon arguing with his manager because he's too good to fight a has-been and Paulie and the meat factory (he's still there??).

Actually, the script's not as predictable as you think and I don't want to give away too much more out of fairness to the filmmakers and Mr. Stallone, a man whom I admire and respect very much. His success story in Hollywood is legendary. I will tell you this- I am going to be there on opening day exclusively because of the last shot in the film, which I won't give away. It's so good that it gave me goose bumps and made me wish that the rest of the script had lived up to its ending. Honestly, as a screenwriter myself, I don't know how I would or could have effectively revived the series. You have to be true to the franchise and basically the idiots that make up Middle America like their stories simple and spoon-fed to them. So, get ready for Dukes of Hazzard II, coming soon to push all the intelligent films out of the theater. This is Tregs, see you in 2007 (why?) when this movie comes out.

Podcast en Dixo.com

En fechas recientes he estado escuchando mucho podcasts, los de Engadget me parecen geniales, me puse a buscar algunos en español, afortunadamente hay más de los que yo creía, desafortunadamente muchos son muy malos, me tope con este sitio DIXO.com, donde hay blogs y podcasts, algunos bastante amenos y otros que aunque están bien producidos son muy malos, el peor es el de un tal sopitas, raras veces logra decir algo coherente y generalmente debe recurrir al recurso de las groserías, que no espantan a nadie, pero que en su caso son como una herramienta, existen bastantes de tecnología, hay uno realizado por Adrián Carbajal muy bueno y otro mediocre de la revista sputnik, pero el tal Eduardo Arcos es nefasto, tiene un tonito de "yo se más que tú" y "escucha como exagero mi pronunciación" que hacen que parezca que el tipo quiere esconder que siempre se le oye nervioso, muy ansioso (!!Esta grabado¡¡) !¿Acaso portará el micrófono pegado al cuerpo?¡.¿tendrá Asma?

Por último, hay uno muy interesante por un tal Abel Membrillo (que yo decía:"¿quien es este canijo?", ya luego me informaron que es la voz de Otro rollo (¿Será que no veo TV?) de repente aporta cosas buenas, no esta exento de una que otra grosería, pero en él no es sistema y muchas veces ponen "rolas" "chidas".

Dense una vuelta por la página.

Si quieren podcasts chidos de tecnología, ENGADGET, no hay más.